Cam:

Have you drilled additional holes for ventilation in the charcoal base of
your ECB?

The only mod I've made to my ECB consists of a rack that I "borrowed" from a
weber grill that happens to fit into my ECB's fire bowl/charcoal base. This
provides about 3 inches of clearing from the bottom of the charcoal base and
allows for the ashes to accumulate w/o detrimental affect (usually) to the
fire. However, I still struggle to maintain proper temp and feel that I'm
not getting the type of burn times I should for the amount of lump I use.
This is especially true if there is any wind, which, unfortunately, is
usually the case in my neck of the woods. (What kind of oxymoron is that
anyways...the things has horrible ventialation but is extremely susceptible
to wind?..makes no sense to me!) I had many successful rib runs throughout
last summer but would like to branch out into some longer cooks and want a
smoker that will help me w/ longer burns instead of being such a P.I.T.A.!

Ultimately, the reason I ask is because I've really taken to smoking and
have enough money to buy a WSM. Maybe I should try some of these other mods
(drill ventilation holes, add legs?) before I scrap the ECB. I don't really
care what unit I'm running with as long as it works reasonably well for what
I'm trying to cook and the conditions that I typically have to deal with.

J.P

"Cam" > wrote in message
> I have an old ECB and I'll second those recommendations. As soon as I
> bought a $2 pastry cooling rack and bashed it into shape to fit in the
> bottom of the fire bowl my ECB became much easier to control. Improving
> and controlling airflow is the secret to getting long consistent burns
> in your cooker.
>
> Cam
>