SlowmotionQue
Smoking Fanatic
- Feb 6, 2019
- 657
- 242
Basic Gravity Feed info: 101…
Here’s some info about Gravity Feed Smokers and the CG 980 in general to help the general public have a better understanding of their workings. So how do they work?
- So how do they work? A Gravity Smoker works with, well, gravity! The Gravity flows downward so there’s a natural feeding of the charcoal. Charcoal and a few hardwood chunks are loaded into the airtight charcoal hopper and is lit at the bottom through the firebox door. The charcoal and hardwood slowly burns, feeding heat and smoke up into the chamber and ultimately out of the chimney smoke stack or an exit port.
- Gravity Feed Smokers when compared to pellet grills, have less complexity and fewer moving parts. Modern Gravity Feed Smokers will have a charcoal hopper, ash bin, an ash bin fan to feed the charcoals air for fuel and a PID controller to monitor and control the smokers temperature. Very simple…
- Hardwood chunks can be added to the ash bin basket and the charcoal hopper for added smoke flavor. Some have even added small hardwood splits to the charcoal hopper to increase the smoke production to there liking.
- The CG 980’s charcoal hopper is triple walled to give lasting use year after year and its cooking chamber lid is double walled for added insulation and temp control.
- The CharGriller and the Masterbuilt units come with a charcoal hopper lid contact switch and a ash bin door contact switch to communicate with the PID controller and for safety. Coming from a Pellet Grill background, I knew when I first purchased the CG 980, that simple, general maintenance would be required to maintain a troubled free operation of the smoker.
- For general maintenance, I spray the contact switches with electrical contact cleaner after every other bbq. I also clean the main cooking chamber or any grease buildup and I remove and shop vac any charcoal ash that is present in the ash bin and ash bin basket. So far as of July of last year, I’ve had not one issue.
- Lastly, I wanted to start this tread to give those who were on the fence some independent and unbiased info, but unfortunately I see this thread has been high jacked. If some want to discuss or debate about other bbqing equipment, start your own thread…. I’m not knocking other bbqing methods or equipments, but this thread was about and for Gravity Feed Smokers and potential owners. .02
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Char-Griller 980 GF… Pellet Pro Austin XL and a few more mods... In SoCal and Always... Semper Fi
Thanks RCAlan.
This is really what I was looking for, as I had wanted as much info on these as I could get, prior to making any preliminary considerations of purchasing one.
Watching the video, while a worthwhile endeavor, still did not, for me at least, answer the pressing question, the most important question, in my mind, and that question was; "Hold on...Why would I, or should I consider EITHER ONE of the smokers being reviewed in this video?"
Though your write up doesn’t touch on things such as burn time per full load of fuel, ability to use large block lump charcoal and other charcoal in unconventional size and shape such as B&B Char logs, I appreciate your write up, in that it has pretty much convinced me, at least for my wants and needs, and in comparison to the capabilities that I already have, that I very likely should consider neither.
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