Char Griller 5050 Question

[kbmccarthy]

I have a question about my new Char Griller Duo that my wife purchased for me, along with an SFB.

I've been reading through the forums for all of the modifications, and everything seems to make sense, etc.

The question I have is in regards to the cooking chamber itself, and may be posted somewhere, but I haven't seen it.

For those occasions when I want to use the cooking chamber and charcoal to cook something, and not smoke it (like a nice steak), I assume that the tuning plates can be taken out, and a rack for the charcoal put in, or should I just do all charcoal cooking on the SFB and leave the cooking chamber for smoking only?

That may seem like a dumb question, but I'm curious about using the grill for non smoking charcoal endeavors as well.

Thanks

 

[cliffcarter]

I have a question about my new Char Griller Duo that my wife purchased for me, along with an SFB.

For those occasions when I want to use the cooking chamber and charcoal to cook something, and not smoke it (like a nice steak), I assume that the tuning plates can be taken out, and a rack for the charcoal put in, or should I just do all charcoal cooking on the SFB and leave the cooking chamber for smoking only?

Yes, this is what you need to do to grill with charcoal, the SFB is great for searing but not gilling IMHO.

 

[kbmccarthy]

Thanks for the response.  I assume I'll do a lot of stuff on the gas portion of the Char Griller Duo, but I want to make sure I maintain that charcoal option.
 

 

[skutt]

I had a Char Griller with side fire box when we were living in Florida and loved it.  It didn't look very good after two years but it sure did cook wonderful smoked meats.  I have decided to go to Lowes and buy a 5050.  I am thinking I will make my own heavy duty side fire box as a separate unit to have better heat control.  Not sure exactly how I will make it yet but that is my plan. 

I like the idea of the 5050 in order to smoke or grill the meat over coals and do the vegetables on the gas side.  I love corn on the cob grilled in the husk. 
 

 

[bruno994]

Welcome to both Skutt and kbmccarthy.  SMF is a great site and you won't find another source on the web that has as many helpful people in so many different categories.  The Chargriller 50/50 is a great unit as in it provides basically 3 options for cooking.  Cliffcarter nailed it with just remove the tuning plates, reinsert your charcoal grate (if removed) and return to direct cooking over hot coals.  I never made any tuning plates for mine, I just flipped the charcoal grate over with the rounded bottom up, covered in foil for easy cleanup, then slid it over close to the firebox as I could get it and used that as a baffle.  It evened out my temps from side to side quite a bit.  I tried the extension on the stack down to grate level, but it cut down on my Q-pacity a bit.  As far as fabbing a firebox instead of buying the SFB, not sure I would take that one on, the Chargriller side fire box works like a champ.  Due to the thin metal and air gaps on the main chamber, I'm not sure how much better your going to get in heat control with a custom made firebox, but it might be worth a try if your planning on sealing the chamber up nice and tight.  I have never tried sealing any gaps and I have always been happy with the way it performs.  

Welcome again and we can't wait to see some Qview from those 50/50's!

 

[skutt]

I picked up my new 5050 Saturday and cooked my first meal on it Sunday.  I was curing the new finish and after a couple hours I threw on a pork roast and corn on the cob.  I'm not a big fan of BBQ pork and it was done without much preparation but still turned out edible.  I am looking forward to many great meals from my new toy.