Char broiler won’t get past 330 degrees

[2002sheds]

Hi All,
I have been using a Char Broiler with offset fire box for the last couple of years, and have often struggled to keep it at temperature.

Not having the cash for a Traeger, I just bought a pellet pooper attachment (the hopper, auger, arm, PID controller, etc.) and am already having the same issue — I can’t get the temperature past 330 degrees. There is a steel heat baffle directly over the “fire cup” and an aluminum drip tray over that, if either of those things matter. They were not in the setup before I got the pellet popper, and the temperature limit seemed to be the same.

For most of my cooking, this won’t be a problem. The “Franken-grill” holds 225 degrees just fine, but it would be great to get some ideas from the community in terms of mods that can give this setup a bit more range...


Thanks,
David

[2002sheds]

51 views but no replies so far ... any help at all will be greatly appreciated!


Thanks,
David

[KB BBQ]

To get higher temps you will need to have a larger fuel source and more air draft, however you can make that happen. I'm not familiar with adding a pellet hopper to an offset smoker so can't help you there. You might want to post some pictures so we can get a better idea of what your working with.

[2002sheds]

Hi KB,
Thanks for the response, and good morning from the distant land of Santa Rosa!

Attached are a few pictures of the FG (Franken-Grill) "9000". In addition to the drip pan, there is a steel heat diffuser that rests about 1 inch above the fire pot (if that is the right term).

The FG is working on its very first brisket, and holding 225 (or very close) very nicely. Yesterday I attempted to use the grill for the first time -- beer can chicken. The recipe called for getting the temp to 350. Sadly, the FG was not up to the task...

The preparation of this brisket calls for an increase of temperature from 225 to 250 degrees. Time will tell if we will hit 250.

In the meanwhile, any tips to better insulate these smokers will be gladly accepted. My only theory so far is that the smoker shell is of thin enough metal that the heat dissipates after a point, but that is why I am asking you guys, who almost certainly know more about this than me.


Thanks,
David

[Whumpa]

Maybe drape a welders blanket over the cook chamber to help insulate and trap some heat.

[KB BBQ]

I'm not an expert when it comes to pellet smokers but I'm thinking air flow and fuel. Your smoke stack should be wide open. I assume the only source for air to the pellets is from the fan in the hopper unit, try propping open the lid just a little with a small stick or something and see if it helps.The fire pot can only hold so much fuel at a time so that may be the limiting factor. In a charcoal pit you would add more charcoal and open up the vents to get a hotter fire, in this case I don't see how you can add more fuel than what the auger allows, hopefully a little more air flow from propping up the lid will help. I wouldn't worry much about insulation unless it's winter time and your struggling to get a decent temp but generally you should have no problem in Santa Rosa during the warm weather.

[FrkYrPrk]

Never been down this route - it seems to me that the exhaust is almost above the burn pot, you're sending the heat right up out of the cook chamber. Can you move the stack? Or move the burn pot to the other side?

[2002sheds]

Hi Wumpa, KB,
Thanks for the replies! KB, if you are anywhere near Santa Rosa right now, you’d be in as much heaven as I am, as the aroma from the brisket is filling the air...

Wumpa, that is a great suggestion, as is KB’s comment about air flow. When this smoker was wood-fired, I had similar issues. So much so, that I brought in a lot more air by cracking open the drawer on the firebox.

I was determined that it had to be air, but Wumpa’s point is valid as well. Maybe by insulating a bit more with a welding jacket, Ricky or ?, I will conserve a bit of the energy needed to get it hotter.

Fortunately, 225 has not been an issue. I will know a lot more when I ramp the temperature up to 250 in about 30 minutes...

Thanks, both of you! I hope your weekend has been great!


David

[2002sheds]

Hi F,
I missed your reply earlier. The burn pot has a baffle/diffuser over it, as well as a drip pan above that. Still, your point is a good one. The burn pot is immovable, but I could direct the heat more in the direction away from the chimney... That and more insulation may help.

Like I said in my first post, though, getting and keeping this smoker hot enough was an issue when there was a firebox on the opposite side from the chimney as well...


Thanks,
David

[FrkYrPrk]

Do you have capabilities to skin the smoker?
Or maybe the welding blanket will be enough - I have a really thin Brinkmann gas fired vertical that I have to wrap in a beach towel when it's windy - PITA but it's good for 100* boost in the cook chamber temps.
Another option might be thin fire brick to line the bottom, adds some thermal mass...

[Kracken]

Metal thickness is an issue, but I think the gaps are worse. You could try lava lock products to seal up all tiny openings, and maybe a high temp gasket around the lid. You could use a dryer metal flex vent to move your exhaust outlet around in the cooker. I wonder if thermal mass would help, something like sand or firebricks in the bottom. You could wrap the exterior with ceramic fiber blanket and high temp wire ties, kind of like a reverse raku kiln design.

[2002sheds]

Hi F, K,
Great ideas! And since both of you suggested thermal mass in the bottom, I will start with fire bricks. I am also going to look into insulating the top, with Roxul or a welder's blanket.

F, I am unsure of what you mean by "skinning it". Are you talking about applying insulation or something else to the outside of the smoker shell?


Thanks,
David

[FrkYrPrk]

Originally Posted by 2002sheds

Hi F, K,
Great ideas! And since both of you suggested thermal mass in the bottom, I will start with fire bricks. I am also going to look into insulating the top, with Roxul or a welder's blanket.

F, I am unsure of what you mean by "skinning it". Are you talking about applying insulation or something else to the outside of the smoker shell?

The idea is to add an insulation layer to the current outside surface, and cover that with a new outer "skin". Typical construction for vertical gravity fed cabinets. Trickier to do on a round lid, not impossible.
I sourced half height fire brick at a local masonry supplier, much less expensive than a big box store.

[2002sheds]

Hi F,
Thanks! Great ideas... I will be looking into the local masonry suppliers next!


Thanks,
David

[2002sheds]

F,
You had it nailed on your first try... I kept thinking about what you wrote about the heat going right up and out the exhaust, and then spoke to a buddy of mine that also has a pellet pooper. He immediately asked whether the chimney flap was opened or closed, and by how much.

My response was that the chimney flap was wide open. My logic is that the chimney needs to be open to draw the heat through the smoker. He said that he rarely kept the flap more than slightly open on either his wood-fired or pellet rig...

So I tried the FG9000 with the chimney flap nearly closed and the requested temperature set to 375 -- the default when the unit comes on. Pic of the actual temperature below...

I will still do the improvements to help cut down on heat loss, but something that nagged at me this whole time was the question "Why would Char Griller sell tens of thousands, maybe more of these units as is, if they were THAT bad ? I get that there are people that want something better and others that want to modify what is there to make it perform more efficiently, but my logic was "if they sell that many as is, what is more likely -- that every one of them suck and I am just figuring that out, or that I am doing something wrong?"

I am glad to say that it was my simple error of believing that I had to provide a wide open exhaust, even though the combustion air is fed by a fan...

As I type this, the FG9000 is now up to 390. I bumped the requested temperature up to 450 degrees to see it it can get there...

I am starting to love this thing...


Thanks,
David