temp question on my side box smoker

jbrewer79 · Jul 9, 2012

Hello everyone just want to say what a great site this is and I'm very excited to be getting involved in BBQ. I recently bought a new red stone smoker with the side box smoker. The temp in the firebox is reading between 400 and 450 degrees but in the grill section that temp is on ly reading 150 to maybe 200. What should I have in the grill section for temperature to do ribs or pork shoulder? Any help is greatly appreciated thanks!

s2k9k · Jul 9, 2012

I just want to let you know that I moved your thread to the "Charcoal Smokers" forum. I think you will get a lot more exposure and responses to your question. "Roll Call" is pretty much just for introductions so when you get a minute come back over there and tell us a little about yourself so we can give you a proper welcome, Thanks.

I'm not familiar with your smoker but I looked it up (so I would know which forum to put it in) and it looks like a charcoal smoker, am I right there?

For pork and ribs you want about 225*-240* in the cooking chamber.

What are you using to measure temps? If I wasn't sure of the accuracy of my thermometer that would be the first thing I would check.

I don't know too much about offset smokers but there are a lot of people here and I'm sure someone will be along to help you out.

oldschoolbbq · Jul 9, 2012

Welcome Brewer. Send us a Pic cf your Smoker ans we'll be better able to help..

here's an article I wrote, may be of help, if not we have a lot of Charcoaler's here...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/stickburning101

jbrewer79 · Jul 9, 2012

Thanks a lot for moving it to the correct forum. It is a charcoal smoker I seem to only be able to get the temp I need when using wood with the charcoal. Im going to do a marinaded pork loin in the smoker tomorrow and monitor the temps closer. I will post a pic of the smoker tomorrow thanks a lot guys!

piaconis · Jul 9, 2012

Do you have a picture or a link? A lot of SFB smokers leak, which can screw with your temps. A little RTV sealant goes a long way. Also, stock thermometers can be inaccurate too, due to poor calibration or placement. Like oldschool said, post a pic or a link to the product and we can give you a hand.

Welcome to the forums, and happy smoking!

new 2 da que · Jul 10, 2012

I have been struggling to keep a constant heat (oldschoolbbq's article was awesome!!) but the "leaky firebox" may be leading to some of my problems too! The pic below shows a huge gap in my firebox - and the RTV sealant probably won't cover this wide of a gap (right?). Any suggestions??

I

oldschoolbbq · Jul 10, 2012

Send someQ-view of how it opens and closes , the inside , in fact a bunch of shots...

we'll see how wecan help.

Stan

piaconis · Jul 10, 2012

A leaky firbox usually results in too high of a temperature. This is because there is too much airflow, and it burns up all the fuel. However, anything is possible, especially if there is a baffle on the other side restricting airflow into or out of the cooking chamber. My advice, do a test burn, and follow the smoke. It will tell you where it's leaking.

That gap that large would be too large for silicon. Sheet metal and a rope fireplace gasket would work better. You may also want to double check and see if something on the inside (like a drawer guide rail or some other structural member) needs to be bent/welded back into place, or if a manufacturing defect is causing that. The way the pic looks, I would guess that the ash tray is not lining up properly with the box (like maybe it's resting on a charcoal grate guide, rather than the tray guide).

Hope this helps.

cliffcarter · Jul 10, 2012

New 2 Da Que said:
I have been struggling to keep a constant heat (oldschoolbbq's article was awesome!!) but the "leaky firebox" may be leading to some of my problems too! The pic below shows a huge gap in my firebox - and the RTV sealant probably won't cover this wide of a gap (right?). Any suggestions??

I

Looks to me that the firebox is out of round, take it back and exchange it for a new one.

bruno994 · Jul 10, 2012

X2 to CliffCarter, or call the manufacturer, send them a pic and maybe they will replace the firebox unit. Way too much airflow coming in.

cliffcarter · Jul 10, 2012

jbrewer79 said:
Hello everyone just want to say what a great site this is and I'm very excited to be getting involved in BBQ. I recently bought a new red stone smoker with the side box smoker. The temp in the firebox is reading between 400 and 450 degrees but in the grill section that temp is on ly reading 150 to maybe 200. What should I have in the grill section for temperature to do ribs or pork shoulder? Any help is greatly appreciated thanks!

Make sure that the intake vent on the main grill chamber is closed, if it is open it will cut down the temp in the cook chamber.

Make sure the intake vent on the firebox is open completely, if it is and you can not get the temp over 200° open the door with the vent in it to get more airflow.

2 observations- the intake vent on the fire box may be too small, judging from the online manual for this smoker, and the opening from the firebox to the main cooking chamber may also be a bit small as well.

Temps for ribs and butts should be around 250° for both IMHO, although I prefer to cook butts at a higher temp to save time and not have to do those "overnighters".

