Hey Folks! I have had a few people ask me about the mods I have done to my smoker and grill and as they say – a picture is worth a thousand words.
Here’s a video of the changes on my backyard rigs.
I hope this answers a few of your questions and have a great week.
Click here for full disclaimer …….before doing any mods, make sure you read all this stuff.
Great video, Big Iron. Where did you learn all this stuff about modding your Char-Griller?
Also, lil’ iron is a good “cinematographer” !
I always learn something from your blog.
And at the credits, I laughed and I cried… well, laughed at the credit for the “Lens Glare” by The Sun.
Mega
I just bought a CharGriller Smokin Pro and got it assembled and seasoned yesterday.
So I am really a newbie on smokin.
I plan on starting with something easy.
That was an interesting video on the pork shoulder that you dd over the sand on labor day. My question is when you have an overnight smoke can you let it go or do you have to tend it all night. Im not good at no sleep.
Buiding a filre and keeping it going for the long haul will be a challenge.
Thanks for all the good information
Hello Jim,
When you are smoking yo do have to tend to it. First off he are serious saftey issues about leaving a unit unattended.
That being said, if you have done all the basics you should be alright. There is somthing called a “minion method”. This is the technique of putting un-lit charcoal around lit charcoal.
The reason is to have the hot charcoal light the unlit charcoal slowly……this way you have a long burntime and steady temps. It is easily learned but it might be tricky the first time…..so don’t give up.
All smokers are different and you have to learn how this one cooks. After that is done you will be good to go.
It took me 6 weeks of things not being perfect before I got it right…..meaning, not my standards. The wife and neighbors thought it was outstanding…….so it’s kind of a win-win situation.
Here s a link to explain the method..
http://www.yellowjacketsystems.com/que/minion/
Let me know how it turns out.
Great video. I just got the CG Deluxe Griller and side firebox, seasoned it and smoked a pork shoulder over the weekend (came out very good!). I encountered the ash build up problem, and was already planning the grate mod. I like the baffle and smoke stack mod, and will accomplish them this weekend. The video is much more helpful than descriptions or even diagrams. Good Work! Looking forward to getting back to smoking after a three year absence.
I had time just before christmas to get the mods done on the Char Griller. The smoker works like a Swiss clock! The first pork loin I tried a few weeks back had me constantly fiddling with the fire (almost as much as when I had my old Brinkman water smoker). I used a combo of hickory and cowboy charcoal, checked the fire about every half an hour, and really didn’t have to do much more than add wood every so often, and occasionally close the damper to cool things down. The pork loin was a hit-nice and moist, great smoky flavor. My mom, who knows a thing or two about cooking and ‘Q wa bragging on me. Always good to hear from a gal with alittle bit of the Lone Star state in her. Next up on the menu are some smoked Turkey Legs, maybe a couple of smoked beer=-butt chickens, and most importantly some brisket. Thanks for the video. I had a general idea of what problems the smoker had, but the only thing I had really figured out down to the nuts and bolts was raising the firebox grate. Keep up the good work. Oh-and our neighborhood seems to be going downhill too. The people behind us think nothing of running a damn four-wheeler through our yard, or letting their unsupervised, unhelmeted 10 year old do the same. I don’t think I ought to have to explain the concept of why utilizing a motorized vehicle on someone else’s property (especially in a residential area) is poor manners.
I am a beginer at smoking and just bought the char-griller. I plan to make the modifications as you have mentioned. Just one question: Is there a specific reason for all the foil in the unit or does it just keep the unit cleaner? Thanks for the info.
I thought you had a video that showed how to use a Smoker for the first time. I thought it was from your web site. It showed using a NON-STICK spray, Like PAM, and spray the inside of your smoker first. It was a round smoker. I cant find the video.
You can find the video here :
Dear Big Iron,
I have just finished making some mods to my Char-Griller and I smoked my first beef brisket. The mods worked great and the brisket reflected that. The mods I made were; 1. Relocate the smokestack to the firebox side; 2. Install two steel rails (I used a piece of bed frame rail attached to the existing bolts) in the lower half to support the fire grate. This allowed me to position the over-turned fire grate at the top of the side firebox opening and up against the side. I chose to remove two bolts (and weld the box to the grill) to allow it to be completely flush with the side. A person could also use aluminum foil to make a thick gasket to seal the two pieces. This turns this smoker into a reverse flow smoker and my results were great! The surface temp of the lid at the fire box was 210 F., the opposite side was 212 F. The smoke was running throught the smoker just right and I was able to maintain the smoke flow temp at 250 easily. This mod also allow the smoker to be returned to a grill without removing the rails. I took several pictures and would love to share them with everyone but I have not created a blog for such yet.
Thank you Big Iron for the inspiration and all the great information. Allowing people into your life like you did has got to be tough. I wish you and your family all the best.
Smok’n in Arizona…David
David,
Send me some pictures if you could please. In the process of modding my Char-Griller w/sfb. Please send to tkhaines at hot mail dot com.
Thanks,
Smokey-T
(Ted)
Check out these mods. I’m working on them now for my char griller.
http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/Downloads_files/CharGrilleMods.pdf