Char Griller offset not hot enough!

[2002sheds]

Hi Guys,
I am hoping that some of you can help me figure this mystery out. I picked up a large Char Griller (Outlaw) offset smoker from a friend of mine. The thing had sat for a while, is old and missing parts, including the ash drawer on the firebox. I cleaned the whole thing up and added some sheet metal from a piece of a charcoal grill lid (including the vent portion) to replace the missing ash drawer. That's when the (lack of) fun started...
My two attempts at smoking with this have been complete failures. The highest the temperature EVER got was 215 (measured with a separate thermometer), and then only briefly.
The first attempt I chalked up to poor airflow to the firebox. Now I am confused, because I have added a bunch of holes on the end of the firebox (opposite the chimney) with no change. I have tried moving the charcoal grate slightly higher (currently it sits about 2 inches below the opening to the grill section) and slightly lower (but still allowing room for ash), also with no real change. I don't have the cash to dump this smoker and move on. I'd like to make this work, if possible.
My only ideas as to what may be wrong/what to do are:

* Airflow is too low (too much back pressure) on chimney end -- add another chimney with lid...this seems weird to me because my other piece of crap Charbroiler offset smoker did just fine with just one chimney...
* Charcoal rack is STILL too low, get it higher...
* Push air with a fan or ? Seems like I shouldn't need to do this either....

Any help will be appreciated!

Thanks,
David

 

[Melt In The Sun]

Can you post a few pictures?

 

[SmittyJonz]

Are you trying to run it on charcoal .........?

 

[SmittyJonz]

 

[2002sheds]

Hi Smitty, Melt,
I will try to post pictures a little later, but the results I had were with charcoal AND lump charcoal. The lump charcoal got the smoker the hottest, but still not near where needed to be...

Thanks,
David

 

[ronbrad62]

I'll chime in since I am here. I had an offset that I was stubborn and tried to masks charcoal my prime fuel source, but it wasn't until I started using splits that I was able to get the temp up where it needed to be. A stickburner is a lot more work and will require a lot more attention, which is what I was trying to avoid by using charcoal, but the design just doesn't work for that. Do a search in managing the fire in an offset, and you will see the difference as I did.

 

[2002sheds]

Hi Ron, All,
Below are a few pics...Ron, I hear you. By split, do you mean oak logs? Bigger pieces of lump charcoal?
I am still little confused because my other not-that-great smoker is similar in design, yet easily got up to temp using charcoal, lump charcoal, etc.
I wonder if the charcoal grate in the firebox is still way too low...








Thanks,
David

 

[SmittyJonz]

You gonna have to burn firewood ....... chimney of lit charcoal and a split or two and then one split every 45 minutes. do you want to run on Charcoal build an ugly drum smoker

 

[SmittyJonz]

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=178270
.

 

[mrbill]

dumb question, but have you looked down the stack to make sure it's not clogged? and splits are split logs(generally from a hard wood or fruit wood). the size and length can vary depending on how big your firebox is and how much energy you need to add at a time to keep your desired temp.

 

[SmittyJonz]

If it has the dumb ass exhaust extension inside the smoker mod -yank it off

 

[Jbowie]

Firebox

I had a Char griller Cowboy for 2 years. You can buy replacement firebox for $ 39.00.

 

[Jam Jam]

I'd be curious if it has the barrier where the cook chamber and fire box connect. If so taking that out will fix the lack of heat issue.

 

[ronbrad62]

If you have an Academy Sports near you, they sell cooking splits and you can pick up a bundle just to experiment with. If it works, then go and find a good source for wood locally as buying from a supplier will be cheaper in the long run than continuing to purchase in bundles. Let us know how that works.

 

[Notorious Q.U.E.]

Try using the direct grill grates as elevated fire grates. The air flow below the current grate is not enough since the ash will block ventilation. This rig could still work but you should have 3-4 inches of space below fire (charcoal) grate in order for your rig to draft and get above 215. Home Depot sells kingsford brand split logs and you'll be up to 400 degrees in minutes!

 

[2002sheds]

HI Notorious, All,
Great suggestions! I really had no clue that I should burning wood. Between the raised grate and the proper fuel, I feel confident that this smoker will work great!


Thanks Again,
David

 

[Notorious Q.U.E.]

You're welcome David! It dawned on me that I wasn't clear in my last message. Chargrillers have cooking grates that you can either order from their website or buy at lowes/Home Depot . You can put those inside the firebox to lift your coals off the bottom and allow for a good pull of air. Try to measure and buy the smaller ones designed for the firebox, not the main cook chamber

Additionally, check out bbqsmokermods.com

They have an entire pull down menu for just chargriller after market mods. youtube also has DIY fixes videos as well

 

[Sopchoppy]

I had the same cooker and found experimenting with different sized splits, length and diameter, the temp was easier to regulate. It will still use a lot of wood on longer cooks due to the thin steel. You will get it figured out, just keep trying different amounts of wood and keep some notes.

 

[LTG]

-expanded metal charcoal basket. You can either add legs or build it large enough so it sits on the edges of the fire box and is elevated that way
-dryer duct to extend the exhaust to grate level
-I used the charcoal pan as a diffuser. Flipped it over and pushed it all the way over to the right.

You can run charcoal in them. I used run a basket full of lump to get going and then large splits on top. If I had to run somewhere for a couple hours I would run lump with a split on top. Looking back, they are kind of a turd build quality wise but they will teach you everything you need to know about fire management.

 

[ronbrad62]

Someone also mentioned in a previous discussion, pretty much about this same subject, that the best way to control the temp in a stickburner is to control the size of the fire. Pretty straightforward, but that thought never occurred to me until I saw it right in front of my face. Go forth with all of this new found knowledge and produce good bbq.