Relighting gravity fed smokers

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ajstrider

is Blowin Smoke!
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I am really liking these gravity fed smokers, but how do you guys relight them with a chute half full of chimney? Do you just put a weed burner through the firebox door opening? Or is better to just let the chute burn itself out of charcoal each time?
 
Close everything off and let the fire die out. Relight same way you lit the first time. Unless you poured hot coals I to the top last time
 
I shake the grate to get the ash off the lower coals, wedge a weber starter cube through the grate, fill the chute, then light er up. It's much harder to wedge the cube through when the chute is full. The only time the cube didn't work was after the smoker sat dormant for most of the winter. I think the coals got wet.
 
When I'm through with a cook, I just shut the air vents and the exhaust and the fire goes out pretty quickly. Then to cook again, I shake the grate to cause ash to drop, clean that ash out of my ash pan, load more charcoal from the top and then relight it from the fire door with my propane torch.

If in the middle of a cook just add more charcoal from the top and it will light itself as it drops down on the burning coals.
 
I've used the Weber starter cube method and the weed burner method before, both with good success.
 
mep said:
When I'm through with a cook, I just shut the air vents and the exhaust and the fire goes out pretty quickly.
Click to expand...

How long after shutting down the vents/exhaust do you think it would take until the smoker would be safe to load into a trailer?
 
muidaq said:
I shake the grate to get the ash off the lower coals, wedge a weber starter cube through the grate, fill the chute, then light er up. It's much harder to wedge the cube through when the chute is full. The only time the cube didn't work was after the smoker sat dormant for most of the winter. I think the coals got wet.
Click to expand...

I used weber cubes too, but would set 2 on top of a hunk of wood so they sit up below the grate.
 
Ron_L said:
How long after shutting down the vents/exhaust do you think it would take until the smoker would be safe to load into a trailer?
Click to expand...


I load mine into my enclosed trailer after about 15min. yes it is still hot but not enough to start anything on fire. unless you pack things right against it.
 
mep said:
When I'm through with a cook, I just shut the air vents and the exhaust and the fire goes out pretty quickly. Then to cook again, I shake the grate to cause ash to drop, clean that ash out of my ash pan, load more charcoal from the top and then relight it from the fire door with my propane torch.

If in the middle of a cook just add more charcoal from the top and it will light itself as it drops down on the burning coals.
Click to expand...

I second this. This is exactly what I do each time. Lump Charcoal only.
 
Ron_L said:
How long after shutting down the vents/exhaust do you think it would take until the smoker would be safe to load into a trailer?
Click to expand...

To be honest, I really don't know for sure. But, I believe that within an hour there would be know issues at all. Chibi says he loads his after only about 15 minutes but I think the area around the firebox would still be pretty hot. How ever long, the fire ought to be snuffed out pretty quickly with the air valve shut and all the doors closed.
 
chibi said:
I load mine into my enclosed trailer after about 15min. yes it is still hot but not enough to start anything on fire. unless you pack things right against it.
Click to expand...

mep said:
To be honest, I really don't know for sure. But, I believe that within an hour there would be know issues at all. Chibi says he loads his after only about 15 minutes but I think the area around the firebox would still be pretty hot. How ever long, the fire ought to be snuffed out pretty quickly with the air valve shut and all the doors closed.
Click to expand...

Thanks, guys! I can keep stuff away from the firebox, but I am more concerned about smoke in the toy hauler.
 
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