Char-Griller Smokin Pro with firebox- Mods

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Great mods to the offset. Looking to move into the CharGriller soon and this thread has been very informative. One question though, has anyone considered using firebrick on the bottom of the smoke chamber for heat retention? I would bet that the tuning plates could be supported by these as well. Just lay them in and follow contour of barrel.... just an idea.
 
Marty,
The problem with the fire bricks in the bottom of the smokin pro is that the fats drain all the way to the bottom of the smoke chamber anw would make a terrible mess as well as not allowing the grease to drain fromthe chamber into the grease catch can under the chamber, which is hung by a hook. Fire brick woyld retain the heat but with my particular smoker I have not had the problem. 25 degrees difference is not a problem for me in my smokin pro.. I have used the temperature difference to my advantage by smoking different foods in the different temperature zones, ie ribs pulled pork, beeg, chicken, etc.
 
If your tuning plates are also drip/water pans (as I'm using), you simply set up the pans atop the bricks. Solves many problems in one shot.

Just make sure the bricks are not blocking heat/smoke from entering thesmoke chamber.
 
Anyone interested in my Smoking Pro with mods? I have moved into the ceramic world with my Primo Oval XL and have not touched anything else since. Located in Williamsport PA for pickup only.

Here are pics of my reverse flow mod w/ stainless, as well as second stack addition:

Gap on non-SFB side:


Close-up of Gap non-SFB side:


Attached to SFB side using SFB nuts/bolts (note about 4" space between stainless and grates. Not sure if to much:



Looking in from SFB:


Twin Stack Mod:


Inside Twin Stack Mod (have exteneded to grates on both sides with metal dryer vent):





and my (3) new River Country thermo's (1-2" and 2-3"). Reverse flow does a great job of keeping the right and left pretty well in balance:



In addition to what is seen above, I have an extra bottom half of the main grill and charcoal tray as well as an extra SFB and a cover.

(moderator - if not in proper area, please advise)

Thanks,

Ted
 
I tried a litttle something different. I used some saltillo tile and some spanish roof tile. I moved them around until I got some even temps..



Add two floor tiles to carry heat to the stack side



Add some roof tiles to deliver heat like ducts to wherever you want.


Easy to adjust while cooking by sliding the tiles with a fire poker..
 
I am still fairly a newbie though I have done quite a few butts, venison and other smaller meats. still trying to attempt to perfect somewhat.
I have added another 4 thermometers to the outside of the main Q. 2 regular heat and 2 high heat just outside of the smoke box. I did this to figure out the heat loss from one end to another as well as from bottom to top. I would like to regulate the amount of heat coming from the box any ideas??
I would also like to add a small fan on the outside of the box good idea??
 
Hello,

Thanks to everyone who has posted on this site and to this thread. I spent a good portion of the evening last night reading this thread.

I got the CGSP for Christmas. I'm a noob to this form and to smoking. I have seasoned my grill and done an initial smoke. I discovered with this initial smoke the temp differences across the grill as well as the innacuracy of the thermometer.

I noticed even after calibrating the thermometer is way off, I think due to the fact that the coil of the thermoeter isn't really in the grill so the temp I was getting is somewhere between the chamber and the ambient outdoor temp.

I'm a bit dissapointed that all these mods are necessary, I wished I could get a good smoking experiance out of the box. With that being said I think this is the best unit on the market in this price range and I'll do what it takes to maximize the performance of the unit.

This weekend I'm doing some mods and have some questions and would like some feedback on the plan.

1. Flexible duct to extend exaust: I can attach on top with a clamp. I didn't see if anyone is securing to the lid? Does it just stay in place due to rigidity?

2. Sealing the lid with oven rope: The guy at the hardware store (knowledgable fellow, not some kid) suggested that I use hi-temp silicone to affix it. Will this hold it in place?

3. Sealing the firebox/smoker compartment: I see that some have welded. I don't have a welder, I was going to seal this with silicone as well.

4. Fuel: Most on here seem to be using charcol. The manual says to use the firebox you should use logs. I was planning on getting a charcol load in to get it started and then using some hardwoods from there.

5. Heat shield: Many have turned the coal grate over. I intend to keep it for use when I'm cooking larger items so I can set them on it (turkeys, geese, etc) and still use the warming tray. I got some flat ducting sheet metal. I 'm planning on bolting a layer or two of it 6 inches or so to deflect the heat below the charcol tray. I'm the most unsure about this step.

