# Chargriller Smokin Pro Newbie ?'s



## noobsmoke (Aug 14, 2008)

Hey guys,

This is my very first post and I saw that there were some other Chargriller Smokin Pro w SFB posts but I didn't want to thread jack, so I am posting my own questions here.  I am very new to smoking so please be gentle.  I have tried searching for answers but am still confused.  Please don't be afraid to be detailed as I really am trying to learn as much as I can!


1.  Do I need to use wood to smoke food or can I just use charcoal? 

2.  If I do need to use wood, do I use both wood and charcoal or just wood?  Which is better?  Wood logs or wood chips?  Also, do I need to soak them in water first?

3.  How do I adjust/regulate the temperature on my chargriller?  There is a smoke stack and a vent of the side fire box but I am unsure what role they play in regulating temp.  I had trouble keeping my temp at 250 for my seasoning stage.

Thanks guys!


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## fireguy (Aug 14, 2008)

Use lump charcoal for the heat... then youll need to feed a few chunks of wood every  so often to achieve your thin blue smoke. The old soaking chips/chunks is a greatly debated topic around here.. i dont soak for what it is worth. to adjust the temp... youll want to leav the stack wide open and adjust the air intake for temp adjustment... more air the hotter tyou should get it.... if you cant get heat still try adding more lump... also make sure you punched out that little football shaped knock out that was on the smoke chambber between the sfb and chamber.. apparently some folks forget that step...it willl take you a few times to get to know your smoker and how it works... then there a few mods you can do to make it more efficient if you choose later on in the game... good luck hollar if you have any more ???s


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## solar (Aug 14, 2008)

Welcome, there's no wrong or bad questions, everyone one of us on this site was once a rookie.  I figure myself as a advanced rookie, so here's my 2Â¢

1. You use both charcoal and wood chips, the charcoal is used for the cooking heat and the wood chips deliver the smoke flavor.

2.  Normally any bag of wood chips you buy need to be soaked for about 15 minutes, this keeps them from burning to fast and delivering to much smoke at one time.

3.  To regulate the heat temp you use the "vent door" on the side of your fire box and the "vent cap" on the chimney.  More air into the smoker the higher the temp, less air the lower the temps.  It takes some "tuning" to get your temp under control, but slow adjustments over some time will get you in the zone, just give it some time to adjust.

Hope this helps.


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## fireguy (Aug 14, 2008)

Check this out for mod info... there are a few others with a bit different mods... just do a search if you are interested... hope this helps ya when you get to that point.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=16798


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## noobsmoke (Aug 14, 2008)

Thanks for the responses guys, they helped a lot.  I have a few more questions now:

1.  What is the ideal temperature for smoking?  I particularly want to do some ribs and maybe a butt this weekend.

2.  How do I know when I need to add more wood?  I assume I add more charcoal as the temp fluctuates, but the wood?  

3.  It was a pain disposing of the ashes last time I grilled.  I dumped them into a bucket of water and then tossed it on my lawn.  Probably not a good idea.  Any better solutions?

4.  I have a garage with a garage door and I see some people grill inside their garages (garage door lifted).  Am I at risk of carbon monoxide if I do this?  What about if I leave the grill to cool over night in the closed garage...will poisonous gas seep into my home?  I know you guys may not be doctors and I understand my risks, but I am hoping you guys can provide some insight on this.


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## kratzx4 (Aug 14, 2008)

Welcome to the SMF, glad you joined us. good advice so far, I have nothing more to add. Sign up for Jeff's 5 day course it's free and chuck full of good info. You might want to try Jeff's rub and sauce recipe also it's gooood


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## fireguy (Aug 14, 2008)

I generally try to maintain bout 225-250 for most smoking... poultry I am now doing bout 300...For me adding wood is usually about 45 in to hour...and just a few chunks... you want to see a thin transparent blue smoke, not a thick billowy white smoke. I generally add charcoal either when the temp starts to drop noticeably, or I look at my coal basket an see how far it has burned down. build yourself a coal basket like I did in that link, then you can slide out the ash drawer when doing a long smoke with ease... plus the ash will fall through the basket and wont smother your coals.. I just dump em the next day in the garden or garbage can. as for the garage, i woulnt worry bout the co too much. especially when your smoking keep the door open... if your worried bout the cooling off in the garage just crack the door a bit. dont think you will produce enough co to get in the house, but crack  your door to be safe. hope this helps


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## fireguy (Aug 14, 2008)

also if you smell smoke, your smoking.. you dont have to see it always.
keep in mind that even though we have the same smokers their proformance will vary, youll be smoking confidently in a few tries with the help of everyone on this site.


