Is it uncommon.......

[Solidkick]

for a Bandera to go through 20 lbs of briquettes and 10 lbs of lump plus
some wood for smokin' in 6 hours? I hit 250 once in this period of time, ran out of fuel and ended up finishing in the oven.
I made a temporary baffle out of foil, and cut the chamber down in half by wrapping foil over one of the cooking grates.
I have a new smoke chamber and firebox coming from New Braunfels as I think both are warped badly.
Ideas or comments?

[parrothead]

Per our conversation in the chat room, With the temps you were getting, it does sound like you have way too many gaps. Especially eith the firebox lid.

[Mike(Mi)]

Unless you're cooking in the Arctic. Just a point.

[BBQchef33]

Geeezzz 30 lbs of fuel.. thats sounds more like 30 hours of cookin. I wasnt in on the conversation with greg, so airleaks aside, are you using the door thermometer?, which can be off by 50 degrees +or -. Also, do you have the firegrate installed and the baffle?? Which mods do you have installed, and as per our IM conversations, let me know if ya want me to pick up the gasket material for you.

[willkat98]

wow, 30# with a heat shield.

Was it really windy? I have 20mph gusts and still maintained 240 on about 8-10 pounds of fuel well over 6 hours. I hear some bitch about the fire control, but I do better in the beast than I did in the WSM, although I gotta give that another shot.

[tommykendall]

When I was using charcoal and wood combination throughout the burn period, I would go through 20-24 lbs of Kingsford in 11-13 hours. That seems on par with what ChiBill is saying. Now I'm using wood only except for the initial starter chimney.

[chathorne]

i use bout 10-15 lbsfor 8 hrs maybe longer but damn i think now that i got a basket that will be goin down some
i'll have to keep ya updated

[Solidkick]

I had a probe stuck through half a potato on the same shelf as the butts.
I had a temporary baffle made from foil and was only using the smoke chamber just below the door mounted themometer by covering a cooking grate 3/4 of the way with foil. I was telling Greg that I have a 3/8 inch gap on the right side of the firebox with the lid closed, which I was shoving foil into. I also have to push down on the chamber door to get it to latch to the chamber. The cabinet acts like it is twisted. The manufacturer sent me (arrived last night) a new firebox and smoking chamber. I wanted to try replacement parts before I did any further mods. I read on one of the forums (all I do is read about smokin' anymore) that someone had replaced parts 3 times and never got any better results. I'm sure it has something to do with the parts being made in China and not a USA made smoker.

I had also told Greg that I had raised the height of the fire by making a charcoal basket from a grill wok and
2 1/2 in bolts. It worked like I wanted it to, ash fell right through the holes and into the ash pan. I also put the ash pan on some gas grill briquettes. so it isn't setting on the bottom of the firebox anymore.

I'm a little discouraged as I wanted to be able to put butts in and let them run for a couple of hours at least before having to tend to a fire. Maybe my expectations are too high and this beast wants all my attention.

BTW, I'm going to need a smoker cover, but our local Home Depot says it's a seasonal product and will no longer carry. Any ideas where I can get one online, or can I just cover with a tarp? Thanks all for you ideas and suggestions!! I really appreciate it! :)