This is THE BEST video I have found on youtube that provides a guide on fire management with an offset smoker. Your video is the only one I have ever found that actually walks through the entire process and covers all of those "oh crap" moments and the various remedies you are trying in real time while filming. None of the other fire management videos even come close to this. The very best, thank you so much for recommending this to me on your other video comment thread.
Hands down the best video on fire management. I have almost the exact same Char Griller as you and had a hell of a time keeping temperature down all day yesterday. Watching this it is pretty obvious where I was going wrong and adding extra work for myself. Really great job Sir!
Hey Paul, that great! I'm glad my video was helpful. It's funny how such a simple tool can be so hard to figure out but once you got technique down, Offset Smokers are super easy to run. Thanks for watching and I really appreciate your comment!
Best video I have found in UA-cam regarding fire management! Used to have a pellet smoker and handling fire is completely different animal. I watched the whole thing! Good job! You got a new subscriber!
I'm moving into my first home and dream of always bbqing on Sundays. You are a great help. I'm getting the same pit form home depot. Thank you for your tips
I am so glad to hear that! Man that sounds awesome! I just recently bought a house and moved in a couple of months ago. So my new videos will be featuring a different backyard. I've got a lot of work to do getting things set up but I can't wait to be firing it up every weekend again. Thanks for watching and congrats on your house!
Fantastic. Thank you for not only taking the time to make this video, but for also informing us not only what works for you and your smoker, but also your advice on other things we could try, that may work on other smokers. Not many videos on UA-cam can keep me interested for an hour without me skipping or moving on to something else. This kept me hooked all the way through and one I will save and come back to. 👍
Hey Neil! Thank you! I normally try to keep my videos shorter because people don't like longer videos, but I also figure that barbecue requires patience. I really appreciate your comment and that you watched the whole video! Thanks again and smoke on!
Tony my grand champ XD arrives on October 4th. I have watched this video now 3 times. And a lot in your XD and using charcoal to have consistently good smoke. But use your ideas in my Masterbuilt 2006 smoker. Now I want to graduate up to the XD. Thank you for all you time and knowledge you share with all of us. Keep up the good work.
Just became a new subscriber yesterday man ur videos are AWESOME. Im a very amateur offset smoker and i was DEFINITELY choking the side damper. Would've never thought to run wide open and let the temps get to 400° and work my way down leaving both dampers open the entire time this is a huge help. Trying in dry burn tomorrow just to figure this out concept. I have some pecan wood logs but i need to chop them into splits. All my other attempts were with the round logs. Thanks SO MUCH!
Awesome! I'm really glad to hear this! I'd also like to hear how your cook went after watching my video. I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is using logs that are too big. I buy logs and cut and split them down into large bins so I have plenty to work with for several cooks. Please let me know when you have a chance. Thanks!
@TonyToneBBQ so I tried a dry burn after double layering the smoker with the lavalock strips and thr LTR. Used a charcoal bed as a base bc i just didnt have a large supply of wood laying around to attempt an all wood burn. I did have a few mesquite wood log splits and I did a created some dirty smoke so that i could check the seals. Made a DRASTIC difference in smoke leakage almost none at all! Now, I notice, it does require A LOT more fuel than my weber smokey mountain. As you said when I let the logs burn down to a coal bed and then added some chunks of wood versus the full round logs the smoke was MUCH cleaner and the temps were leveling out around 225-235°. The other tip of leaving the extra wood to the side of the fire box away from the fire to keep it warm worked like a charm. It immediately caught fire once I added it to the coal bed. Can't wait to try a cook with this technique. I want to try Brisket but think I'll start with something shorter like ribs to see how often I will have to add coals/wood. I still think I had to monitor it more and frequently than on my other smoker. It's not a set it and forget it but I think I knew that when I purchased the offset smoker.
@@suchairman2 good stuff! I'm really glad to hear how well the sealing worked out. Yes, you'll definitely tend to the firebox a lot more with a offset like this, but the extra effort is worth it in the difference in flavor, in my opinion. Running clean smoke like that, the meat absorbs the best flavors for whatever wood you're cooking with. Try to use as little charcoal as possible. I like to use a small pile of lump coal as a starter bed but my favorite is to use a bunch of really thin sticks of whatever wood I'm cooking with. I had to trim an oak tree a while back and ended up with a bunch of long skinny branches that I cut into 8-in sticks and I used those for the longest time. Have fun and keep that smoke rolling!
The only thing that I can see wrong with this video is you didn't make it 2 or 3 years ago! Man I just wanna say thank you very much this is just what I needed much appreciated 🙏
Thanks so much! Watched the whole video!!! In 20 years I have gone from a 22" Weber Kettle, to a Brinkmans COS, to a Kamado Kooker and back to a 22" Kettle and now a 26" Kettle. Out of all I love my 26" Kettle!!! I will never get rid of it, however, I have come to realize the meat from an Offset is better in regards to smoking. And I am looking to invest in an EOS in the next year or so. This video has shown me how I was trying to control temp all wrong when I had my COS and you have prepped me for my future EOS! I have saved your video and will come back to it in the future! Thanks so much! Your video quality was actually really good and I'm looking forward to more smoking vids!!! FYI the guys whose channels are most watched their videos are about 10min total. Nothing against this video, it was great, just thought you would like to know for your future videos. ;) good luck!
