Hey - I've been using a Char Griller Super Pro with side fire box for
several months, with mixed results. This is my first real attempt at using a
smoker, trying to move up from using indirect heat on a grill, and wide
swings in the chamber temperature are about to drive me crazy. I've read
thru the FAQ and have tried to adopt its suggestions. I extended the chimney
down to the cooking surface, and inverted the fire box in the cooking
chamber, to act as a baffle. I replaced the cheap thermometer with a
Tru-Temp. I'm also using a remote thermometer with meat probe and chamber
probe, that agrees pretty well with the Tru-Temp. I'm burning a combination
of lump charcoal, hickory and ash firewood, using the lump charcoal to get
started, and occasionally adding a little more if the firewood is not doing
well. I've also tried using only lump charcoal, but I can't afford going
thru bags of the stuff. Anyway, I'm having a helluva time maintaining any
control over temperature. Shooting for about 250, I'm getting continuous
swings from about 280+ when the wood flames up, then dropping to 210 or
less. I've been keeping my exhaust damper wide open, then trying to use
small adjustments to the side box damper, but nothing seems to work. I'm
desperate, and would appreciate any advice that will help keep me from
turning this smoker into a very large boat anchor. Thanks for your help.

"Oscar" > wrote in message
. com...
> Hey - I've been using a Char Griller Super Pro with side fire box for
> several months, with mixed results.

Normal beginning cycle, to be expected.

>This is my first real attempt at using a
> smoker, trying to move up from using indirect heat on a grill, and wide
> swings in the chamber temperature are about to drive me crazy. I've read
> thru the FAQ and have tried to adopt its suggestions. I extended the
chimney
> down to the cooking surface, and inverted the fire box in the cooking
> chamber, to act as a baffle.
>I replaced the cheap thermometer with a
> Tru-Temp. I'm also using a remote thermometer with meat probe and chamber
> probe, that agrees pretty well with the Tru-Temp.

Smart man.

> thru bags of the stuff. Anyway, I'm having a helluva time maintaining any
> control over temperature. Shooting for about 250, I'm getting continuous
> swings from about 280+ when the wood flames up, then dropping to 210 or
> less. I've been keeping my exhaust damper wide open, then trying to use
> small adjustments to the side box damper, but nothing seems to work. I'm
> desperate, and would appreciate any advice that will help keep me from
> turning this smoker into a very large boat anchor. Thanks for your help.
>

I went crazy the first summer on this cooker as well. Basically I was trying
to control it *too* much. Unless I put on a big chunk of wood or lump which
need to get burning so it won't just smolder, I'll keep the intake at about
1/2 inch to an inch open mostly. Yeah, keep the exhaust full open. Wood is
harder to control than most things so you've got your work cut out for ya,
but on the other hand, it can be the best fuel too. You patience WILL be
rewarded, just figure the first summer to be your internship and lower your
expectations and it'll be fine. Maybe you just need more beer, or something
harder?

Anyway, here's a longish post that describes my typical burn and load cycle
for pork butt (bit different for ribs). I'm now getting up to two hours on
a fuel load, when I first started out an hour was good. You WILL improve and
it will be worth your while, but I understand the frustration too. Did I
mention having another beer?

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...3e206858?hl=en


Dale
--

"Duwop" > wrote in message
...
> "Oscar" > wrote in message
> . com...
>> Hey - I've been using a Char Griller Super Pro with side fire box for
>> several months, with mixed results.
>
>> {{{ Clipped my earlier complaining....}}}
>
> I went crazy the first summer on this cooker as well. Basically I was
> trying
> to control it *too* much. Unless I put on a big chunk of wood or lump
> which
> need to get burning so it won't just smolder, I'll keep the intake at
> about
> 1/2 inch to an inch open mostly. Yeah, keep the exhaust full open. Wood is
> harder to control than most things so you've got your work cut out for ya,
> but on the other hand, it can be the best fuel too. You patience WILL be
> rewarded, just figure the first summer to be your internship and lower
> your
> expectations and it'll be fine. Maybe you just need more beer, or
> something
> harder?
>
> Anyway, here's a longish post that describes my typical burn and load
> cycle
> for pork butt (bit different for ribs). I'm now getting up to two hours
> on
> a fuel load, when I first started out an hour was good. You WILL improve
> and
> it will be worth your while, but I understand the frustration too. Did I
> mention having another beer?
>
> http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...3e206858?hl=en
>
> Dale
> --
>
>

