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Tony A
03-02-2012, 08:08 AM
Hey all forums seem awesome and very welcoming. Well if you read my cattle call post I'm new to grilling and got myself a smokey Joe gold grill. Went yesterday to my local bbq supply store and picked up a bag of porter coal lump charcoal. I have been doing a lot of reading and there's a lot of opinions of what fuel to use. I was originally gonna buy a bag of stubbs charcoal because its cheaper and I heard good reviews. As far as fuel for a new guy what would you guys suggest ? Also as I said I got a smokey Joe gold it seems a decent size fora few burgers but I want to know what bigger stuff I can grill/ smoke on there Ide like to do ribs and small pork butts

All comments and thoughts are welcome and any other tips for a new guy are always appreciated

bluetang
03-02-2012, 08:16 AM
For smoking, you could make one of these with your wsj:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1112416&postcount=4

Here's a build thread
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113381

1FUNVET
03-02-2012, 08:18 AM
I like Stubbs, but have no idea how it compares with the stuff ya bought because i've never seen that brand in my part of the woods.

Pyle's BBQ
03-02-2012, 08:22 AM
One thing to remember, when lighting your coals. Don't light them all, use the Minion Method to cook.

eddieh70301
03-02-2012, 08:22 AM
Wow, that Smokey Joe is pretty small. If you do ribs, you would probably have to cut the rack in half or use an empty soda or beer can and lay the rack over the can so that it would fit. I'm sure a small butt would fit but again you wld have to place the coal on one side. Butts and ribs may burn if you place the meat on top of the coal.
Also, you would probably have to set up your coal to one side of the grill and place the ribs on the opposite end.
I think the the Smokey Joe is more for grilling than smoking. I would try and get a WSM if you want to do some smoking.

Tony A
03-02-2012, 08:30 AM
Well I do need of portable because I do take it on the beach when I go fishing and for lighting I did buy a weber chimney

Jason TQ
03-02-2012, 08:32 AM
I had a lot of similar fuel questions starting out and I probably over analysed it to the point where I wasn't sure where to start. There are a lot of good fuels out there and I say just go grab 3 or so different types and figure out what you like to use. Trying different stuff and experimenting are all part of the fun.

But for a more direct answer to your question I use Royal Oak lump in my egg and typically Kingsford Blue Bag in my wsm and tnt. I have also used Stubbs and liked it too, but Kingsford Blue has crazy deals around the summer holidays so I stock up on it. Have fun :razz:.

eddieh70301
03-02-2012, 08:36 AM
BTW, Stubbs is very good and also Royal Oak hardwood lump. Not sure what you can get in your area. Wall-Mart carries the RO in my area.
For portability, the Smokey Joe Gold seems like it would be great. If you do ribs/butts on it, be careful of the amount of heat it puts out. With food being close to the heat source, it would be easy to burn.

KnucklHed BBQ
03-02-2012, 08:42 AM
I made my SJ UDS with a 15 gal steel drum, it puts quite a bit more distance between the coals & the grate than the cooking pot version - It's the black lidded one... very stable, cheap & I get about 6 hours burn with a mix of lump & briqs

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae133/knucklhedbbq/IMG_1368Medium.jpg

Tony A
03-02-2012, 09:27 AM
Well that's another question as far as burn time how long can I cook for with the charcoal propane is easy you cook until you run out but let's say I have a single layer of coals most people are telling me I have about 1 hour before I have to start my chimney up again with more coals

eddieh70301
03-02-2012, 09:51 AM
IMO, it's hard to say how long you will have heat. It depends on alot of factors, such as how hot your grill is running. If your grill temp is 350 then you will have less burn time then if your grill temp was 225-250.
You will have to monitor the heat and regulate it with the vents.

Tony A
03-02-2012, 10:57 AM
Thanks guys appreciate all the info. Do u guys have any tips for me in reference to using my smokey Joe I've never had a charcoal grill before and I'm real excited that i finally have my own grill even though its small I'm still really excited to get started I have some wood chips chimney started some coal porter lump charcoal and I'm going to grab a bag of stubbs briquettes tonight any tips or stuff i should try or anything at all will be new and exciting for me to learn so please feel free to post anything you feel

zwylde1
03-02-2012, 11:36 AM
If you want to do some smoking with the grill you have, definately build the mini WSM for it. Very easy and works wonderfully. Another member on here has a great set of step by step instructions on how to do it. He is JMSetzler. Here is a link to his build. It worked very well for me.

