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Barbecue (alt.food.barbecue) Discuss barbecue and grilling--southern style "low and slow" smoking of ribs, shoulders and briskets, as well as direct heat grilling of everything from burgers to salmon to vegetables. |
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no luck lighting smoker
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! |
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no luck lighting smoker
> 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? Yes. You mention Meijer, which means you're in MI/OH/IN/IL or thereabouts. Go to a Gordon's Food Service and buy a 20# bag of Royal Oak lump. It'll burn... > 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. There are a (at least) couple variations on this smoker firebox. The bowl with a single hole for air is a POS that won't support a fire. You have to drill 10-15 more 3/8" holes in the bottom, then pick up some 1/2" fencing to hold the coals up off the bowl...form it into a sub-bowl. The flat-bottomed version also needs more holes, and I use another grill grate to hold the coals. Then, four small rocks between the steel bottom and the grate to make room for more air and ashes. Finally, you might need an additional hole in the top of the smoker...about 1 inch wide should do it. I use an old fridge magnet to control it's size. Then add a real thermometer. All of that should cost about $12 and an hour -John O |
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no luck lighting smoker
skeeter wrote:
> 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 first few times I used a chimney, it didn't work for me. Now it does. I think I got this from the FAQ. Take three pieces of newspaper. Roll each of them into a cylinder. Wrap each cylinder around so it looks kinda like a donut, and shove them into the bottom of the chimney. You should have a clear vent hole going up the center of the chimney. Now fill the top with your favorite charcoal, or lump, or whatever. Light the paper. It should take off and start your charcoal. As to not lighting... you could well have damp charcoal or lump. To test this theory, go to the store and get a fresh bag. Mike -- Mike Avery mavery at mail dot otherwhen dot com part time baker ICQ 16241692 networking guru AIM, yahoo and skype mavery81230 wordsmith A Randomly Selected Thought For The Day: Computer programmers do it byte by byte. |
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no luck lighting smoker
On Mar 26, 12:48 pm, "JohnO" > wrote:
> > 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? > > Yes. You mention Meijer, which means you're in MI/OH/IN/IL or > thereabouts. Go to a Gordon's Food Service and buy a 20# bag of Royal > Oak lump. It'll burn... > > > 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. > > There are a (at least) couple variations on this smoker firebox. The > bowl with a single hole for air is a POS that won't support a fire. > You have to drill 10-15 more 3/8" holes in the bottom, then pick up > some 1/2" fencing to hold the coals up off the bowl...form it into a > sub-bowl. The flat-bottomed version also needs more holes, and I use > another grill grate to hold the coals. Then, four small rocks between > the steel bottom and the grate to make room for more air and ashes. > > Finally, you might need an additional hole in the top of the > smoker...about 1 inch wide should do it. I use an old fridge magnet to > control it's size. Then add a real thermometer. All of that should > cost about $12 and an hour > > -John O John, You seem to know what you are talking about - 2 questions - if the cowboy or whatver charcoal is left in its original bad, and closed, will it absorb ambient humidity? I kind of figured that the main problem would be ventilation, and was going to make some variations. 1 was almost like "tuires" like in a blast furnace, with some small CPU or computer case fans blowing in air when I wanted it to, but I think I'll try the modifications you suggested. Should an oven safe thermometer suffice since it is essentially a "real" thermometer, with drilling the hole for it where the "warm/ideal/hot" thermometer is now? Thanks in advance! |
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no luck lighting smoker
On Mar 26, 2:04 pm, "skeeter" > wrote:
> On Mar 26, 12:48 pm, "JohnO" > wrote: > > > > > > 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? > > > Yes. You mention Meijer, which means you're in MI/OH/IN/IL or > > thereabouts. Go to a Gordon's Food Service and buy a 20# bag of Royal > > Oak lump. It'll burn... > > > > 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. > > > There are a (at least) couple variations on this smoker firebox. The > > bowl with a single hole for air is a POS that won't support a fire. > > You have to drill 10-15 more 3/8" holes in the bottom, then pick up > > some 1/2" fencing to hold the coals up off the bowl...form it into a > > sub-bowl. The flat-bottomed version also needs more holes, and I use > > another grill grate to hold the coals. Then, four small rocks between > > the steel bottom and the grate to make room for more air and ashes. > > > Finally, you might need an additional hole in the top of the > > smoker...about 1 inch wide should do it. I use an old fridge magnet to > > control it's size. Then add a real thermometer. All of that should > > cost about $12 and an hour > > > -John O > > John, > You seem to know what you are talking about - Well, I have lots of experience with building fires, and I've fought two Brinkmanns into submission. I guess that counts for something. :-) 2 questions - if the > cowboy or whatver charcoal is left in its original > bad, and closed, will it absorb ambient humidity? Keeping the bags closed should help, but they're paper, and eventually the moisture is going to get in regardless. > I kind of figured > that the main problem would be ventilation, and was going to make some > variations. 