Time to get serious about a new smoker.

[Drunk Tank]

do you have to move shelves during the cook or does it really do 24 butts evenly? if so that is amazing

In my FEC100, the bottom shelf is hotter than the rest, so I'll either put the larger cuts of meat there or rotate the racks. I am assuming it will be the same with the Assassin.

[Drunk Tank]

I fired the Assassin up last night, couldn't bring myself to wait any longer. Damn these take a long time to come up to temp compared to the FEC. I am going to have to get used to that. I used Royal Oak lump charcoal because that is what I had. I did break any large pieces into smaller pieces to avoid bridging. I was able to use the BBQ Guru with the bad screen. It took about an hour to hit 225°. I smoked some sausage links and used some chunks of apple wood in the ash pan. I noticed the wood was burnt up within an hour of me putting it in the pan. I didn't put the wood chunks on until I put the meat on the smoker. I emptied the ash pan before I put the wood in. After the initial load of wood chunks were burnt up. I emptied the ash pan and put another few chunks of apple wood in there. Again, these lasted about 45-60 min. I have read a bunch of reviews on gravity smokers and it seems 45-60 min is about the norm for adding wood to the ash pan. It seems that many people mix the wood chunks with the charcoal to eliminate having to keep adding it. JL, has this been your experience as well?

I got an RMA from BBQ Guru to return the damaged unit for evaluation to see if they are going to cover it under warranty. I was told it would be $65 to replace the board if it wasn't covered. Not too bad seeing that a new unit is about $150 for just the controller. I'll be without the controller for about 2 weeks, so hopefully I'll be able to get it going sans controller since I have a couple smokes coming up.

[ERCougar]

I know you didn't ask me, but I don't even use lump any more for my kamado. Can't remember who, but someone smart convinced me it was a huge waste of money. Lump supposedly burns hotter, but I don't believe it, at least compared to comp or trader Joe briquettes. Ash production is little higher, but not much, and they're more cost efficient with more even temperatures.

My next experiment is to try wood chunks in the ash pan. Not sure how it will work.

[kccougar]

That looks awesome.

[imanihonjin]

I know you didn't ask me, but I don't even use lump any more for my kamado. Can't remember who, but someone smart convinced me it was a huge waste of money. Lump supposedly burns hotter, but I don't believe it, at least compared to comp or trader Joe briquettes. Ash production is little higher, but not much, and they're more cost efficient with more even temperatures.

My next experiment is to try wood chunks in the ash pan. Not sure how it will work.

You are using briquettes on your Acorn ash production hasn't been a problem? I haven't tried it because I was concerned about ash, but if it has worked for you, I am going to give it a go.

[ERCougar]

You are using briquettes on your Acorn ash production hasn't been a problem? I haven't tried it because I was concerned about ash, but if it has worked for you, I am going to give it a go.

Yeah, it's so easy to empty that it wasn't even a problem with the cheap kingsford briquettes, but with the comp, the difference is minimal. TJs same story.

[imanihonjin]

Yeah, it's so easy to empty that it wasn't even a problem with the cheap kingsford briquettes, but with the comp, the difference is minimal. TJs same story.

A go it is.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I fired the Assassin up last night, couldn't bring myself to wait any longer. Damn these take a long time to come up to temp compared to the FEC. I am going to have to get used to that. I used Royal Oak lump charcoal because that is what I had. I did break any large pieces into smaller pieces to avoid bridging. I was able to use the BBQ Guru with the bad screen. It took about an hour to hit 225°.

I bought a big propane flame thrower to light the charcoal. That speeds things up some.

I smoked some sausage links and used some chunks of apple wood in the ash pan. I noticed the wood was burnt up within an hour of me putting it in the pan. I didn't put the wood chunks on until I put the meat on the smoker. I emptied the ash pan before I put the wood in. After the initial load of wood chunks were burnt up. I emptied the ash pan and put another few chunks of apple wood in there. Again, these lasted about 45-60 min. I have read a bunch of reviews on gravity smokers and it seems 45-60 min is about the norm for adding wood to the ash pan. It seems that many people mix the wood chunks with the charcoal to eliminate having to keep adding it. JL, has this been your experience as well?

Yeah, 45-60 min sounds about right. Also depends on how big your chunks are. And I have also noticed that sometimes I think that the chunks are all burned up but when I poke the ashes with a stick, there is still unburned wood in the pan. And in some cases I end up adding some more chunks. You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly I think. Yeah I suppose you could mix chunks in with your briquettes, but it seems like overkill to me. Really only need that maximum smoke during the first hour and a half or two hours. After that are you really going to get extra smoke penetration? A more common problem I've had is getting too much smoke.

[Drunk Tank]

I know you didn't ask me, but I don't even use lump any more for my kamado. Can't remember who, but someone smart convinced me it was a huge waste of money. Lump supposedly burns hotter, but I don't believe it, at least compared to comp or trader Joe briquettes. Ash production is little higher, but not much, and they're more cost efficient with more even temperatures.