Thanks again for your comment! The Weber Kettle is such a great BBQ, it's amazing how perfect those things have been right from the start. I agree though... you can't beat the quality that comes from an offset. I too have plans to purchase an EOS in the near future, in the 3k range, but it's nice that a COS is something that most people can buy and still produce some damn good bbq. Keep rockin that BBQ!
100%. Worth the hour! Thanks for the work in making this man! I’m new to smoking but now I feel good about trying it. I have a similar smoker to yours! 👍🏽😎. I just restored it so I’m gonna do a test run for seasoning purposes first.. get all that paint 🎨 smell out of it before my first cook!
Jose! Thanks for watching and I'm glad my video helped! Watch for smoke leaks when you fire it up. Smoke leaking from under the lid makes it difficult to keep temp up. Good luck!
I’ve got my smoker for a week now and seasoned it yesterday. I’ve got a lot to learn, i think I’ve cooked the smoker to hot because the paint was coming down on the fire box 😢 Awesome video’s man! Thanks for sharing 💪🏻
Congrats on the new smoker! Yeah that paint peeling off is a common issue. No worries though. You can either respray it with some high temperature engine block paint and let it cure for a couple of days before covering it or cooking, or you can spray it with some peanut oil the next time you fire it up but before it gets too hot and let that dry to the surface which will create a coating similar to seasoning a cast iron pan. Either of these methods will help prevent the rest that will eventually start. Just have fun with it, take your time and enjoy the smoke. Thanks for watching and let me know if there's anything in particular I can help with.
Got into offset smoking yesterday after realizing what that box was for lol. Watched a few of your videos on Friday and I went with the charcoal and wood chunk option. I think I might try the long and slow burning charcoal option with the chunks before I transition to just wood. It is a long process but it is rewarding. I think I’m going to bbq every weekend now haha
That sounds awesome Curtis! Charcoal is a nice easy way to get the hang of things. The flavor you get from burning wood is incredible though, and it just takes a little practice. I just recorded every second of a 6 hour cook, all in one shot, burning wood only. I need to edit the video to condense it down to less than an hour, and then upload it. My goal is to show everything, to show exactly what a long cook looks like. I also just ordered a whole pig today and I'm thinking about live streaming this weekend. I'm not sure how I'd do it, or how popular it would be, but I'm thinking about it. LOL! Keep on smokin my friend!
I really appreciate that! I added background music to a couple of my videos but totally regretted doing that. Just didn't feel right and I don't like a bunch of fluff. Future videos will be more to the point. Thanks for watching!
I get so much education from channels like this.You may be at 6k subscribers today but continue being consisitent I swear I use channels like this all the time. I will use the education and forget then swing back around in two years or so and they're at 500k subs. I've seen it with so many educational channels on youtube like this.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that. I'm the same way. I have so many videos that I've saved and go back to. UA-cam is such a good resource for learning so many things. Also a lot of BS but it's easy to filter that out. LOL! Thanks again for visiting my channel and I promise to work hard to add more valuable content in the future. Smoke on my friend!
Hi Tony ive watched this about 10 times and i still never even finished building my smoker. just what you need to know.hope to use this tips soon.best fire management video on UA-cam handsdown.thanks
Jules, thank you! I'm really glad you're finding my video helpful. I hope you get that smoker built soon. It's time to fire it up! Thanks for watching!
So far one of the best videos on how to manage an offset fire I’ve ever seen! Kudos to you sir! You’re not getting enough credit on UA-cam but that’s not uncommon. Keep doing what you’re doing thank you for helping us wanna be offset ninjas👏👏👏👏
Randy... I appreciate all comments, good and bad, but there are some I appreciate more than others. THANK YOU so much! I appreciate you watching and I really appreciate your comments. I know not all of us have the time and resources to go to Jedi Pitmaster Academy so I'm glad I can help in any little way I can. Take care and rock that BBQ!
Watched your Build a Fire video and I really appreciate these. Mostly because you use an inexpensive Offset, and I agree 100%, you have to love doing this kind of work, that is the entire process.
Hey thanks for watching! For sure, you gotta love it. Can be frustrating at first, but when you're good it, running an offset like this is super chill and a lot of fun. Makes for a satisfying day. Thanks again!
Thanks for showing most of the things we can expect. I suspect you probably could have gotten your temperature settled much quicker if not for you wanting to show all possibilities. Great educational session.
Hey, thanks for watching! Yes, I get it hot really quickly and settle the temp down right away when I'm actually just cooking and not working a video. I'm glad you enjoyed. Smoke on!
Fire management on the small thin metal offsets Oklahoma Joe/ Char-Griller are the hardest to manage. But also kind of fun! If you can cook great BBQ on these smokers your a true "pit master".