BTW.....Thanks JM for the help!

http://bbq.setzler.net/2011/09/06/how-to-build-a-mini-wsm/

Tony A
03-02-2012, 01:14 PM
Yea that is pretty easy to do. I like that the conversion is not permanent in 2 seconds I can switch it right back to a regular grill for the beach I think I'll be going to get a pot tonight lol I do have one question about the conversion though



The next step is to measure and mark the spots where you will mount bolts to hold the cooking rack inside the tamale pot.  I measured the circumference of the pot to be right at 46″.  Since I wanted to mount three bolts to hold my cooking rack, they would need to be spaced about 15 1/3″ apart.  I used a tape measure to find the front center of my pot and then measured down 3 1/2″ from the top to make my first mark.  I measured 15 1/3″ around from that and made another mark 3 1/2″ down from the top, and repeated to get my three marks.  I then drilled 1/4″ holes at those marks.


The part where he measures 3 1/2" down is that from the top lip of the pot or where exactly do I put the hole?

And when I. Done does the pot sit on the cooking grate in the smokey joe or does the cooking grate come out and the pot just sits in the base with the grate for coals being the only grate left in the base of the original grill?

zwylde1
03-02-2012, 05:45 PM
Yo Tony....follow his second set of instructions....go 4 1/2 down to give yourself more cooking space at the top. The tamale pot will fit right in the top brim of the Smokey Joe. Leave the charcoal grate in the bottom....remove the cooking grate and put it in the top of the tamlale pot where the 3 bots are 4 1/2 inches down. Works great. You can easily take this whole setup to the beach. Also follow the second instructions for drilling the holes in the pot. I drilled them 1/2 way from bottom, then the rest of the way from the inside. Made for cleaner holes, and then the burs go down for easier filing if needed.

Tony A
03-02-2012, 06:19 PM
But the 4 1/2 inches is measured down from the lip of the pot right ?

JMSetzler
03-02-2012, 06:38 PM
But the 4 1/2 inches is measured down from the lip of the pot right ?

Yes.

I tried to get in here to respond earlier but I have been having issues connecting today :)

4 to 4.5 inches down gives you plenty of clearance with no problems.

tish
03-02-2012, 08:20 PM
Don't know what other brands of charcoal you have in your area, or if you're intending to look further than what you've already got, but if you'd like to get opinions on the different brands of lump, check out the naked whiz for reviews. They'll give you reviews based on their testing, and also reviews of regular users like you and me. Great site! Good luck! http://www.nakedwhiz.com/hotoff.htm

Tony A
03-02-2012, 10:30 PM
Awesome I'm excited to start this project now as far as smoking I'll most likely be smoking small pork butts and ribs with my own BBQ sauce would I be better off using briquettes since they are more consistent and keep a more steady heat for longer or am I better smoking with lump charcoal. As far as grilling my steaks, burgers, pork loins, chicken etc I will be experimenting with the coal porter brand charcoal that I picked up and also Stubbs briquettes. I would really like to not get used to the coal porter brand since its around a dollar a pound. For me that's a bit expensive. I'm still looking into other brands of lump that are in my area. After some more research I will post a list of what I've found so you guys can give me some feed back on my better options. For now I know I have kingsford, and Stubbs briquettes, and cowboy and coal porter lump.

MikeR
03-02-2012, 11:06 PM
I use briquettes all the time- never an issue and consistent burn times. Just don't use match light. Enjoy and smoke away. Be sure to share your results with us.

Tony A
03-02-2012, 11:06 PM
Just did a search of the targets wal marts lowes home depots and hardware stores online websites and checked each brand for availability and all I could come up with was kingsford, cowboy, Stubbs

Mike r have you used either of the briquette brands I mentioned here? If so any preference?

JMSetzler
03-02-2012, 11:11 PM
If you are gonna cook in a smokey joe / mini wsm, Kingsford bricks work fine. If you are gonna use a lump charcoal in there, you are gonna want to find one that consists of smaller pieces. Large hunks will diminish your charcoal volume there rather quickly. The good thing about the mini wsm is that if you need to reload charcoal and empty the ashes out in the middle of a cook, it's not very difficult to do that.

MikeR
03-02-2012, 11:13 PM
Always use Kingsford Blue. Home Depot and Lowes always have great sales around Memorial Day so I stock up then. Where on the Island are you- there is a comp coming up next month in Brentwood, a lot of Brethren will be there you should stop down.

