It has arrived!

[snoqualmiesmoker]

According to the store i ordered it from, the Bandera has arrived> Only 20 days behind schedule.

Any advice from the crew about putting this thing together?

Any tips on the first burn!

Have a nice fourth!

jb

[BigAl]

It would be much eaiser to put together with a helper.

Season it and let it "seal" the paint before cooking in it.

Add your baffel as you put it together.

The small caster wheels may fall out when moving if you have to lift it (mine did and it fell over on the house) so I would drill a hole thru the legs and put in a screw to hold the wheels in place.

Good luck and enjoy!

[Solidkick]

Any advice from the crew about putting this thing together?


Yep, it takes two people! Take your time, if you can add the baffle mod will assembling, you'll be better off for it, though adding later is not a real big problem.

Any tips on the first burn!


It's all explained in the Bandera 101 files.



First thing- Seasoning Yes you have to do it.

Seasoning the Bandera before using is does a few things. Protects the Bandera by sealing the pores in the metal and burns off any impurities remaining from production. Before using it with food, coat the entire Bandera, inside outside, underneath.. everywhere with a coating of vegetable oil. Start a fire and get the Bandera going for at least 4 hours, 6 u best. Try to have some periods of heavy smoke and high heat, but maintain 300 degrees if you can. This is a good opportunity to play with the damper settings to learn how the temperatures respond to damper changes. Damper setting are discussed later in the “Rules of the Flames” section.
One thing.

The paint on the firebox will peel or blister. Not may peel, but will peel. It may peel on the first burn while seasoning, and if not, it will next time. Get over this fast. You won’t win the battle of keeping your firebox looking new. Buy a can of hi heat rustoleum and touch it up every once in a while. A little steel wool or fine sandpaper a quick spray paint takes 10 minutes and protects it. Also, keep a spray bottle of vegetable oil handy with your supplies. After cooking, spraying the firebox while its warm will also offer some lasting protection. Spray the hinges down regularly and well. Dry hinges have been know to freeze up after a week or 2 of non use or wet weather.

[kcquer]

Congrats jb, let the modin' and the cookin' begin.

[The_Kapn]

jb,
Did ya get the Charbroil or the NB version?
If CB- look at the shelf mounts to see if they are level before ya start assembling :wink:
Customer service is open 24/7 now.
Enjoy the beast!!!!
TIM

[badger]

jb,
Did ya get the Charbroil or the NB version?
If CB- look at the shelf mounts to see if they are level before ya start assembling :wink:
Customer service is open 24/7 now.
Enjoy the beast!!!!
TIM

If he ordered it I would have to think it is a CB unit.

JB, your going to love that beast! and love what it produces even more!

[markbet]

Speaking of mods on the Bandera, I don't know about the other Bandera owners, but I do not like the idea of spending over $200.00 for a grill that when I moved it from the point of assembly to the area of my yard where I will be keeping it (20') and the rear wheels fall off, which they did! Is this the best Charbroil can do? I do not think so, so me and Charbroil will be having a little chat real soon.

[BBQchef33]

Dont ya love pal nuts? I drilled a hole in the axel and put in a cotter pin.

[kcquer]

The axel mod is exclusive to the "Real NB/CB" cooker. The BSKD comes with a threaded axle and two locknuts.

[badger]

Dont ya love pal nuts? I drilled a hole in the axel and put in a cotter pin.

I did the same, here is what I used:

http://www.bandera-brethren.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=FAQ&file=index&myfaq=yes&id_cat=1#7

I now race my bandera occasionally!

[trouserchili]

Damn wheels. When I first looked at a Char-Broil Bandera at Home Depot, I pulled it out from the other grills and whatnot to get a better look and the wheel fell off. The Bandera came crashing down and hit my arm hard before finally coming to a rest on my foot. Damn thing is heavy I tell ya. Anyway, I ended up buying one of the last New Braunfels units in the store. It's wheels fall off as well, so I guess I didn't do any better in that regard.

[brdbbq]

Follow John's link above that will fix it.

[Mark]

Damn wheels. When I first looked at a Char-Broil Bandera at Home Depot, I pulled it out from the other grills and whatnot to get a better look and the wheel fell off. The Bandera came crashing down and hit my arm hard before finally coming to a rest on my foot. Damn thing is heavy I tell ya. Anyway, I ended up buying one of the last New Braunfels units in the store. It's wheels fall off as well, so I guess I didn't do any better in that regard.

trouserchili? sounds lumpy! :lol:

wher in St. Louis are you? Howsabout logging in to cattle call?

[The_Kapn]

Well, of all the Farked up things about my CharBroil Bandera, the wheels are not one!
Came with a hole in the axle with hitch pin to hold the wheel in place!
Guess some CharBroil engineer stumbled onto us :D
Now, if they would just raise the fire grate so we don't have to Fark with it :cry:
OH Yeah--Fix the smoke flow too, Mr. Engineer :evil:
TIM

[markbet]

Maybe some of you guy's could get hired on by Charbroil as design engineers. I bet ya the damn wheels would not fall off then...LOL. Seriously, do any of you put fire brick in the bottom of your firebox, and in the smoker box? If so, how thick of ones would I need, and where would one buy them at?

[BigAl]

Maybe some of you guy's could get hired on by Charbroil as design engineers. I bet ya the damn wheels would not fall off then...LOL. Seriously, do any of you put fire brick in the bottom of your firebox, and in the smoker box? If so, how thick of ones would I need, and where would one buy them at?

Yes, look in the MODS Photo files. You look in the Yellow pages and fing Brick suppliers call'em and ask for "fire brick splits", if they don't have them ask "who does?", they will know about $1.50 each , you will need 16, get 17 incase u fark one up.

