New Offset Smoker, Newbe Grill mister

[dejaa]

I recently purchased an inexpensive offset small smoker/grill, thinking I can grill and smoke then realized I did not know how.  Also thinking that i could do hamburger and small stuff on the firebox side and smoke bigger stuff on the big side.  LOL I may have gotten too small a smoker grill, now that I have used it a few times. 

Started watching a lot of Steven Raichlen BBQ U and Primal Grill. Caught two full weekends of it.  Fired up my smoker and though I may not have done it right, it turned out a great rack of ribs 1st go, corn on cob, squash, onions and bake beans.    I put coals in the fire box and in 1/2 of the cooking side. 1st put the coals in the big side next to the fire box, did not like the way that was doing so I raked them over to the smoke stack drip drain side.   

The 1/2 chickens with sides came out great the next week.  I cook the whole meal on the smoker/grill  veggies and bake beans. LOL Now i am reading that I may not should have done that.  Doing a lot of research on net found this place as well as tons of advice and modifications for the smoker.  To the point I am more confuzzled than I was before.

Is there any reason I should not put fire in the main part of the smoker?  If so would a added pan on bottom rack with coals hurt any thing. 

The smoker comes with so many racks, Nice coated black one on top in both sides (3 piece rack in big and 2 piece in fire box), and chrome ones on bottom both sides, Big barrel side raises up and down to 3 hights (what is it for?).  There is a top moving rack attacked to the lid above the main grill area

I put my pot of bake beans on the grate in the firebox side,  It is perfect for a 2 quart cast iron pot of bake beans.  But I need more rack space for direct grilling than the tiny fire box allows for my veggies.  

My goal is to smoke/grill enough meat and some times enough veggies for the bulk of the week each weekend so that I will eat in the evening instead of catching junk. 

Even though it is a cheep one the parts fit well and smoke does not come out around my doors ect. 

I also have a small fire pit in my sitting area that I use a lot so I am looking for a grate that I can set on top of it for small meals.

All suggestions welcome 

thanks

 

[radio]

A pic of the smoker would help greatly, or least a make and model so we can look it up and see what you are working with.

Sounds like you are trying to do a combination of smoking and grilling at the same time.  Most folks don't place any fire in the cooking chamber and use it strictly for smoking.  There likely is a grate in the fire box over the coals to grill on if that's what you want to to do.  Grilling is directly over the coals and BBQ is in the cooking chamber with smoke and heat entering the chamber from the fire box
 

 

[dejaa]

It is a Char-Broil

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• dejaa
• Sep 1, 2013

sorry but it is getting dark here thats the best pic i could get tonight, will be cooking tomorrow so will get better pics. 

I have no idea the model, all i know is it is small.  I figured out I can not stand a drunk chicken up in the big barrel or place a whole cabbage in foil on the main rack.  had to cut the cabbage in 1/2 and if I do a stand up chicken will have to move one of the main grates and put it on the bottom movable grate. 

In looking it up on Char-Broil sight it appears to be this model--  

CB AMERICAN GOURMET DELUXE OFFSET SMOKER - 700 SERIES MODEL 12201571