Down south, we call that "pot liquor." My Dad would dunk his cornbread in it and that's all he'd have for dinner sometimes, with a glass of buttermilk.
It's the best for the price point - IMHO. There are some others out there that are a bit cheaper. I just ordered this one for my nephew's birthday. Got good reviews on Amazon. Fingers crossed.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M6AZ8CL
Had I been on top of my game, I'd have remembered and gotten him the Anova when it was on sale for $99 over the holidays - DUH!
Great job.
When you put it into the vacuum bag, I held my breath thinking you were going to sous vide it, but no ...
Aussie, you gotta get on that train. Sous vide is great.
Perseverance, my man.
That is one of the old ash screens. Mine came with one of those. I upgraded to the current design. I recommend doing that after you've done with the rebuild. Not critical to functionality.
I can see that happening for sure. I was mainly talking about using a brush or something to scrub the main tube on the inside. Unless you are worried about creasote build up that might lead to bitter smoke, I don't see it being worth the effort.