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- Nov 7, 2018
- 795
- 2,599
rtbbq2
Master of the Pit
kruizer
Master of the Pit
Welcome to SMF from Minnesota. Any place is a good place to start. You can always move up when the time comes.
bill1
Master of the Pit
- Apr 25, 2015
- 1,889
- 872
Welcome! My son has the DGSS1382VCS-D (cylindrical) version of what you have and I've had some awfully good cookin' from it. I think you're going to be happy with it. I have a strictly vertical (no detached firebox) version from Masterbuilt. My suggestions are:
1. if you have wallplug power, start your fire with an electric starter ring. Can't beat the simplicity. I have a hook on the rafters I hang it on while it's still hot.
2. use lump charcoal, not briquettes. Otherwise the ash will be immense and you won't get good airflow to your fire as this unit is designed for.
3. try different starting amounts of fuel until you find just the right amount to bring the cook chamber to the desired temp for the meat inside. The firebox pull-out tray is real nice design but it doesn't look very large to me so I'd start out with it almost full of lump and adjust from there.
4. just using charcoal gives a nice flavor but I recommend throwing on a fist of wood chips every 20-30 minutes or a piece or two of chunk wood for a different flavor profile from just charcoal. I find using soup cans that still have their lids attached (just pried back) can be filled with cheap pellets, and then the lid folded back over and placed on the fire. They'll smoke this way sitting on a coal fire but they're starved for oxygen so don't just flame up and burn. And a 20# sack of pellets lasts forever at this rate. Even chips may flame up and you won't get their true smoke flavor, but put them on a piece of steel (or an old pan) and they'll smoke, not burn. The idea is the charcoal burns not your flavoring woods.
5. All of this is controversial but esp this: I like to put a water pan on the lowest shelf. Keep the air humid in your smoke chamber. YMMV.
6. you'll want at least a couple temperature probes to give you an accurate read of temp in your cooking chamber and in the middle of your meat. Since this style smoker needs a lot of fire-tending, I don't see a big need to make them wireless, just probes like the $7 Ikea "Fantast" will work. They have magnets but the walls get awfully hot...I stick mine to a 2' piece of steel rain gutter that sits on top.
7. The key thing is to pull the meat when the internal temperature meets your setpoint. Chicken thighs are cheap and tasty and quick so I recommend doing a few batches of those and then move to ribs, a pork "butt" (a shoulder cut) or the classic beef brisket.
8. Snoop around this forum, esp in charcoal smokers, for ideas. There are some excellent chefs here with some great suggestions for recipes, techniques, etc. If you have a question or issue/problem, post again. We may be stubborn and opinionated, but we're helpful, stubborn and opinionated.
9. of course this style smoker needs lots of tending so ensure you have plenty of cold beer on hand!
1. if you have wallplug power, start your fire with an electric starter ring. Can't beat the simplicity. I have a hook on the rafters I hang it on while it's still hot.
2. use lump charcoal, not briquettes. Otherwise the ash will be immense and you won't get good airflow to your fire as this unit is designed for.
3. try different starting amounts of fuel until you find just the right amount to bring the cook chamber to the desired temp for the meat inside. The firebox pull-out tray is real nice design but it doesn't look very large to me so I'd start out with it almost full of lump and adjust from there.
4. just using charcoal gives a nice flavor but I recommend throwing on a fist of wood chips every 20-30 minutes or a piece or two of chunk wood for a different flavor profile from just charcoal. I find using soup cans that still have their lids attached (just pried back) can be filled with cheap pellets, and then the lid folded back over and placed on the fire. They'll smoke this way sitting on a coal fire but they're starved for oxygen so don't just flame up and burn. And a 20# sack of pellets lasts forever at this rate. Even chips may flame up and you won't get their true smoke flavor, but put them on a piece of steel (or an old pan) and they'll smoke, not burn. The idea is the charcoal burns not your flavoring woods.
5. All of this is controversial but esp this: I like to put a water pan on the lowest shelf. Keep the air humid in your smoke chamber. YMMV.
6. you'll want at least a couple temperature probes to give you an accurate read of temp in your cooking chamber and in the middle of your meat. Since this style smoker needs a lot of fire-tending, I don't see a big need to make them wireless, just probes like the $7 Ikea "Fantast" will work. They have magnets but the walls get awfully hot...I stick mine to a 2' piece of steel rain gutter that sits on top.
7. The key thing is to pull the meat when the internal temperature meets your setpoint. Chicken thighs are cheap and tasty and quick so I recommend doing a few batches of those and then move to ribs, a pork "butt" (a shoulder cut) or the classic beef brisket.
8. Snoop around this forum, esp in charcoal smokers, for ideas. There are some excellent chefs here with some great suggestions for recipes, techniques, etc. If you have a question or issue/problem, post again. We may be stubborn and opinionated, but we're helpful, stubborn and opinionated.
9. of course this style smoker needs lots of tending so ensure you have plenty of cold beer on hand!
Welcome to SMF from North Texas. I do not have experience with that smoker, but it looks as though other do.
Good luck and Smoke ON!
- Jason
Good luck and Smoke ON!
- Jason
Thank you so much. You're reply was very informative. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.
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