Post #261288 by Rum Numb Davey on Tue, Oct 17, 2006 2:00 PM

I always wanted a Trader Vic’s Home Chinese Oven smoker, and when one came up on eBay in Vista, Califas, I got one. The woman who offered it had obtained it from her Father after he passed. He had originally bought it at the Trader Vic’s in Scottsdale, AZ. Mike Awizawa, who is the Japanese Matre’d of Scottsdale, AZ told me that the waiters used to get spiffed for every home oven they sold to guests in the old days. I decided that I had to return the oven to AZ, and bid high. I snagged it for $75.00 bucks. Not bad for an exceedingly rare item, but the freight was a wooing $375.00 for crating and consolidating and home pick-up from the Seller. Ouch! Not to mention the six to eight weeks for it to finally arrive in Tempe at my doorstep. The clowns at the trucking firm misplaced the smoker in warehouse for over four weeks. Buyers beware when making such purchases on eBay.

When the smoker arrived over thirty years of rust had taken its toll on the oven, and it was worse than the photos indicated, but it was intact for the most part. See photos below.

I completely disassembled the oven, and decided to completely renovate it. After taking a wire brush to the oven for several hours, I sandblasted and powder coated the entire oven. I powder coated the oven in high test black, and that cost an additional $200 bucks. I was already into this hunk of metal for over $650.00. Geez, the things we do for Tiki Love. I was satisfied with the results of the newly conditioned oven.
See photos below.

I put it all back together with new bolts and screws and decided to airbrush it hot rod tiki style. With help from Sabu, who sent me some cool vintage Menehune photos, I commissioned this oven the SMOKING Menehune. I put an image of a cigar smoking menehune blowing smoke rings. Notice his cigar ring is a Cohiba Habana..my favorite smoke.

The next image is the Trader Vic Logo of the headhunter with the words Chinese Oven and cool flames. Hot..Hot..Hot. Notice the original thermometer in the head dress so I don’t burn the pork.

The next image is Senor Pico & his foxy Senorita. With the words Comida Chingona. The rough translation is bad ass food. My wife, Kimo, is a Chicana from El Paso, and I am sure that carnitas and cochinita pibil will be smoked in the oven as much as kuluha pork.

The last image is the back, with my beloved suffering and very bad Raiders logo, as I will load the oven up and eventually do some smoking at a tailgate party with it, The oven was originally made by welder/metal fabricators in the East Bay. I have no doubt that the man who welding and assembled this oven was a hard core Raiders fan like Stentiki and myself. Especially, the era that it was made when they were so dominant in the AFL. Oh, those glory days so long ago.

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Just finished a bottle of Havana Club Anejo 3 Anos, which was excellantly suited for many rum cocktails!

[ Edited by: Rum Numb Davey 2006-10-17 14:02 ]

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[ Edited by: Rum Numb Davey 2006-10-17 18:40 ]