Several years ago (1998) a group of guys from the church I am currently pastoring decided we needed to make a smoker. I had worked in a BBQ restaurant for a little while and had acquired the ability to smoke meats. I also enjoyed doing it. It seemed that whenever we needed to smoke meat for lunches, dinners, or helping groups with fundraisers I would have to borrow a smoker from a buddy So with that being said, three or four of us decided to build a smoker. I had access to an old boat trailer on which to place the smoker. Next we found an old gas well muffler that had burned out (insides of muffler). With a little work, it will make a good smoker. The pipe was about 36” around. We can build a fire box on the end and bam! Smoker! My primary job was layout and design. I chalk drew the doors on the pipe. Then put chalk circles where the smoke pipes would go. Finally I put marks where the fire box would go. As the guys were cutting the hole for the fire box, I designed the fire box out of ¼” plate steel. Once the hole was in the back for the fire box, we cut out the remaining baffles that had not burned out. The pipe was set on the trailer. The fire box was assembled and attached to the back of the smoker. The doors were cut out, hinges attached and doors then re-attached with counterweights attached to make the doors easier to open and close. Grills were fabricated and set in the smoker.
Some final touches were added, and a few extras in put in place. After a few months of working in the evenings and weekends the smoker was complete. Now, do not get the impression that this was a world class smoker and looked like it came of the Oklahoma Joe show room. No, it was far from it. As a matter of fact, we (the guys that built it) nicknamed it the Rust Bucket!
It was not much to look at but could that thing smoke meat. I personally have smoked numerous racks of ribs, many pounds of brisket, boxes of hot links, rolls of bologna, and way too many hams, chickens, turkeys and pork shoulder roasts! That smoker has been all over eastern Oklahoma. It has cooked for competitions, fund raisers for athletics, cheerleaders, and little league teams locally and afar. And it has smoked many a meal for the membership of First Southern Baptist Church here in Gore.
Over the years it has had to have some repairs. It is working on its third set of axles. The first set did not fair too well for very long. They had to be replaced after about six months. The original axles were for a small fiberglass boat, not a heavy pipe smoker. The next set was put on by a guy who borrowed it for a school fund raiser and could see the fate of the current axles would not be long, as they were too light as well. He put on a heavy set and moved them back about a foot giving the trailer a different (and better) weight distribution. The fire box has had some work on it, too. The smoker pipe where the fire box attached has had to be reinforced/ refabricated a couple of times. With the constant accumulation of grease from the meats, rust has always been an issue. And the grills inside have had some work on them as the heat and grease have taken their toll. When I returned to Gore as pastor of the church, I ran down the location of the smoker. It had been sitting in a field for a few years. Tires were worn and weather-checked. I didn’t think it could get any rustier, but… it had. We pulled it back to the church, used it to smoke some meat for a church lunch and then pulled it to the parsonage and put it in the back yard. I have tried to use it a couple of times, but it was to no avail. The back of the smoker and the fire box were both rusted out…BIG TIME. The doors had warped and had some massive air gaps. Over all, the smoker could not get a constant temperature and hold it, and smoke escaped everywhere but the smoke stacks.
It was time to face reality. The old smoker had seen better days. It was time to retire the old Rust Bucket to the old rusty metal yard.
That was until one of my friends and pupils of smoking meats had his smoker redone. He had a bigger pipe put on his trailer and the old 24”, 2-door smoker was available to someone else. He came to me and asked, “Preacher, you want it?” I couldn’t say a YES fast enough.
The old Rust Bucket is getting remade. Not bigger but definitely better. After thousands of pounds of ribs, hundreds of pounds of beef and pork, and probably enough chicken to fill a hen house being smoked on that old smoker, it is getting remade.
All this made me realize a couple of things. Nothing last forever, first. Cars, houses, clothes, toys, even our bodies will wear out someday. Second, until that day, we need to keep on doing what we are designed/made to do. And, finally, after it looks like the life of whatever it is has come to a close, there is something better awaiting!
Yes this is for the smoker, but it reminded me of…well…me! God has something for me when my life is over. That new body! As my smoker gets remade, someday I will as well. Paul, the apostle, tells us this in 1 Corinthians 15:50-53. Go read it and check it out.
Watching the Old Become New, Bro. Tim
