# Lang 36 review



## alblancher

I really couldn't find a review of the Lang 36 Patio before making a decision to order one so I hope this helps anyone considering the baby Lang.

Like all Langs the 36 patio is reverse flow.  Specifics such a rack size and dimensions are available on the Lang Website.  But it is one of the smallest and most affordable reverse flow smokers I could find.

I ordered this smoker constructed of 1/4 inch steel instead of the stainless steel offered on the Lang website.  Mods such as sliding racks are available.

Be aware that R&L Carriers delivered this smoker to a residential address in one of the largest 18 wheelers I have ever seen.  Delivery was to the driveway close to the street on a skid.  Estimated weight of the total package is 650 lbs.  Be prepared to break down the packaging and move the smoker to a safe place when delivered 

As packaged on the skid
















Unwrapped





























This smoker is very heavy on the firebox end.  When I rolled it of the pallet the smoker got away from me and I bent the spring handle on the firebox. Nothing that couldn't be bent back in but those type of things make it your smoker. 

I followed the instructions on the website to cure the smoker.  Sprayed the interior of the cook chamber with a can of cooking spray and built a hot fire.  It took a while to get the fire started but once it got going I didn't have anymore trouble with it.  Got the temps up over 300 and let it burn for about 45 minutes.  Got rid of the the heavy smoke and some unusual smells.  

The next step was to spray the cook chamber with a fine mist from the hose.  It goes to say be very careful with this step,  I had may face steam cleaned!   Break in instructions say to do this twice, allowing the smoker to get over 300 and then spraying.

Next step is to check your fuel, close down the dampers and let the smoker smoke cure.  I found it fairly easy to keep the temps I wanted by small adjustment to the firebox dampers.

I let the smoker go the rest of the night.

The wife asked for ribs tonight so I am on the way to Sam's.  I'll post a couple of pics with the smoker loaded to give some perspective on the smoker's size

Al


----------



## fpnmf

Looks great!! Congrats!!

Craig


----------



## Bearcarver

That's a beauty HB !

Can't wait to see those ribs!!!

Bear


----------



## rdknb

congrats on smoker and I too can't wait to see the ribs


----------



## callahan4life

Thank you very much for the review. There will be a twin of that one on my deck real soon. Do you know how long it took them to make it out of the 1/4 steel?


----------



## Dutch

Al- you are going to love your Lang and when you find out how easy it is to maintain temps, your going to want to kick yourself in the butt for not getting one of these things earlier.

I too, am looking forward to her maiden smoke.


----------



## eman

"The wife asked for ribs tonight so I am on the way to Sam's." Congrats on the new smoker, But i believe Al wants to play w/ his new toy so he's off to sams. LOL


----------



## chefrob

very cool and congrats!


----------



## alblancher

David,

They surprised me by having the smoker a week early.  He placed the construction order to the shop on Tuesday morning and called me Thursday am to say if I had arranged shipping yet.  I was planning to call the shipper the following week but he said they where running 36s at the time and went ahead and did mine in 48 hours.  I sure wouldn't expect that kind of turnaround.  This is the time to order before they get busy in the spring.  I had some confusion with the shippers.  I asked that they not pick up the smoker till Monday expecting to stay home Wednesday.  They picked it up Friday and held it till Wednesday after the pickup driver told them I would have it Monday.  I spend three days waiting for the shipper but in the end they did what I asked them to do so I can't complain, just some bad info from people that where not aware of the original order.

I picked up 3 racks of spares, trimmed them up St. Louis Style and 3 racks of baby backs.  I also picked up a pack of pork chops.  Everything has been rubbed down and I hope to put them all on the smoker around noon. 

Hey Bob,  remember it's her Bonus Check so for the time being at least she gets what she wants.  If I had placed the meat order it would have been Brisky.

I'll post a pick or two of the empty smoker with the new cure coat on  it.  Kind  of looks like a nicely cured black iron pot.

Thanks guys

Al


----------



## beer-b-q

Nice looking smoker Al... you are going to love it. . .


----------



## rp ribking

Congrats on the new smoker. What is the capacity loaded up?


----------



## alblancher

The website and Ben says 72 lbs of meat  4 butts and 2 briskeys. 

I brought the temps up to 300 degrees.  Took about 1/2 an hour with a decent fire going in the firebox.  Opened the cook chamber and loaded it up.

The smoker held 3 racks of baby backs and 3 racks of spares.  I was not able to load in the pork chops I planned but I'll sneak them in there when I foil the ribs and stack them up a bit.