You're so right about that and it's the reason I like making videos with the one. I figure it's what most of us start with and they'll either make you or break you. Thanks for watching!
controlling my fire was a hard job to do. I was use to my grill I could control my setting with out a problem. My son and daughter gave me a char grill offset smoke for Christmas this change my game and challenge my smoking to another level. Understanding that my offset need small instead of large will help me control my temp. Thanks
hey Tony, very instructive and clear videos. I got my first smoker as a gift yesterday. I'm going to work with your tips! greetings Tim from the Netherlands
Hey Tim! That's a great gift! Congratulations on your new smoker and welcome to the awesome world of barbeque. Thanks for watching and let me know if there is something you'd like to see in the future. I appreciate your comments, all the way from the Netherlands!
G’day mateThanks so much! Made it through the 1hr 💪🏻 this video has been really helpful as I’m just branching out into smoking! Thank you for your time and effort! Your content is great!
Hey Ashton! I gotta say that Australia has the absolute coolest greeting and I get really jealous every time I get a "G'day mate" Hahaha! Thank you my friend! I appreciate your comment and thanks for watching. I'm glad you've got useful info from my video. Smoke on!
I was put off from smoked foods for many years after feasting at an event in Texas where they smoked turkeys and briskets. I was burping smoke for three days. Growing up, we either grilled over open flame mesquite or cooked things in an underground pit. Smoking wasn't real popular back then. Now that I understand how to smoke without adulterating the meat, I can enjoy it much more.
Latigo, I can relate! Before I learned how to run the right smoke, I was burping up that nasty and I about ruined it for my family. Learning how to work the fire is more important than anything. I've always wanted to try some underground pit cooking. I'd love to take a stab at Cochinita Pibil. Thanks for watching and I appreciate your comment!
You're very welcome! I'm glad my video helped. I've posted a few others so be sure to subscribe and check out my channel if you haven't yet. Thanks for watching and have fun!
I feel like cooking with real wood is similar to catching bullpens or fielding ground balls. It’s never going to be the same. I honestly think it’s harder to make what looks difficult looking appear to be easy.
That's right! It's never the same. The key is to learn to recognize the subtle differences. Just like the length of the grass makes the ball roll differently, knowing how to react to the variables helps you make the play.
Hi Tony 1st time listener Totally enjoy it Very action packed our I wish I would have seen this video yesterday I done that cook 1st time chicken legs Italian sauce If I was seeing this video I would really enjoyed my cook more comfortable Actually it's a lot of fun just needed to know what I needed to do thank you looking forward to some more videos keep him Rolling please rolling buddy
Thank you John! I really appreciate that! I'm glad you watched the video, even if it's a day late. Good news is that you've got so many more cooks ahead of you. It's going to be a good time! Thanks again!
The problem with that 1 log that was burning forever is that it had a knot. Those knotty pieces, people use in their wood stoves cause they burn really hot and long because of all the twisted fibers. They call them all nighters cause they won't split for that reason. Maybe stay away from those. You could also buy a small chop saw and cut those logs down into chunks. Great video bro.
Thanks brother! Love the comment. You're totally correct about that fat chunk with the knot. I've considered a chop saw, but I like to keep do as much as possible with hand tools to keep it simple, something anyone can do. Thanks for watching!
Finally after tons of videos I've found yours ... Thank You brother! I'm going use my offset for the first time the right way ... and confidently! 🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯💪💪💪
Hey Fabricio! Damn! Thank you so much! One of the best comments yet. I'm really glad my video helps. I'm working on more. Reading comments I know to be direct and detailed with less BS. Thanks again and smoke on!
I made all the way through your video lol... I'm a beginner so it actually a very good video i feel like a pro now. Lot's of knowledge thanks and god bless.
Wow! Good job! I'm thinking I might copy this one and edit down to a shorter version, I'm glad you made it all the way through and that it was helpful. Thanks for watching! God bless you too. Smoke on!
You're welcome Keith! I'm glad you liked it. I've got several other videos on the topic in my channel you might want to check out. Thanks for watching!
Great video! It not only shows how to manage a wood fueled smoker but also shows how much work and time is involved! I have to wonder how many Traegers you sold with this video haha. It's a lot of work for a 20-minute period of eating enjoyment. You have to love doing it! You summed it up when you said, "I love people's reaction when they taste what comes off of this." Now I'm sitting here in dis-belief that I spent an hour watching someone cook without even getting a taste. That's just not right.
Well I'm hoping you can duplicate the process and then you'll have all you can eat whenever you want! And yeah, I know it looks like a ton of work, but it gets so easy after some practice and experience, especially after you get all your tools that work best for you and your process down. I gotta be home all day but I'm usually busy doing a bunch of other stuff unless I'm filming. But damn, whatever it takes, it's so worth it in the end.
