Whats on the Grill or Smoker?

[USMC615]

He has the older solid door. He's had his for a a few years.

Gotcha. I could've ordered the solid door version and saved even more with the 15% off, but I wanted that tempered glass door...it kinda keeps folks from wanting to go...'come on open it up, I wanna see the groceries' theory. No different than any other smoking...if you lookin', you ain't cookin'.

 

[Mastermind]

I cut the door in the oil tank smoker to discover a very pleasant surprise. The tank has never been used. Nothing inside but a little surface rust.

 

[USMC615]

I'm not sure on the size of my lp smoker, it maybe a 24" one give or take a few inches. It works good, I just prefer my smoker with a side fire box where I can use whole logs.

Granted mine is smaller, but when it sits on low it sings along at 200. A buddy of mine has one of the big ones that you are looking at and I'm pretty sure both his and mine use the same burner. He has to keep his on high just to hit 225, he can't get any higher temps than that.


With those the first thing you want to do is throw the box where you put the wood chips in away. Find a steel pan that is large enough to sit on the shelf above the burner. The chip pan that comes with them is way to small, you'll need to feed chips to it every hour or so.

Agree Ross about the smoker chip holders...gonna be the first thing I look at. I've got some stainless loitering around in the shop, push come to shove, I'll TIG some new, deeper wood chip holders if space and whatnot allows.

 

[hseII]

Here's one for ya...hit the breakroom in the hangar to get a soda at afternoon break today. Buddy of mine is pinning up a couple of things for sale on one of the big cork boards. One of them is a Char-Broil Big Easy TRU Infrared, oil-less turkey cooker...will cook up to a 16-lb turkey. Asked him how much, he said $50, he already had one and won it in a raffle. Make a long story short...a couple of buddies of mine have one and they cook a turkey or two whole chickens, with the pull-out basket system it has, pretty good. Asked if it was new, he said still in the taped box. Pulled out my wallet and had two $20's and three $1's...he said gimmee $40 and it's yours. I know the cooker alone at Academy and other places is $80 right now, if you get it with the 20-22 piece accessory kit (rib holders/8-skewer set/leg and wing racks/etc, etc, it gets right at $100 or a little over). After we made the deal he told me this one came with the accessory kit as well. The accessories are kinda gimmicky but they do work...probably won't use them a whole lot. You can also remove the inside stainless liner and turkey basket and drop a 30-qt pot in it for steaming King and Snow crab legs, doing low country boils, etc.

I'll hook a cylinder up to it, wipe the guts down with vegetable oil and season it tomorrow after work. Here's my $40, brand new LP cooker investment after putting it together this evening...
View attachment 41094

That is THE Absolute best way to cook a turkey.

 

[USMC615]

That is THE Absolute best way to cook a turkey.

Good to hear...anxious to give it a spin. Probably try a couple of whole chickens for the first test run.

 

[Genius]

Today I worked on cleaning out my freezer before we need to fill it with a cow in a month. I sliced up a few beef roasts and the venison left over from last year and have everything curing.

Tomorrow afternoon I'm planning on making a bunch of jerky on the smoker.

 

[hseII]

Today I worked on cleaning out my freezer before we need to fill it with a cow in a month. I sliced up a few beef roasts and the venison left over from last year and have everything curing.

Tomorrow afternoon I'm planning on making a bunch of jerky on the smoker.

Will it last 2 weeks?

 

[USMC615]

Today I worked on cleaning out my freezer before we need to fill it with a cow in a month. I sliced up a few beef roasts and the venison left over from last year and have everything curing.

Tomorrow afternoon I'm planning on making a bunch of jerky on the smoker.

Sounds good!!

 

[Genius]

Will it last 2 weeks?

We shall see.



Although, from the looks of it as of right now..... Its not looking so good on you trying it

 

[USMC615]

@srb08...Steve, did you order your Smoke Hollow yet? I hope I made a good decision on the older model...I was really liking the newer version which is what you're going after. After reading further, it seems both chip holders are about the same depth...I was basing my opinion on 'opinions and reviews' on-line. And I've read nothing negative about the single latch door on the newer model. When my older model gets here next week, I'll take a good look at what's going on with the chip pans. Last thing I wanna have to do is hit chunks with a little splitting axe to knock them down some...but it may be the case with both.

