Lone Star Grillz Vertical Insulated Cabinet Smoker-For the new Owner

[darkoozy]

So today I did some Turkey breasts, Ribs and a IBCA practice chicken, the ribs came out great, the chicken was ok, but the Turkey, well I did not like it, to me it seemed like it was steamed not smoked, even though the IT was 170 the skin still looked raw to me... These are finished but to me look pre cooked.... The water in the pan was boiling so hard that it was splashing onto the bottom pan so I did not use it, I am in a learning curve here so sorry for being dumb....

We are all still learners...

For poultry I would suggest running the smoker dry and at hotter temps in the smoker. I almost never cook poultry and find it boring I honestly cant comment too much due to the lack of poultry experience...

Poultry almost always cooks better in dry/hot environment. I am sure you will get better suggestions from others.

Atleast the ribs came out great!

 

[GrillsGoneWild]

I just did 2 chickens (cut into halves) yesterday. I had the water pan full and temps around 250. Because I was cooking other things, they started on the bottom shelf skin side down. Half way done, I moved them to an upper shelf when I took off some other things with the skin side up. I used cherry and apple chuncks Along with the brine, marinade and Plowboys rub, they came out great.

 

[GrillsGoneWild]

Is anyone else seeing their cooking times reduced when using your LSG? I went from a Diamond Plate Pit stick burner to a Backyard Bomber cabinet smoker to the LSG. My cook times seemed to be about the same from the DPP to the BB, but now with the LSG using my same temps my cook times seem to have been reduced. I'm getting briskets done at 1/hr. per pound while smoking at 235, where it use to take 250 for that time frame. Now hat I got my CyberQ working properly, I'm going to use the Pit Pal to determine new time frames for all my meats.
Only thing I can think of is that the seals are so good that it is acting like a convection oven and a really moist environment.

 

[mmotown]

I have noticed that cook times are reduced. The smoker acts as a pressure cooker. I have finally figured out how to efficiently use this smoker. I don't add water until I hit my target temp without water. Adding water is going to automatically drop the temp. At most I may just add 2 gallons adding another gallon an hour. I don't run that much water because although I want my meat moist, I still want to run semi dry. I use the minion method and now that I have a new guru unit, everything is in sync now. With or without the guru. Also if you are not using a guru and you want to raise your temp, you have to have that air drafting well through your smoker. Get it where you want it then close the valves. Chris's instructions are spot on. It took a minute for me to feel comfortable with this smoker. The only thing is when I had my stumps smoker, I didn't have to worry about water and I could do a cook and go to sleep and the next morning my temp would be steady. I can't go to sleep yet with this smoker because of the water aspect.

 

[GrillsGoneWild]

Yes, I wish there was a space between the water and top of the fire box. This smoker uses the water pan as a heat source and that takes a lot of energy to keep heating the water.
You are right, when running with water it isn't as much set it and forget it as one would hope. I start out with it full and cook between 225 and 250. With my backyard bomber I'm able to fill the little water pan that fits inside the lowest rack and not have to add water for a long time, but I also have to have a way to catch the grease or make sure the aluminum foil in the bottom of the cooker covers everything. I really was hoping the water pan with the drain valve was going to be a huge advantage with not making a mess on the bottom of the cooker and being able to drain the water without having to worry about taking out a pan. I do really like not having to open the door to put more water in the pan. Also, the outlet pip should be angled down a bit for better draining all of the water out. I empty the pan with the drain and then place 2 wheels off the side of my driveway to get the rest out.

 

[gotribe28]

Stoker log

I had notes and stuff loaded in such as meat times and why I opened the door, but like everything in my life they vanished...lol

I was not running hot I tried to stay right around 225-235 at 1400 I did up it to 250 just to see if I could, then bring it down (I figured out it is a slow bring it down, not close the vents and temp drops like on a SB) I started the fire at 1030 and put my ribs on at 1200. I ran out of fuel at 1630 I had 3 full rows of charcoal with chunks it really seemed like the fire jumped from one to the next. I opened the fire box to take a peek at about 1pm and all three rows were blazing....

More advice is appreciated

Karl

 

[lonestargrillz]

I had notes and stuff loaded in such as meat times and why I opened the door, but like everything in my life they vanished...lol

I was not running hot I tried to stay right around 225-235 at 1400 I did up it to 250 just to see if I could, then bring it down (I figured out it is a slow bring it down, not close the vents and temp drops like on a SB) I started the fire at 1030 and put my ribs on at 1200. I ran out of fuel at 1630 I had 3 full rows of charcoal with chunks it really seemed like the fire jumped from one to the next. I opened the fire box to take a peek at about 1pm and all three rows were blazing....

More advice is appreciated

Karl

I suspect one of a couple things could be the problem.
How much fuel did you start with?
what was your target temp?
What was the actual temp?
Water or not?
Where you placed charcoal in the basket was it filled to the top of the fire box or less than?

Thanks
Chris

 

[GrillsGoneWild]

How did you have 3 rows set up? Using T-Plates or fire bricks? If using the T-Plates it sounds like there wasn't space between them as to not catch the charcoal on the other side on fire.

 

[mmotown]

I use bricks and the only way another row caught on fire was if I filled to the top above the bricks and one stray hot coal managed to fall on the other row. IMO water needs to be added later. Not in the beginning

 

[gotribe28]

I suspect one of a couple things could be the problem.
How much fuel did you start with?
what was your target temp?
What was the actual temp?
Water or not?
Where you placed charcoal in the basket was it filled to the top of the fire box or less than?

