A DIY Santa Maria grill accessory for the Weber kettle

[Henrik]

Estemed Pit Members,

something terrible has happened. I have hit the grill wall. I haven't done any outdoor cooking since New Year's. So I figured I'll get Ye Olde Welder out and build something instead. Inspired by @Troutman's Santa Maria Grill Accessory I figured: Hey, I can make one just like that! So that's what I did. I did it because I had the spare parts around, and 2 hours to spare. It cost me 0 dollars. I don't plan on manufacturing any, this is a one off, for my personal use only. I believe there are commercial ones available for purchase.

* I'm smoking a brisket on Tuesday, hopefully that will get rid of the pit master's block.

First task, creating a 'rim' of sorts




Fabricating a frame so the grates can move up and down




Welding the frame in place




Making grill grates by first tap welding the 'ring' onto the grates, then cutting the circle for a snug fit




...to be continued

[Henrik]

Getting the crankshaft and wires in place




Throwing on some (heat proof) paint makes everything a little prettier




And here's the finished product. Works as advertised :-)




It is lightweight, so I can easily remove it with one hand. I even put those felt gaskets used on kamados on the underside of the rim, so it won't scratch my (already scratched) kettle.


And for those of you more in Friday mode, i.e. lean back and sip your favorite libation, here's a video. Enjoy!

[gcdmd]

Great job and video, Henrik.

Just one question, what's that white stuff on the ground?

[Henrik]

Beats me! It seems scared of the Weber though, so I’ll keep feeding the flame, and it goes away. Magic ;-)

[au4stree]

Henrik Awesome job

[Henrik]

Thank you!

[Steve B]

As always Henrik Knocking it out of the park. Nicely done.

[Henrik]

Thanks Steve, it was a fun build!

[Mr. Bones]

Very cool, Hank!
Thanks fer th video tutorial!

[Henrik]

Thanks Mr. Bones!

[RonB]

Great job Henrik.

[Henrik]

Thanks Ron!

[fzxdoc]

If only that workbench could talk, Henrik . I bet it's seen some awesome projects made on it, just like this one. What a fun way to spend a couple of hours. Santa Maria style tri-tip coming soon, I'll bet.

Thanks for the video, I really enjoyed watching it.

Kathryn

[Henrik]

Thank you Kathryn! Great idea, I wasn't sure what I should cook first on it, and there's the answer: Tri Tip! Of course!

[HawkerXP]

Nice job!

[Troutman]

Alright, he bootlegged a Gabby's grill !!! I love it. I'd patent that puppy in the EU if I were you, great job my friend !!!

[CaptainMike]

Great job and a fun video to watch, thanks for taking the time to make it. I was wondering how you got your circle bent up so nicely, nice hack. I thought my SM was a great find at $50, but it's tough to beat $0 and 2 hours of work. You are going to really enjoy SM cooking, I look for every opportunity to use mine. It's currently behind a 2' pile of snow but I might have to just buck up and get my shovel. And for your listening pleasure here's a song that always pops in my head when I'm firing up My Maria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdBvTvxHy7E

[Henrik]

Now that's a good theme song for any SM grill! As for the hack: since I didn't have the power tools around I had to get inventive. But I'm looking into upgrading my tool shop in the near future. We'll see how it goes :-)

[Elton's BBQ]

This was really cool Henrik

[Henrik]

Thanks Elton!

[holehogg]

Excellent.

[jgreen]

Nice job. You made that look easy.

[Henrik]

Thanks, it was good fun! I'd like to call 2 hours in the shop 'mindfulness'. At least it's mindfulness to me :-)

[klflowers]

Very nice. A man of many talents.

[Henrik]

Thanks klflowers!

[klflowers]

You are welcome Henrik. I am still loving your rubs. Haven't tried the signature seasoning yet, but it is in my cart at Amazon.