@TonyTone BBQ Oh I spend a lot of time on my grill/smoker! It's almost daily when the weather is nice. I have 2 cords of seasoned cherry split, stacked and ready to go!! 😁
Watching this while I'm doing the maiden burn off. Playing around adding small bits, seeing how it reacts to adding one piece, 2 pieces, so on. Trick I'm finding is losing alot of heat when adding wood, waiting for it to flame up/ stop smouldering before I close the fire box up again. Attempting the wood preheat ontop of the fire box. Practice makes perfect 🍻 great video
Right on Rob! Yeah, if you get the next piece of wood nice and hot, it'll light up almost instantly. Try keeping the next piece inside the firebox between the fire and the cooking chamber. They get super hot that way and will light up super quick.
Man you didn't Crack a 🍺 open until you were done? Your a better man than me I would have went through at least a Six Pack by this time! What patient's and will power!
Yeah, that's right... but I made up for it after! It's difficult to film, cook and drink all at the same time. I don't have a film crew or anything. hahaha! Thanks for watching!
Just want you to know I watched the entire video. Tomorrow morning 1/16/23 I'm smoking meat for the 2nd time ever. Im using your tips this time around for my ribs to see how they go.
@@wolfgangturner7032 white oak is actually my favorite! Check out some of my newer videos if you get a chance. Thanks! I can't wait to hear how your cook goes!
Thanks a lot. This video was what i have been looking for. I needed to see someone walk through the process so I could see the steps needed to manage fire temperature and maintain the clean smoke. You are a life saver. Now all i need to know is how is it different if you use coal as your heat base and a single split for smoke? Are you scooping out coal if you need to lower the temp? I'm having difficulty getting to and maintaining the range of 225 to 250.
Hey John! Oh that's a really good question. This can be a little tricky, but with some trial and error, it's not that hard. If you're using charcoal, you can choak the air down and it won't cause dirty smoke. Same with most lump coal, but you gotta keep an eye on the stack. I usually keep intake wide open and close down the stack to reduce get the temp that I want with charcoal. If you want to add wood to the mix, use a small chunk. You'll have to feed it more often, but as long as a small chunk is burning well, you won't get the dirty smoke. I did a vid on charcoal you might wanna check out. Thanks for watching and I appreciate your comment! Here's a link to charcoal: ua-cam.com/video/qXW0sD58Lb8/v-deo.html
Does the lignan have the flavor of the wood that carries over to your meat if so would saw dust pellets have less lignan in it after all of the processing and nobody knows how long that pile of sawdust was exposed to the air before being turned into a pellet because air oxidizes , well everything...
I really can't answer your question. I'm not a scientist or chemist and I don't know what role lignan plays in the production of flavor. Honestly I'd rather not get into the science of it all, I've always considered barbecue more of an art. The smell in the air, the look of the smoke, the way the fire burns, the way the meat looks, the way it feels, the way it tastes... Those are the things that I look for. My favorite results come from using natural wood burned the right way, so naturally that's what I end up using most of the time because it just tastes better. I also enjoy the challenge of developing that relationship with the fire. So much more satisfying than programming machine with my phone. That's just me though! I really appreciate your questions!
HEY! Great video; seeing you go through each step was invaluable. So I have a very similar smoker (DynaGlo) but the cook chamber is smaller than yours.....do you think I need to use smaller wood pieces, or about the same and just vary the time, or something else? Thanks!
Hi Mark! Thanks for the question! You're on the right track with the size of wood that you burn. It takes a bit of trial-and-error, but experiment with different sizes. The goal is to find the size that burns the cleanest, for the longest time, at the right temperature range. Small and thin might burn too hot and too fast. Long and fat might burn too slow, too cool and make too much dirty smoke. The temp in a smaller cook chamber will have more drastic fluctuations, and you just have to learn how to work with that. In my Smoken Champ, I'm usually using splits about the size of a soda can. I recommend you start with smaller peices, maybe even two at a time, but get a nice little bed of coal going first. Let the time get too high, and then slowly work it down to the temp you want and figure out the size to add to the pile that keeps it in that range. I hope that helps!
@@TonyToneBBQ So I bbq'ed some chicken and a rack of ribs today using smallish Oak splits. Well I used somewhat smaller pieces and I found that the fire was easier to control and things came out pretty well. I think one secret is to build up a good sized bed of coals in order to maintain good temperature regulation. Next time, I am going to build up a good bed of coals first.
mmm also temps were in the high 60's today here in the northern mid west. I am wondering whether or not lower temps had something to do with the ease of control today.
Seems like it may be easier to use a charcoal base, would get a base built faster and might help to keep a steady temp with the wood? Might be worth the comparison...
Thanks for you comment! Yes, starting with a charcoal or lump coal base is easier. When I do start with a char or lump base, I go for lump because it's closer to actual wood. Even though it's a little more work, my preference is still wood only for two reasons. Reason number one is the purest factor of using only one heat source. The second reason is that I need to get the smoker up to 400 degrees which takes a big pile of wood anyway so might as well save the char/lump coal.