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## fireguy (Aug 14, 2008)

crap .... i forgot to tell ya... that thermo that comes on the smoker is not close to acurate most often.. mine is bout75-100 deg low every time... ad a couple thermos, or use a remote digital.. good luck


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## noobsmoke (Aug 14, 2008)

Thanks alot Fireguy.  Super helpful!  I will definitely look into building that charcoal basket as it seems very useful.  And thank you for the garage advice, it seems sensible.

When you say you add wood 45 in to an hour, do you mean you add wood after you have been on charcoal for an hour?  Or every 45 minutes to an hour you add wood?  I think I have seen some people say they don't add wood during the first hour of cooking or something like that.  Please correct me if I am wrong.


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## noobsmoke (Aug 14, 2008)

Thanks Kratz, I've already done the 5 day course and been lurking the forums for about two weeks.  I'm going to try his rub/sauce recipe after I give the ol' pit a good workout this weekend.  I appreciate it!


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## fireguy (Aug 14, 2008)

I add wood/smoke right off... i replenish the chunks about every 45 min to 1 hour as needed.


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## jond (Aug 14, 2008)

I'm also a complete noob when it comes to the CGSP but i totally agree with the above.

I *thought* i was struggling to get it up to temp and maintain the 250 when seasoning and 225 on my first smoke last weekend when referring to the lid mounted thermometer.  I stuck my accurate meat thermometer through one of the tiny holes to the left hand side of the smoke chamber and discovered that the temp there was reading at about 290 so suspect that the temp at the firebox end may have been 20-30 degrees more but not sure....  hence why my fatty was overdone (well not purely a temp issue also a monitoring issue on my part)

Have a look at the mod thread posted above which you will learn a lot from, i have just ordered 3 calibratable thermometers for mine and a remote electornic one.

There is sooo much great info on here and everyone is amazingly helpful and friendly :)

I also recommend the 5 day course wholeheartedly, it answered a lot of noob questions for me and really helped :)

Enjoy the CGSP :)

Jon.


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## noobsmoke (Aug 14, 2008)

Can anyone recommend a good meat thermometer that I can order?   I'd hate to burn up my first smoke :)  

Thanks for the info JonD.  I keep hearing about these fatties and I am dying to try one (or should I say trying to die from one, LOL).


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## teeotee (Aug 14, 2008)

hey noob ...... check this thread out for therm info. 
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ead.php?t=1474

A lot of people on here really like the Maverick ET73. I have a Mav ET71 (single probe)had it forthree years now, works great, changed batteries maybe twice. Lowes, Home Depot and Walmart all sell other brands and models. All depends on your budget.


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## noobsmoke (Aug 14, 2008)

Thanks Teeotee!


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## bishop916 (Aug 15, 2008)

Yeah I did a few mods to mine.
- Flip the charcoal pan to create a baffle to distribute the heat (the pan should be over the hole to the side firebox) 
- add a length of aluminum dryer vent to the inside of the smokestack(the thick 8 dollar stuff from lowes not the 3 dollar stuff from walmart); extend it down the inside of the lid and to level with the grate. *This helps with the flow of the smoke and heat. If you dont have this in place the heat rises up and goes across the lid to the stack and out. 
- get a good charcoal basket - im not really a fab kinda guy, (although some folks have made some nice baskets with expanded metal) - I use this: 
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...21-451-4984108
*just remove the handle and rig it to hang from the screws or rails along the inside of the side firebox. 


I use royal oak natural hardwood lump charcoal and kingsford sometimes, nothing else! Use unsoaked wood chunks for the smoke, get them started in a charcoal chimney (with each batch of coal I throw about 3 or 4 chunks on top). Blackened chunks of wood produce the best TBS; I'll use chips when in a pinch, but only in foil wrapping and along the sides of the basket, (they burn too fast for good smoke in my opinion). Soaking the wood will affect your temps (which I try to keep between 210 and 250).

Use a decent digital thermometer. I use one to monitor the cooker temperature (stick the probe thru a hunk of potato) - I use a heavy internal thermo on the meat during last stage of cooking to get the temp. Whatever works for you, but the digital remote thermos save alot of time otherwise spent standing next to the cooker! Walmart sells one for about 15 bucks - good enough to get started, or if ya got the cash go with the mav... 

