darkoozy
is Blowin Smoke!
Yes, keeping a large body of water warm will burn more fuel for sure.
Lone Star Grillz Vertical Insulated Cabinet Smoker-For the new Owner
- Thread starter mikes1212
- Start date
Yes, keeping a large body of water warm will burn more fuel for sure.
jrben1
Knows what a fatty is.
If you order a grill cover from GrillWraps and plan to install a second 2" ball valve on the right, you might ask Bill Donohue to modify the cover.
The standard Grill Wraps cover has a cut out for the left 2" ball valve and the center 1 1/4" ball valve but it doesn't extend to cover the capped off air intake on the right.
The standard Grill Wraps cover has a cut out for the left 2" ball valve and the center 1 1/4" ball valve but it doesn't extend to cover the capped off air intake on the right.
darkoozy
is Blowin Smoke!
Wow, totally forgot about that, thank you for catching that!
mikes1212
Full Fledged Farker
There is still plenty of room for the cover to fit, so if you forgot, all is not lost!
I am about 18 hours into this this cook. Pulled off the butt, the Brisket and a pork loin next the ribs in about 30 minutes, then it's eat'n time!
pjtexas1
somebody shut me the fark up.
How much charcoal did you go thru so far? I'm curious since some are not getting good burn times and others are. Where is the pron?
jrben1
Knows what a fatty is.
darkoozy
is Blowin Smoke!
Ya how much charcoal. The suspense is killing me...
On my old wsm 20lb would burn for 12-14 hours with 3 gallons of water in the pan...
I am planning my first cook for next weekend with brisket, butt, and ribs...
On my old wsm 20lb would burn for 12-14 hours with 3 gallons of water in the pan...
I am planning my first cook for next weekend with brisket, butt, and ribs...
pjtexas1
somebody shut me the fark up.
Mike must be in a meat coma...:laugh:
mikes1212
Full Fledged Farker
Sorry, for taking so long to reply back. I started with a 1/2 full chimney taken from a bag of KBB, the rest went in the pit. I also added two dozen child fist sized pieces of lump, and mixed in. About noon today, I had to add about 3 lbs of KBB to help finish the ribs. That would be about 13 lbs total. Now I did not run with a whole lot of water inside. I would pour in about a half gallon of tap hot water about every hour, and ran dry overnight. Total run time is 19 hours.
I went to bed last night about at 11, and pit temp was 225. At 6:45 am this morning, It was still at 225.
mikes1212
Full Fledged Farker
You're right! I am in a meat coma! I had some brisket, a little pulled pork, and a couple of ribs. I also had to try a pork loin roast that I did for a neighbor. He brought over some saying it was fantastic! Wash all that down wit a couple of beers, and you have a tired, really stuffed, but happy cabinet owner! :thumb:
darkoozy
is Blowin Smoke!
final resting place leveled
I thought I would share a picture of the final resting place with the smoker parked and leveled. That camper/trailer style leveler was awesome. Took the guess work out of leveling. I just put a level on top and pushed until it came level (2 person job, although I managed on my own :crazy. I had no idea the slope on the back side of the patio was that bad.
I used "Anderson-3604 Camper Leveler". Purchased a pair from Amazon. A little pricey, but I needed something simple to manage, and to keep me from going nuts. The angle of the slope was so bad, the doors would swing open past me.
http://www.andersenhitches.com/Products/3604--camper-leveler.aspx
I am happy now, and cant wait to get it more dirty with tons of meat. Seasoning the smoker was like a killer tease, and as the weatherman predicted the rain came. Luckily I was done, the coals were dead and had enough time to clean it out...
