- Jan 12, 2015
- 6
- 10
Hi all, have a ECB the kids bought me a few years ago but after a few unsuccessful attempts to cook with it, it got stored in the side yard and forgotten. I'm sure these questions have been asked before so please bear with this newbie.
Following the advice on this site did the basic mods - picked up a $9.99 knockoff smokey joe which has become my charcoal bowl after moving the legs to the outside, put the unit on bricks to get clearance for the bowl, added a proper thermometer, cannibalized the vent from the bbq and installed it on the dome (3 ~ 1/2 holes). Bought the fireplace rope but didn't install it yet.
Fired up the ECB and ran it over the weekend for 5+ hours, was able to maintain a consistent 225 ~ 250 range with water in the pan after playing with different vent settings. Got a lot of white smoke out of the vent and the seal between the dome and the body. Seems to be a difference of opinions about the rope vs. the benefits of letting the smoke vent out of the seal to avoid creosote/stale smoke buildup.
What's the collective wisdom advise:
- is it best to let ECB smoke out the seal or add the rope or aluminum foil to seal in the smoke?
- what's the best wat to add fuel mid way through the cooking? Should I use my chimney and preheat coals before adding them to the bowl or just add in more coals along the way?
Once up to temp, this was not a "set it and forget it" operation - other suggestions?
Cheers
JT
Following the advice on this site did the basic mods - picked up a $9.99 knockoff smokey joe which has become my charcoal bowl after moving the legs to the outside, put the unit on bricks to get clearance for the bowl, added a proper thermometer, cannibalized the vent from the bbq and installed it on the dome (3 ~ 1/2 holes). Bought the fireplace rope but didn't install it yet.
Fired up the ECB and ran it over the weekend for 5+ hours, was able to maintain a consistent 225 ~ 250 range with water in the pan after playing with different vent settings. Got a lot of white smoke out of the vent and the seal between the dome and the body. Seems to be a difference of opinions about the rope vs. the benefits of letting the smoke vent out of the seal to avoid creosote/stale smoke buildup.
What's the collective wisdom advise:
- is it best to let ECB smoke out the seal or add the rope or aluminum foil to seal in the smoke?
- what's the best wat to add fuel mid way through the cooking? Should I use my chimney and preheat coals before adding them to the bowl or just add in more coals along the way?
Once up to temp, this was not a "set it and forget it" operation - other suggestions?
Cheers
JT