Question about Backwoods, Spicewine style smokers

Might want to go to the Cattle Call section and Introduce yourself first brother.

Im sure others will be able to chime in on this.

I have a backwoods and I light one corner of the charcoal pile. Add fuel??? Nope.

Welcome to the Brethren.

The way the charcoal tray in a BWS is designed the users will just fill with charcoal and light the a corner (a version of the Minion method). By regulating the airflow they control the burn rate and temperature, there is also a water pan to help with temp control.

The Spice cookers look to have a larger firebox than most BWS cookers. The pictures that I have seen of them shows a maze for the charcoal. One end of the maze is lit and with air control the burn rate for the charcoal in the maze and temperature is regulated.

The addition of a Guru or Stoker draft controller uses a fan to force combustion air into the firebox to regulate the burn and temperature.

Countryhb said:

I have a backwoods and I light one corner of the charcoal pile. Add fuel??? Nope.

Click to expand...

I too use practically the same method for my Backwoods Party.

I have a DigiQII and will load up my firebox and light up just one corner using one of those firestarter packs or Weber cubes.

I typically like to top off my water pan and firebox before calling it a night, but that's just so I can be absolutely sure of getting >8 hours of burn time. Using this method makes pulling an all nighter no problem at all.

I have a large spicewine.... made a u-shaped basket
I typically get 10 hours of cook barely going past the 1/2 way point in the basket

this is using a digiqII and lump charcoal

no water in my water pan