Abe's 48" insulated cabinet smoker seasoning, first cook and thoughts - Page 6

pjtexas1 · 04-28-2014, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baptized in Smoke

How did the maze work?

Sorry I missed this. Maze worked well at keeping temps down without water. It ran around 300° and without the maze it was 325°- 350°. I'll be trying again with a tighter maze this weekend.

Indybbq · 04-29-2014, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjtexas1

Sorry I missed this. Maze worked well at keeping temps down without water. It ran around 300° and without the maze it was 325°- 350°. I'll be trying again with a tighter maze this weekend.

What are you using to make the maze? Would love some pics.

pjtexas1 · 04-29-2014, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indybbq

What are you using to make the maze? Would love some pics.

I am using 6" aluminum flashing cut in half. I was going to load a picture last night but my phone was acting stupid. I like the flashing because it doesn't rust and I have been using it for a while in another smoker with no issues other than it getting a little soft over time. What I have right now is some that I was using in a very small cabinet smoker and I just have them pieced together until I can figure out what works best and then make them properly (sharp bends not this crappy stuff in my pictures). I will post results of my cook this weekend with a 3rd piece of maze. This burned for 9 hours. I am working on the intakes to limit airflow. I have an idea that I am fabricating that may help.

pjtexas1 · 05-02-2014, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjtexas1

For those who have this smoker I just ordered a cover from CoverUs.com. I should have it in a couple of weeks and I will let you know what I think and how it fits. I had them make it 33w x 27d x 54h to clear the side handles, latches, exhaust and wheels. I am not really sure how durable triple laminated vinyl is but for the price it was worth a try. I did read somewhere that it is fire resistant. I paid $49 for the cover, $6 for grommets and draw string, shipping should be $12-$15 depending on weight. I had just about given up because all the quotes were coming back in the $300-$400 range. I don't need something that expensive since it will be kept on my back porch under a roof.

The cover came yesterday. Really nice and thick material. It came to $70 total. You might want to go 1" shorter if you have the stock casters. I will be getting bigger casters eventually.

pjtexas1 · 05-05-2014, 04:46 PM

I added a 3rd piece to the maze and it worked very well. I stacked charcoal 2 high in the maze with several chunks of pecan. Started with 1 full chimney of unlit Stubb's and 20 lit. It took about 45 minutes to come up to 300 but I was trying not to over-shoot 300 so I started with very little lit. No water. Capped off both intakes at 250 (thanks to Chris at LSG for posting this recommendation) and the exhaust 1/3 open. I had been waiting too long to cap off the instakes and the temps rose too quickly. This worked good enough that I will probably make some better looking maze pieces rather than the ones I have pieced together right now.
Attachment 95516
I made some intake covers to help limit airflow. Right now they are just made out of a disposable aluminum pan I cut up. It locked in at 307 and stayed for hours without any adjustment. I believe that an ATC would be a waste of money on this smoker. I put a chicken breast on the top rack after the brisket was removed and ran the smoker at 350 for 1.5 hours by removing one of the intake covers. After removing the chicken and putting the intake cap back on it took an hour to come back down to 300. I ran 10 hours on 5.5lbs of Stubb's. Probably could have run a little longer if I had not cranked up the heat to 350. If you like to cook at 225 I bet this would run a couple hours longer but would require water to keep the temps down or maybe a better way to seal off the intakes. I have not seen anyone else post burn times so I thought I would let you guys know what works for me.
Attachment 95517

lencav · 05-25-2014, 08:53 AM

First smoke with Abes entertainer. Charcoal maze with fire bricks. Water in pan, guru enabled. I am having trouble keeping temps down where I would like it around 240. Running at 270 with guru damper at 25%. My unit only has one intake so it is sealed pretty good.

pjtexas1 · 05-25-2014, 09:37 AM

Cabinets take a long time to bring temps down. Seal off the one intake, close exhaust at least halfway, open the cooker door to let the heat out, shut door and it should come down. Those intakes don't seal well at all. You can use big magnets or cut up a foil pan for intake covers. Very easy to make but necessary to control temp. Exhaust on a cabinet is a little different than on an offset where it needs to be wfo all the time. If that doesn't work let us know.

SmokinGuitarPlayer · 05-25-2014, 09:44 AM

We have been using our Abes demo unit a lot and everything you see on this thread I will concur. To keep temps down, I make sure I only light a very small fire , maybe 10 briquettes ..then let the guru slowly bring it up to temp. Also with the Gurus they will overshoot by about 20 degrees...in other words, then preset temp is hit, the guru is still triggering the fan .. I'm not sure why they have it programmed this way but regardless, set your guru for 20 degrees under your target temp ... then adjust slightly if necessary down the road .

The Abes units are so well insulated that is you get it hot ... it does not want to come down easily or fast enough. I ran ours at 240 for 14 hours yesterday with on issues whatsoever .

