Promsing Start...

Ok after reading a week’s worth of blog post I decided to start Hot Rodding my “BEAST”. I extended the Smoke stack to the Grate first. Then I added the side fire box, and purchased a Veggie Griller to use as a Coal basket. I also lined the inside of the grill with foil, and flipped the stock coal tray upside down to use as a baffle… I ran some test runs but more of the time the smoke chamber was way too hot (300-400f). So I decided to do a test run with a slab of rims using the minion method. I’m typing this up as the ribs are smoking so I will post what I did and a reflection at the end... 10:20am: Pour about 15 hot coals in a basket with about a chimney full of unlit lump coal (Cowboy Brand), and placed a water dish inside the smoke chamber to control the heat. 10:45am: The Grill reads a temp of 110f with stock thermometer. 11:00am: The Grill reads a temp of 140f with stock thermometer. 11:15am: The Grill Reads a Temp of 160f with stock thermometer. 11:30am: the Grill reads a Temp of 210f and the grate temp was 190f with oven thermometer. 11:45am: 200f at grate and with stock thermometer. 12:00pm: 230f at grate and with stock thermometer. ***Put the Meat on…. 12:15pm: Temps dropped to 210f on both thermometers. 12:45pm: Temp dropped to 190f on both thermometers. Decided to take out the water pan. 12:55pm Temp dropped down to 180f on both thermometer. Decided to add more lump coal... 1:10pm Temps up to 230 on grills thermometer and 210 on Grate... Sprayed the ribs with apple juice... 1:30pm Temps up to 250f on grill and 240 on grate, so I decided to add some smoking wood. I also closed the vent on the Side box half way because I didn’t want the temps to get over 250f. 2:00pm Grill Temps read 250f. 2:30pm grill temps read 225f 3:00pm Grill reads 210f at the Grill and 200 at the Grate... Took the meat out to wrap it and added coals (and Smoking wood) to the Box. 3:30pm: The Grill read a temp of 250f… 4:20pm: Temp dropped down to 210f and I added some Stubbs Charcoal… 430pm Temps at grill was 210f and at Grate it read 195… Unwrapped the ribs. 5:30pm DONE!!!!! At 240f Over and hour after I took the meat off the grill read 190f and the grate read 175f.. Conclusion... First I wasn’t happy with how quick the Cowboy Lump Coal burned out…. I went through a bad and still couldn’t keep my temps steady. Secondly, I don’t know if the pan of water helped any…. I believe it kept the temps low while it was I the smoker. I’m not sure if inverting the coal tray made a different. I also week like the grill am not able to hold the heat the way it should. I’m wondering if fireplace bricks of even ceramic bricks would help insulate the heat.