Wind can be a real pain, but I don't let it stop me. I usually just prop up some type of shield around the intake vent. A piece of plywood propped up against the firebox or a chair next to the firebox usually does the trick. If it's really cold and windy, you just have to run a hotter fire because the cooking chamber will lose heat faster, but yeah if it's super windy and super cold, it can be difficult. You just got to create the right kind of shelter around your offset.
@@TonyToneBBQ thanks for the help man.. I'm trying to transition to a pellet smoker and only seem to get constant white smoke from any pellets that look Brown in the bag.. so after about 6 20 lb bags of pellets and plenty of white smoke I would have to steer myself to say something needs to change to get a different outcome and the outcome would be blue smoke or thin blue smoke.. I know I didn't want to be smoking with white smoke but that's all I had. I've been using offset smokers for 35 years and had finally gotten the grasp of fire management but this little class I had watching this video was a good refresher course.. Onward to the pellet grill problems.. Last year near the end of the barbecuing season I was in Walmart and found a 20 lb bag of pit boss charcoal blend pellets where I looked at the bag and saw the pellets didn't look Brown but they were brown specks in the pellets so I bought that bag and gave it a try I got home took a handful out and put it in my pellet smoker turned it on and went inside expecting white smoke but when I came outside I always glance over at the grill whether it's running or not it's just a habit maybe just to reassure me that is still there and somebody didn't walk off with it... Anyway I looked over at the grill and all I could see was blue smoke literally literally blew I couldn't have asked for more blue or smoke but there it was my eyes were deceiving me I thought big smile come across my face and I took my ribs and put them in the smoker shut the door cuz it was a vertical smoker and was using a chamber temperature of 130° cooking them low and slow for 5 hours in the smoke when ribs were done you couldn't tell the rib for even close to a smoker you would have thought they were cooked in the oven in the kitchen.. I understand just because you have blue smoke and a smoke ring doesn't mean you have the flavor in your meat.. that's where I'm starting to have a concern about all of the processing that goes into making those wood pellets that exposes is more of the wood to air which oxidizes things and yes nobody knows how long that pile of sawdust was laying there before they decided to make pellets out of it.. I keep all my pellets in tupperware because smoking pellets are very very high groscopic I will suck up water out of the air liquide split... The pellet grill I have allows the pellets to get screaming hot before they're dumped into the fire pot so I'm not adding cold wood to a hot fire and I understand that wood coming up to temperature will not create blue smoke because it's not in the 650 to 750° f range to start producing blue smoke... The ribs had a fantastic color when they were done and and tender just the way I like them but there was no wood flavor on the meat at all you would have thought they were cooked in the oven in the kitchen .. I could have sprinkled some paprika with wood smoked flavor on it but that really wasn't what I was after for flavor.. it was a regular day no sun bearing down on the vertical smoker.. Any words of wisdom about getting flavor from a pellet smoker? The pellet smoking industry is actually a unregulated business that that can put anything on the bag that says what's supposed to be in the pellets but end up not having any hardwood in it at all going from one extreme to the other... But what mystified me was why that bag of pit boss charcoal blend pellets that looked black with the only pellet that I could ever get any blue smoke out of.. Was it the color of the pellet that was absorbing extra heat because it was black ??? This actually is my first pellet smoker and just trying to ring just a little bit of blue smoke out of those pellets because more blue smoke doesn't necessarily mean more flavor.. any words of wisdom would be appreciated..
DAMN! That sounds AWESOME! I hope it works out well! Best advice I can give you is to practice working that fire. Don't even worry about food until you're really familiar with how it burns and the temps produced with whatever you're burning. Learn it out burns, then cooking the meat will be easy.
@@sprig6043 oh yeah it turned out awesome I’ve smoked a whole bunch in the past month and everything is turning out pretty decent! Some briskets were a little dry after a 17 hour rest but that had a lot to do with it 😂
@@TheNaturalHazards Brilliant news. I've been staring at my Oaklahoma Joe Highland for over a month drove 824miles to collect it lol. Here in the UK only access to splits it by online order, just got delivered today. I'll be off work for two weeks from Sunday and can't wait to get stuck In. About to order digital grill thermometer for the big. I've never smoked meat before so I'm just like you in that sense won't be doing Brisket for a while lol!
@@sprig6043 haha I’m from Arkansas so we just cut down a tree for our splits, I’ve not used half the wood yet 😂 second cook ever I cooked 3 briskets, 3 pork butts, 3 rack of ribs, and a whole chicken. It was a blast but that dry flat side of the brisket was upsetting. I probably trimmed too much fat as well if I’m being honest
Thanks for the question! If other pieces of wood are placed too close to the burning wood, it will catch fire. I'm like cool that will slowly spread, burning wood spreads fast. Thanks for watching!
Hey! Thanks for you comment! I'm glad you like my video. Yes, I've been considering getting something bigger and heavier. I've got something in mind. I think a 150 is just bigger than what I need, and it's also a lot bigger than what most backyard barbequers use but absolutely yes, there will be something bigger in future videos. Thanks for watching!