Many of these necessary mods will be incorporated into the next design I am told.

lencav · 05-25-2014, 09:51 AM

Thanks for the reply. Mine only has one intake with the guru adapter. I have been opening the door to help. :) 30 minutes later it's at 290 again. Guru not running since I'm above my set point. It must be sucking air somewhere I guess. I just put some high temp around guru adapter to see if that helps. Going to put a couple slabs of ribs on soon would like to get temp down to 250 for those if I can.

pjtexas1 · 05-25-2014, 09:51 AM

^^^^^^
Correct on starting with a small amount of lit charcoal. I cook at 300 and I start with 1/2 - 3/4 of a chimney of lit charcoal. I shut the intakes at 275 and it will run about 10 hours at 300 on 5-6lbs of charcoal. I don't use water and keep both intakes sealed. I don't use a guru.

lencav · 05-25-2014, 09:55 AM

Hmmm....i started with a small chimney but had about more than 5lbs in the box. Maybe just too much charcoal in fire box?

SmokinGuitarPlayer · 05-25-2014, 10:06 AM

I think you had too much LIT charcoal. In my experience ..and I'm using one every day ... I have it down to 10 briquettes in a chimney .. or I use 10 matchlite ... when going good I put them at the guru / inlet side of the box .. on top of the charcoal. It takes longer to get up to temp but stays lo and slo nicely. Also ...again as in my earlier post, always set your guru 20 degrees below what your target is when you start. I also have my guru gate door about 1/2 closed for 240 to 250.
Fred B

lencav · 05-25-2014, 10:08 AM

seems counter-intuitive to have both intakes closed...how is the fire getting air? it needs some, right?

pjtexas1 · 05-25-2014, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lencav

Hmmm....i started with a small chimney but had about more than 5lbs in the box. Maybe just too much charcoal in fire box?

Size of the maze also matters. I tried with a 2-piece maze and that didn't work because too much charcoal was being burned. 3-part maze was perfect for me.

pjtexas1 · 05-25-2014, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lencav

seems counter-intuitive to have both intakes closed...how is the fire getting air? it needs some, right?

Even with covers these intakes don't seal 100%. Something that has to change.

05-05-2014, 04:46 PM	#80
pjtexas1 somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 12-28-11 Location: Belton, Tx Name/Nickname : Texas Pete	I added a 3rd piece to the maze and it worked very well. I stacked charcoal 2 high in the maze with several chunks of pecan. Started with 1 full chimney of unlit Stubb's and 20 lit. It took about 45 minutes to come up to 300 but I was trying not to over-shoot 300 so I started with very little lit. No water. Capped off both intakes at 250 (thanks to Chris at LSG for posting this recommendation) and the exhaust 1/3 open. I had been waiting too long to cap off the instakes and the temps rose too quickly. This worked good enough that I will probably make some better looking maze pieces rather than the ones I have pieced together right now. Attachment 95516 I made some intake covers to help limit airflow. Right now they are just made out of a disposable aluminum pan I cut up. It locked in at 307 and stayed for hours without any adjustment. I believe that an ATC would be a waste of money on this smoker. I put a chicken breast on the top rack after the brisket was removed and ran the smoker at 350 for 1.5 hours by removing one of the intake covers. After removing the chicken and putting the intake cap back on it took an hour to come back down to 300. I ran 10 hours on 5.5lbs of Stubb's. Probably could have run a little longer if I had not cranked up the heat to 350. If you like to cook at 225 I bet this would run a couple hours longer but would require water to keep the temps down or maybe a better way to seal off the intakes. I have not seen anyone else post burn times so I thought I would let you guys know what works for me. Attachment 95517 __________________ Paul (aka Texas Pete) SF 24x36 Midnight Edition / Mak 1-Star /Abe's 48" Insulated Cabinet / 22.5 OTG / 28" BS / Jimmy with CB Roti and pizza kit / Red Box on custom cart / Char-Griller Kettle / Barrel House Cooker / Pit Boss Copperhead / Char-Griller Akorn Jr Sign Up for The 2022 Texas BBQ Brethren Fall Bash Here! ([URL="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12NjP4bH3uLyH6-RJnI4gSfDr0nKQ6_4cxdw_GhmrKq0/edit#gid=1935530835"]Link[/URL]) Last edited by pjtexas1; 07-28-2017 at 10:30 PM..

05-25-2014, 09:37 AM	#82
pjtexas1 somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 12-28-11 Location: Belton, Tx Name/Nickname : Texas Pete	Cabinets take a long time to bring temps down. Seal off the one intake, close exhaust at least halfway, open the cooker door to let the heat out, shut door and it should come down. Those intakes don't seal well at all. You can use big magnets or cut up a foil pan for intake covers. Very easy to make but necessary to control temp. Exhaust on a cabinet is a little different than on an offset where it needs to be wfo all the time. If that doesn't work let us know. __________________ Paul (aka Texas Pete) SF 24x36 Midnight Edition / Mak 1-Star /Abe's 48" Insulated Cabinet / 22.5 OTG / 28" BS / Jimmy with CB Roti and pizza kit / Red Box on custom cart / Char-Griller Kettle / Barrel House Cooker / Pit Boss Copperhead / Char-Griller Akorn Jr Sign Up for The 2022 Texas BBQ Brethren Fall Bash Here! ([URL="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12NjP4bH3uLyH6-RJnI4gSfDr0nKQ6_4cxdw_GhmrKq0/edit#gid=1935530835"]Link[/URL])

