Stick burner

[jpw23]

Looks like the charcoal is gone for the season around here.....unless you want to buy matchlite crap. What are the odds that i can turn my chargriller pro into a stick burner...and what mods need to be done?

 

[thillin]

Have you done any mods? Just like burning charcoal. Use small chunks or small splits. Smaller sticks burn fast, but hotter. Larger peices burn cooler and slower. You'll just tend the fire a little more.

 

[Kevin]

I've used my chargriller as a stick burner. Raised fire grate is a must if you haven't done that already. I had to learn to control the temp by the size of the fire. It leaks too much air to choke a hot fire down with the draft control. I probably burned close to half a ton of charcoal 2 summers ago. Since I switched to mostly sticks (I can buy seasoned oak for $85 a pickup load) I don't think I used more than 200 pounds of charcoal this year. You've got to play with the fire a little more often than with charcoal, but I don't consider that a bad thing.

 

[jpw23]

yeah....I've done a bunch of mods...baffle, basket, flue, bricks....if fire tending is the only thing then I'm good to go...I like to play with the fire....thanks!!!

 

[jpw23]

I've used my chargriller as a stick burner. Raised fire grate is a must if you haven't done that already. I had to learn to control the temp by the size of the fire. It leaks too much air to choke a hot fire down with the draft control. I probably burned close to half a ton of charcoal 2 summers ago. Since I switched to mostly sticks (I can buy seasoned oak for $85 a pickup load) I don't think I used more than 200 pounds of charcoal this year. You've got to play with the fire a little more often than with charcoal, but I don't consider that a bad thing.

I have my basket sitting on the little grilling grate in the fire box....I suppose that would be high enough.

 

[Ron_L]

I've never cooked on a Chargriller, but it seems to me that once you have a good coal bed going, it shouldn't matter. Do you have someplace where you can build an open fire? You can start a pile of logs or slpits and let them burn for a while, and then add the hot coals to the chargriller firebox for a coal bed.

 

[Kevin]

I have my basket sitting on the little grilling grate in the fire box....I suppose that would be high enough.

Yep. I just remembered, the chargriller has that slick removable ash pan so you can dump ashes on the go. Great help as sticks do produce more ash than charcoal. I've got a metal trash can for the hot ashes.

 

[jpw23]

yeah...that pan has been real handy!!!!

 

[BBQchef33]

And if you dont want to do that.. then make your own lump.

But a few bags of chunks, or chunk up a load of logs with a chop saw.

get a metal garbage can with a good lid. Start a base fire going so you have a good starter bed, then throw in all your chunks. Wait till they are going real good, and starting to burn down, then put the lid on the top and snuff out the fire. The remnants will be lump charcoal.

 

[jpw23]

And if you dont want to do that.. then make your own lump.

But a few bags of chunks, or chunk up a load of logs with a chop saw.

get a metal garbage can with a good lid. Start a base fire going so you have a good starter bed, then throw in all your chunks. Wait till they are going real good, and starting to burn down, then put the lid on the top and snuff out the fire. The remnants will be lump charcoal.

I'll have to try that......do you want any air holes in the bottom?

 

[nmayeux]

Also, use lots of white oak. The flavor is not too strong, but it will burn relatively slow, with lots of btu's. Red oak will do as well, but a little stronger flavor.

 

[big brother smoke]

I tried my wood for the first time in the Char Broil last night. I just left the door open when inserting my new wood. I waited for it to catch or burn clean and closed the door on my wood! Ron L's insertion of wood method seems less painful!

Off to my room now!:lol:

 

[Kevin]

Off to my room now!:lol:

As you should be. Bad BBS. But I laughed.

 

[thirdeye]

Looks like the charcoal is gone for the season around here.....unless you want to buy matchlite crap. What are the odds that i can turn my chargriller pro into a stick burner...and what mods need to be done?

I hate when that happens!! If you have a Do-it-Best hardware dealer (sometimes lumber yards have this franchise) they carry #40 bags of Royal Oak briq's and #20 bags of Royal Oak lump. Mine does not stock it, but during the winter I just call and they include it in the weekly order from the warehouse at no extra charge.

Here is the link to the charcoal page. The home page has a zip code store search option.

http://doitbest.com/DoItBest/main.aspx?PageID=110&searchText=royal+oak&searchType=BRAND

 

[BBQchef33]

I'll have to try that......do you want any air holes in the bottom?

i dunno. never did it like that. i jsut make it in a wide pipe on the side of the house. I tossed the chunks on a lit chimney of K thats sitting on the ground.

Holes on the bottom/sides will help the burn, so if i was doig it, I would just toss a shovel of dirt against the holes when i snuff the fire out.

 

[kickassbbq]

STICK BURNERS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Everyone has got it right. Build a really good fire and once you have a good bed of coals, just start adding SMALL peices of wood. It will take some time getting used to being a Stick Burner, but once you get it down, it's the ONLY way to feed the smoker.
The difference is, you have to WORK THE FIRE. You can't throw in a bag of charcoal and go watch football in the house for 30 minutes.
Practice, practice and practice. It's a Fire Party.
Smoke On!!!!!!!