Hey Dale - Thanks for the feedback, suggestions, and the link to the earlier
post. Beer?? I'm going thru it faster than the lump charcoal. I'm not sure
it's done much for temp control but sure helps my attitude.... After reading
the other post, it sounds like I might be trying to overcontrol too much. It
just seems that thermometer starts to head north or south, and I get scared
it ain't ever stopping. One question - You mentioned getting a couple hours
on a fuel load - When you're doing a butt and burning wood and it drops down
to 220-230, how much fuel are you loading back up? Are you adding any lump
along with it, or just burning wood? OK, actually that was two questions.
Anyway, how much is less than too much and more than not enough? Thanks, OC

"Oscar" > wrote in message

> Anyway, I'm having a helluva time maintaining any control over
> temperature. Shooting for about 250, I'm getting continuous swings from
> about 280+ when the wood flames up, then dropping to 210 or less. I've
> been keeping my exhaust damper wide open, then trying to use small
> adjustments to the side box damper, but nothing seems to work. I'm
> desperate, and would appreciate any advice that will help keep me from
> turning this smoker into a very large boat anchor. Thanks for your help.

Just where is the problem? This is a smoker, an outdoor cooker. It does
not perform the same as the Caloric gas oven in the kitchen.

280 + 210 ÷ 2 = 245 Not bad eh? Relax, stop fiddling so much and let the
cooker do its thing. Toss is a small amount of fuel once in a while then go
back to reading the paper. Some people cook at 280 all the time. Others
cook at 210 all the time. Smart man that you are, you use both methods.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

On 4-Jun-2005, "Oscar" > wrote:

> "Duwop" > wrote in message
> ...
> > "Oscar" > wrote in message
> > . com...
> >> Hey - I've been using a Char Griller Super Pro with side fire box for
> >> several months, with mixed results.
> >
> >> {{{ Clipped my earlier complaining....}}}
> >
> > I went crazy the first summer on this cooker as well. Basically I was
> > trying
> > to control it *too* much. Unless I put on a big chunk of wood or lump
> > which
> > need to get burning so it won't just smolder, I'll keep the intake at
> > about
> > 1/2 inch to an inch open mostly. Yeah, keep the exhaust full open. Wood
> > is
> > harder to control than most things so you've got your work cut out for
> > ya,
> > but on the other hand, it can be the best fuel too. You patience WILL be
> > rewarded, just figure the first summer to be your internship and lower
> > your
> > expectations and it'll be fine. Maybe you just need more beer, or
> > something
> > harder?
> >
> > Anyway, here's a longish post that describes my typical burn and load
> > cycle
> > for pork butt (bit different for ribs). I'm now getting up to two hours
> >
> > on
> > a fuel load, when I first started out an hour was good. You WILL improve
> >
> > and
> > it will be worth your while, but I understand the frustration too. Did I
> > mention having another beer?
> >
> > http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...3e206858?hl=en
> >
> > Dale
> > --
> >
> >
>
> Hey Dale - Thanks for the feedback, suggestions, and the link to the
> earlier
> post. Beer?? I'm going thru it faster than the lump charcoal. I'm not sure
>
> it's done much for temp control but sure helps my attitude.... After
> reading
> the other post, it sounds like I might be trying to overcontrol too much.
> It
> just seems that thermometer starts to head north or south, and I get
> scared
> it ain't ever stopping. One question - You mentioned getting a couple
> hours
> on a fuel load - When you're doing a butt and burning wood and it drops
> down
> to 220-230, how much fuel are you loading back up? Are you adding any lump
>
> along with it, or just burning wood? OK, actually that was two questions.
> Anyway, how much is less than too much and more than not enough? Thanks,
> OC

The first season with an offset is pretty frustrating for most people, but
well
worth it IMNSHO. I believe that once you have gained control of an offset,
you'll be able to cook without much fuss on just about any kind of cooker.

I went through all kinds of frustrating gyrations with mine including the
destruction of a whole load of meat with the dreaded creosote.

I strongly recommend against cooking with a wood fire in the beginning.
It's just too hard to control until you have a firm grasp of how your cooker
acts. Don't use chips for smoke unless you wrap them securely in foil.
Use fistsized or larger chunks of wood for smoke if you must, but only
one at a time. You don't want enough wood in there to control the heat.

Start out with a large load of lump. I use two chimneys (at least) of
cold lump hollowed out and one chimney of hot lump dumped in the
middle.

Leave the chimney damper open and close the firebox damper to about
1 inch. Go away for half an hour and have a few beers. With your draft
set that way it is not going to go out, nor is it going to run away. Don't
try to hurry your start up. You'll just frustrate yourself. In a half hour
or
so that thing should have stabilized in the 250 -275 range.

Stage all your meat near the cooker. I use a fairly large restaurant
pan that's about 12" X 18". Give your grates a quick brush and put
the meat on. Large chunks nearest the firebox. Close the lid. Don't
look at the thermometer. Don't mess with any draft controls. Duh,
it's down around 75°. Go away. Have some more beer. Check it in
half an hour. Temp should be back around 250°. If it's too low, take
a quick peek at the fire. If there's a good sized fire left, close it and
leave it alone. Don't mess with the draft controls.