Cooker after curing







Pick of the firebox going







Loaded up ready to go!







I was impressed with the recovery time after loading the pit.   Once I closed the door the gage read 200 degrees,  it took about 7 minutes to get the temp up to 225 and adjust the dampers to hold steady.  I have been away from the smoker for about 15 minutes and it is holding steady at 225.

I don't know it that is an impressive amount of food for a RF smoker but it beats the devil out of my little Okie Joe offset.  The fact that the temps are holding rock steady are a tremendous advantage over the smaller smoker.

I'll post a couple more picks when I go to foil.  I am hoping that since I trimmed the spares they will cook about even with the baby backs.

Thanks for looking

Al

Oh by the way I learned not to stack wood on top of the firebox!  Bet it's a great place to warm a pot of beans.


----------



## SmokinAl

Nice smoker! Can't wait to see it in action.


----------



## callahan4life

alblancher said:


> Pick of the firebox going
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh by the way I learned not to stack wood on top of the firebox!  Bet it's a great place to warm a pot of beans.


I was going to ask about the wood on top of the firebox. LOL


----------



## alblancher

I checked the ribs and the meat on the top rack is cooking faster then the meat on the bottom rack.  I found the top rack about 10 degrees warmer than the bottom racks.  Ben Lang recommended closing the stack damper to about 3/4 open during smoking.  I changed to the "stack damper open all the time" philosophy and the temps moderated to about 4 degree difference.  Seems like the excess heat exited a lot faster and made for more even temps.  The smoke also became thinner.

Al


----------



## rp ribking

Lookin' good


----------



## alblancher

Ready to foil







Wrapped and packed, added 3 lbs of pork chops







Chops should take a couple of hours, about the time the ribs are ready to either get unwrapped and thrown back on the smoker or tossed on the gas grill to caramelize some BBQ sauce.  Depends on when wifey gets home so we can eat.

Al


----------



## les3176

congrats on the new smoker, it looks awesome..oh and so does the food


----------



## pineywoods

Al congrats on getting the smoker and that first smoke is looking good


----------



## rdknb

that looks good, enjoy your new toy


----------



## fpnmf

Looking delicious!!!

  Craig


----------



## Bearcarver

Boy, it sure isn't taking you long to start putting out some great looking food "Al" !!!

Thanks for the views---Keep 'em coming!

Bear


----------



## alblancher

Out of the foil and ready for a bit of sauce.  Then back on the Lang until wifey gets home




















Taste test - delicious, nice smoke flavor and pull off the bone tender.

I tasted the chops and 2hrs in the Lang is plenty for them.  Very good flavor, tender and moist.

I'm very happy with my first go round with the new Lang 36.  Stable and forgiving on temperature swings.  The cross the grid temps where better then I expected and a dramatic improvement over the offset

I am happy if I am able to do 3 racks of baby backs and 3 racks of spares at a time.  Add a couple of pounds of pork chops while the ribs are foiled and stacked on top of each other I have enough food for 95% of the parties I have.  Maybe someone can tell me how many people this amount of food would serve with a couple of sides?

Thanks for looking

Al


----------



## chefrob

lookin'good!!!!!!!


----------



## Bearcarver

How many?

I'd say, "Up to 20 adults".

Bear


----------



## alblancher

Thanks Bear,

Wifey and I each ate a 1/2 rack of baby backs last night so I was thinking about12!  Spares are larger and the fact is that it was rib gluttony last night so I think 20 is a good number.  Briskey and butts will fit in the smoker better and go further on the plate so as part of this review I would think the Lang 36 can easily feed 30 people.

If most of your cooking is for family or small parties and you want a smaller, temperature stable wood burner you should consider this smoker. 

Ben Lang is well know for building high quality reverse flow smokers.  Welds are smooth with no obvious burrs, cracks or chips.  The fit and finish of the smoker are what you would expect from a hand crafted piece of equipment.

This smoker is also available in Stainless Steel.  I was told by Mr. Lang that the stainless model heats faster then the heavier 1/4 steel model and will allow you to easily run temps in the 300 degree range.  If you prefer cooking at BBQ temperatures the stainless model may be more appropriate for you.


----------



## Bearcarver

That's what I figured:

Two people to a rack of Babies-----------6

Three people to a rack of spares---------9

1/2 pound of chops per head--------------4

Rounded to 20


----------



## thebarbequeen

serious smoker envy goin' here. I can only lust in my heart for a lang right now.  Congrats! looking forward to seeing lots of great q-view. Cheers!!