@@TonyToneBBQ Thank you for replying. Something to consider a 150 offset smoker is more of the mid range backyard Offset smoker. It's right in the middle between the smokey Joe and a 250 gallon offset smoker. Check it out when you get time.
@@bnsfnortherncalitrains6684 yeah, you're right about that. I just realized that one of the rigs I've been looking at is about 250. Something is coming in the near future. Thanks for the tip!
Excellent question Bruce! Thanks for asking it. In my opinion, the primary benefit of a reverse flow is a more consistent temperature throughout. The same volume of air will be moving through, so I do not believe there is a flavor benefit, but because the air has to make its way to one side and then back to the other, the result should be a more consistent temperature throughout.
Hi Charlie! Thanks for watching and thanks for your request! I don't have an Old Smokey, but I'll keep that in mind as I collect more tools. What model are you using?
@@charliebreazeale6448 thank you! I appreciate that. Smoking/barbequing is something I really enjoy. It's great way to relax, enjoy a good brew or cocktail and just enjoy life 🙂
@@TonyToneBBQ yea man I’m sitting here doing a brisket now. I’m new to off set smokers. Always used charcoal with direct heat. My woods at 30% and kinda tough to light it wants to smolder. I did what said and have some pre-heating on the edge of the fire. Working like a charm! 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽
I'm just curious what modifications you used to get that thing to not leak. I opted for a oklahoma joe highland which is made by charbroil apparently. This thing leaks out of the box. Other than that excellent video. Different cuts, splitting it, size, all good info
Hey Michael! Thanks for watching and I appreciate the question. My Char-Griller Smokin Champ leaked smoke like crazy until I sealed it up. I used Lava Lock Smoker Gasket and RTV. I actually made a video in which I describe how I did it. I'll leave a link below. If you watch the video, check the video description for links to the products I used. Sealing the Smokin Champ make a HUGE difference in performance. I had trouble holding temp, had massive temp spikes and dips and it was an overall nightmare. After I sealed it up, the Smokin Champ worked like a much more expensive rig. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks and here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/Z3Mnl-HHrgs/v-deo.html
@TonyTone BBQ awesome...thank you so much. Will definitely look into. I refuse to go back to WSM and pellet. I love the labor. Thank you again for taking the time out of your day to help!
Yes, you can and it's something that I do occasionally. I usually start my burns with a pile of lump coal to build up the temperature and preheat my offset, but then after that I typically just add natural wood. Occasionally, if for some reason I'm struggling with temperature management, sometimes the wood and/or the weather is just uncooperative, I will add in lump coal to fix the situation. Just keep in mind that if you are burning any natural wood in that firebox, you must allow maximum airflow because if you don't, natural wood will smolder and create white smoke that will cause a bitter overly smoky flavor. I call that the ashtray flavor. Not pleasant in my opinion. But yes, you can use lump coal but the more lump coal you use and the less would you use, the less flavor from the smoke your meat will have.
The trick is to get the wood really hot before adding it to the fire. My favorite way to do this is by keeping 2 or 3 short splits in the box between the fire and the cooking chamber. When the wood is hot, it lights up much faster and minimizes dirty smoke. But in the grand scheme of things, a few minutes of dirty smoke isn't going to ruin anything so don't even sweat it. Thanks for the question! By the way... I'm working on a new video right now. I shot an entire 6 hour cook in one take. I'm just speeding up the video so time passes quickly when I'm not doing anything, and running normal speed when I'm adding wood or making an adjustment. My goal is to show exactly what running a long cook looks like, including temperature fluctuations and all. I'm also thinking about live streaming a whole pig I'm cooking this weekend. Let me know if you'd be interested in either of these, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!
Great question! Wood can be too dry, but it should be dry enough to burn cleanly. In my opinion, too wet is way worse of a problem than too dry. I usually get wood from a local firewood distributor so it's never kiln dried. I don't know about the stuff you get at hardware stores, but I'd guess it's kiln dried. Thanks for the question!
I wanna see a video of you smoking a turkey, I wanna see you season it to putting it on the smoker, basting it and everything, lol you are my man, I watch all your videos, so please show me ok? Thanks
Joe! I got you man. I'm almost done finishing a video on Smoked Turkey that I did with the help of the wife. I hope to have it up in a couple days. Stay tuned my friend!
I know some of you guys are reading the commments on this video. I have watched some of his other videos and I’m just saying…just scroll up and simply drop a like for him. I have a bad habit watching good videos and not liking them, and so do you.
Keelan THANK YOU!!! I really appreciate your kind words and support of my channel. It means a lot to me. Thank you for watching my videos, liking, sharing and being a fan!
I haven’t watched the entire video yet but my problem is I can’t get a proper coal bed established. By time I need another split the coals are basically gone
Hi Tony, I'm a complete amateur to the game. I purchased one of the cheaper end offset smoker on Amazon. Should I use the offset smoker ONLY to heat up the grill? I put the charcoal in the main chamber to heat it up... Is the offset smoker only for LONG term grill? I'm talking just for burgers I guess.