Other than that, I'd say practice practice practice. there is no such thing as a bad smoke, as long as it is edible 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 - also check out Jeff's 5 day email course, and hit the forums hard! There is alot of good people with much knowledge to share! 

Have fun!


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## gorillagrilla (Aug 15, 2008)

Welcome to S.M.F. ! See all the great advise allready ? Not to step on any toes , but for my 2 cents I would advise NOT to use the chimeney cap to regulate heat.This will cause ' stale ' smoke to collect in the smoke chamber, which will result a build-up of creosite, a bitter black yuky-ness . Think of your smoker like a hot rod. Stuff a potato in the exsaust pipe and it dont run to good !Your chimeney is your exsaust and your vent is your throttle.Keep that exsaust wide open at all times ! Have fun !


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## dangerdan (Aug 15, 2008)

For smoking with of wood chips I enlisted the use of a new 1 quart paint can from my local hardware store. It works well in keeping my chips from burning too fast. I poked four holes in the top and added the chips, set it on or near the coals and bingo, thin blue smoke. If the chips still seem to burn too fast for ya drop a little water in with the chips before closing the lid.


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## noobsmoke (Aug 15, 2008)

This is great information!  

I have another question:

After I grilled last time, I just left all the food on the grates.  Is this what everyone usually does or do you clean it off?  If so, what is a good method?

Is a wire brush safe to use on cast iron?


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## bishop916 (Aug 16, 2008)

I usually give a good cleaning with rolled up newspaper or a ball of tinfoil and spray down with pam or cooking oil, before and after. 

Wirebrush takes off all the seasoning. (black buildup of cooked-on oils, meat juices, etc that protects the grates and prevents rust).


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## smoke freak (Aug 16, 2008)

Noob, you sure have been thinkin this thing over for a while havent ya. Lots of great questions. Most have been answered well. But you asked so heres what "I" think.

 Last question first. Instructions with your grill told ya to scrape/brush the castiron grates after each use. Then rub with veg oil while they are still warm. If ya do this EACH time then nothing will stick. Not even grilled fish. How ever sometimes the beer keeps me from doin this and things still work out OK.

As far as the fire goes, I guess I do things diff than most have advised. I like to tend a small "clean burning" fire. No smoldering allowed. To do this, I start with a pile of lit charcoals. Lump or briquettes. No matter to me. This is just to get things started. To this Ill add some twigs/kindelin till it flames up then lay on a small split. Like a fireplace log only split much smaller. Bout 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Maybe bigger. I guess chunks would work but I would have to pay for them. Then I shut both lids and wait. No food yet! I want the temp to stabilize and the grill to warm evenly. Hurrying at this point will make things much harder. When youre satisfied that temps are where ya want em and there gonna stay close to that, On goes the meat! When the temp starts to drop near 210 or so then Ill add another stick and some times add a couple "unlit" coals. This kinda helps me maintain a good bed of coals and steady temps. Dont panic about dips and spikes in temp. Just controll them like that Gorilla guy said. Master the fire and have fun! Keep cookin and some day youll be tellin me how its done. Of course then youll hafta change your name,eh!


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## motorhedd (Aug 17, 2008)

I nominate noobsmoke for a nickchange to CharGriller_Pro
MH


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## noobsmoke (Aug 17, 2008)

Ha ha, not yet MH :)

Guys, I need some quick help.  I just started my first smoke and I added lump to the side firebox with a few chunks of hickory, but I can't seem to get the temp above 175 (stock thermo).  I added about two more unlit chimney's full of lump but it still hasn't raised.  I've already used about 3/4 bag of royal oak. I have my chimney open half way and the damper on the SFB open all the way. 

How can I raise the temp?  

How many bags of lump do you typically go through in a rib smoke?

How much lump should I be using?  I don't want to over/under fill the SFB.  A quick response would be great as the destiny of my ribs depends on it :)

Thanks!


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## gorillagrilla (Aug 17, 2008)

noob.Please refer to my previos post in this thread. Do Not use your chimmeny to regulate heat.Rip that cap offa there if ya gotta if it will keep you from using it ! control heat using vents only !!If ya buy flowmasters for your car you will notice they dont come with a cap !!


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## noobsmoke (Aug 17, 2008)

Thank you gorilla.  I have opened the chimney all the way.  I still am having trouble keeping my temp up.  Can someone please answer the questions in my previous post?

