Recent content by kapangaluc

about charbroil 430: i made a 9 x 10 inch 2 sided charcoal basket that helped keep the fire a little higher and with better airflow. i use a pair of tongs to take out ash through the intake damper which gives me longer smokes. i also made a divider for the firebox. i now start fire on one side...

Cabelas sells Western Wood minilogs. if you buy 2 or 3 bags shipping cost should not be two bad.

snett i got rid of the grate that comes in the firebox and made my own using expanded metal. i made wider (about 9 inches) and as long as the firebox so it ended up giving me additional 1 1/2 inches underneath. i can now easily remove ash through the intake damper (very small) using a pair of...

here is an update. i made a partial charcoal basket with only the front and back sides. the base is 9 inches wide and as long as the firebox. i then took another piece of expanded metal and split the basket in two. i now start the fire in one half and later add charcoal/wood in the other half...

hi all thank you for your input. unfortunately i dont have a large firebox that can hold a large amt of charcoal so i may need to do what hardcookin suggested; split on lump. it may be the easiest way. like i said, i think my basket is so small that defeats the purpose of trying the minion...

Hi all, I smoked (small charbroil offset) 3 x 3 lb chuckies on Saturday. It took me more (5 hrs) than usual (smoker issues) to get them to 160ish before I wrapped them in foil with apple juice, but, except for one (very dry), they were moist, easily pulled, and family loved it. Further, I tried...

Hi all, I own a Charbroil 430 offset smoker. It was cheap and has the size that I need. I have smoked beef and pork with OK results but always struggled with fire and temp management. I knew that this smoker was going to give me trouble but I took on the challenge of making it work. I figured...

Hi all, I took your advice on practicing before going for a brisket and smoked two chuckies last weekend. I was pretty happy with the results. It was fun. Used lump charcoal and hickory chunks. A lot easier than using briquetes. Less ash, more room in firebox, good airflow. I mixed in chips...

joe black, thanks a lot for your help. i will try the lump/briqt system. i checked out the old country wrangler and i liked it . compact, well built. may be my next smoker

Thanks Chef Jimmy J. I'll think about my choice of meat then. I may go for a cheaper cut, Wife wants brisket though! Unfortunately I dont have many tools. So, how can I raise the grate? Small bricks? I read tha lump charcoal can be added unlit to the burning fire w/o generating a lot a smoke...

Hi all, I am new to smoking meats. I bought a small offset smoker (Charbroil 430, not decided on investing on big one yet! I cook for my wife and son only) recently and cooked a 6 lb pork shoulder using charcoal briquets and hickory chunks. I was ok with the results. However, ash built up and...

i had the same problem. used a lot of charcoal and ash choked the fire. i am mixing in lump charcoal may be switching to all wood next time.

i just bought the small version of the one you show and had same issues. small firebox. ended up with ash choking the fire. will add lump charcoal or all wood from now on. still ok for the price

i bought this smoker 2 weeks ago. not bad for the price. especially if u dont want invest in a big smoker yet. intake damper is small and no way to get ash out. i may switch to lump charcoal or wood to get good heat. i will smoke a brisket in a couple of weeks. will see how it goes

thank you all!