300+ degrees from a Bandera?

Brauma

Brauma

somebody shut me the fark up.
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I tried my best to run the Bandera over 300* this past wknd and it just wouldnt get that hot. I had the firebox stoked with Rancher to start with. I did a Minion Method first. That brought my temp up to 250 - like it always does. Once those coals got even I started dropping in dried cherry splits. This took me up to 285-290. I never could break 300. So I started a load of lump in the chimney and dropped it in. No good. I had the vents wide open. Beats me. I have a home-made basket by the way.

I was doing a meatloaf and I was trying to cook it at 350. This is the first time I wanted it above 300 so this is a first for me.

All you Bandera owners - can you drive your pit above 300*?
 
I don't have a bandera, but my skd is pretty close. High temps are pretty tough for me on that thing, but a grease fire in my Chargriller pegged the thermometer pretty quick.
 
yup.. u need oak.. or mesquite.

move fire next tpo firebox, and put a shield in the top of the lid to block off the gable and get the heat into the chamber.

I can get 400-450 in mine.. but i think the 80lb 3/8 inch steel lid may help.
 
Mine jumps from 250 to 350 really quick when I get a piece of mesquite wood to ignite. I had a terrible time keepin my smoker under 275 last cook I did with it. Also put majority of wood/coals close to opening as well.
 
Hard wood. With oak my SKD has peaked over 300. just takes a real good airflow.


When it gets up there it makes a humming noise with all the convection.

What is your altitude? Might make a diff.
 
I hit 300 on accident this past weekend. Something I found contradictory to logic (well not really) is that a charcoal basket will not hit higher temps. This is because all the fuel isn't lit. You're much better off to just cook on an expanded metal grate made for the lowest rack level.

A chimney of fuel and some good hard wood (hickory, oak, mesquite) or really really dry fruit wood (I have some 3 year old apple that explodes when put in the firebox).

And like poobah said, if you really want to get the heat up you gotta shrink up the size of the box that you're heating.

But it's definitely possible.
 
I doubt if I make the firebox lid mod. Unless I make it temporary. My Dera seems to want to chug along at 225-250 naturally. Ofcourse I have to feed it about once an hour but thats the nature of the beast.

This raises another Bandera question: Will the lid mod improve my fuel efficiency? Im sure a lot of heat comes right up out of the top of the firebox.

My plan is to get a BGE for high temp stuff like pizzas and breads.
 
Brauma said:
I doubt if I make the firebox lid mod. Unless I make it temporary. My Dera seems to want to chug along at 225-250 naturally. Ofcourse I have to feed it about once an hour but thats the nature of the beast.

This raises another Bandera question: Will the lid mod improve my fuel efficiency? Im sure a lot of heat comes right up out of the top of the firebox.

My plan is to get a BGE for high temp stuff like pizzas and breads.
Click to expand...


Not baggin on ya, but why is it we always complain about cookers holding temp....then when one does we want to push it??????
 
PimpSmoke said:
Not baggin on ya, but why is it we always complain about cookers holding temp....then when one does we want to push it??????
Click to expand...

Good point. I was just trying to cook a meatloaf and I needed the temp at 350*. I gave it 2 hours in the smoke then finished it off in the oven.

Im happy with my Bandera and how it seems to naturally run at 225-250 but I'll never stop trying a mod here & there to make it better. If it doesnt work I'll take it off.
 
I do chickens all the time at 300 to 325 but I burn all wood. Don't know if that makes a difference. I did the grease fire mod too and it put my temp gauge past 500 real fast!
 
I can take it past 300 with oak & apple and a good load of charcoal in it. I don't have a lid shield or a basket. Just a expanded steel grate set just at the level of the smoke chamber opening. All vents wide open.
 
I love my Bandera. I even love diddling with the fire every hour. Its the pyro in me. In a way I'm glad it doesn't like to run hot. Gives me the excuse to get a BGE.

I think the combination of a Bandera, Weber 22.5" grill, and a BGE will give me the perfect backyard cooking arsenal.

You may have seen my plans for an Outdoor Kitchen. (in Stamped Concrete thread I think) I had drawn in a pizza oven. But after doing some research Ive learned that I can do in a BGE all I wanted to do in a pizza oven. So, I've scratched that part of the project and will put the $ into another area of the kitchen. Maybe soapstone countertops!
 
Brauma said:
I doubt if I make the firebox lid mod. Unless I make it temporary. My Dera seems to want to chug along at 225-250 naturally. Ofcourse I have to feed it about once an hour but thats the nature of the beast.

This raises another Bandera question: Will the lid mod improve my fuel efficiency? Im sure a lot of heat comes right up out of the top of the firebox.
Click to expand...

The answer to your questions is, yes. The mod can be temporary if you like. Just snag one edge with a screwdriver and you can pop it right out. When I played with it, it did lower my fuel consumption as it required a smaller fire to hit a target temp around 250.

To hit 300 plus some oak for heat, and flavor would of choice with some lump should do the trick. If you are still a little low, just point a fan at the intake to force more air in. Just make sure you aren't blowing ash into the smokebox.
 
The easiest way that I know is to wrap one of your cooking grates with foil poke some holes in it for air flow and put it in the cooking chamber which will effeciently shink the chamber and hold the heat in better if you are only cooking one thing IE a meat loaf this is a very effective mod I do this when I am smoking smaller amounts and it will cut down on fuel consumption also. When doing this I have no problem getting the temps above 300 with out it I have a real battle since I don't cook with misq or oak.
 
Had mine up to 305 this past Labor Day with naught but lump. I'm using a homemade basket, which holds a good deal of lump, and gets good air circulation under the fire as well as on top. I also reduce the size of the chamber by putting HD foil on the top rack and moving it down a couple of rows.
 
Are you guys using water in your pans? I just foil my pan and don't add water and don't have a problem getting above 300 in my BSKD. Staying above 300 requires constant tending to the fire though so I usually use the pitmaster or even the ECB for higher temp cooks.
 
Soapstone countertops are a pain in the ass to keep clean. Grease, water, everything stains. Maybe these ones needed to be sealed better, but I didn't like anything but the look of 'em (was a rental unit we moved out of after summer)....
 
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