6. I saw a lot of people building/buying charcol baskets to elevate fuel and to enable you to dump ash during a burn. I didn't see anyone just using the cooking grates that come with the side firebox. Is there any reason not to just put the fuel right on the cooking plates? It seems to me that this this is an easy simple solution but perhaps I'm not understanding something.

Thanks for your help
 
1. Most of the time it will stay in place. You can drill a hole near the edge of the lid & bolt in place.

2. Someone else will have to advise you on this. I have found that loosely rolled foil seals well enough for my. I line the bottom of the MC with foil anyway for easy cleanup. I just pull a few extra inches, roll it back to the lip & slowly close the lid so if shapes itself.

3. My SFB fit snugly enough to the MC that I did not need to do anything to seal it

4. I use charcoal for heat & wood chunks for flavor.

5. I don't see why that wouldn't work. You may want to do a couple of trial runs with your baffles set in place before you make permanant mounts. You may find you need to tweak or tune them for most balanced temps.

6. My experience is that the charcoal is held closer together in a basket & that results in a slower, steadier burn

Hope this helps!
 
Let me try to answer some of your questions.

1. Flexible duct to extend exaust: I can attach on top with a clamp. I didn't see if anyone is securing to the lid? Does it just stay in place due to rigidity?
A) There is no need to secure the ducting to the lid as the ducting stays in place because of its figidity. I personally however drilled a small hole in my lid into the ducting and attached a small bolt with a couple washers to hold it in place. (just to make it look neater, no other reason)

2. Sealing the lid with oven rope: The guy at the hardware store (knowledgable fellow, not some kid) suggested that I use hi-temp silicone to affix it. Will this hold it in place?
A)Because there is not a trough or channel to hold the rope in place I suggest making one from flat iron or aluminum and using silicon and small boltd and washers to hold the rope in place. The silicone alone does not hold the rope as I personally found out. The small bolts and washers secure the rope nicely and insure a good seal on the CGSP

3. Sealing the firebox/smoker compartment: I see that some have welded. I don't have a welder, I was going to seal this with silicone as well.
A)I did not weld my fire box either as I also do not weld or have a welder. I bolted the fire box with silicon and flat stove rope to seal. suing the factory holes. It works very well.

4. Fuel: Most on here seem to be using charcol. The manual says to use the firebox you should use logs. I was planning on getting a charcol load in to get it started and then using some hardwoods from there.
A)I personally use mesquite charcoal to get the smoker preheated and foe a small amount of flavoring. I use fruit and nut tree trimmings (small logs) for smoke. It works well and I have at times used just mesquite char and just logs after i get a bed of coals to keep everything going I like the trimmings bot the CGSP because they are easy to load and I can regulate the heat and fuel load easily with the "sticks" than logs and splits in this small smoker

5. Heat shield: Many have turned the coal grate over. I intend to keep it for use when I'm cooking larger items so I can set them on it (turkeys, geese, etc) and still use the warming tray. I got some flat ducting sheet metal. I 'm planning on bolting a layer or two of it 6 inches or so to deflect the heat below the charcoal tray. I'm the most unsure about this step.
A) I cant answer this one for you very well as i turned my tray over and used aluminum flashing near the firebox to close the gap. I smoked a 18 lb. Turkey and took off the warmng tray to do so. It worked well for me

6. I saw a lot of people building/buying charcol baskets to elevate fuel and to enable you to dump ash during a burn. I didn't see anyone just using the cooking grates that come with the side firebox. Is there any reason not to just put the fuel right on the cooking plates? It seems to me that this this is an easy simple solution but perhaps I'm not understanding something.
A)I tried using the cooking grates to burn the fuel on. There are several problems: 1) the grates dont allow the ash to fall down below because the gaps are to close for the ash to flow in to the bottom choking the airflow of the fuel. 2) you cant load enough fuel to keep the smoker going for more than 45 minutes to 1 hour. Using a basket allows a larger fuel load anf longer burn times of the fuel between restoking and using the minion method uses much less fuel. I use half as much fuel with consistant temperatures with the minion method vs. without. I made a smaler grate than the cooking grate that sits about 1 1/2 to 2" above the ash tray to set my basked on that works very well. I have 2 baskets so when the first burns down I have a second basket loades and carefully pour the remaining coals into the second basket to continue the burn.
I hope this helps.
 
Remark - the only concern I would have with putting the turkey on the ash pan is that with the curve side facing down there is nothing to trap the heat & smoke under the pan and force it to travel the length of the smoker. So even if you baffle the firebox to force the heat down it will imediatly rise once past the baffle - but never having tried that method myself I suggest you try it and keep a close eye on your therms.

