On 26-Mar-2007, "skeeter" >
wrote:

> Group,
> Ive had a green brinkman smoker (similar to a
> cajun cooker) and have
> had a HORRIBLE time getting it lit. I've used
> an electric starter, a
> chimney, wrapped up newspaper, charbroil
> parfaffin "candles", and even
> standnign on my charcoal (either kingsford,
> cowboy brand, or this
> mesquite briquettes I found at Meijer marked
> Frontier Charcoal). With
> a blow torch. The most I get is a little bit of
> grey marks, that's
> it, no continuous lighting. I can leave the
> electric starter on for
> 15-20 minutes and they all do not light,or it
> takes a long time, and
> it's frustrating when you tell your friends you
> have a smoker but
> can't produce any results.
>
> The chimney starter was my latest failure, and
> with that I'd get the
> newspaper lit at the bottom but then it'd just
> let off a little bit of
> grey smoke and then smolder and go out. God
> forbid I do anything like
> charcoal lighter fluid because that would not
> give the meat a good
> flavor.
>
> The times when it has lit I've had trouble
> keeping the temperature up
> near the "ideal" mark on the thermometer.
> Somebody suggested that
> since I leave my charcoal in my garage, which
> unfortunately has very
> poor ventilation, that humidity might be the
> problem.
> is there any warrant to that?
>
> Also the smoker looks like the vent holes on the
> firebox, which sit in
> the base, may not allow very much ventilation
> therefore the charcoal
> will not light very well.
>
> Please, any advice would be appreciated, even if
> you tell me to go out
> and buy a propane or electric assist, or the one
> with the side mounted
> firebox with a cross draft (which would
> definitely hold more meat than
> what I've got now), but I'd like one that burnt
> charcoal/wood to give
> me the flavor I want, thanks in advance!

The first thing you do is get down off that
mountain so your
fire can get some oxygen. Failing that, try
installing a pit-
minder guru to blow some air. I won't be surprised
if we learn
that you live above 5000 feet and from the sounds,
it's more
like 9,000.

--
Brick(Youth is wasted on young people)