Of course maybe all you need to do is use more charcoal.

jbrewer79 · Jul 10, 2012

http://www.tractorsupply.com/redstone-trade-4-way-charcoal-lp-gas-grill-1026348. Here is my new grill IMO not the highest of quality but a good starter for me. It seeps smoke everywhere but I will open up the box vent and keep the vent on top of the main chamber closed and see if that helps. Thanks a lot guys this is a great new hobby for me!

bruno994 · Jul 10, 2012

Leave the exhaust or vent on the cook chamber wide open, don't close it off. If you close it, you will restrict air flow (draft) through the chamber.

jirodriguez · Jul 10, 2012

You basically have a knock off of a Char-Griller Duo. Since the main cook chamber is not that big you definately should be seeing higher heats then 150. Here are some things to check:

Is there any obstruction blocking or partially blocking the pass thru from the firebox to the cook chamber? If so remove/open it.
What temp. guages are you using? The factory thermometers can be off by as much as 100° F, get some good probe thermometers and make sure you are getting accurate temp readings. (don't put a probe in the fire box though... would ruin it).
You may need some sort of baffle and/or tuning plate to keep the heat under the grates as long as possible. Basically the heat comes out of the firebox goes straight up then travels along the top of the chamber till it hits the exhaust vent. By placing a baffle or tuning plate under the grates it forces the heat to travel the length of the smoker under that plate before heading out the stack. Do a search for either Chargriller mods or charbroil mods and you will see many tutorials with pics.
Use heavy duty dryer vent tubing to extend your exhaust vent down the just above the cooking grates. This forces the heat to come back down to the level of the meat before heading out the stack. Same search for mods will show this as well.
Make a charcoal basket that stands or hangs approx. 2-3" above the floor of the firebox. This will give the ash somewhere to fall out of the charcoal so it doesn't smother the fire. Do a search for charcoal basket and you will find many different styles and methods of building them, usually about $15-$20 to make one.
Seal up air cracks as much as possible, exhaust vent should almost always be 100% open, and never more than 50% closed. Air intake vent will be used to control your heat - more air = hotter fire.

Once you have some accurate therms and what not give us a step-by-step of how you set up, light, and use your smoker and what kind of temps you are getting. Then we can help address specific issues as they come up.

Johnny

jbrewer79 · Jul 10, 2012

OK guys I did a couple small mods this evening that are making a huge difference. I added a longer vent tube using dryer vent so to get more heat lower. I wrapped the seems with foil and i raised the fuel pan in the smoker box. I've got a small pork roast in there now and I've been holding a steady 275 temp for the last hour. I will eventually add firebrick, and some sealant around a few more of the seems I will keep you guys updated and will post pics soon. Thanks for all the help so far this sure is fun!!!

whittling chip · Jul 10, 2012

jbrewer79 said:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/redstone-trade-4-way-charcoal-lp-gas-grill-1026348. Here is my new grill IMO not the highest of quality but a good starter for me. It seeps smoke everywhere but I will open up the box vent and keep the vent on top of the main chamber closed and see if that helps. Thanks a lot guys this is a great new hobby for me!

I read a couple of the reviews on the unit in your link. Make sure and read this one.

"Looks great, smoker not so good

Date:July 9, 2012

Product looks fantastic and is very easy to assemble.

Propane side works real well, heats up FAST! I find it burns a little hot even at lowest setting for my taste.

Charcoal side... not bad. Would like to see a hand crank on outside of cooking chamber to lower/raise the charcoal bed, handles get hot, even with mitts.

Using firebox is ok for very low temp levels, can't seem to get the smoking chamber over 210F and charcoal bed is kinda small. The charcoal lumps keep falling over when adding more."

WC

cliffcarter · Jul 11, 2012

cliffcarter said:
Make sure that the intake vent on the main grill chamber is closed, if it is open it will cut down the temp in the cook chamber.

Make sure the intake vent on the firebox is open completely, if it is and you can not get the temp over 200° open the door with the vent in it to get more airflow.

2 observations- the intake vent on the fire box may be too small, judging from the online manual for this smoker, and the opening from the firebox to the main cooking chamber may also be a bit small as well.

Temps for ribs and butts should be around 250° for both IMHO, although I prefer to cook butts at a higher temp to save time and not have to do those "overnighters".

Of course maybe all you need to do is use more charcoal.

jbrewer79 said:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/redstone-trade-4-way-charcoal-lp-gas-grill-1026348. Here is my new grill IMO not the highest of quality but a good starter for me. It seeps smoke everywhere but I will open up the box vent and keep the vent on top of the main chamber closed and see if that helps. Thanks a lot guys this is a great new hobby for me!

Just to make sure there is no confusion, I meant the intake vent to the charcoal grate on the main grill chamber and not the exhaust vent. After checking the link I see that I was looking at the wrong grill initially, yours has no intake on the charcoal side except thru the sidefire box. I agree with bruno994 keep the exhaust vent wide open.

piaconis · Jul 11, 2012

In case you (like me) don't have the welding tools or skill, here's a link to building a charcoal basket from expanded metal without welding:

new 2 da que · Jul 11, 2012

bruno994 said:
X2 to CliffCarter, or call the manufacturer, send them a pic and maybe they will replace the firebox unit. Way too much airflow coming in.

Did exactly that and they are willing to replace it free of charge... GOOD CALL!!! (if I can produce a receipt. oops.)

sqwib · Jul 12, 2012

New 2 Da Que said:
I have been struggling to keep a constant heat (oldschoolbbq's article was awesome!!) but the "leaky firebox" may be leading to some of my problems too! The pic below shows a huge gap in my firebox - and the RTV sealant probably won't cover this wide of a gap (right?). Any suggestions??

I

There is a thread already going on with this problem at

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/124720/side-fire-box-leaking

temp question on my side box smoker

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