DIY Quick and Easy Charcoal Basket for the Ranch Kettle

[SixZeroFour]

I plan to fire up Area 51 today and the only way that was going to happen was with a charcoal basket of some sort. Thankfully I had a sheet of expanded mesh leftover from an old project that was about 20" x 34"... that'll do!

Below I used a hard edge to help bend the two long edged upwards. Wear gloves with this stuff, especially if the sheet has been cut as the corner clips can be razor sharp!







Once the pan bottom was formed I marked the two short ends for bending - 4" from the each end (same as side wall height):



I then used a Dremel tool with a cut-off disc to trim the corners allowing for clean bend:




Here is the basket with all four sides folded up:




Next up I wrapped the two long edges around the back side of the two short ends to close up the basket:



Decided to wire the ends together tightly so that the folded edges wrap nice and tight around the corner:



Now is a good time to double check for any sharp burrs and file them down or clip them off.







And that's it! Bottom footprint of the basket is roughly 12" x 26" and should hold a full bag worth of charcoal.

Hopefully all goes well and I will have some action shots later today 

Six

[BBcue-Z]

Great idea Matt!!
And thanks for the step-by-step tutorial; it’s very helpful.
I use expanded metal often for variety of projects.

[Winz]

Nice basket Matt.  Great works as always!

Here is the one I made for Roswell.  It is 24" long, and 12" deep at the apex.  I wanted a curved style to get it close to the edge of the kettle.  I wired the pieces together, and then had a buddy tack weld them in place.  Works great.  I have Minioned a low and slow with it by closing the air vents opposite the basket, and adjusting just the vent below it.  The Ranch held at 250 for about 12 hours.





Winz

[SixZeroFour]

I have Minioned a low and slow with it by closing the air vents opposite the basket, and adjusting just the vent below it.  The Ranch held at 250 for about 12 hours.

Thanks Winz,

I plan on making up a curved set like yours as well (very nice!) and play with a few different setups. Cheers for the L&S tips, the timing is perfect! I'm going after a couple big racks of spare ribs tonight along with some sausage and a few other sides.

@AcrossFromHoss I'm finally taking on those spare ribs!... seasoned with genuine AFH rub of course! I really hope it all goes well 

[MrHoss]

Damn I wish I was there with ya' 6. Firing up the Ranch and hanging out would be choice. As it is I am lifting heavy things all day.

[1buckie]

Here's BBq Miller, Winz, Golly & Hogsy, Stu (G) & Saxart's ideas on setup

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/ranch-kettle-methods/


(along with my broken record charcoal dissertation....)

[SixZeroFour]

Some day soon enough Hoss!! That would be great to have ya around for the maiden voyage!

The basket fits nice but I think Winz' design works much better overall. Improvised snake. I have a few hours to play with temp before food goes on.

[SixZeroFour]

Thanks buckie, you would think I would have read up a bit more before hand but decided to just dive in and see where she leads me

[AcrossFromHoss]

This Kettle head is in recovery mode from a slip and fall on a patch of ice. A few slipped discs, pinched nerves and a cracked rib so my cooking is on hold for a week or so. it will be nice to see some of my rub hit a kettle. Nice little project there with the basket its pretty sharp looking. Best of luck with the cook and thanks for giving the rub a go hope it treats you well.

[Winz]

Some day soon enough Hoss!! That would be great to have ya around for the maiden voyage!

The basket fits nice but I think Winz' design works much better overall. Improvised snake. I have a few hours to play with temp before food goes on.

Matt - I just filled the basket with charcoal and smoking chunks, and threw a lit chimney full on top.  It worked just like a WSM basket, so I did not need to "snake".  As long as you can control the airflow, I don't believe you should need to build a snake in the basket.
Of course, I could be all wrong....  And your approach is certainly "safer" for a maiden voyage.
Winz

[SixZeroFour]

Had thought about going that route but was worried it might get too hot... Perhaps I'll switch up if I can't get to a stable 220ish'

Thanks again for any and all tips guys

Cook progress moved here... :
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/bbq-food-pics/maiden-voyage-for-the-mothership/

[MacEggs]

Nice fab work, Matt!  That thicker EM is not fun to bend, but you did a nice job.
An angle grinder with a cutting wheel will go thru that stuff no problem.
I hope to fab more charcoal baskets this Spring.

This Kettle head is in recovery mode from a slip and fall on a patch of ice. A few slipped discs, pinched nerves and a cracked rib so my cooking is on hold for a week or so.

Ouch.    To a speedy recovery @AcrossFromHoss .  Maybe Hoss will help you out with some vittles. 

[SixZeroFour]

This Kettle head is in recovery mode from a slip and fall on a patch of ice. A few slipped discs, pinched nerves and a cracked rib so my cooking is on hold for a week or so. it will be nice to see some of my rub hit a kettle. Nice little project there with the basket its pretty sharp looking. Best of luck with the cook and thanks for giving the rub a go hope it treats you well.

That's Brutal AFH! Hope you're feeling better soon man. The rub smelled great so I'm sure it's a winner. Will hopefully have results in a few hours

[Josh G]

Looks Great!  Thanks for the instructions

[WNC]

Nice work Six!
And here's one to Across From Hoss and speedy recovery!