Check again in half an hour. You should need more fuel. (You should
be down to a single layer of coals on the grate.) I dump raw fuel
straight from a 3 gal bucket into the firebox. Dump enough to completely
cover the existing coals. Looks like a lot. It is. Don't stir it. Don't mess
with the draft controls. Go away. Drink some more beer. If you have
it protected from the wind, it should go two hours more or less without
any attention.
--
The Brick® said that ( Keep the rubber on the road )

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Oscar,

Hang in there boss, it'll gel for you. I am using Char-Broil
Silver Smoker (very similar to your unit) with similar mods to those
you did on the Char-Griller. I have found a couple of things very
helpful. I wrap the cook chamber in a few old towels to even out temp
across the pit and to help hold in heat. Here in Buffalo, it has been
not-so-summerlike and the 55 degree temps with breeze really did a
number on my temp. I could watch the temp drop 15 degrees when the
wind picked up. If you are going to use towels or some other
insulation, care must be taken to keep them away from the firebox, for
obvious reasons. I also have a few bricks in the bottom of my pit, and
it (subjectively, I made no effort to really quantify this) seems to
limit the scope and duration of temperature swings.
When I fire it up, I do like Brick says. I have about 6-8 lbs of
lump to start, between the ulit stuff and the lit chimney. also line
the perimeter with fist sized wood chunks, so they start to coal over ,
and then during the cook I push em 1 at a time into the fire. They are
sort of pre-burned but don't flare up like tinder.
Finally, I try to time my fire tending and meat tending together. I
add fuel, and then mop/move/turn or whatever monkeying around needs to
be done. By the time I close the cook chamber, the new fuel is going
and the temp comes up at a good pace.

Of course, like everything else here, YMMV.

Scott

"phyteach" > wrote in message

> Finally, I try to time my fire tending and meat tending together. I
> add fuel, and then mop/move/turn or whatever monkeying around needs to
> be done.

LOL, I bet almost each and every one of us does exactly that. Won't find it
in any FAQ or book though.


D
--

"phyteach" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Oscar,
>
> {{{ snip, snip}}}
>
> When I fire it up, I do like Brick says. I have about 6-8 lbs of
> lump to start, between the ulit stuff and the lit chimney. also line
> the perimeter with fist sized wood chunks, so they start to coal over ,
> and then during the cook I push em 1 at a time into the fire. They are
> sort of pre-burned but don't flare up like tinder.
>

Thanks for all the feedback, it's a lot of help, but the $$ signs are
beginning to scare me. One of the reasons I've been burning wood is that I
can afford it. My last cooking was about 10 hours, not counting the
start-up. Are you burning 6-8# of lump every 2 hours or so? I'm not sure I
can afford to go thru 30# of the stuff every time I smoke a butt. If you're
not using that much, any guesses at how much you're adding after the first
load, and about how long it lasts you? Thanks again for your help.

Oscar wrote:

snip

> Thanks for all the feedback, it's a lot of help, but the $$ signs are
> beginning to scare me. One of the reasons I've been burning wood is that I
> can afford it. My last cooking was about 10 hours, not counting the
> start-up. Are you burning 6-8# of lump every 2 hours or so? I'm not sure I
> can afford to go thru 30# of the stuff every time I smoke a butt. If you're
> not using that much, any guesses at how much you're adding after the first
> load, and about how long it lasts you? Thanks again for your help.

Oscar,

I have 6-8 lbs initial loading, and then I add 2-4 lbs every two
hours. These numbers vary considerably with weather and the amount of
meat I am cooking. A 6 hour smoke is typically a 10 lb bag, give or
take. Also, if wood is readily available, and the cost of lump is
off-putting, perhaps consider making your own charcoal? I know some
here have had success with that approach.

Regards,
Scotty

"Brick" > wrote in message
...
> It's not all that much lump Oscar. Your comments about the
> quantity of lump required piqued my curiosity. I was pretty
> sure, I never used more then ~12lb of fuel. So I took my
> handy, dandy scales out to the pit and weighed a chimney
> of lump. Guess what? One chimney of lump, (mostly small
> pieces in this case) weighed 1.1 lbs. So, by extrapolation,
> I start my fire with about 3 lbs of lump. And, I refuel with
> about one chimney at a time. I'll use six or seven chimneys
> of lump total during a typical seven hour cook. (Less then
> half of a 20# bag.) When I add a log for smoke, I'll use even
> less.
> --
> The Brick® said that ( Keep the rubber on the road )
>

OK, thanks. Those #'s don't sound near as scary. Next cookin', the wood'll
stay on the pile and I'll give it a shot with all lump. Thanks again for all
the great feedback.