Hi David, thanks for watching and thank you for your question. The side fire box should be used when you want to "smoke" your food and/or if you want the heat to be "indirect". Indirect heat is when the food is not directly above the fire. Indirect heat is what you will need to do for long, low temperature cooking processed, like you would use for a Pork Butt, Brisket or Ribs. You can heat the entire grill using the side firebox, as I do in my video, and this way you don't have to clean out any coals from the main cooking chamber. If you are cooking "hot and fast", as you would with hamburgers, then you should build the fire in the main cooking chamber and then place the food directly over the coals. I do this a lot with burgers, chicken, steak, kabobs, fish... anything that I want to cook quickly. I hope this help! I'll do a video on using an offset to cook burgers or chicken legs with direct heat soon. Thanks!
Hey Matt! I preheat to about 350, and then let the temp settle down. I add food when the temp gets down to within 25 degrees of my target. If my target is 225, I open the lid at 250 and add meat. Thanks for watching and thanks for your question!
Thanks for asking! It the Thermopro. See link below. buythermopro.com/product/thermopro-tp-20-digital-wireless-meat-thermometer/?gclid=CjwKCAjwv_iEBhASEiwARoemvJHubWkjt87eY7qBzlT9kSEXKu8c75eyz5nrpCf7SQFGOG8zUV3sWhoCJW8QAvD_BwE
@@TonyToneBBQ thanks!!! Appreciate the quick response 👌. I'm smoking a couple of slabs of baby backs and wings for my birthday tomorrow. The way you explain it a first time smoker can get it right.
Watch your entire video I realize I seen what I was doing wrong and what I was doing right. using the my offset smoker to do my ribs two weeks ago I realize that I didn't understand
Yeah, I don't mind leaving a little on, especially if it's burning the right way and the smoke is staying clean. I understand the potential hazards but it's minimal in my opinion. Thanks for watching!
I know it looks like it. I usually get 4 to 6 mini logs from 1 split that I cut up. I did a Pork Shoulder a few days ago using 4 splits on an 8 hour cook. Your mileage may very, depending on factors.
Hey Enrique! Thank you so much for letting me know. I've been so worried about knocking Mad Scientist BBQ off his throne as the best barbecue channel, it's been keeping me up at night. Finally I can get some sleep! You da man!
Watching your videos could save someone about 5 years of learning the hard way. This video is fantastic!
Thank you! That means a to me and I'm glad you think so. Thanks for liking, subscribing and sharing!
This is THE BEST video I have found on youtube that provides a guide on fire management with an offset smoker. Your video is the only one I have ever found that actually walks through the entire process and covers all of those "oh crap" moments and the various remedies you are trying in real time while filming. None of the other fire management videos even come close to this. The very best, thank you so much for recommending this to me on your other video comment thread.
Thank you! I'm glad you think so! Smoke on!
Best video on fire management I have seen in a long time. I will be using your tips on my next smoke. Thank you for making this.
Hey Arnold! Thanks for watching and I appreciate the comment!
Yea I think it’s the best I’ve seen and I’ve seen a lot.
@@kevingalindo1 Thank you!
Hands down the best video on fire management. I have almost the exact same Char Griller as you and had a hell of a time keeping temperature down all day yesterday. Watching this it is pretty obvious where I was going wrong and adding extra work for myself. Really great job Sir!
Hey Paul, that great! I'm glad my video was helpful. It's funny how such a simple tool can be so hard to figure out but once you got technique down, Offset Smokers are super easy to run. Thanks for watching and I really appreciate your comment!
😂 I love the intro of this video, as a 5 year in the game Barbecue person with charcoal and wood, I am still learning, I love this style of cooking
Wow! Did you make it to the whole video? Lol! Yeah that was a real long one so I figured I'd better warn you. Thanks for watching!
Yep mad it through the whole video
Thank you! @@outlaw5065
I've watched it a few times mate, helped me heaps with fire management on my char griller smoking champ, actually have a pork loin on now👍🍻🇦🇺
@@outlaw5065 nice! Enjoy my friend!
I've watched alot.....and thought I knew a bit. Thank TonyTone for finishing the class.
Thank you! Glad I could help! Thanks for watching and keep that smoke flowing!
Best video I have found in UA-cam regarding fire management! Used to have a pellet smoker and handling fire is completely different animal. I watched the whole thing! Good job! You got a new subscriber!
Thank you! I'm really glad you liked my video and that it's helpful. I'm working on new stuff to upload soon. Thanks for subscribing!
I'm moving into my first home and dream of always bbqing on Sundays. You are a great help. I'm getting the same pit form home depot. Thank you for your tips
I am so glad to hear that! Man that sounds awesome! I just recently bought a house and moved in a couple of months ago. So my new videos will be featuring a different backyard. I've got a lot of work to do getting things set up but I can't wait to be firing it up every weekend again. Thanks for watching and congrats on your house!
