Thanks, took some time as never used a milling machine before.doulbet wrote:Looks good, like the firebox amd door.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
Could i use pallet wood to season or should i use only wood that i would cool with?Big T wrote:If you're finished with the fabrication then I would go ahead and season it seeing as you had it blasted. Just a light coat of cooking oil on everything inside the CC and get it up to 300-350 degrees for a little bit and then back it down, you can toss some fatty meat on there towards the end if you want. I wouldn't recommend getting any hotter than that because it tends to start warping the metal and you don't want that headache. I used the silver paint on mine also and it looked pretty good for a while but I went back with black paint when it was time for a make over.
Ok, will do thanks.Big T wrote:I would use cooking wood only.
I havent fired it up yet, it might not work. Lets hope it works better than my mk1.Chromeski wrote:Looks great, can I have it?
It wasn't so much the temp swings but adding wood before the coals burnt out and dropped through the grate. If i put on too big a log it would flare up to start with and catch then a couple of minutes after closing the door i would go and chech the stack and it would be smoking too much so i open the door to let it catch again and leave it open untill well om is way then i would keep feeding it smaller logs which burnt better but did not last as long.AndrewPalmer71 wrote:Can you give more detail? Did you have temp swings or were you in and out of the house adding wood? On my stick burners I can expect to add wood every 45 mins to an hour. Temp tends to go up a few degrees after adding wood then gradually comes back down and settles in the sweet spot. Through frequent well documented cooks, I have come to expect this and have an ideal range of temps. I don't make adjustments to my air inlet/stacks unless my temp swings like crazy outside if this ideal range. And I make sure to rule out other factors like flare ups, wind, etc. Prior to making adjustments.
I would Continue to cook and document the exact issues you are having before making any changes. With more information, The guys here will give you top notch advice.
Also, Sorry about the skinny pigs in the UK. Maybe some of the guys can send a couple of racks over to ya! Lol.
Sent from my SM-J727V using Tapatalk
Yeh, i need to learn this.Chromeski wrote:I think it may take some getting used to. Make sure you have a good digital thermometer. You may even do a few burns without meat just to get yourself used to the cooker. Adding wood every 45-60 minutes is expected with this type of smoker. After you learn how to work it go talk to your butcher, bribe him if you gotta.
Yes i think i will leave that for now and have another go with that plate in there.Chromeski wrote:I'm really not sure about the stack so I left that question alone. Doesn't seem too drastic to me.
Thanks for your reply, if you add two splits of wood would that burn hotter or the same as one split with the same damper setting?Dirtytires wrote:Remember that your heat comes from the coals, not from the burning log. The key is to maintain a really stable bed of coals but feeding it fairly small splits of wood at a constant rate. I try for 1-2 splits about he diameter of a beer-can every 45 minutes. The small logs burn down into coals pretty quick but the goal is to get the next long on so you dont loose your coal-bed. You will have to experiment with how long between splits depending on your pit and wood type.
Keep your door closed. If you have nice coals it will light easily. With it open, you are fighting a loosing battle with airflow and fire control.
I never adjust my dampers...if I keep feeding it every 45 min, my temp never moves more than 15-20 degrees.
Lastly, if you have coals filling thru the grate than your bars are too far apart. Only the ash should fall thru. I might suggest dropping a piece of 3/4 by #9 flat expanded metal on top of your rack and see if that make a difference. I suspect your coal bed never forms if it keeps falling thru.
Did you get all that? Don’t get frustrated, it just takes time. And keep asking questions....
You have me "fired up" now, i will be trying your suggestions by the end of weekend for sure. I wanted to used expanded metal for the cooking racks for both of my builds but it is not easily sourced locally like in the US, but half inch square mesh may well be.Dirtytires wrote:If your coals are dropping when you bump it, the opening is too big. To test, just drop a piece of expanded metal on top.
Two splits don’t burn any hotter than 1 big one. The advantage is they burn quicker and break into coals quicker. Remember, we don’t want big flames, we want coals. The only way to get coals is to burn down logs. Smaller logs burn down faster.....not hotter. In fact, if I get behind on my fire-feeding, I will actually add 4-6 pieces of kindling to rebuild the coal bed and shortly follow that with my 2 normal splits.
I would not recommend adding charcoal between logs. My guess here is that you are waiting too long to add wood. This allows your coal bed to die because the new log can’t break down fast enough.
Classic mistake is trying to make too small a fire to controll temp. You actually need a descent amount of coals but you controll the heat by choking off some of the air so it burns slower.
It is actually easier, in my opinion, to practice fire management when it is cold outside. Everyone can make a bigger fire but it’s hard to learn to make a small/warm one. I have a real issue keeping my heat controlled when it is 110-120 outside (my pit reads 130-135 in the sun before I even light a fire). I have a much easier time when things cool off so I would recommend lighting your fire now. Who cares if it’s snowing? Once you learn how your pit runs and can co troll the temp it will be much easier to roll into warmer weather cooks.
Is that the 3/4 by #9 exp metal you said about?Dirtytires wrote:
I just so happen to be cleaning my firebox from Sunday’s cook. Thought I’d snap a quick picture of my basket before I clean it. As you can see, I have about 3 inches of ash in the basket so you can see how the coal bed has to be. I dont want it to fall thru the grate or I loose it and the heat that it gives. Also, contrary to your home fireplace where you want to ‘bump’ off the ash, I never do on the smoker. The ash seems to restrict air flow a bit and help the coals last longer.
And yes, close off your inlet dampers. Once my pit comes to temp, I close off both my slides to about 1 inch (this leaves an opening of about 4-5 sq inches) and it drops my temp to 240-260and keeps them there.
Haha!Blondy_UK wrote: ↑August 18th, 2018, 11:58 amI wish i cauld have found a slightly larger CC. The wife asked yesterday why i was looking at compressor tanks on ebay and i couldnt lie, i said i was already thinking about the next build. She said "you still havent finished this one yet, and what are you going to do with the first one"?