Ok I did a dry run anyway to test it out and see how well I can control the temperature. This thing works great. I had very little smoke seepage from anywhere on the bowls to the cylinder. I adjusted the fit of the aluminum door as closely as I could. Fits very well now.
So I went to Costco and picked up a 17 pound packer brisket. It measures up 22 inches long. I had planned to cut it in half anyway so this is not a problem. Rubbed it down and returned to the refrigerator. Then i decided I would figure out how much Stubbs fits in a charcoal ring. I loaded 185 briquettes and 10 small blocks of Oak randomly throughout the pile. Along with another 15 briquettes in my chimney ready to fire. Now I just need to go to sleep, let the rub work it's magic and fire it up at 5am tomorrow morning.
searching for 2 18" straight lip twist ash pans.