Adding coals

[NewBBQer]

Newbie here, curious I have a drum style smoker and it has the chamber for coals on the side and at the bottom of that chamber it has a little hatch door that opens the bottom side of the fire box, my father in law says that is were you add coals so you dont open the lid and lose heat. There is about a 2 inch space between the great and the top of the lid AKA I burned the heck out of my hands, two questions do I have to lose about losing the heat that much by adding coals with the firebox lid open and two do I need the great or can I just put these coals on the bottom of the fire box?

Thanks!

[Wampus]

First......pics ALWAYS help explain yourself.

Second.....I think you're talking about a side firebox like this...


If that's the case, I always add by lifting the lid, not be the side door. Of course, I'm always adding logs, not charcoal. Just me, but I don't worry too much about losing heat in the firebox. It's more important to keep the heat up in the cooking chamber (at least in MY opinion).

Others may chime in with differing opinions, but like you......I just don't want to scorch my hands.

Regarding the bottom grate (I remove the top grate pictured above) I'd keep it in so that you get nice air flow from under your coal bed. This will allow your ash to fall away and keep the coals breathing.


My $.02.

[Meat Burner]

NewBBQer, it sound like you have more like a ECB style smoker. A pic would be really helpful as there are so many different styles out there. Maybe I am wrong but what Wampus posted doesn't sound like what you have. We want to help if at all possible bro>

[Dave Russell]

Nah, I'm with Wampus, and I agree with his suggestion to add your fuel to the FB whichever way is easier. I've got a cheap Char-griller w/ a SFB, and the lid is how I refuel as well.

[Wampus]

Meat....

I agree that he likely described a chargriller style, since he said "barrell smoker". I know that my smoker is an upright as well. I was just trying to understand what he described with his firebox (lid, door, etc.) that's all.

At first, I couldn't figure out what he was decribing, so I just posted what I have.

NewBBQer.....

Is THIS more like what you have?


Can't figure why it comes up so small.....

[Dave Russell]

I thought "ECB" always referred to the el cheapo brinkman water smoker...but I see that Meat Burner meant the cheap sheetmetal offset that Brinkman makes, so now I understand.

[NewBBQer]

hey guys thank you for the support this isnt exactly my model but the same concept... http://www.walmart.com/ip/Char-Broil...moker/13056698

[Rookie'48]

On the Char Broil w/SFB I would take out the top grate in the fire box & load from the top. You're not going to lose that much heat in the cooking chamber unless you take forever to re-load.

[Wampus]

Yeah, if that's what you've got I'd still say as I did above.....open the top lid, add coals. The important place to keep the temp consistent is the cook chamber, not so much the firebox. I mean you don't want to keep the FB lid open for a LONG time or it will change the draft, but if it's just to add coals, you'll be OK.

Beats burning your hands!

There are mods you can do to that as well (I think). Folks have built charcoal baskets for that rig out of expanded metal that will allow you to load more in at the beginning.

Are you using the "minion method"? It will keep you from having to add coals as often, or sometimes not at all.