Question for the stick burners

[va_connoisseur]

BBQ'ers,

I am in the process of having a stick burner built (120 gallon reverse flow trailer mount). I have a few questions as I have been smoking on a WSM for the past 3+ years.

1. With a stick burner, will I need to keep an active flame going (large and hot to start and the small and hot to smoke) for the entire cooking process? With the WSM the charcoal is smoldering with no actual fire per se.

2. What is the best way to store wood and is a half cord a good start? I live in a town home with a 35' x 22' backyard. 

3. Is there a method to cure the firebox so that it does not rust?

Lastly, if there is a question I should be asking but am not, please feel free to pile on.

I appreciate all information. And anyone in the Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania region looking for a builder, let me know. This guy does 60 and 120 gallon patios and 120 and 250 trailers.

 

[alblancher]

BBQ'ers,

I am in the process of having a stick burner built (120 gallon reverse flow trailer mount). I have a few questions as I have been smoking on a WSM for the past 3+ years.

1. With a stick burner, will I need to keep an active flame going (large and hot to start and the small and hot to smoke) for the entire cooking process? With the WSM the charcoal is smoldering with no actual fire per se.   The logs will also burn down toward the end.  Remember you have a lot of hot steel in that smoker that will retain the heat so toward the end you can quit adding fuel and let it go.

2. What is the best way to store wood and is a half cord a good start? I live in a town home with a 35' x 22' backyard. keep it dry and allow the air to get to it.  Keep it off the ground and out of the rain is best.  You need to let air circulate so it doesn't rot and get moldy.  The amount of wood you store is determined by the amount of room you have.  half a cord should last a while, except maybe when you first get your smoker when you'll be smoking everything you can find instead of momma's favorite slippers!

3. Is there a method to cure the firebox so that it does not rust?  Once you cure the inside of the smoke chamber the oils and smoke should keep everything else inside the smoker protected.  On the outside of the smoker knock down any rust spots with a wire brush and rub in vegetable oil.  i've been using left over grease from the kitchen to rub into the rust spots    Like the wood if you live in a humid area you need to keep the smoker dry but not tightly covered if the cover is going to trap moisture.

Lastly, if there is a question I should be asking but am not, please feel free to pile on.

I appreciate all information. And anyone in the Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania region looking for a builder, let me know. This guy does 60 and 120 gallon patios and 120 and 250 trailers.

 

[va_connoisseur]

Thanks for the insight. I am going to pick up a wood rack from the hardware store. I want to do a pig sooner rather than later so I will be smoking everything I can get my hands on once I get the rig. I was reading about the biscuit test to check for hot spots that's different and definitely something not done on a WSM. Something tells me my smoking addiction just went up 10X.

 

[alblancher]

The biscuit test?

 

[cliffcarter]

It's a youtube video-



The guy is trying to find the hot spots, I didn't watch enough to figure out if the guy was goofing or not.

 

[shoneyboy]

Will the smoker be painted?? This worked for mine, but I didn’t paint mine…….

An old coworker of mine advised me, when I was building my smoker, to pickle it in oil. First, this will make a mess and there is a good chance that it will catch on fire, so be extremely carful when doing this and were you do this. Now what I did was get my smoker “HOT” really hot, then I poured old cooking oil that had been filtered onto it. I usually do this ever couple years (once I notice that it’s getting a little rusty) to help protect my smoker….I really don’t worry too much about the inside of mine that much it’s usually take care of its self. It’s really just the outside that will need to be coated….Hope this helps SB

This is how we season our black iron skillets, pots or any other cookware that may rust….it will give it a long lasting protection and the more that you use it the better it will be…..

Hope this helps SB