Tony A
03-02-2012, 11:15 PM
I'm actually not too far from you I'm in Babylon few towns west of you if you could send me all the info on the event I would love to stop by and even meet you would be an awesome experience for me

Tony A
03-02-2012, 11:19 PM
And thank you very much jmsetzler the grill conversion is awesome and I'm very excited to start. Would you mind if I kept in touch with you through private messages and through forums so I could ask you more questions as I start to build and cook with the grill and smoker conversion?

MikeR
03-02-2012, 11:20 PM
Here is the link to the web site http://www.williepallooza.com/ and the link to the thread in the comp section here http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124104 . Hope you can stop down- if you do be sure to look for the Grim Reaper and say hello.

JMSetzler
03-02-2012, 11:24 PM
And thank you very much jmsetzler the grill conversion is awesome and I'm very excited to start. Would you mind if I kept in touch with you through private messages and through forums so I could ask you more questions as I start to build and cook with the grill and smoker conversion?

Sure... you can email me direct via john at setzler dot net if you like.

Tony A
03-02-2012, 11:33 PM
Well with all this new information I'm going to get my pot tomorrow to start my conversion and hopefully I can get a nice day soon to get my first grill going and start my smoker up when it gets a little nicer if you guys have any other infor tips or tricks about any aspect of this art please share any and all

JMSetzler
03-02-2012, 11:44 PM
Patience is the best ingredient.

Tony A
03-02-2012, 11:50 PM
Patience and passion

frohe
03-03-2012, 08:47 AM
Patience and passion

There's one more thing you'll need - Time!

I'm gonna make a suggestion to you. Get a spiral notebook and keep notes of each of your cooks. Note weather info like temp, wind, rain. Next make note of the cooker performance like airvent settings and grate temps if you go that far. Lastly, jot down what you cooked that day, your rub or mop recipes used and cook time. Once you've finished your cook and partaken of your meal, note your thoughts about how good/bad (yes, you will make mistakes).

As time goes by, you'll have a dandy reference so you'll know what went good and could be repeated again and, of course, the stuff you never wanna try again. :icon_blush:

Good luck and don't get frustrated. Just keep trying.

Tony A
03-03-2012, 02:22 PM
Hey guys just finished my mini smoker on the smokey joe gold would love to put up a picture is there a place on here where i can find out how to or if you guys could tell me how that would be easier

Tony A
03-03-2012, 09:33 PM
i hope the pictures show up i tried to attach them but either way hopefully you can see that i added a lower shelf at 6 inches down for larger and thicker cuts of meat.

Tony A
03-03-2012, 09:34 PM
if this picture shows up this is the one where you can hopefully see the different levels of the smoker from the bolts inside the first one is the finished product the grate is on the lower level which measures 6 inches down from the top and the bolt located on the left side of the pic shows where the second level is at 4.5 inches down well over all how do you guys think i made out?

JMSetzler
03-03-2012, 10:03 PM
Looks great so far to me! Did you install a hole somewhere for a temperature probe?

Tony A
03-03-2012, 10:12 PM
I'm waiting for a hole for a tem gauge because I havnt yet got a thermometer so I didn't want to make a hole that's too big but that's definitely on my to do list any suggestions as far as painting the pot ?

JMSetzler
03-03-2012, 10:19 PM
I'm waiting for a hole for a tem gauge because I havnt yet got a thermometer so I didn't want to make a hole that's too big but that's definitely on my to do list any suggestions as far as painting the pot ?

I painted mine with the gloss black rustoleum engine paint that is rated at 500 degrees... worked great....

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3402440/pics/blog/Misc/probes.jpg

Go to Lowes and pick up one of these fittings and lock washers. I can't remember what they are called but you will find them on the electrical aisle. About 3 bux total. You will need a 13/16" hole in the pot to mount this and you can run multiple digital probe wires through it. I have one of these on my UDS also for probes.

Tony A
03-03-2012, 10:25 PM
Awesome I will definitely check that out thanks for all the help now would you mind if I asked you a few questions about lighting up my charcoal?