I appreciate all your help!


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## gorillagrilla (Aug 17, 2008)

are ya usin the stock charcoal grate or a basket ?I know I'm answering questions with questions but it helps to diagnose.A build up of ash under the grate will choke out the fire. Raise the grate somehow to get some air under it. Hope this helps. better late than never.


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## jond (Aug 17, 2008)

Hi Noob,

If you are still working off the stock temp guage i did some testing today and reckon mine is reading somewhere between 25-35 degrees low.  I know they are all different but it gives you an idea how bad they are.

Hope the smoke went well.

Jon.


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## noobsmoke (Aug 17, 2008)

Gorilla,

I was using the stock charcoal grate, not a basket.  I'm not a fab type of guy so I haven't tried making one and I bought the grill basket from Lowes as suggested but couldn't figure out how to get it to fit.

Regardless, my first smoke is complete.  My chicken came out wonderful after an hour and a half, but my ribs...my poor poor ribs.  Five hours of smoking for my baby backs and the funny thing is that they fall off the bone, but some of the flesh is chewy and tough.  I am not sure what went wrong.  If anybody can shed some light on this I'd appreciate it for next time.   Alas, the ribs are edible so it wasn't a complete failure.

Was the temp too high?  Did I overcook?

Noobsmoke, still lives up to his name


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## jond (Aug 17, 2008)

Which way up did you have the grate in the firebox?  I thought it would go in to with the angles at the end up but it they should be down which gives more ash space and air entry.

Glad the chicken came out well :) can;t comment on the ribs as haven't tried them yet.

Jon.


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## fireguy (Aug 18, 2008)

noob, first off ... did you remove that thick membrane from the underside of the ribs??? it will creat a major chew factor if you didnt. Also did you foil like suggested in the 3-2-1 method??? that will keep some moisture to em. as for your grate, it would really help you inmo to get some sort of raised basket in the sfb. I had similar prob when i first tried my cgsp... once I put a basket in it , and raised it up so more air would feed the coals from the botttom of the basket it could maintain higher temps with more consistency.. hope this helps.


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## noobsmoke (Aug 18, 2008)

1.  I did put the charcoal in in the correct direction.  I didn't use a charcoal basket but will look into getting one.

2.  I did remove the membrane from the ribs.

3.  I didn't use the 3-2-1 method because this was my first time smoking ribs and I wanted to be able to compare ribs done the normal way, then using 3-2-1.

4.  When I say they were chewy, I mean they were overly crispy and hard to chew.  I don't really know how to explain.  

I mainly am hoping to find out what would cause ribs to turn out this way so that I can avoid the issue in the future.  The sad thing is, I've had ribs like that from restaurants before and been very disappointed.  I don't want to have them at home too!  :)


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## motorhedd (Aug 18, 2008)

noob here is how i use my lowes basket.hope this helps.

MH


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## noobsmoke (Aug 18, 2008)

Thanks MH.

What did you do to make it fit?  I was under the impression that the basket didn't need any modification.


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## fireguy (Aug 19, 2008)

noob, Just keep trying, youll get it soon enough!! When I was experimenting with my new cgsp I did burgers and brauts alot just to get to know my smoker and how it preformed. on the ribs do the 3-2-1 next time and i bet they will be much more to your liking. good luck


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## motorhedd (Aug 19, 2008)

took boltcutters to the basket ends,hacksawed the handle hardware,used (4) 5/16X1" SS bolts.washers,and nuts for resting on the sfb grate lip.



hope that helps
MH


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## venture (Aug 28, 2008)

With this basket, you can also cut two 7/16 rolled steel rods to 14 7/16 inches. (No zinc plating please)  These can be easily forced through the mesh at the top right and top left of the basket.  They will rest nicely on the grill rail and give you a solid setup which is easily adjustable within the SFB.  Be sure to measure your rails, mine are 14 1/2 inches, so I shaved the rods to be slightly shorter.

Also, has anyone out there been using this basket long enough to give an estimated life span on it?  I am thinking about ordering a spare while they are still making it.  This is a cheap solution to the charcoal basket problem, and I have been happy with how it works.


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## bishop916 (Aug 28, 2008)

I have been using mine for over 3 months with no degradation. It looks to be a permanent fixture in my sfb


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## solar (Aug 28, 2008)

Gotta get me a basket.  You guys say they sell them at Lowes?


