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The CharGriller Owners Group Official "Introduce Yourself" Thread

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Welcome to the group Kolbster310!

I can't help with sealing the firebox.  Mine fits pretty tight, so I haven't messed with it yet.  But I may check into the sealant Lemans mentions.

Can't hurt.

Lemans has you covered on basic mods pretty well.

I did most of my mods before ever firing up my CG.  Sealant around the cooking lid, two therm's on side, and etc.  Easier to get stuff to bond with new clean metal, than it is after grease gets in there.  Ya know?

If I had to do it over, I would skip those two side therm's, and just check with a digital unit with cables.  The therm's seem to get out of adjustment very easy after calibrating.  .  I've quit depending on them at all, but have to leave them in because I drilled holes for them.  And it still look cool enough to impress family and neighbors. LOL 

Extending the stack down to a couple or three inches over the grates is a big help too. 

And buying that thermal welding blanket has done wonders for me!
 
Hey guys. 

New to forums and new to smoking. this will be my second season of smoking. I have the Smokin Pro and have just done some mods to it this past week to get ready for the season. hopefully i will be able to keep temps. longer than i could last year with the mods i just did. 

I live in Baltimore MD and really love to smoke!
 
So my mods turned out pretty awesome and I got the temps even across the grill which is a huge pluse! I'm super please with every thing but my fire management. this is the one thing I havent done much research on. I have been starting with charcoal and then doing all wood. I can't seem to keep the temp at bay for more than a half hour. Any one have any tips they can through my way?
Thanks !
 
I know what you mean.. Anytime you cook with wood you introduce a new variable . You know that charcoal burns even all the time. It is the same size same moisture content .. But wood is all over the place. It's burns very hot and fast or it sits and smothers . That's why wood burner always have to be watched. Is it worth it? Yes .. If it's a great grill , made out of 1/4 or 3/16 steel double insulated fire box. But a Home Depot or lowes model made from 1/8 steel. You are better off with kings ford and some hunks of hickory
 
Wood fire management.  I haven't master it yet, in my CG smoking pro, but Cliff Carter is the guy to ask.  He does wood burning using charcoal only for starting his fire.  I have had a couple of successes with wood burning.  But I've had more "not so greats".  LOL  Biggest problem in the source of wood I used, I think.
 
Ryson96 said:
So my mods turned out pretty awesome and I got the temps even across the grill which is a huge pluse! I'm super please with every thing but my fire management. this is the one thing I havent done much research on. I have been starting with charcoal and then doing all wood. I can't seem to keep the temp at bay for more than a half hour. Any one have any tips they can through my way?
Thanks !
Click to expand...
If you can explain the process you use for maintaining the wood fire I think I can help. I may have a thread in the group section as well that may help. I'll take a look for it.

Found it-

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/166617/using-a-chargriller-as-a-stick-burner
 
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Cliff thanks so much for that info. And pictures! Last night I pretty much did the same. Not really smoking any meat just seasoning the new sfb I got and testing my new digital therm.
My pieces of oak and cherry are pretty much that same size. I'm actually thinking about cutting them in half and adding them so that the whole piece burns together and hopefully says hotter longer. I'm really just trying to get to the point where I don't have to mess with it every 20min because I want to smoke a brisket but don't want to have to keep running in and out for 12 hrs or more. Lol.
Would it be a good idea to add more charcoal after like 2 hours just to help keep the heat with the wood?
Thanks agian for the help!
 
So the mods i did seem to be holding the smoke inside the main chamber and only really coming out through the smoke stack. There are a few small leaks in the back and from the sfb but i can get to those later. The extended smoke stack and the upside down charcoal tray as a baffle with a water pan on top really is keeping the temp even across the smoker.  I also bolted the two grill grates together that my new sfb came with and put them in the sfb for better air flow and a better charcoal/wood tray. So all in all i am pretty happy with the smoker right now. I just want to find a way to keep the temp the same for longer to be able to do a brisket,but i will mess with it more and hopefully find a way!

The bottom left in the smoker picture is the old fire box! so happy i bought the new one!
 
Hey yall. I was wondering if anyone knows the actual steel gauge on the Char Griller Smokin Pro? Im thinking of upgrading soon but i want to make sure that when i do i get a heavier steel gauge smoker. any info would help. Thanks!
 
Yeah, they are pretty thin compared to more expensive ones.  Thicker is better, but not everyone can afford those, so we struggle trying to make these work like those thicker, more solid ones..  We don't quite get there, but we have fun trying, and for the back yard, they work,  Modded or not.

For just slightly thicker gauges in same style, you are looking a $200-$500 more for just a small jump in thickness.  And that is just for small home use.  If you smoke a LOT, as a sideline or business, then you are looking thousands of dollars.
 
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I agree. If you want to upgrade then I would go to a Yoder. They are built like a tank ( and weights as much) they are not cheap but you get what you pay for.
If you are not "married" to an offset smoker , why not just got with a Weber Smokey Mountain? They are right in your price range . And they are awesome , since I got mine , the Chargriller sits in the corner with the cover on it.
 
Thanks guys! Ya I hear ya. I'm looking at the old country BBQ pits pecos or wrangler. The wrangler is much thicker but it's way smaller cooking sq ft than the smoking pro. The pecos is longer and has more cooking sq ft but not sure if that small amount of thickness will be worth it. I'm torn. I really like the old country pits because of the position of the smoke stack and also the damper that it already has installed. I'm stuck.
 
hello everyone bought a char-Griller about a month ago and really like it. Learning to control the temp a little better, but that is part of the challenge and fun about smoking meat. If it was just about the eating i would just go to the local barbecue joint to eat. Have not done many mods yet have gotten some insulation to keep the heat an smoke from leaking out the lid and will be installing two new adjustable thermometers soon. Love the smokingmeatsforum and am excited to hear from others using the same smoker as me. I am from Michigan just north of Ann Arbor and have seen a few people online from Michigan let me know if you are close so we can talk about good meat stores and such.
 
hello everyone bought a char-Griller about a month ago and really like it. Learning to control the temp a little better, but that is part of the challenge and fun about smoking meat. If it was just about the eating i would just go to the local barbecue joint to eat. Have not done many mods yet have gotten some insulation to keep the heat an smoke from leaking out the lid and will be installing two new adjustable thermometers soon. Love the smokingmeatsforum and am excited to hear from others using the same smoker as me. I am from Michigan just north of Ann Arbor and have seen a few people online from Michigan let me know if you are close so we can talk about good meat stores and such.
 
hello everyone bought a char-Griller about a month ago and really like it. Learning to control the temp a little better, but that is part of the challenge and fun about smoking meat. If it was just about the eating i would just go to the local barbecue joint to eat. Have not done many mods yet have gotten some insulation to keep the heat an smoke from leaking out the lid and will be installing two new adjustable thermometers soon. Love the smokingmeatsforum and am excited to hear from others using the same smoker as me. I am from Michigan just north of Ann Arbor and have seen a few people online from Michigan let me know if you are close so we can talk about good meat stores and such.
 
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