JMSetzler
03-03-2012, 10:28 PM
Awesome I will definitely check that out thanks for all the help now would you mind if I asked you a few questions about lighting up my charcoal?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hywacOeLoCQ

That should take care of that :)

Tony A
03-03-2012, 10:31 PM
Yea I saw that one and that's great for smoking but do I do it the same way even if I'm cooking up just like 4 burgers on the little smokey joe grill or do I just light up a single layer of coals and grill up my burgers on that?

JMSetzler
03-03-2012, 10:34 PM
Yea I saw that one and that's great for smoking but do I do it the same way even if I'm cooking up just like 4 burgers on the little smokey joe grill or do I just light up a single layer of coals and grill up my burgers on that?

If you are just grilling, u need to fully light up about 1/3 to 1/2 chimney of charcoal and get it all fully lit and just dump it in. Grilling means HOT. You want it all burning fully.

Tony A
03-03-2012, 10:39 PM
Ok beautiful now I'm all set for grilling up some burgers I use bout half a chimney and for smoking I fill the bottom of the smokey joe then dump on about a third of a chimney of lit coals on the unlit coals and let it smoke away. About how long will the coals last me for smoking? Will I have to replenish them of I'll be able to smoke my ribs and pork but without replenishing the coals?

JMSetzler
03-03-2012, 10:43 PM
Ok beautiful now I'm all set for grilling up some burgers I use bout half a chimney and for smoking I fill the bottom of the smokey joe then dump on about a third of a chimney of lit coals on the unlit coals and let it smoke away. About how long will the coals last me for smoking? Will I have to replenish them of I'll be able to smoke my ribs and pork but without replenishing the coals?

I have never tried ribs or pork butt in mine but I believe you will be able to get them all done, especially the ribs, on a single load. I would recommend smaller pork butts for cooking in this thing. I'd try to stay 5lbs or under if possible.

Tony A
03-03-2012, 10:46 PM
Yea 5 pounds is more than enough and thanks to you I'll be picking up a bag of kingsford blue original and the next nice day I get I'll either b grilling or smoking

Tony A
03-03-2012, 11:23 PM
I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has posted in this thread for not only answering all this newbs questions but making me feel so welcome and apart of this whole community you all have here I appreciate all the help and I hope that you all keep up with all of my threads and follow me along my journey of bbqing. Spring is coming to the island very quickly and that means I'll be smoking and grilling a lot so I hope you will all follow me. Thanks again to all who helped especially mike r and JM

JMSetzler
03-03-2012, 11:33 PM
I don't know what this 'springtime is coming' thing is all about... Q is year round!

Tony A
03-03-2012, 11:37 PM
This is very true JM unfortunately is has been rather rainy and nasty here so I havnt had a chance to grill or smoke and being in college still I don't have too much time but spring break starts march 10 for me so I'm hoping to start my Qing soon. IDE like to smoke a nice pork butt for my 22 nd birthday on the 27 th of this month and I'm definitely gonna grill and or smoke for my college graduation in may big year for me

Anchors Smokeshop
03-03-2012, 11:53 PM
If you come out to Willie-Pallooza, don't go to the Grim Reapers. They pretend to be nice guys by handing out cool pint glasses with their team logo on it (which I still have, and use all the time, thank you very much Mike and Tim), but they're not nice! They win too much and that makes them not nice.
So come hang out with a cool team like The Smoke 'N Barrel, who has a little surprise in store for the competion this season.
And stay away from Willie! The guy drinks and farts all day!

Tony A
03-04-2012, 12:00 AM
Lol duly noted

MikeR
03-04-2012, 05:36 AM
Nice job on your mini-wsm, it came out nice. And JM is right, smoking is year round! Once you have the bug you'll be digging a path in the snow to get to your smoker. Enjoy and feel free to ask any questions you might have. Down the bottom of the forum page is a search area as well, very helpful.

Tony A
03-05-2012, 08:18 PM
one quick question i know JM told me that for a digital thermometer i should drill a hole for that electrical piece of hardware but im looking more so to mount a regular thermometer on the front of the smoker more like what he has on the one in the link that MikeR sent to me. to mount a regular thermometer on the front of the smoker would i use the same piece or is there a different way to mount a regular thermometer? something more like in this picture

MStoney72
03-05-2012, 08:54 PM
I used a replacement thermometer for my weber Q all you have to do is drill a hole a little bit bigger than the threads and I has a wing nut on the inside that holds it there. Works out great and they are only $14 here is a pichttp://img.tapatalk.com/4c174bfd-7c45-fc3f.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/4c174bfd-7c57-cc56.jpg

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