The Smoke Ring

wedge · Joined: 17 May 2014 Posts: 15

Well, it seemed like an appropriate greeting since I'm from the Philly area. Anyhoo, my name's Chad and I've been smoking for about 9 years on a Char-Griller Smokin Pro. I've done all the standards (ribs, butt, brisket and chicken) and also began smoking the Thanksgiving bird about 4 years back.

That's actually what brings me here. While I've had pretty good luck with that smoker so far, I think I've reached the point where I either need to do some mods (mainly to seal up the gigantic gaps) or move up to a new unit. Especially last Thanksgiving when it was really windy, I had trouble keeping the smoker at 250 and ended up having to finish the turkey in the oven.

Cosmetically, there's some rust (mostly on/in the firebox and the charcoal tray in the main chamber), but it's still structurally sound, so it's hard to justify buying something new. So, for now, I'm planning to rig up a new charcoal bin (the original charcoal rack is warped beyond recognition) and figure out some way seal up the huge gaps around the lid. I thought about getting an upright (specifically the WSM), but I really like the capacity of the offset cookers. Eventually, I'd love to get a Lang, but it's going to take a while to save up for that.

So, I'm very interested to hear from any other Char-Griller folks, especially about any mods you've done to improve the efficiency of your pits.

-Chad

whall · Posted: May 17 2014 Post subject:

Welcome to The Ring wedge!

You should be able to find lots of ideas and help on how to mod your cooker.

There are a lot of great people on here willing to help

Maniac · BBQ Super Pro Joined: 02 Oct 2010 Posts: 2433 Location: Pa

wedge Welcome to the ring Exclamation

2 hours up the road from you...80/81 split.
Looking forward to your revamp...post pics.
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RF Smoker
20" disc
uds

wedge · Joined: 17 May 2014 Posts: 15

I'm also a bit of a photography geek as well, so I set up a BBQ Gallery on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjYax8sb
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18.5" WSM, Char-Griller Smokin Pro and a lot of patience

Smokin Mike · Posted: May 17 2014 Post subject:

Howdy wedge. Welcome to the ring! Cool

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My current cookers: 80 gallon vertical tank
The Ultimate New Braunfels Makeover

italian skewer · Posted: May 18 2014 Post subject:

Welcome to the ring wedge.
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WSM 18.5"
WSM 22.5"
Weber One Touch Platinum 22.5"
Weber 22.5" Silver
Weber Smokey Joe
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If we're not supposed to eat animals, how come they're made out of meat?

Canadian Bacon · Posted: May 18 2014 Post subject:

Welcome to TSR Chad.
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Horizon Offset (Marshall RD Special)
30 " Electric Masterbuilt(Digital)
Large BGE
Napoleon Legend Gasser
20"& 26" Discada
Two of the fastest Thermapens ever made ... Black& Blue
LIAR #25

CraigE · Posted: May 18 2014 Post subject:

Welcome to The Ring Wedge! There's a wealth of knowledge here and tons of helpful ppl. Hope to see some of your BBQ.
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Smokin Heifer BBQ
In God We Trust!

Reborn Oyler 700
Meadowcreek TS250 w/Insulated firebox
Modified OK Joe's Highland Smoker

k.a.m. · Posted: May 18 2014 Post subject:

Welcome to the ring Chad, looking forward to seeing some pics of your cooks. Smile

These may help. Very Happy

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=810&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
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Always remember slow and steady wins the race.

Hybrid Cooker

wedge · Joined: 17 May 2014 Posts: 15

After perusing the forums here and discovering that I've been doing things the hard way (with my COS), I convinced the boss that it would be worthwhile to invest in something that will provide better efficiency and more consistent results. So, I just picked up an 18.5" WSM so I can get it assembled and broken in in time to do up some brisket and chicken for the holiday.

However, I have one question that I can't seem to find an answer to. It looks like I'll have no trouble fitting 1 large or 2 smaller briskets on the bottom rack, and I usually do up 2 whole chickens at a time (I split them and save the backbones for making stock & soup later). But, my question is about the drippings. If I leave the brisket on the bottom and put the chickens on top, won't the chicken grease and such drip down and get all over the beef? I figure there are two ways to deal with that: 1) before putting the chicken on, put some foil over the brisket (maybe a steam table pan upside down) or 2) move the brisket to the top (in a foil pan to prevent its drippings from hitting the chicken) and put the chicken on the bottom. I think the second would take longer and I'd lose too much heat, but I'll abide by the consensus here since you all have much more experience with this type of cooker than I.
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18.5" WSM, Char-Griller Smokin Pro and a lot of patience

Smokin Mike · Posted: May 20 2014 Post subject:

Wedge, In terms of food safety and the wellness of your guests, chicken drippings are not safe until they reach a temperature of 165°. That's the temperature that the salmonella bacteria dies off. I personally wouldn't let poultry drippings contact any other meat. I'm sure someone will chime in and state that they do it all the time with no problem. That's a personal decision and completely up to you, but you should read up on it and weigh the risks IMO.

http://www.food-safety-and-you.com/Chicken.html

If it were me, I'd cook the poultry in the lower part of the WSM to take advantage of the higher temperatures closer to the coals. The poultry likes that. Smile

If that doesn't work out for you then a drip pan of some sorts will work or you could cook the chickens in the pan. Several options there still keeping food safety in mind.

My 2 cents.
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My current cookers: 80 gallon vertical tank
The Ultimate New Braunfels Makeover

wedge · Joined: 17 May 2014 Posts: 15

Thanks for the tips, Mike. I have friends who work in the food safety industry, so I've been made well aware of the dangers. I think I'll cook the brisket on the top rack and transfer it to a foil pan when I put the chicken on. I'm figuring the beef will take 8-10 hours, while the chicken shouldn't need more than 3 or 4. These are the times I used to allow on my offset, usually transferring the brisket to a foil pan, covered loosely, after about 6 hours. If anything, the WSM should give slightly shorter cooking times because of the more consistent temperature and lacking the need to refuel often.
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18.5" WSM, Char-Griller Smokin Pro and a lot of patience

Smokin Mike · Posted: May 21 2014 Post subject:

Sounds like a plan! Don't forget to post up some pics of your cook. I likes me some brisket. Mr. Green

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My current cookers: 80 gallon vertical tank
The Ultimate New Braunfels Makeover