1 was almost like "tuires" like in a blast furnace, with > some small CPU or computer case fans blowing in air when I wanted it > to, but I think I'll try the modifications you suggested. I've done that and it works. A 12V fan connected to a battery is easiest. It'll blow ash around, maybe onto the meat. > Should an > oven safe thermometer suffice since it is essentially a "real" > thermometer, with drilling the hole for it where the "warm/ideal/hot" > thermometer is now? Thanks in advance! Putting one inside won't work for two reasons: one, it gets covered with smoke then becomes unreadable, and two, you have to open the lid to look. Instead, get a grill thermometer from Home Depot. There's one with a short stem, you drill a 3/16 (?) hole and mount it anywhere. I use a long stem, mounted just below the top grill rack. Rather than mounting with a nut, I drilled a hole in a wine cork and slid that along the thermo stem. That holds it in place well enough, and the actual thermo is reading in the location where I want the heat. Don't worry about drilling holes...the smoker will rust on the bottom long before the new holes are any issue. -John O |
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no luck lighting smoker
On Mar 27, 1:19 pm, Steve Wertz > wrote:
> On 26 Mar 2007 11:04:24 -0700, skeeter wrote: > > > > > > > On Mar 26, 12:48 pm, "JohnO" > wrote: > >>> 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? > > >> Yes. You mention Meijer, which means you're in MI/OH/IN/IL or > >> thereabouts. Go to a Gordon's Food Service and buy a 20# bag of Royal > >> Oak lump. It'll burn... > > >>> 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. > > >> There are a (at least) couple variations on this smoker firebox. The > >> bowl with a single hole for air is a POS that won't support a fire. > >> You have to drill 10-15 more 3/8" holes in the bottom, then pick up > >> some 1/2" fencing to hold the coals up off the bowl...form it into a > >> sub-bowl. The flat-bottomed version also needs more holes, and I use > >> another grill grate to hold the coals. Then, four small rocks between > >> the steel bottom and the grate to make room for more air and ashes. > > >> Finally, you might need an additional hole in the top of the > >> smoker...about 1 inch wide should do it. I use an old fridge magnet to > >> control it's size. Then add a real thermometer. All of that should > >> cost about $12 and an hour > > >> -John O > > > John, > > You seem to know what you are talking about - 2 questions - if the > > cowboy or whatver charcoal is left in its original > > bad, and closed, will it absorb ambient humidity? > > Another thing: Don't ever use Cowboy Lump Charcoal. That stuff > is made from all sorts of different kinds of wood and gives off a > bad smell (indicat9ing ot me that it's been treated wood). > > -sw- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - If I remember, when I did try royal oak lump I did have half way decent results. What do you think of the "Frontier Charcoal" that meijer sells - just a dressed up kingsford or is it closer to lump although it's in briquettes? I think the moisture in the lump might be the big part of my problem - Ill switch back to ROC lump and see how that works. ANY charcoal should do more than just give up a small puff of smoke when you stand on it with a propane torch. |
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no luck lighting smoker
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) |
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no luck lighting smoker
On 26 Mar 2007 10:37:08 -0700, "skeeter" > wrote:
>Group, <snip> Although it sounds like the charcoal might be the problem in this case, I've had good luck lighting lump charcoal in a chimney after spraying the newpaper with a little Pam. It makes the paper burn longer and I think it helps get the chimney going. |
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no luck lighting smoker
"Radar" > wrote in message ... > On 26 Mar 2007 10:37:08 -0700, "skeeter" > wrote: > >>Group, > <snip> > > Although it sounds like the charcoal might be the problem in this > case, I've had good luck lighting lump charcoal in a chimney after > spraying the newpaper with a little Pam. It makes the paper burn > longer and I think it helps get the chimney going. I was about to suggest drizzling a little vegetable oil on the newspaper, even a few drops on the lump to get it going. I do that and it works well. Would much rather have that burning off that all the stuff from briquettes. B-Worthey |
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no luck lighting smoker
On Mar 27, 3:35 pm, "skeeter" > wrote:
> On Mar 27, 1:19 pm, Steve Wertz > wrote: > > > > > On 26 Mar 2007 11:04:24 -0700, skeeter wrote: > > > > On Mar 26, 12:48 pm, "JohnO" > wrote: > > >>> 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? > > > >> Yes. You mention Meijer, which means you're in MI/OH/IN/IL or > > >> thereabouts. Go to a Gordon's Food Service and buy a 20# bag of Royal > > >> Oak lump. It'll burn... > > > >>> 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. > > > >> There are a (at least) couple variations on this smoker firebox. The > > >> bowl with a single hole for air is a POS that won't support a fire. > > >> You have to drill 10-15 more 3/8" holes in the bottom, then pick up > > >> some 1/2" fencing to hold the coals up off the bowl...form it into a > > >> sub-bowl. The flat-bottomed version also needs more holes, and I use > > >> another grill grate to hold the coals. Then, four small rocks between > > >> the steel bottom and the grate to make room for more air and ashes. > > > >> Finally, you might need an additional hole in the top of the > > >> smoker...about 1 inch wide should do it. I use an old fridge magnet to > > >> control it's size. Then add a real thermometer. All of that should > > >> cost about $12 and an hour > > > >> -John O > > > > John, > > > You seem to know what you are talking about - 2 questions - if the > > > cowboy or whatver charcoal is left in its original > > > bad, and closed, will it absorb ambient humidity? > > > Another thing: Don't ever use Cowboy Lump Charcoal. That stuff > > is made from all sorts of different kinds of wood and gives off a > > bad smell (indicat9ing ot me that it's been treated wood). > > > -sw- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text - > > If I remember, when I did try royal oak lump I did have half way > decent results. What do you think of the > "Frontier Charcoal" that meijer sells - just a dressed up kingsford or > is it closer to lump although it's in > briquettes? Just get the Royal Oak...it's <$5 per bag on sale. > > I think the moisture in the lump might be the big part of my problem - > Ill switch back to ROC lump and see how > that works. ANY charcoal should do more than just give up a small puff > of smoke when you stand on it with > a propane torch. Lump can't hold moisture like briquettes. At least, not as much. In my chimney I sometimes need to add paper, maybe a second load of two more four-page sheets. Then give it 15 minutes. -John O |
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no luck lighting smoker
On Mar 27, 8:46 pm, "Brick" > wrote:
> 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) The store he mentions is in the Great Lakes region. He's at 700 feet, roughly, unless he's in the hills of Ohio. -John O |
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no luck lighting smoker
On Mar 28, 7:30 am, "JohnO" > wrote:
> On Mar 27, 8:46 pm, "Brick" > wrote: > > > > > > > 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) > > The store he mentions is in the Great Lakes region. He's at 700 feet, > roughly, unless he's in the hills of Ohio. > > -John O- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - Yup, Im in Northwest Indiana, the armpit of the midwest. Not very far above see level since Im only 12 miles south of Lake Michigan. It's probably an airflow problem - I'll give a combination of suggestions a try. Maybe Ill turn down the pressure on my air compressor and use the blow gun and give my lungs rest until it starts flaming really good. Thanks to one and all for the Q advice! |
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no luck lighting smoker
> > Yup, Im in Northwest Indiana, the armpit of the midwest. Not very far > above see level since Im only 12 miles > south of Lake Michigan. It's probably an airflow problem - I'll give a > combination of suggestions a try. > Maybe Ill turn down the pressure on my air compressor and use the blow > gun and give my lungs rest > until it starts flaming really good. > Thanks to one and all for the Q advice! It's been just a bit humid these last few days on this part of the planet. Anywy, get a bag of fresh charcoal or lump and load half what you need in the chimney. Put the other half of the "damp" charcoal on top. As it heats up the stuff on top will dry out and burn just fine. -John O |
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no luck lighting smoker
On 28-Mar-2007, "skeeter" > wrote: > On Mar 28, 7:30 am, "JohnO" > > wrote: > > On Mar 27, 8:46 pm, "Brick" > > > wrote: > > > > > On 26-Mar-2007, "skeeter" > > > > wrote: > > <snip> 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) > > > > The store he mentions is in the Great Lakes > > region. He's at 700 feet, > > roughly, unless he's in the hills of Ohio. > > > > -John O- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text - > > Yup, Im in Northwest Indiana, the armpit of the > midwest. Not very far > above see level since Im only 12 miles > south of Lake Michigan. It's probably an airflow > problem - I'll give a > combination of suggestions a try. > Maybe Ill turn down the pressure on my air > compressor and use the blow > gun and give my lungs rest > until it starts flaming really good. > Thanks to one and all for the Q advice! Ah, Sinus Gulch. I know it well. Given the forgoing detail, I can't imagine what is causing your dilemma other then damp charcoal. You ought to be able to start it out on the ground with just a little kindling to get it going. I sure never had a problem getting a fire going in that region except when the wood was wet. Even then we'd find something dry enough to start it with. We heated with hard coal when I was growing up. We never had a problem getting it started. -- Brick(Youth is wasted on young people) |
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