05-25-2014, 09:44 AM	#83
SmokinGuitarPlayer Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 02-23-09 Location: Shillington, Pa.	Abes smokers report We have been using our Abes demo unit a lot and everything you see on this thread I will concur. To keep temps down, I make sure I only light a very small fire , maybe 10 briquettes ..then let the guru slowly bring it up to temp. Also with the Gurus they will overshoot by about 20 degrees...in other words, then preset temp is hit, the guru is still triggering the fan .. I'm not sure why they have it programmed this way but regardless, set your guru for 20 degrees under your target temp ... then adjust slightly if necessary down the road . The Abes units are so well insulated that is you get it hot ... it does not want to come down easily or fast enough. I ran ours at 240 for 14 hours yesterday with on issues whatsoever . Many of these necessary mods will be incorporated into the next design I am told. __________________ Tasty Licks BBQ Supply sells Green Mountain Grills, Meadow Creek, Big Green Egg, Grilldome and Primo Ceramic Grills / smokers, Weber, Hasty Bake, Memphis Grills, Traeger and Cajun Injector. Great accessories like Grill Grates and Firewires, Maverick Thermos and all the grillin tools you could ever need. Competition supplies like gloves, pans, etc. BBQer's Delights, Green Mountain, and Cookin' pellets. A HUGE selection of the best lump charcoal, and some of the best sauces and spices going. We're also pizza making specialists and Forno Bravo Dealers. [URL="http://www.tastylicksbbq.com"]Tasty Licks BBQ Rubs & Sauces[/URL] [URL="http://www.fredsmusicandbbq.com"]Fred's Music & BBQ Supply Online Store & Showroom www.fredsmusicandbbq.com[/URL] -

05-25-2014, 09:51 AM	#85
pjtexas1 somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 12-28-11 Location: Belton, Tx Name/Nickname : Texas Pete	^^^^^^ Correct on starting with a small amount of lit charcoal. I cook at 300 and I start with 1/2 - 3/4 of a chimney of lit charcoal. I shut the intakes at 275 and it will run about 10 hours at 300 on 5-6lbs of charcoal. I don't use water and keep both intakes sealed. I don't use a guru. __________________ Paul (aka Texas Pete) SF 24x36 Midnight Edition / Mak 1-Star /Abe's 48" Insulated Cabinet / 22.5 OTG / 28" BS / Jimmy with CB Roti and pizza kit / Red Box on custom cart / Char-Griller Kettle / Barrel House Cooker / Pit Boss Copperhead / Char-Griller Akorn Jr Sign Up for The 2022 Texas BBQ Brethren Fall Bash Here! ([URL="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12NjP4bH3uLyH6-RJnI4gSfDr0nKQ6_4cxdw_GhmrKq0/edit#gid=1935530835"]Link[/URL])

05-25-2014, 10:06 AM	#87
SmokinGuitarPlayer Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 02-23-09 Location: Shillington, Pa.	I think you had too much LIT charcoal. In my experience ..and I'm using one every day ... I have it down to 10 briquettes in a chimney .. or I use 10 matchlite ... when going good I put them at the guru / inlet side of the box .. on top of the charcoal. It takes longer to get up to temp but stays lo and slo nicely. Also ...again as in my earlier post, always set your guru 20 degrees below what your target is when you start. I also have my guru gate door about 1/2 closed for 240 to 250. Fred B __________________ Tasty Licks BBQ Supply sells Green Mountain Grills, Meadow Creek, Big Green Egg, Grilldome and Primo Ceramic Grills / smokers, Weber, Hasty Bake, Memphis Grills, Traeger and Cajun Injector. Great accessories like Grill Grates and Firewires, Maverick Thermos and all the grillin tools you could ever need. Competition supplies like gloves, pans, etc. BBQer's Delights, Green Mountain, and Cookin' pellets. A HUGE selection of the best lump charcoal, and some of the best sauces and spices going. We're also pizza making specialists and Forno Bravo Dealers. [URL="http://www.tastylicksbbq.com"]Tasty Licks BBQ Rubs & Sauces[/URL] [URL="http://www.fredsmusicandbbq.com"]Fred's Music & BBQ Supply Online Store & Showroom www.fredsmusicandbbq.com[/URL] -

05-25-2014, 08:53 AM	#81
lencav Found some matches. Join Date: 03-24-14 Location: Cleveland, OH	First smoke with Abes entertainer. Charcoal maze with fire bricks. Water in pan, guru enabled. I am having trouble keeping temps down where I would like it around 240. Running at 270 with guru damper at 25%. My unit only has one intake so it is sealed pretty good.

05-25-2014, 09:55 AM	#86
lencav Found some matches. Join Date: 03-24-14 Location: Cleveland, OH	Hmmm....i started with a small chimney but had about more than 5lbs in the box. Maybe just too much charcoal in fire box?

05-25-2014, 10:08 AM	#88
lencav Found some matches. Join Date: 03-24-14 Location: Cleveland, OH	seems counter-intuitive to have both intakes closed...how is the fire getting air? it needs some, right?