My next experiment is to try wood chunks in the ash pan. Not sure how it will work.

Not sure if you have read this, but it is a pretty good read.

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_tech..._charcoal.html

[Drunk Tank]

I bought a big propane flame thrower to light the charcoal. That speeds things up some.



Yeah, 45-60 min sounds about right. Also depends on how big your chunks are. And I have also noticed that sometimes I think that the chunks are all burned up but when I poke the ashes with a stick, there is still unburned wood in the pan. And in some cases I end up adding some more chunks. You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly I think. Yeah I suppose you could mix chunks in with your briquettes, but it seems like overkill to me. Really only need that maximum smoke during the first hour and a half or two hours. After that are you really going to get extra smoke penetration? A more common problem I've had is getting too much smoke.

I used my MAPP gas torch to light it. I think I'll pick up a big weed burner though. Adding wood isn't that big a deal. Only time I'll need to add wood late in the cook is if I am doing multiple meats and staggering their start times, or if I add a pan of beans late in the cook.

[ERCougar]

Not sure if you have read this, but it is a pretty good read.

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_tech..._charcoal.html

Hey, I think that's where I got the idea. It is a good read.

Here's a link i just came across in the comments: http://www.genuineideas.com/Articles...rcoalfuel.html

Some stuff to think about there, and maybe a caution to iam before switching. I have noticed I'm having trouble with some funky tastes lately (the reason i wanted to try putting wood chunks in the ashpan instead). No one else is noticing them so I just figured I was getting more sensitive, but now I wonder if it's the switch to briquettes. It's a pretty subtle taste difference and the better consistency of briquettes is still worth it, but I wonder if the lower fire in the kamado brings out some of these bitter flavors with briquettes. One tip I've taken from amazing ribs is that 220 really not any better than 270, so maybe I'll just go back to 270 with briqs to ensure more combustion is happening.

[imanihonjin]

Hey, I think that's where I got the idea. It is a good read.

Here's a link i just came across in the comments: http://www.genuineideas.com/Articles...rcoalfuel.html

Some stuff to think about there, and maybe a caution to iam before switching. I have noticed I'm having trouble with some funky tastes lately (the reason i wanted to try putting wood chunks in the ashpan instead). No one else is noticing them so I just figured I was getting more sensitive, but now I wonder if it's the switch to briquettes. It's a pretty subtle taste difference and the better consistency of briquettes is still worth it, but I wonder if the lower fire in the kamado brings out some of these bitter flavors with briquettes. One tip I've taken from amazing ribs is that 220 really not any better than 270, so maybe I'll just go back to 270 with briqs to ensure more combustion is happening.

thanks for the tip. I will still give it a try and see if I notice any difference.

[Drunk Tank]

Hey, I think that's where I got the idea. It is a good read.

Here's a link i just came across in the comments: http://www.genuineideas.com/Articles...rcoalfuel.html

Some stuff to think about there, and maybe a caution to iam before switching. I have noticed I'm having trouble with some funky tastes lately (the reason i wanted to try putting wood chunks in the ashpan instead). No one else is noticing them so I just figured I was getting more sensitive, but now I wonder if it's the switch to briquettes. It's a pretty subtle taste difference and the better consistency of briquettes is still worth it, but I wonder if the lower fire in the kamado brings out some of these bitter flavors with briquettes. One tip I've taken from amazing ribs is that 220 really not any better than 270, so maybe I'll just go back to 270 with briqs to ensure more combustion is happening.

If you are meticulous in removing ash from your BGE/Kamado type cooker, then briquettes are not a problem. Really, I think BGE, Kamado, et al. recommend lump due to the fact that it produces less ash and the average home user doesn't clean out their cookers as often as they should. This potentially leads to restricted air flow and low temps, which in turn would lead to customer complaints to the MFG. So I think they are just hedging their bets and trying to avoid potential complaints. I know that even using lump, I would get small shards of lump that would clog the air vents, so it isn't just ash that is a problem.

[Drunk Tank]

After playing with the Assassin all week to try to figure it out without using a temp controller, it was time to smoke some meat. Smoked 4 racks of baby back and a prime grade packer brisket. The brisket was rubbed with Black Ops and I used John Henry's Pecan rub on two racks, Oakridge Dominator Rib rub on one and BPS sweet money rub on the other. Honestly I can't decide which I liked best. They were all good. :grin:

I had an issue with with the charcoal at the beginning of the cook. I used Trader Joes 100% hardwood briquettes (Rancher). It had a lot of small pieces and dust and I think it caused the fire to smother. I fought it for a while, but eventually had to clean it all out and switched to Kingsford Competition. I just couldn't get the Trader Joes to burn clean or come up to temp. Not sure what the problem was.

Anyways. Here are a few pics.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Looks outstanding. Do you inject your brisket?

Did four racks of spares today with a big pan of DT beans on the Stumps. Turned out great.