Ok, so I put the deflector in the normal way but I brought up the ash bin also and put it under the charcoal basket. I saw somewhere that if you put the charcoal basket directly on top of the heat deflector it would warp it. What are your thoughts on this?
4TH 0f July 2024 and trying to set up for grilling. Of all the previous comments for this it leaves me guessing which to do. I have 4 hours to figure it out.
I saw a video with someone claiming the diffuser got warped for putting the charcoal basket directly on it. He says it best to put the ash bin first then the basket. Is there any truth to this?
LMFAO these guys dont even test their product. DO NOT PUT THE CHARCOAL BASKET DIRECTLY ON THE DIFFUSER PLATE. Put the ash pan down first. Then the charcoal basket on top of ash pan. Dont flip the diffuser plate as the height of both the ash pan and charcoal basket will be adequate. If you dont do this you WILL WARP the diffuser plate from the extreme direct heat from the charcoal basket.
I'm sure this is a beginner question, but do I keep the lid open or closed (with the vents opened) when letting the charcoal heat up? Does it matter? I struggled last year getting mine going, but these videos are giving me hope to try again.
Hey Theresa, yes, you can leave the lid (and air dampers) open until the charcoal around your firestarter starts to glow or ash over. Once your charcoal starts glowing, that means it's burning, and you can close your lid and start to dial your cooking temperatures by adjusting the air dampers. A good rule of thumb is to allow the temperature to get about 50 degrees within your desired temp before closing the airflow. Great question.
That's how I use it to reverse sear thick steaks. I start in smoke mode then once the steaks are around 100-110 I swap the components to grill mode using work gloves. Just be sure to have something to set the hot components on. I use a small steel trash can to sit the charcoal basket on. The opening is the same diameter of the trash can. The ring, ash pan, and diffuser plate are usually good to sit on the ground while I swap everything around. I use a large metal pizza pan placed on my patio table to sit the grate (with the steaks) on. Once everything is changed over I place the grate back on the grill so I can sear the steaks right over the coals. All of this takes about 30 seconds.
Is there a reason why you can't set the ash pan and the ring it sits in on top of the diffuser plate (don't flip it) and then set the charcoal basket on top of that? That's how I've been doing it and I haven't had any problems. It also makes clean up easier since the ash pan is under the charcoal basket, similar to smoke mode. I started second guessing myself but I don't see a difference. If you don't flip the diffuser plate, the charcoal is at the same height compared to the way OK Joe recommends grill mode.
@@fjimmel It's definitely strong enough. I've been doing it this way for around two years with no issues. The diffuser plate is made of steel so it's very solid and durable. Sometimes when I'm doing a long smoke, I'll use it as a shelf. I'll place a water pan on it or a pan of baked beans to catch the meat drippings.
@@jentrygillespie8165 It's holding up great! I just used it last night (July 11th, 2021) to grill some sausages. There isn't any rust or paint peeling. I do take really good care of it though. The key is to season it before your first use and then every time you clean it, which I try to do once or twice a year. Another thing I recommend is to apply RTV silicone to every opening and anywhere two pieces meet. If it's already put together when you buy it, take it apart. This ensures you don't have smoke seeping out and temperatures hold better. I can run this for at least six hours before having to add more charcoal. And when you adjust the vents the temperature reacts almost instantly and stabilizes within five minutes or so. This is also one of the few grills/smokers that have a platinum rating on amazingribs.com. I highly recommend it.
Ok, so I put the deflector in the normal way but I brought up the ash bin also and put it under the charcoal basket. I saw somewhere that if you put the charcoal basket directly on top of the heat deflector it would warp it. What are your thoughts on this?
I would be very curious about this, as it results in much less clean up, but the question is - will the weight be too much for the diffuser to hold?
@@1DrBar Turns out it hasnt been too much weight.
My heat deflector warped after using this method ☹️😔
4TH 0f July 2024 and trying to set up for grilling. Of all the previous comments for this it leaves me guessing which to do. I have 4 hours to figure it out.
