Thanks, I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to rig a charcoal basket on top of the pellet auger, that's actually a really good idea, I think I'm gonna look into that.
Thats very cool smoker, first one i've seen that is made with pellet burner. I guess its still possible to use it also with lump or briquettes.
I was worried about the hole where the auger goes in, its a little bigger than it needs to be. I didn't seal it, but I may add something later. I didn't use a gasket on the lid either, it fits really tight, sometimes its hard to get back on, I'm gonna play with it some more.
did u put any type of gasket on your lid? also did you seal up around the hopper auger arm at all?