----------



## alblancher

Shipping weight for the smoker with pallet is 608 lbs.  I had an extra $ 56 tacked on to the shipping after delivery.

Al


----------



## bmudd14474

That sucks about the extra shipping but im sure its worth it


----------



## garyt

Nothing wrong with pre heating the wood on the top of the firebox, I belive it  is recommended.


----------



## alblancher

Garyt, 

I preheated to the point of combustion!  I am currently looking for firebrick to line the bottom of the firebox and place on top of the firebox.  I believe this will better retain the heat and reduce wood consumption.  I intend to use the top of the firebox as a cooking surface and if I can find firebrick of different thicknesses I should have some flexibility with just how much heat is available to the cooking surface.  Don't know much about firebrick so any info would be appreciated.

Al


----------



## garyt

I Probably would stay away from lining the bottom, I feel it is important to get all the ash out after a cook because it can promote rust, I think it would get in the cracks and under them, just my opinion


----------



## Dutch

Great pics of your 1st smoke there Al.


----------



## alblancher

Gary,

I dig the ash picking up moisture and rotting out the bottom of the fire box, been there, done that on my little offset. 

The brick wouldn't be permanently installed, just layed in to reflect more heat upward and to increase the temps inside the firebox, less heat loss through bottom of box.  The firebrick on top will hopefully work the same way but gradually heating up and holding a steadier heat for cook top use. 

Thanks Dutch,  

I got a bit heavy on the rub but other then that they where great.  I froze most of them right after the foil so I could heat up on the grill and not dry them out.

I really need to learn to go light on the rub, no matter how good the rub is to much takes away from the smoke and taste of the meat.


----------



## busta b

I DID THE SAME THING, BUT WHAT DID YOU USE TO BUILD YOUR FIRE OUT OF. (what wood ?)?


----------



## alblancher

I have access to pecan and oak so that is what I use in the smoker.


----------



## tyotrain

Got to love them langs..


----------



## busta b

My first cook will be this weekend , and its going to be ribs and hens . O, I will show some pic of the food !!


----------



## SmokinAl

Great job on your first smoke on the Lang, Al! Those ribs look delicious!


----------



## ravanelli

That's a great looking smoker Al, and those ribs look smokey and tender.  I hear those Langs are great products, thanks for sharing.


----------



## alblancher

Ravanelli,

Getting to a decision to buy the 36 begins with the question what type of smoker do you want?  Electric, gas, charcoal or wood.

I like burning wood so I have never owned electric or gas smokers.

The next question is how big of a smoker do I need?  I started with an ECB (el cheapo brinkman)  then bought a small offset.

The next question is do you see the value of a reverse flow smoker?  You are a bit limited with a reverse flow because unless arraignments are made to put a grill in the firebox you do not have direct heat.

Once decided on reverse flow there are several manufactures to choose from  Bubba Grills and Lang are the two I looked at.   I chose Lang because of their reputation and because they had the size at the price I wanted.

Good luck when it comes time to make a decision.  I hope you come back and post telling us that you went with a quality wood burner.


----------



## busta b

I did go with the Lang now i have to learn how to cook on it , my first try was not so good because I'm use to my old grill (weber) and direct heat so its a learning curve for me,and if i can kept everybody from wanting to look in and lose my heat. Because you now what they say IF YOU LOOKING YOU ARE NOT COOKING !!!!


----------



## alblancher

The Lang recovers well enough that a quick peek doesn't hurt.  Just watch your temps and try to keep them as stable as possible.  You should be adding fuel and adjusting your firebox dampers till you get the heat right.

If there is anyway I can help let me know, I'm still learning the 36 but the learning curve is pretty easy.  It really is a joy to smoke on.

Al


----------



## busta b

Well tell me why can i get the temp up with char coal ?


----------



## busta b




----------



## busta b

man thats looks good


----------



## alblancher

Do you want to use Charcoal?  You'll use a lot of it and it gets expensive.  Get a hold of some good dry oak or cherry or pecan or what ever hard wood they have in your part of the country.  You want something that will burn a good long time and give you a lot of heat.  There is a lot of steel that has to be heated up with the Lang.   Get the temp to about 300, then load the meat and allow the temps to settle at 220 - 250.  Then just keep it fed to keep your temps steady.  

You can use charcoal, I guess but be prepared to use a good bit of it.  It will burn good and hot.

Back a bit later if anymore questions.

Al


----------