I saw a video with someone claiming the diffuser got warped for putting the charcoal basket directly on it. He says it best to put the ash bin first then the basket. Is there any truth to this?
LMFAO these guys dont even test their product. DO NOT PUT THE CHARCOAL BASKET DIRECTLY ON THE DIFFUSER PLATE. Put the ash pan down first. Then the charcoal basket on top of ash pan. Dont flip the diffuser plate as the height of both the ash pan and charcoal basket will be adequate. If you dont do this you WILL WARP the diffuser plate from the extreme direct heat from the charcoal basket.
I'm sure this is a beginner question, but do I keep the lid open or closed (with the vents opened) when letting the charcoal heat up? Does it matter? I struggled last year getting mine going, but these videos are giving me hope to try again.
Hey Theresa, yes, you can leave the lid (and air dampers) open until the charcoal around your firestarter starts to glow or ash over. Once your charcoal starts glowing, that means it's burning, and you can close your lid and start to dial your cooking temperatures by adjusting the air dampers.
A good rule of thumb is to allow the temperature to get about 50 degrees within your desired temp before closing the airflow.
Great question.
Looks like an R2 unit
This smoker/grill/bbq is awesome and for the price is amazing it outshines or stands up to others that cost a lot more.
is this the same for the pro with the bigger basket?
Curious about the same !!
Possible to convert to grilling after a smoke? I'd think those components would be too hot.
Hey Dave, it is possible to use the main cooking chamber for grilling.
Use gloves to handle all components. I prefer long welding gloves but even leather work gloves will do if you are fast and experienced.
That's how I use it to reverse sear thick steaks. I start in smoke mode then once the steaks are around 100-110 I swap the components to grill mode using work gloves. Just be sure to have something to set the hot components on. I use a small steel trash can to sit the charcoal basket on. The opening is the same diameter of the trash can. The ring, ash pan, and diffuser plate are usually good to sit on the ground while I swap everything around. I use a large metal pizza pan placed on my patio table to sit the grate (with the steaks) on. Once everything is changed over I place the grate back on the grill so I can sear the steaks right over the coals. All of this takes about 30 seconds.
Is there a reason why you can't set the ash pan and the ring it sits in on top of the diffuser plate (don't flip it) and then set the charcoal basket on top of that? That's how I've been doing it and I haven't had any problems. It also makes clean up easier since the ash pan is under the charcoal basket, similar to smoke mode. I started second guessing myself but I don't see a difference. If you don't flip the diffuser plate, the charcoal is at the same height compared to the way OK Joe recommends grill mode.
Charles is the diffuser plate strong enough? I see Okla joe did not respond to your question. TY
@@fjimmel It's definitely strong enough. I've been doing it this way for around two years with no issues. The diffuser plate is made of steel so it's very solid and durable. Sometimes when I'm doing a long smoke, I'll use it as a shelf. I'll place a water pan on it or a pan of baked beans to catch the meat drippings.
I just got mine this week and that was what I was considering doing. I couldn't imagine the mess it would make doing it how they suggested.
@@clsylvester3 2 years? how is it holding up? I'm looking for a good charcoal grill/smoker in this price range. Would you recommend it?
@@jentrygillespie8165 It's holding up great! I just used it last night (July 11th, 2021) to grill some sausages. There isn't any rust or paint peeling. I do take really good care of it though. The key is to season it before your first use and then every time you clean it, which I try to do once or twice a year. Another thing I recommend is to apply RTV silicone to every opening and anywhere two pieces meet. If it's already put together when you buy it, take it apart. This ensures you don't have smoke seeping out and temperatures hold better. I can run this for at least six hours before having to add more charcoal. And when you adjust the vents the temperature reacts almost instantly and stabilizes within five minutes or so. This is also one of the few grills/smokers that have a platinum rating on amazingribs.com. I highly recommend it.
Thank you
These videos are very informative
Very useful thanks