I thought I would share a picture of the final resting place with the smoker parked and leveled. That camper/trailer style leveler was awesome. Took the guess work out of leveling. I just put a level on top and pushed until it came level (2 person job, although I managed on my own :crazy
. I had no idea the slope on the back side of the patio was that bad.I used "Anderson-3604 Camper Leveler". Purchased a pair from Amazon. A little pricey, but I needed something simple to manage, and to keep me from going nuts. The angle of the slope was so bad, the doors would swing open past me.
http://www.andersenhitches.com/Products/3604--camper-leveler.aspx
I am happy now, and cant wait to get it more dirty with tons of meat. Seasoning the smoker was like a killer tease, and as the weatherman predicted the rain came. Luckily I was done, the coals were dead and had enough time to clean it out...
jrben1
Knows what a fatty is.
Huge difference between your results and my results. I am a big devotee of water smoking since I took Myron Mixon's cooking class in 2004. I don't plan on giving it up. My Backwoods Smoker does not seem to be bothered by a full water pan. Neither did my Myron Mixon Smoker. Neither did my 60" JR Enterprizes side burner. The water keeps the meat moist and also helps regulate the cooker temperature.
I am leaking smoke around the door gasket. I wonder if that could affect my results? I'll try adjusting the latch, but it's already pretty far in.
ggee6688
Knows what a fatty is.
Yea. Mine was leaking only when there is water. Its like the steam builds and there may be too much pressure in the box. I latched mine down but it seems to move out anyways. I don't know if its the paint under the clasp that may be causing it not to stick as much. I'll probably replace it with the bare metal chrome that the manufacturer makes it with if possible. Probably, not, I'm too lazy. It does seem like a tight fit when its cooking dry, no smoke leaks at all. Just during water time.
jrben1
Knows what a fatty is.
I sent an e-mail to Bill Donohue. He offered to alter my cover but it's not that much of a problem.
He asked for a picture, so I sent him this.
darkoozy
is Blowin Smoke!
lonestargrillz
Knows what a fatty is.
There is defiantly a learning curve with regards to, when and how, to use the water. It can be added at any and all temperatures but will need to be managed to yield good results. If your cooking alot hotter than the boiling point with water in the pan and your stack is closed way down you will likely get some smoke (more likely steam) coming from the door seals because it has no where else to go and you create a pressure differential. If you want to cook with water at higher temps (I advocate cooking with water as well for the above mentioned reasons but dont generally use it when I cook above 250, briskets and pork butts I cook at 210-225 with water every thing else I cook at 275 and up with out) then you can expect higher fuel consumption and more water use being converted to steam. One way around this is to elevate a foil pan inside the existing water pan and put your water in it so its not in direct contact with the fire underneath. This will decrease the steam and increase burn time, also you can place a large foil pan on the first rack with water in it and accomplish the same thing cooking with water at higher temps. At 225 with water directly in the pan and the guru or stoker you can expect .75-1 hour per pound of charcoal including your preheat time and your charcoal used in your charcoal chimney to get the fire going. Under these conditions we can expect the same results every time, the higher the set point temp the higher the fuel consumption and lower burn times.
If you adjust the latch this may help, make sure to adequately tighten the set screw when you do so the latch stays adjusted tightly (if not it will just slide back out ). I also like to spray the seals down with Pam every other time or two to keep them flexible and in good shape.
I have personally cooked on these units hundreds of times and almost as many ways trying to gain knowledge and experience on what works and what doesn't, I certainly don't know it all but am happy to help anybody shorten their learning curve when using this smoker.
Thanks
Chris
mikes1212
Full Fledged Farker
I had people from the end of my street ride their bikes to my place to see what I was cooking, needless to say all the neighbors smelled it. I had visitors off and on all afternoon.
darkoozy
is Blowin Smoke!
Ya, if I had my smoker in the front driveway like you, I would have to run my neighbors off or I wouldn't have any food left :becky:
jrben1
Knows what a fatty is.
Chris, we all really do appreciate your participation in our BBQ Brethren thread. It is great to have your comments and help. I personally will highly recommend Lone Star Grillz to any of my friends looking for a cooker. Your product is of high quality and your customer support is awesome.
