Newbie

[Cykablyat]

Hello everybody ,

I'm brand new to smoking , ive wanted one for years so i went ahead and ordered one (very basic ) see images attached , it didnt come with any operating instructions at all and i cant find anything online. It does have a few different trays and im hoping you could possibly help me figure it out. Specifically where to put coal and the woodchips.(came with very fine woodchips , basically sawdust) is that meant to go on the coals ? Or is the coal supposed to be in the thin bottom and the chips on the larger bottom tray ? Bottom tray is actually two seperate trays smaller holding up the bigger one , i assembled the same way as the online pictures

I winged it today and went ahead and put the coal into the raised bottom tray and used bigger wood chips i had bought seperatly ( soaked in water before putting on coal) amd it worked pretty well , see pics of the result.

All help appreciated.

 

[Cykablyat]

Hello everybody ,

I'm brand new to smoking , ive wanted one for years so i went ahead and ordered one (very basic ) see images attached , it didnt come with any operating instructions at all and i cant find anything online. It does have a few different trays and im hoping you could possibly help me figure it out. Specifically where to put coal and the woodchips.(came with very fine woodchips , basically sawdust) is that meant to go on the coals ? Or is the coal supposed to be in the thin bottom and the chips on the larger bottom tray ? Bottom tray is actually two seperate trays smaller holding up the bigger one , i assembled the same way as the online pictures

I winged it today and went ahead and put the coal into the raised bottom tray and used bigger wood chips i had bought seperatly ( soaked in water before putting on coal) amd it worked pretty well , see pics of the result.

All help appreciated.

View attachment 466975View attachment 466974View attachment 466971View attachment 466970

Just to add part circled on the image isnt a tray its just a structural panel and empty space behind it.

 

[thirdeye]

What is the name brand?

Typically charcoal would be near the bottom and since it came with sawdust instead of chips or chunks I bet the sawdust has it's own tray that sits above the charcoal. Some vertical smokers have a water pan, is that the function of the tray with the handle?

What I'm not seeing is vents to control combustion, or is that the purpose of the little door on the front?

 

[kruizer]

Welcome to SMF from Minnesota.

 

[tag0401]

Welcome to the forum!! Hope you find your answers regarding your smoker

 

[ChuxPick]

Welcome. Great people on here.

 

[Cykablyat]

What is the name brand?

Typically charcoal would be near the bottom and since it came with sawdust instead of chips or chunks I bet the sawdust has it's own tray that sits above the charcoal. Some vertical smokers have a water pan, is that the function of the tray with the handle?

What I'm not seeing is vents to control combustion, or is that the purpose of the little door on the front?

It's the websites own brand where i bought it from Vidaxl.
Larger tray up top with the handle i used as a drip tray and put water into it .
Also the little door at the front does slide up for oxygen control. The sawdust part im really unsure about as there doesnt seem to be an additional tray for it , is it fine to just put soaked chips on top of the coals , im just worried about losing all heat everytime i add chips.

 

[thirdeye]

It's the websites own brand where i bought it from Vidaxl.
Larger tray up top with the handle i used as a drip tray and put water into it .
Also the little door at the front does slide up for oxygen control. The sawdust part im really unsure about as there doesnt seem to be an additional tray for it , is it fine to just put soaked chips on top of the coals , im just worried about losing all heat everytime i add chips.

From the snip below, you are right about the website being vague as far as operation, but they mention "fire bowl" which I think must be for charcoal. They also mention "ash tray". Does the fire bowl have holes in it, so ash can fall out into the ash tray? Maybe they intend you to add the sawdust or chips directly atop the coals? And, by the way it's a waste of time to soak all the chips, because you have to wait for the moisture to evaporate before they start to smoke. Some people will soak some and add some dry with the thought the dry chips ignite first, and the wet chips are king of a time release source of smoke.

Another concern I see is the use of galvanized steel throughout, including the fire bow. Zinc is the issue with galvanized steel used in smokers, grills etc. At high temps zinc gasses out. Welding galvanized steel takes special precautions, however racks or sides of a smoker won't ever see those temperatures.... the charcoal bowl might. As a precaution It's generally accepted to avoid any galvanized steel in a smoker. I don't even use zinc plated fasteners on any of my smokers.

From the website: The outdoor grill is made of galvanised steel and suitable for outdoor use. Thanks to the zinc plating on the rack, fire bowl and ash tray, the BBQ is rust resistant. Both the drawer and fire bowl are equipped with a handle. Additionally, 1kg wood chips and 12 S-shaped hooks are included in delivery.

 

[Cykablyat]

From the snip below, you are right about the website being vague as far as operation, but they mention "fire bowl" which I think must be for charcoal. They also mention "ash tray". Does the fire bowl have holes in it, so ash can fall out into the ash tray? Maybe they intend you to add the sawdust or chips directly atop the coals? And, by the way it's a waste of time to soak all the chips, because you have to wait for the moisture to evaporate before they start to smoke. Some people will soak some and add some dry with the thought the dry chips ignite first, and the wet chips are king of a time release source of smoke.

Another concern I see is the use of galvanized steel throughout, including the fire bow. Zinc is the issue with galvanized steel used in smokers, grills etc. At high temps zinc gasses out. Welding galvanized steel takes special precautions, however racks or sides of a smoker won't ever see those temperatures.... the charcoal bowl might. As a precaution It's generally accepted to avoid any galvanized steel in a smoker. I don't even use zinc plated fasteners on any of my smokers.

From the website: The outdoor grill is made of galvanised steel and suitable for outdoor use. Thanks to the zinc plating on the rack, fire bowl and ash tray, the BBQ is rust resistant. Both the drawer and fire bowl are equipped with a handle. Additionally, 1kg wood chips and 12 S-shaped hooks are included in delivery.

Thanks for the help , the bottom as seen on their official picture on the site consists of two different trays see pic i took attached , i wonder if the small tray is meant to be in the bigger one holding sawdust ?( on pics the the small tray is holding up the firebox off the base , thats the way i also used this) Then you wont have much space for coal if thats the case. Also just to add there isnt any welds on the boxes the corners are just closely bent.

Thanks

 

[thirdeye]

That's a thought.