New Bandara finally arrived

[GS36710]

Commercial freight sure is cheap ($18 from Ga.) but the Yellow Freight driver turned yellow halfway down our rural dirt road and I had to go pick it up from him with my pickup truck. No big deal for me. Backing back out of our road onto the highway probably a big deal for him though. I didn't hear any crashes or sirens so I guess he made it OK.

I just got done putting it together. 2 hours with a few breaks and NO BEER!! :cry: Technically I am a work at home employee so no beer during the day.

No left over parts and I am fairly impressed w/the fit and finish. Not sure what the 2 holes are for in the bottom support. Looks like a good place for water to accumulate and cause a rust out to me. I'll get some big screws and glue them in to prevent that from happening.

By a stroke of good luck Winn Dixie had gallons of corn oil on sale for $3.99 so I have the oil to season it and I'll be doing that tomorrow or the next day. A run to Costco is in order for ribs and pork shoulders so I can break this bad boy in this weekend with NFL action starting and week 2 of college football. Got to go on a search for lump charcoal also. And chuncks of hickory and mesquite instead of these chips that the stores here in town sell.

Mods are next but for now I am very happy to finally have one to call my own.

GS

[parrothead]

Congrats! Hope the first q turns out great.

[BBQchef33]

mine came with to caps that went in those holes. Home depot sells chrome ones that fit.

check out our files and mods sections for instrctions on the firegrate and baffle. those are pretty much the most important ones. the heat shield also, is something you can 2 in 2 minutes and will use all the time.

Good luck with the new toy. !!

[in2que]

Congrats on your new baby! I know you will enjoy it. I got a spray bottle and put the oil in it and sprayed the whole inside in a matter of minutes. Fired it up to cure it and that was that.

Did the baffle, fire brick, and raised up the fire grate before did my first cooking.

Enjoy :)

[StLouQue]

So THAT'S what those caps are for! Lemme guess they punched two holes so they could sell more hardware?

[BBQchef33]

uh.. yup, they go in those 2 holes. But GS said NO extra parts. :)

[GS36710]

uh.. yup, they go in those 2 holes. But GS said NO extra parts. :)There really weren't any extra parts and no mention of anything for those holes in the destructions. I can't even imagine what they may have been intended to be for...(3 attempts to not end this sentence with a preposition..screw it).

Large headed screws or a couple of quarters (if I get too busy to go to the hardware store) will cover them up.

More important things to deal with, like how much to cook the first time. And how much beer to have on hand for the task.

GS

[Oldtimer]

Pork butt for starters and lots of beer. Butt will be best for first cook. IMO

[SoCalCraigster]

you are now a Banderian....comparable to the Delta Force

[BBQchef33]

go with a pork butt to start.. and a chicken, the bird ya can eat in 4-5 hrs and the butt in about 9-10. Both are a little more forgiving of temperature variations that you will have on your first voyage. Go to the files section and download the bandera 101 document for some startup tips. Also, invest in a probe type thermometer, 20 bucks at linens & things, or Bed, bath 7 beyond. Door thermometer can be off by as much as 50 degrees compared to where the food is.

[chad]

Sounds like you're well on your way. Don't forget to do the seasoning burn-in without meat :D

Have fun -- chicken and pork butt will make a great first combo cook.

[david]

Sounds like you're well on your way. Don't forget to do the seasoning burn-in without meat

I did this, and I know this is what's recomended, but why?

It seems to me that since the seasoning is for the steel, a butt thrown in would just add more grease and couldn't hurt anything. And I don't see how an unseasoned pit would harm the meat.

[BBQchef33]

Seasoning the pit burns off imputities and oils picked up during manufacture and seals the pores of the steel inhibiting rust.

this is quote from Dave klose
**********************
A new BBQ pit should be cured like a new iron skillet. You may chose to rub the inside of the pit with Pam, peanut oil, cooking oils, or even bacon grease left over from bacon cooked on the stove. Then you light the pit with a medium fire, say 220 degrees for those of you with smokers. Choke the smokestack control about 1/2 and let it smoke heavily. A few hours is good, the longer the better. A Pit will cure without oils, but the buildup of the resin base on the doors doesn't seem to hold very well over the years.

I have made maybe 100,000 BBQ pits, noticing the pits seated with oils seem to produce better results. Once again, be careful with green woods. Some will produce very bitter tastes. Please do not ever use green mesquite in a smoker.
*****

[willkat98]

Klose Encounter of the Phil Kind

[BigAl]

Holes are part of their manufacturing jig fixture set up. Dont plug em with something you can not remove, that is where my wheel kit mod is gonna bolt into.

[chad]

Sure wish I'd run across a deal on a Bandera around here. The Wally World I usually stop at (has the best seletion of grills/smokers and accessories) has one (1) Bandera and it's been setup since at least July. Whoever set it up didn't put the caps on the handles, etc. but looks like everything is there. It's still $248 -- everything else has been marked down (fryers for $20, ECB Gourmet model $45, ECB $25, Charbroil offset cast aluminum (like the Hondo) $150) but no mark down on the one, single, lonely Bandera -- guess I'll have to start making a pest of myself :D