Thanks
Chris

1. Since I knew it was ribs and I was doing a 6 hour cook at most, I loaded up a chimney full, left space and started filling in I had 3 rows about 3 high of briquets, I then added 4 chunks of pecan spread out. They were not above the height of the t plates.

2. target temp was 230 to start then i raised to 250 about 3.5 hours in and then dropped it back down to 330 (was seeing how long it would take to go back down)


3. Actual temp was 224-235

4. No water till I got to temp, then 1 gallon, then 2 more gallons spaced at 20 minutes each. 1 hour later smoke coming up through water port so I added 2 gallons, then when it would smoke I would add another gallon. When I opened it at 430 to wrap ribs the water was to the top of the pan boiling over the bottom rack, I then drained about a gallon.

5. way less then

 

[gotribe28]

How did you have 3 rows set up? Using T-Plates or fire bricks? If using the T-Plates it sounds like there wasn't space between them as to not catch the charcoal on the other side on fire.

I was using the t plates and had them set up exactly like the pic on the website.

i am thinking that when the wood flared that it caught the other row

 

[lonestargrillz]

1. Since I knew it was ribs and I was doing a 6 hour cook at most, I loaded up a chimney full, left space and started filling in I had 3 rows about 3 high of briquets, I then added 4 chunks of pecan spread out. They were not above the height of the t plates.

2. target temp was 230 to start then i raised to 250 about 3.5 hours in and then dropped it back down to 330 (was seeing how long it would take to go back down)


3. Actual temp was 224-235

4. No water till I got to temp, then 1 gallon, then 2 more gallons spaced at 20 minutes each. 1 hour later smoke coming up through water port so I added 2 gallons, then when it would smoke I would add another gallon. When I opened it at 430 to wrap ribs the water was to the top of the pan boiling over the bottom rack, I then drained about a gallon.

5. way less then

So based on your answers and I also scrolled back up and saw the picture you posted showing fuel in the fire box from an earlier cook. I think your main problem is you don’t have the fuel packed in high enough, weather you use 5 lbs of fuel or 40 lbs I recommend filling up the rows to the top or almost to the top. If your fuel is a thin line it will burn it all up trying to get to the temp you want, if its filled to the top you will have a smaller more concentrated fire that will consume less fuel and burn longer. Also if you want to raise the temp it’s much easier because you have more fuel available in a given area. If all you have is a thin layer it will take longer for the charcoal to ignite more fuel to raise the temp. Also it is important to adjust the top vent according to the temp you want to cook at (recommendations can be found on our web site and are emailed to each customer) If your top vent is all the way open and you want to cook at 225 you will natural draw more air than needed stoking a larger fire but not necessarily raising the temp a lot.

Thanks
Chris

 

[mmotown]

My setup with firer brick. Sorry about the pics. I couldn't rotate them

 

[GrillsGoneWild]

Yep, it sounds like not enough charcoal piled in there. If you had all 3 rows going at once and the temp wasn't spiked out that is showing the fuel load wasn't much.

Here is one of my T Plate set ups and you can see the chunks are at the top of the plates.

 

[GrillsGoneWild]

Have no idea why the pic is so big.http://s223.photobucket.com/user/fullstraps/media/Lone Star Grillz/20140802_181952.jpg.html

 

[gotribe28]

So based on your answers and I also scrolled back up and saw the picture you posted showing fuel in the fire box from an earlier cook. I think your main problem is you don’t have the fuel packed in high enough, weather you use 5 lbs of fuel or 40 lbs I recommend filling up the rows to the top or almost to the top. If your fuel is a thin line it will burn it all up trying to get to the temp you want, if its filled to the top you will have a smaller more concentrated fire that will consume less fuel and burn longer. Also if you want to raise the temp it’s much easier because you have more fuel available in a given area. If all you have is a thin layer it will take longer for the charcoal to ignite more fuel to raise the temp. Also it is important to adjust the top vent according to the temp you want to cook at (recommendations can be found on our web site and are emailed to each customer) If your top vent is all the way open and you want to cook at 225 you will natural draw more air than needed stoking a larger fire but not necessarily raising the temp a lot.

Thanks
Chris

i was afraid that putting in to much would make them catch the others but in fact its the opposite... Thank you I am judging on Saturday and doing a practice cook on Sunday, I going to cook the next couple without the stoker till I learn the pit, epic fail do over time...

 

[gotribe28]

Thank you guys for the pics, now let me ask another dumb question, my pit is in my garage for storage, i roll it out to cook and back when finished, those baskets look like they will cook for two days, how do you cool it down? by 7pm on Sunday if I start at 9 am I need it done and back in the garage without melting the Harley....

 

[Black Dog Smokehouse]

I don't have mine yet but I think if you shut down your ball valves and close the top damper it will not have any air so the fire will die out even if there is unused coals. The cabinet is insulated so it should be cool to the touch. I believe your Harley is safe!

 

[lonestargrillz]

i was afraid that putting in to much would make them catch the others but in fact its the opposite... Thank you I am judging on Saturday and doing a practice cook on Sunday, I going to cook the next couple without the stoker till I learn the pit, epic fail do over time...

My 2 cents for what its worth, since you have used it a couple times with the stoker stick with it until you get it down then try it with just the ball valve. Using just the ball valve requires you to follow a little different set of rules to control temp (not harder just a little different).

Thanks
Chris

 

[gotribe28]

I don't have mine yet but I think if you shut down your ball valves and close the top damper it will not have any air so the fire will die out even if there is unused coals. The cabinet is insulated so it should be cool to the touch. I believe your Harley is safe!

Closing the ball valve and the damper really doesn't do a whole lot since it holds heat so well....