I personally used a hose clamp to attach my dryer vent tubing to the inside of the stack, then at the grate level I drilled a 1/4" hole and put a 1/4-20 bolt through and used a wing nut and washer on the inside to secure it. (Probably overkill, but... never know)

If you use some sort of silicon or adheasive to hold the rope gasket make super sure you clean the area that it will be bonding to. Any grease or film will make it so the gasket does not stick. I have seen some people use a combo of silicon and rivets. Silicon makes a nice seal, rivits hold it in place real well.

For therms your best bet is to get a digital with probes for meat and chamber. But if not (or if cheap like me
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), I have two at grate level - one on the left and one on the right. They work great and are easy to install.

Definately get a basket. The shaker basket from Lowe's seems like the easiest way to go. If you don't have one you will be spending a lot of time tending the fire.

All in all these are great units for the non-competition users. They hold a lot of food for that big family dinner or the block party, and once set up don't take a ton of babysitting. Just don't tell my wife that.... I have her convinced I have to spend 6-8 hrs. "tending" the smoker (with a beer).
 
Hey Guys,


Thanks for all the responses so quick!

For the gasket, I'm reluctant to put a bunch more holes in at this point. I think I might try a combo of silicone and clips and put it on the inside of the lid. I'll see how that works for a couple burns.

For the firebox I'm not sure which way to go. I guess it depends on which way I go with fuel. If I'm primarily burning wood then it doens't matter too much to get the charcol close to each other, more space for wood is better. I could just put expanded metal cut to fit right above the ash pan so I could empty the ash mid-burn. However if I go charcoal for fuel then getting it in a tight box would be better.

I'll play with my heat deflector and see how it does.
 
I did the first mod last night; we'll see how it holds up. I added a fiberglass rope stove gasket to the lid. I took the lid inside since its below zero outside and the cement suggests room temperature!

I used 1/2" rope and 2000 degree rated cemet.
 
Here's my mod's :

Shaker basket in the fire box



This is the baffle (19" x12" piece of a road sign, stainless steel, & paint removed. I cover with foil, hate to scrape/clean). At the bottom of smoker are the grates from the Side Fire box for my drip/water pan:



Here is what I'll use to seal the top (rope gasket from Lowe's & high temp gasket maker for in-between the fire-box & smoker ) when it gets warm enough:



Hope this helps........because ya'll have helped me alot my friends
 
My gasket came off rather quickly. I suspect a combo of it not being cleaned enough and too much pressure on it for glue. I think I will sand it down a bit and try again, but also put some hardware to hold in place.

My firebox grate from expanded metal worked very well, as did the dryer hose mod.

I'll revisit the gasket in a couple weekends and hopefully have better luck.

I also replaced the drip pan from the soup pan joke to a small bucket held in place with an S hook.

Next on the agenda is a stronger shelf. I have about 100# of wood on it and it is bending.
 
Hi fellas,

Found this thread accidently. Great to see there are others that have discovered this sweet grill/smoker. I've peeked at all the mods and hats off to all for their ideas. I've had my CG Smoking Pro w/sfb since 2005 so have either tried or done many of the mods I've seen here. Theres more than one way to skin a cat. But I've also done many more mods to my unit.

1. Insulated lid mod.
2. MC (Main Chamber) lid hinge mod.
3. Heavy Duty Frame and Wheel mod.
4. Side Burner shelf mod.
5. SFB cooking shelf mod.
6. Tire valve temperture probe mod.
7. Lid gasket mod.
8. SFB charcoal grate Mod. (Raise shelf.
9. AfterBurner propane conversion mod.
10. EZQue Basket rotossiere mod.
12. Both home made charcoal basket mod & Store bought Charcoal basket mod.

I archived with photos most of what I did. If anyone is interested I'm sure I can find them with a little digging and would be happy to pass on what I've learned in the mod department. After all that's how we learn!
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Same here CharGriller. Sign me up for wanting details and pictures!

I am planning on adding a BBQ Guru port to my firebox in the spring for River Lot weekend smoking. Less fuss to vents, more time to spend with family and Beer!

Ted
 
Thanks guys, Didn't get any email post notices so didn't know any were interested til I checked just now. I'm on my way to work on one of the simpler ones. Ditching the stock charcoal grate in the sfb and substituting either ready made or home made charcoal basket(s). It may take me a little time to chase the info and pic's down so be patient.
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