Lookin' for help...

snowsmoker

Fire Starter

Original poster

May 14, 2008

51

10

farmington, MN

• May 14, 2008

• #1

Im new to smoking but the few things I have smoked have turned out fairly goog. I have a Char-Broil off set smoker. It has a small box on one side (for the wood I think) and then about a 30gal drum for the food. Im having a problem keeping the temp steady. This is how I use it and im not sure if its right. I use charcoal for heat then when the temp is up I put wood that I have soaked in water on the coals for the smoke. It seams like I use alot of charcoal to keep the temp up. I have made a few chickens and turned out fine and have good smoke flavor.

 

kookie

Master of the Pit

OTBS Member

Mar 27, 2007

2,850

10

Mandan North Dakota

• May 14, 2008

• #2

Welcome aboard.................You might want to take the 5 day ecourse, its free and lots of great info on it............Also there are alot of mod's that will help you with your smoker...........The small box on your grill is a side fire box..........You can use charcoal or lump and or wood for fuel and then the smoke and heat will go into you main food chamber........I have one similar but han't used it to smoke yet..........

 

flyin'illini

Smoking Fanatic

★ Lifetime Premier ★

Oct 27, 2007

879

11

Tulsa

• May 14, 2008

• #3

Welcome, Snow. You have come to the right place. I am relatively new with an ECB electric. More folks will be along with specific info you need. Also, use the search feature to dig into the SMF.

 

capt dan

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

OTBS Member

Nov 2, 2007

3,357

11

• May 14, 2008

• #4

welcome to the site. I have the same smoker. It can be a joy to use, but you have to modify it. Do a search on Charbroil mods and spend a few minutes reading, and you will be on the right track to fixing alot of issues!

 

tmw611

Smoke Blower

SMF Premier Member

Apr 1, 2008

146

10

Liberty Township, Ohio

• May 14, 2008

• #5

Welcome to the site. I'm with Dan check the charcoal forum for needed mods. Without them you will be fighting an uphill battle for temp control. Dan and a couple of others have done a fine job of docmenting their mods. Helped me immensely. Also try thet 5 day ecourse. Alot of good info and it is FREE.

Look forward to seeing your finished products, we love the Q-view.

 

rivet

Master of the Pit

OTBS Member

Apr 25, 2008

3,232

16

The "Show Me" state

• May 14, 2008

• #6

Hi, and welcome to heaven. Check out the site there are a lot of good modifications documented with text and photos to help you along. I have a Brinkman Smoke n Pit that is essentially the same style as yours. I was looking at a CharBroil exactly like yours this weekend and thought they must originate from the same fabricator. If your firebox door is warped (mine did after the first smoke I think, or it seems like) replacing it with something more robust and heavier guage is the first thing to do. You have to be able to control your airflow IN to the firebox, or you will always be fighting the heat coming OUT of it. Good luck, and have fun!

 

cowgirl

Legendary Pitmaster

OTBS Member

Oct 2, 2007

7,644

48

Oklahoma

• May 14, 2008

• #7

Welcome to the forum Snowsmoker! Glad to have ya here.

 

diesel

Smoking Fanatic

Apr 29, 2008

594

28

Powhatan, Virginia

• May 14, 2008

• #8

I used that same smoker for several years. I had trouble with the heat at first and it did use a lot of charcoal. I found that to be a good excuse to stand by it all day and drink beer.

 

kratzx4

Smoking Fanatic

Jul 5, 2007

607

10

Mount Orab, Ohio

• May 14, 2008

• #9

Welcome to SMF. ask any questions that you may have someone will have an answer.