Firebasket

I got my basket from Al, from before Spicewine starting making 'em -- and I love it. I use it several ways:

1. No dividers. Fill basket about 3/4 with unlit charcoal. Top off with one lit chimney of charcoal. This will give you the "minion method" whereby the charcoal will light from the top down and limit bad smoke. I also usually put a couple small pieces of wood on top and let them get going good. Then, after about 10 minutes, I close down the air input dampers to about 1/3 or 1/4 and just leave alone. Burn time is over 4.5 hrs. At the end of that time, you need to be ready to reset with some lit charcoal (at least one chimney) because you won't have much hot coals.

2. I often just put one lit chimney in the bottom, then just add 6" to 8" splits. The basket (no dividers) allows you to pile up the fire, thereby keeping if effecient.

3. I use the dividers to cut the basket in half (two dividers right next to each other in middle of basket), then fill the half furthest from the cook chamber with charcoal, then in the half closest to the cook chamber I put bottom half unlit and top half lit charcoal. The first half will soon be lit completely, and the second half will light about one hour later. Total burn time = 4.5 hrs.

Dan

PawleysPlayr said:

Hi everyone...been lurking a while... Great site!

I recently picked up a Bandera that home depot had assembled for display and was discontinuing. Didn't know how to start til I found this site!

Anyhow I just got the firebasket mod from spicewine...I'd appreciate it if you could give me some examples of how best to use it.

Thanks!

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Make sure you do the Firegrate mod AND the Baffle mod. The firegrate mod will raise the firegate off the bottom of the firebox . If u dont the ash will smother your coals. The Baffle mod will stop the smoke from going directly up the inside wall of your smoker and causing uneven heating. Download the Bandera 101 document from the Files page on the website.

Smoker said:

Make sure you do the Firegrate mod AND the Baffle mod. The firegrate mod will raise the firegate off the bottom of the firebox . If u dont the ash will smother your coals. The Baffle mod will stop the smoke from going directly up the inside wall of your smoker and causing uneven heating. Download the Bandera 101 document from the Files page on the website.

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So that you are not confused, if you have a firebasket, you do not need to do the firegrate modification. The baffle is very helpful.

Here are pictures of when I was beta testing Spicebag's design of the charcoal basket. As you can see, the first chamber lights. Then the heat from the first chamber causes the second chamber to light. Play with the dividers, even using as an air gap, to get the optimum performance for your area. Different levels of sea level seems to make a difference as to the overall performance.

RichardF said:

So that you are not confused, if you have a fire basket, you do not need to do the fire grate modification. The baffle is very helpful.

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I may be wrong but I think the fire grate mod is still needed to keep air flowing around the fire and more importantly to let falling ash fall away from the fire even if its in the fire basket. Can anyone with more experience elaborate????

In the NB/CB cookers, the firebasket hangs from the firebox grilling tabs and leaves ashroom below.
Not sure how Jay is doing them for Brinkmann Cookers without the hangars? Big Al did them with legs to also allow for ashroom, sure Jay's method is similar.

I have Jay's baskets in my Bandera and Brinkman,i put bolts thru the sides of the fire box so there is about 4in. below the basket for ashes.I don't have to remove the baskets to clean out the ashes.

kcquer said:

In the NB/CB cookers, the firebasket hangs from the firebox grilling tabs and leaves ashroom below.

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Correct - My Spicewine basket has the tabs that allow the basket to hang from the exsisiting grill grate hangers that are in the firebox.

I just got my FB from Spice the other day and did a quick cook with it. I have a BSKD but I'm going to install a mod in the firebox to use the tabs. I got one set of the replacement grill tabs from one of the Brethren when I first joined the site and I ordered another set so I have 4 total. I'm just ging to install them in the box and use the tabs on the Basket.
For my first burn, I just set it on top of the rack that set inside the firebox. It really needed more room for the little bit of ashe that came from the lump I was burning but I only needed it for about a 30 minte burn to add a little smoke to my ribeyes. I had to finish them up on the gas burner grill de to lack of time and just not enough space on the grilling surface of my BSKD.


JTMcD.

Bump...for a new basket owner