I read the PDF manual online today and printed it as well. Seems the upper cabinet gets bolted to the lower burner/water pan base unit with 10, 1/4x20x3/4" little bolts/washers/nuts. I'm thinking before I bolt it down, gonna run a bead of food grade, hi-temp rtv at that entire mating surface btwn the two. I want the smoking pans/water pan/burner chamber as air-tight as I can get it, mating up to the grocery chamber. I think it'll help it bigtime when it comes to allowing nothing but the temp setting with the control gas knobs, and the bottom dampers with the top chimney stack, do its thing and keep a good, constant temp.

 

[hseII]

We shall see.



Although, from the looks of it as of right now..... Its not looking so good on you trying it

That's fine if you eat it before you make it to Randy's, long as you make it to Randy's.

 

[Genius]

That's fine if you eat it before you make it to Randy's, long as you make it to Randy's.

Ill text you Lisa's number, she may need some "convincing" dot dot dot.....

 

[USMC615]

Ill text you Lisa's number, she may need some "convincing" dot dot dot.....

I knew that was a comin'...lol!

 

[Genius]

@srb08...Steve, did you order your Smoke Hollow yet? I hope I made a good decision on the older model...I was really liking the newer version which is what you're going after. After reading further, it seems both chip holders are about the same depth...I was basing my opinion on 'opinions and reviews' on-line. And I've read nothing negative about the single latch door on the newer model. When my older model gets here next week, I'll take a good look at what's going on with the chip pans. Last thing I wanna have to do is hit chunks with a little splitting axe to knock them down some...but it may be the case with both.

I read the PDF manual online today and printed it as well. Seems the upper cabinet gets bolted to the lower burner/water pan base unit with 10, 1/4x20x3/4" little bolts/washers/nuts. I'm thinking before I bolt it down, gonna run a bead of food grade, hi-temp rtv at that entire mating surface btwn the two. I want the smoking pans/water pan/burner chamber as air-tight as I can get it, mating up to the grocery chamber. I think it'll help it bigtime when it comes to allowing nothing but the temp setting with the control gas knobs, and the bottom dampers with the top chimney stack, do its thing and keep a good, constant temp.

Dang you Jason.....


After looking at that smoker you are convincing me that I need to be spending some moar dead presidents..... At first I was wary about the glass door, but after a season of using these grill grate thermometers and spraying PAM over them and seeing how well they actually clean up after each session I believe having a glass door would be kinda nice.

I dont need a new smoker, but dang am I wanting one.....


I need a new gun before I need a new smoker.... I need a 200-300 yard rifle that has a cartridge that is 35 cal with a straight walled case length between 1.16-1.80 that'll take a deer down at those ranges so that I can put more meat into my smokers....

 

[srb08]

@srb08...Steve, did you order your Smoke Hollow yet? I hope I made a good decision on the older model...I was really liking the newer version which is what you're going after. After reading further, it seems both chip holders are about the same depth...I was basing my opinion on 'opinions and reviews' on-line. And I've read nothing negative about the single latch door on the newer model. When my older model gets here next week, I'll take a good look at what's going on with the chip pans. Last thing I wanna have to do is hit chunks with a little splitting axe to knock them down some...but it may be the case with both.

I read the PDF manual online today and printed it as well. Seems the upper cabinet gets bolted to the lower burner/water pan base unit with 10, 1/4x20x3/4" little bolts/washers/nuts. I'm thinking before I bolt it down, gonna run a bead of food grade, hi-temp rtv at that entire mating surface btwn the two. I want the smoking pans/water pan/burner chamber as air-tight as I can get it, mating up to the grocery chamber. I think it'll help it bigtime when it comes to allowing nothing but the temp setting with the control gas knobs, and the bottom dampers with the top chimney stack, do its thing and keep a good, constant temp.

