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Comments on temps................

Qczar

Full Fledged Farker
Joined
Feb 10, 2004
Location
NorthEas...
This past Sunday I fired up my Bandera for it`s first Q. The day before I ran it for a good 5 hours with no heat shield to season it up. I have a NB temp gauge on the door and used a digital probe dangling in the center of the smoker. During the 5 hour seasoning on Saturday I watched and learned how much fuel to pile up to maintain temps in the 215º - 250º range. The NB gauge paralleled the dig probe exactly 35º less in temp the entire time. With that knowledge, Sunday at 6:30am I fired up the Bandera again, leaving some of the coals from the previous day and setting up a heat shield about 1 inch above the probe to the NB door thermometer. Once I got it up to 225º - 235º I loaded it up with a 5 lb fresh ham and 3 racks of babybacks (seasoned with cajun seasoning and some home grown and dried habanero`s crushed up for some kick, plus a bit of brown sugar and apple juice). I left the digital probe out of the meat for the first 2 - 3 hours ( I knew I would`nt need it in the meat for a while), still dangling near the ham not touching anything to see the difference with the heat shield. Surprisingly, the temps of the digital thermometer and the NB door gauge read *DEAD ON* the same throughout this period! Raised and lowered identically. Clearly the heat shield at that position was the reason. Even though I was prepared to add degrees to the NB door gauge to parallel the temps of the center of the smoker, I did`nt have to.

* Prior to using the NB temp gauge on the Bandera, I ran some boiling water and compared it to the digital, a instant read, a standard meat thermometer and a kitchen liquid glass thermometer. The NB gauge read near the middle of the pack with an overall 5º - 6º difference between them all * ...................

I set up the stock fire grate up a few inches to allow ample air flow. Had made a nice 6" protruding baffle to get the heat over to the other side of the smoker. I really did`nt have too much trouble maintaining temps. It pretty much stayed at 230º most of the time and if she was to drop suddenly I would just through a small chunk of wood on it for a quick rise and make a correction with briquettes or lump. If she got too hot (2 - 3 times), I just opened the fire box door or the smoker door for a bit.

Everything came out pretty damn good. I just need to start experimenting now. Foiling the ribs near the end will be on my next instruction list, as well as marinades.

Just one question for now, when using the Bandera, are we using the same meat temps as in a conventional oven? Do we remove the meats from the smoker at a little more well done due to the slow cooking? I only ask this because I make a pretty hefty slow cooked chili (hot like you would`nt believe!, but people can`t stop eating it). I use large chunks of beef and cook it for 1 - 1½ days. After about 1 day, well after the meat has reached temp, the meat breaks down and becomes incredible tender and shreds apart. This long cooking time is key to tender meat in my chili.

BigAl - I can see the benefits of a basket style fire grate. I hope it covers a lot of square inches of the fire box. Clearly it`ll be better for longer burns that way.

Much obliged to you`s helping me get started, ............................... Greedy
 
Greedy, Glad you had good first results. For the bigger std Q cuts (pork butt and brisket) 200* internal temp is kinda the go by temp. 160* is kinda the consensus wrap in foil temp. Somewhere? around 160 smoke penetration stops and wrapping helps ensure good moisture content and speeds the process of getting to 190 or 200. There is kinda a thermal hump at the low 170s. Things can hang at this plateau for quite a while but once to 175 things go up pretty quick. I'm sure you'll get other more experienced opinions too, just my 2cents. Hope you have continued success.
 
BigAl - I can see the benefits of a basket style fire grate. I hope it covers a lot of square inches of the fire box. Clearly it`ll be better for longer burns that way.

Much obliged to you`s helping me get started, ............................... Greedy

Greedy, it fits tighter than OJ's golve.

Follow the included install instruction, it only fits one way!
I just checked the FedEx site and the latest update indicated it is on a truck for delivery to you today! :D
 
BigAl, .................

Thanks, .............. just opened the box.

Now I`m no thermocunductive engineer, but, you mention starting the fire basket with the hot coals to the left near the opening to the smoke box. I would`ve thought that by starting the hot coals (I guess briquettes?) to the right side, near the side door, the natrual draft flow from the vents in the door, going thru the fire box and to the opening to the smoke box, you would have a good flow to ignite the unburned fuel to the left of it?

But, I guess after a hour or so, starting from the left or right, you`ll be buring in both directions?

Looks as if she`ll kick some ass. I`ll plug her in tomorrow. Hope she fits.

................. Greedy
 
Greedyweed said:
BigAl, .................

Thanks, .............. just opened the box.

Now I`m no thermocunductive engineer, but, you mention starting the fire basket with the hot coals to the left near the opening to the smoke box. I would`ve thought that by starting the hot coals (I guess briquettes?) to the right side, near the side door, the natrual draft flow from the vents in the door, going thru the fire box and to the opening to the smoke box, you would have a good flow to ignite the unburned fuel to the left of it?

But, I guess after a hour or so, starting from the left or right, you`ll be buring in both directions?

Looks as if she`ll kick some ass. I`ll plug her in tomorrow. Hope she fits.

................. Greedy

Starting with lit coals on the left, gets the smoke chamber hot quicker, later in the burn when the left is gone, just reload on the left and it will self light, like BigDog, it works either way!

Start with 2 rebar gap between the divider plates at sea level and adjust gap from there. You will have to experment to find the best gap at yur altitude. I am getting 8-10 hrs burns on one basket load here at 6,700 ft!

I would call her "Hard Head" because that one really made me mad, she fought the build every step of the way, so you got extra welds at higher heat levels on them rebars (not good to fark with the guy with the welder) ....I had several names for her durring the build that are best not repeatable in Qtalk :!: :)
 
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