Sad day my Lang came today...

Nice pics  I hope it was as good eating as it is looking.

Looks like you cooked a lot of meat for the first time out!  Ben Lang mentions keeping the stack about 3/4 open to help with the heat retention.  I like to cook with mine full bore open especially when I have food on the top rack.  The temps are more even vertically with the stack full open.

I burn a small fire adding one split at a time maybe every 15 to 20 minutes.  I cut my splits about 12 inches long and the diameter of a beer can.  It takes a good quantity of wood to get it hot but once it gets there I am happy with the amount of fuel required to keep it cooking.   Remember you should damper down the intake vents and build a good bed of coals.  I have thought seriously about putting a bed of fire bricks under the fuel rack and setting fire brick on top of the firebox, to help insulate and add mass to the fire box.  I often use the top of the firebox to preheat my wood, drive out the last bit of moisture but it also makes a good cooking surface

I'll admit it can burn a good deal of wood but that is why when I cook, I cook enough for the freezer.   At the South East Louisiana gathering ShooterRick will have his 48 and I'll have my 36 so I can compare the amount of fuel we use.

Thanks for the Qview,  I hope your friends enjoyed it.

Al

Glad you are happy

Your welcome for any help I was able to give you but you did all the work!  If you have rust on the firebox go ahead and rub some oil on it when hot, it won't hurt anything.  I've been saving what little frying grease I have and using that to start the fire in the charcoal chimney and then using a little on the rust spots.