Jason, I looked at things a bit further and decided on the 44241G2. That's the solid front, two door 44" model. I'd actually ordered the same cabinet in 38", by mistake. I need to wait until Monday to get the confirmation that the order was cancelled. When I get the confirmation, I'll order the 44". If the order made it through, before I cancelled, I guess I'll have a 38".
Either way is OK with me.

 

[USMC615]

Jason, I looked at things a bit further and decided on the 44241G2. That's the solid front, two door 44" model. I'd actually ordered the same cabinet in 38", by mistake. I need to wait until Monday to get the confirmation that the order was cancelled. When I get the confirmation, I'll order the 44". If the order made it through, before I cancelled, I guess I'll have a 38".
Either way is OK with me.

I was eyeballing the 38" myself pretty hard. Either one will handle full length ribs whether they be baby backs or otherwise, without having to cut them. With the discount I got, the 44" was the same as the 38".

I'm just trying to make my best educated guess after reading reviews on several sites and forums, as far as going with the 44" Smoke Hollow model that's coming. I hope it's everything I think it'll be Steve.

 

[USMC615]

Dang you Jason.....


After looking at that smoker you are convincing me that I need to be spending some moar dead presidents..... At first I was wary about the glass door, but after a season of using these grill grate thermometers and spraying PAM over them and seeing how well they actually clean up after each session I believe having a glass door would be kinda nice.

I dont need a new smoker, but dang am I wanting one.....


I need a new gun before I need a new smoker.... I need a 200-300 yard rifle that has a cartridge that is 35 cal with a straight walled case length between 1.16-1.80 that'll take a deer down at those ranges so that I can put more meat into my smokers....

You need another gun like you need a damn hole in your head...lol. Buy a damn smoker Ross and be done with it!! Lol

 

[srb08]

I was eyeballing the 38" myself pretty hard. Either one will handle full length ribs whether they be baby backs or otherwise, without having to cut them. With the discount I got, the 44" was the same as the 38".

I'm just trying to make my best educated guess after reading reviews on several sites and forums, as far as going with the 44" Smoke Hollow model that's coming. I hope it's everything I think it'll be Steve.

I talked to my son earlier today. He said he's never had to use both burners at the same time for anything below 250 degrees. He also said the smoker holds a constant temp, once regulated. He's got a wireless thermometer and says he almost never has to mess with the unit. He also said he doesn't have to worry about the ends on slabs or ribs getting burned because they're too close to the cabinet walls. The extra width takes care of the problem.
Overall, he's very happy with the 44" smoke hollow unit. He does have the glass window unit, I was mistaken. He's never cleaned the glass, says there's no reason to. After a few hours of smoke, you can't see through it.
I think you'll be happy, I think I will too.

 

[USMC615]

I talked to my son earlier today. He said he's never had to use both burners at the same time for anything below 250 degrees. He also said the smoker holds a constant temp, once regulated. He's got a wireless thermometer and says he almost never has to mess with the unit. He also said he doesn't have to worry about the ends on slabs or ribs getting burned because they're too close to the cabinet walls. The extra width takes care of the problem.
Overall, he's very happy with the 44" smoke hollow unit. He does have the glass window unit, I was mistaken. He's never cleaned the glass, says there's no reason to. After a few hours of smoke, you can't see through it.
I think you'll be happy, I think I will too.

Perfect Steve. I'm anxious to get this thing next week. Did he seal with rtv the top cooking chamber to the bottom unit with the ten little 1/4x20x3/4 or so bolts? If he didn't need too, I may not fool with running any hi-temp rtv to mate those two.

 

[srb08]

Perfect Steve. I'm anxious to get this thing next week. Did he seal with rtv the top cooking chamber to the bottom unit with the ten little 1/4x20x3/4 or so bolts? If he didn't need too, I may not fool with running any hi-temp rtv to mate those two.

Jason, the only sealing he did was to put a stove gasket on the door. He said it leaked a bit, before he added the gasket.
He did spray the entire cabinet, in and out, with High temp BBQ paint. Being on the gulf coast, corrosion is a problem.

Are you doing birds in the IR cooker tomorrow?