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## bishop916 (Aug 28, 2008)

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...21-451-4984108


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## noobsmoke (Aug 31, 2008)

Ok guys, I'm on my second attempt to smoke some baby backs and things are looking much better this time around.  I am using a Maverick ET-73 and omg, it says 225 degrees while the temp gauge on my smoker says 150.  I think I may have seriously overcooked my last batch.

Regardless, I have a few more questions:

1.  I am using the 2-2-1 method for baby back.  I am now in the wrap with foil stage.  I sprayed with a bit of apple juice and placed back in the smoker.  Does it matter if they are bone side up or down and I am assuming that I take the food probe out at this point, correct?

2.  When you are moving your chargriller around, do you grab it by the SFB handle, lift it, then pull so it can roll?  That's what I do but it feels like I probably shouldn't do that.

3.  I wanna toss some chicken thighs and wings on there.  How long should they smoke for?   

Thanks guys!  This is so much fun!


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## fireguy (Aug 31, 2008)

Guessing its to late for the 1st 2 ?s, but For the 3rd... I put my wheels on the SFB side it seems to move easier for me. I think the extra weight will eventually break down those cheap plastic wheels, but I plan on modin them soon anyway. hope your smoke went well.


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## roadrunr (Sep 1, 2008)

heres how i did my basket on my cgsp....














fully adjustable, hanging on 2 rods...one of the best mods you can make on these things...


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## noobsmoke (Sep 1, 2008)

I like that setup.  Seems like it's easy enough for me to do as I am not a fab type of guy.  Where'd you get the rods and how long are they?


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## roadrunr (Sep 1, 2008)

basket was 13.97 at lowes...rod was 5.49 at lowes it's a 7/16 x 48" inch cold rolled steel rod. cut with a sawzall or hacksaw to 14 1/2". should take ya all of about 15mins to cut and install


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## bishop916 (Sep 2, 2008)

yeah - the basket is the way to go. I had a 7 hour smoke yesterday (12 lb turkey 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 - good eats!) - anyways, lol, I only had to add lit coals once - at the beginning!. I just added a chimney of unlit coal every two hours or so and average temp was 230 all day.


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## noobsmoke (Sep 10, 2008)

Hey guys, 

I'm totally loving my new chargriller and all the information ya'll have given me is awesome!

A few more questions please:

1.  Do you guys clean your grill after every smoke?

2.  What's the best way to clean the grates?  I tried not cleaning the grates after I cooked but the next time I put chicken on, there was a black soot/grease that ended up on them :(  Please help.

Thanks.


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## howufiga (Sep 10, 2008)

Yeah, I have the same problem with mine.  BBQ sauce on there from grilling chicken leg quarters.  You take a steel grill brush to them and it takes seasoning right off.  If your smoking too, the grates won't get hot enough to burn the bbq sauce off. lol....


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## teeotee (Sep 10, 2008)

I use my chargriller for a lot of grilling and have noticed the seasoning will burn off, especially if using lump to grill with. 
When i clean the grates after grilling, i will use a wire brush while the grates are still warm. Once i have most of whatever is on the grates removed i spray or brush with some cooking oil. Especially the areas right over the coals. If i don't, i have to spend more time wire brushing the rust off whenever i want to smoke or grill next.


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## motorhedd (Sep 10, 2008)

I use a propane torch on the racks,then brush with a wire brush ,then oil with vegetable oil.Seems to me the pathogens have a hard time under the flamethrower


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## soonersmoker (Sep 11, 2008)

Noob - Thanks for the thread. A lot of the questions I had about my smoker have already been answered.

I've got the same smoker. Just started around Father's Day. I was pretty scared at first of messing up. My stock gauge is the same way too. Mine will rarely crack 200, unless I just stuff the side fire box. Mine generally teeters between 175 and 200, and my smokes seem to turn out fine. The key is to keep practicing / experimenting every week. You'll get better and better.

Also, if you only have time for grilling, but want some practice getting your smoker to the right temp, then I suggest:

Lighting the side firebox like you normally would, and let everything heat up, then just shovel the coals, etc over to the big chamber and use it to quickly grill some hamburgers, hotdogs etc. Sometimes I even put the little grates in the side fire box and cook them there.


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## noobsmoke (Sep 11, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestion SoonerSmoker and I'm glad that you've been learning from this as well.  The people here have been really helpful and friendly.  I love it!  I never knew that grilling/smoking could be so much fun and isn't something for experts only :)


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