What to do with my new smoker??

[teeotee]

Ok ..... i mis understood ya. Yeah mine leaks smoke around there real bad too. Did hit the jackpot today at Home Depot, they were clearing out the fireplace stuff and i got two packs of 1/4" stove gasket rope and the cement for $3.00. That's going to be my weekend project. Will post pics if it works good.

Good luck with the smoke.

 

[smokin' joe]

Fireguy, try taking out that charcoal grate half moon piece from the bottom of the cooking chamber all together...I think that might be your problem. Some mods need to be made to that particular piece, you cant use it as it.

I would remove it altogether for your smoke tomorrow. I only need 1 chimney of lump to get mine to temp at the start of a smoke. Takes about 20 min or so and I am golden.

 

[fireguy]

Ba - None taken, I just thought that was funny...

teeotee- I was thinking on trying that stuff please let me know if it makes a dif..

Smokingjoe - Ill try taking it out for my next smoke...What kind of mods need to be made to that half moon grate??? Holes drilled through it to let air distribute easier ?? or something else??

thanks to all you for your help thus far!!!

 

[smokin' joe]

I made several cuts from end to end to allow airflow. I am sorry I should have mentioned that earlier in this post.

Drilled holes would be fine too...anything to allow the smoke and heat to pass into the cooking chamber...as is, the heat gets trapped below and doesnt get a chance to rise to grate level. the radiant heat from the inverted grate is just not enough to give you the temps you are looking for.

Take it out for tomorrows smoke then if you would like, I can help you make some adjustments. Hope this helps.

 

[teeotee]

I agree with Joe about removing the pan. I have the same kind of results in temp with one chimney of coals. Although i took a little different approach.

Here's what i did to mine. Because i use mine to grill i use an oven liner as a baffle. Cheap and easy and does the job for now till i get a better one made.



Once again. good luck with the smoke tomorrow. Will let you know if the gasket rope works.

 

[fireguy]

Ok, just about ready to fire up the chargriller for her maiden voyage.. Thanks for all the help it really means alot.

Here is the coal basket I made this mourning... Added some supports down the side to rest inside the fire box, so that I can pull the drawer out and clear the basket , for those all day or all night smokes.. along with a support on the bottom to try and prvent as much sagging as it heats up..

going to take out the 1/2 moon baffle for today, use minion method, with royal oak... Ill keep you posted.

thanks guys.

 

[fireguy]

here are the only other mods thus far.. 2 thermos, and the stack extension..

 

[teeotee]

Wow so that's what a clean grill looks like huh

Basket looks great to me.

have a good first smoke. Will check back later.

 

[smokin' joe]

Everything looks good fireguy...Get the thin blue rolling and report back with updates. Happy smoking!!!

 

[fireguy]

So far, So good... Maintaining about 230, How bout that TBS? Just spritzed with Bourbon and Apple juice.. I couldnt be more excited!!!

 

[bb53chevpro]

WOOOO HOOOOOO!!!! wow, that's great. You have just made me hungry.
Andy.

 

[teeotee]

Did get the stove gasket in yest, and a seasoning/trial run after cleaning off 3 years of possible creosote. Will do a full post of the mods when i get a chance.

 

[fireguy]

Hey Joe or anyone, wondering if ya have some pics of this or not???Just trying to get some Ideas. Thanks a million

 

[ridgerunner]

I picked up the CGSP a week ago and still haven't lit a fire in it. Between the weather and my schedule, I just haven't had the time to devote to seasoning it. I was wanting to do some mods before I seasoned it. I am specifically wanting to address the sfb and it's non-airtight lid. It seems for the most part, that stove sealant, cement, etc. are treated as seasonal items around here. I did find one store that had some gasket and cement (limited selection). However, I'm concerned about any contaminants that might leach out of these products even after they cure. Any suggestions?

 

[fireguy]

ridge, just making sure your talkin bout the fire box, cause mine is tight....However my smoke chamber lid is not even close... teeotee is in the process of getting a good seal on his... you might want to search his posts...

 

[ridgerunner]

Yes, Fireguy. I was talking about the Side Fire Box. I also know the main cooking chamber lid is not tight. Which do you think is a bigger issue? I figured the SFB might be something a little easier to address initially. As it was, I had to return the first SFB as it had about an 1/8 to 1/4 inch gap on the right side of the lid when it closed. My new one is much better, but still not quite as tight as I would like.