[markbet]

Great, thanks Big Al. Seems like I had quit a bit of fire coming through the dampner mod that I put on, and it was directing it right down on the floor of the smoker.

[markbet]

And if the Charbroil engineers are reading this site, they need to put in a grease drain in the smoker box. After I smoked all day with all the meat I had on, the bottom of the smoker was full of grease and water.

[kcquer]

And if the Charbroil engineers are reading this site, they need to put in a grease drain in the smoker box. After I smoked all day with all the meat I had on, the bottom of the smoker was full of grease and water.


Mark, you can add a drain hole. This has been the subject of considerable discussion, especially on the old site. To make a drain just drill a hole opposite the fire box and bolt on a hook to hang a drip bucket from. This will work best if you raise the fire box end of your cooker enough to give it positive pitch to the drain side.
OR
You can line you smoke box with heavy duty aluminum foil. run it up the 3 sides of the box a bit and make sure you don't block off the baffle area :wink: . When you're done with a cook you can pull grease foil and all right out and toss the lot.

[snoqualmiesmoker]

Just today the damn wheel fell off. The first burn is into its 3rd hour. Already had the wife complain about the smoke! The BIG AL Mod is the best! Well i would like to thank y'all for the suggestions and the luck! This has been fun!

back to the PIT!!!

[brdbbq]

And if the Charbroil engineers are reading this site, they need to put in a grease drain in the smoker box. After I smoked all day with all the meat I had on, the bottom of the smoker was full of grease and water.

Railroad Spike and a hammer

[DarkRubiTJ]

I noticed that the latest batch of Charbroil Santa Fe's we got in had the hitch pin mod from the factory. I guess they finally figured it out.

Cordless drill and a 1/2" bit makes a great drain hole too.

[markbet]

During the Fourth holiday smokeout, I used a kitchen mit to pull my meat out, and it worked fine until I spilled hot grease on them, and all that came right thru the cloth mit and burned the crap out of my hand. Is their a better type of glove that would handle the heat and the grease?

[Bigmista]

Mark,

I spent $10 at Home depot for some Welder's gloves. I believe Lincoln is the Brand.

Mista

[TeeCee]

I just picked up a Bandera labeled as a New Braunfels, no thermometer (not missing, non-existent so I picked one up as well), with cotter pinned axles for $200 at Academy Sports, declining the free assembly. Assembled it myself adding the baffle mod.

Does this sound right? They had three in boxes and four built, all marked as New Braunfels, with cotter pinned axles.

Anyway, I plan to burn it in tomorrow and do something even if it's wrong on Saturday. Are there any good threads buried about maintaining temperature? Not trying to hi-jack this thread, but adding to it.

[tommykendall]

when I moved it from the point of assembly to the area of my yard where I will be keeping it (20') and the rear wheels fall off


LMAO - we know a lot about wheel mods. :lol:

[willkat98]

Great buy TC!!

[Mark]

During the Fourth holiday smokeout, I used a kitchen mit to pull my meat out, and it worked fine until I spilled hot grease on them, and all that came right thru the cloth mit and burned the crap out of my hand. Is their a better type of glove that would handle the heat and the grease?

go to ebay and search for SILICONE OVEN MITT

[parrothead]

Mark,

I spent $10 at Home depot for some Welder's gloves. I believe Lincoln is the Brand.

Mista

I got me a set at Bass Pro Shop in the cat iron section that say Lodge on them. And a blue set from Bill.

[brdbbq]

During the Fourth holiday smokeout, I used a kitchen mit to pull my meat out, and it worked fine until I spilled hot grease on them, and all that came right thru the cloth mit and burned the crap out of my hand. Is their a better type of glove that would handle the heat and the grease?

I think a name change is in order here. :roll:

[willkat98]

I got me a set at Bass Pro Shop in the cat iron section that say Lodge on them. And a blue set from Bill.

Cat Iron Mod

And the blue leather gloves are $6 at Menards and hold up real well.

[brdbbq]

And the blue leather gloves are $6 at Menards and hold up real well.


Use the hell out of mine. Thanks Bill I would have never thought. I ruined a **** load of the kitchen variety before. :shock:

[Solidkick]

JT and I picked up some neoprene insolated gloves at Grainger supply.
Seems to do the trick as far as handling the shelves and the product, but I also have welders gloves for removing the ash.

[brdbbq]

insolated gloves at Grainger supply.

How much you pay for the name ?

[trouserchili]

trouserchili? sounds lumpy! :lol:

wher in St. Louis are you? Howsabout logging in to cattle call?

I'm in Shrewsbury, it's like some sort of cancerous growth of Webster Groves. Pretty nice place actually, alot like Webster except more affordable and lower taxes. Only thing I don't like is the Affton school district, of which I reside within. What do I do in Cattle call, make a "hi, I'm new here thread"?

[willkat98]

trouserchili? sounds lumpy! :lol:

wher in St. Louis are you? Howsabout logging in to cattle call?

I'm in Shrewsbury, it's like some sort of cancerous growth of Webster Groves. Pretty nice place actually, alot like Webster except more affordable and lower taxes. Only thing I don't like is the Affton school district, of which I reside within. What do I do in Cattle call, make a "hi, I'm new here thread"?

Thats it,
Tell us what your cooker(s) are and your in.

Then jump in anywhere.

[Mark]

That will also make you an official member of the MOFO's (Missouri Folks)

[Solidkick]

insolated gloves at Grainger supply.

How much you pay for the name ?

$2.80 for a pair plus tax. Was that too high? I thought it was a pretty good price.

[ciret]

. . . for gloves I'm using the $2-2 1/2 leather work gloves from were ever I can get 'em for $2-2 1/2, wally world, menards, big lots, etc. . .