Smoker Advice

[FooD]

On a related note, I'm thinking about modding my electric ECB into a charcoal unit as the electrical element has gotten weaker over time and I have no desire to replace it.
I've seen charcoal ECB mods but don't know if anyone has converted their electric unit into charcoal.

 

[High Cheese]

And I do exactly the opposite!

HC, briquettes do not need to be started separately in a chimney starter.

Lee

I always did because of the lag time before they heat up, and my timing might be off because I smoulder the heat. I actually only start my SFB with lump, then I use straight wood. Starting with lump heats up the chamber faster than starting a fire from scratch and building up the coals & temps. When I'm out of lump I pick up twigs from the yard.

 

[PanchoHambre]

Hey Pancho, I'll give you my Chargriller Pro.

I like playing with fire but you need to tend to your smoker frequently. If that's not your thingthen look into an electric or propane job. Oh, about charchoal. The two main differences between lump and briquetts are: Lump burns hotter and faster and barely leaves any remaining ash, and can be added to the fire as needed. Briquettes burn slightly cooler, last longer, leave quite a bit of residue and need to be started seperately in a chimney starter. Personally, I like lump for long cooks and use briquettes for short cooks or direct grilling for flavor and less cleanup.

for real? That would be cool I just want something to mess around with

I like fire too never cooked with lump though just briquettes or regular wood if I use the fire pit thing which my neighbor seems to have co-opted anyway which is fine because I usually char everything to death with it.

 

[FooD]

On a related note, I'm thinking about modding my electric ECB into a charcoal unit as the electrical element has gotten weaker over time and I have no desire to replace it.
I've seen charcoal ECB mods but don't know if anyone has converted their electric unit into charcoal.

Well, it's been about a couple of months since I converted my electric ECB into a charcoal unit and it has turned into a better smoker overall with all the additional essential mods. It can hold 250-300F for over 10 hours using just a chimney worth of briquettes.

Also, on another related note I'm almost done with my UDS (ugly drum smoker) build and will be firing it up for a cook this weekend. Can't wait.