@TonyToneBBQ Thank you very much boss
Fantastic. Thank you for not only taking the time to make this video, but for also informing us not only what works for you and your smoker, but also your advice on other things we could try, that may work on other smokers. Not many videos on UA-cam can keep me interested for an hour without me skipping or moving on to something else. This kept me hooked all the way through and one I will save and come back to. 👍
Hey Neil! Thank you! I normally try to keep my videos shorter because people don't like longer videos, but I also figure that barbecue requires patience. I really appreciate your comment and that you watched the whole video! Thanks again and smoke on!
Tony my grand champ XD arrives on October 4th. I have watched this video now 3 times. And a lot in your XD and using charcoal to have consistently good smoke. But use your ideas in my Masterbuilt 2006 smoker. Now I want to graduate up to the XD. Thank you for all you time and knowledge you share with all of us. Keep up the good work.
Just became a new subscriber yesterday man ur videos are AWESOME. Im a very amateur offset smoker and i was DEFINITELY choking the side damper. Would've never thought to run wide open and let the temps get to 400° and work my way down leaving both dampers open the entire time this is a huge help. Trying in dry burn tomorrow just to figure this out concept. I have some pecan wood logs but i need to chop them into splits. All my other attempts were with the round logs. Thanks SO MUCH!
Awesome! I'm really glad to hear this! I'd also like to hear how your cook went after watching my video. I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is using logs that are too big. I buy logs and cut and split them down into large bins so I have plenty to work with for several cooks. Please let me know when you have a chance. Thanks!
@TonyToneBBQ so I tried a dry burn after double layering the smoker with the lavalock strips and thr LTR. Used a charcoal bed as a base bc i just didnt have a large supply of wood laying around to attempt an all wood burn. I did have a few mesquite wood log splits and I did a created some dirty smoke so that i could check the seals. Made a DRASTIC difference in smoke leakage almost none at all! Now, I notice, it does require A LOT more fuel than my weber smokey mountain. As you said when I let the logs burn down to a coal bed and then added some chunks of wood versus the full round logs the smoke was MUCH cleaner and the temps were leveling out around 225-235°. The other tip of leaving the extra wood to the side of the fire box away from the fire to keep it warm worked like a charm. It immediately caught fire once I added it to the coal bed. Can't wait to try a cook with this technique. I want to try Brisket but think I'll start with something shorter like ribs to see how often I will have to add coals/wood. I still think I had to monitor it more and frequently than on my other smoker. It's not a set it and forget it but I think I knew that when I purchased the offset smoker.
@@suchairman2 good stuff! I'm really glad to hear how well the sealing worked out. Yes, you'll definitely tend to the firebox a lot more with a offset like this, but the extra effort is worth it in the difference in flavor, in my opinion. Running clean smoke like that, the meat absorbs the best flavors for whatever wood you're cooking with. Try to use as little charcoal as possible. I like to use a small pile of lump coal as a starter bed but my favorite is to use a bunch of really thin sticks of whatever wood I'm cooking with. I had to trim an oak tree a while back and ended up with a bunch of long skinny branches that I cut into 8-in sticks and I used those for the longest time.
Have fun and keep that smoke rolling!
The only thing that I can see wrong with this video is you didn't make it 2 or 3 years ago!
Man I just wanna say thank you very much this is just what I needed much appreciated 🙏
Thank you very much! I appreciate your comment and I'm really glad you found my video helpful!
Thanks so much! Watched the whole video!!! In 20 years I have gone from a 22" Weber Kettle, to a Brinkmans COS, to a Kamado Kooker and back to a 22" Kettle and now a 26" Kettle. Out of all I love my 26" Kettle!!! I will never get rid of it, however, I have come to realize the meat from an Offset is better in regards to smoking. And I am looking to invest in an EOS in the next year or so. This video has shown me how I was trying to control temp all wrong when I had my COS and you have prepped me for my future EOS! I have saved your video and will come back to it in the future!
Thanks so much! Your video quality was actually really good and I'm looking forward to more smoking vids!!!
FYI the guys whose channels are most watched their videos are about 10min total. Nothing against this video, it was great, just thought you would like to know for your future videos. ;) good luck!
Thanks again for your comment! The Weber Kettle is such a great BBQ, it's amazing how perfect those things have been right from the start. I agree though... you can't beat the quality that comes from an offset. I too have plans to purchase an EOS in the near future, in the 3k range, but it's nice that a COS is something that most people can buy and still produce some damn good bbq. Keep rockin that BBQ!
100%. Worth the hour! Thanks for the work in making this man! I’m new to smoking but now I feel good about trying it. I have a similar smoker to yours! 👍🏽😎. I just restored it so I’m gonna do a test run for seasoning purposes first.. get all that paint 🎨 smell out of it before my first cook!
Jose! Thanks for watching and I'm glad my video helped! Watch for smoke leaks when you fire it up. Smoke leaking from under the lid makes it difficult to keep temp up. Good luck!
Yes very informative
H😢😢😢😢😢gd
I’ve got my smoker for a week now and seasoned it yesterday. I’ve got a lot to learn, i think I’ve cooked the smoker to hot because the paint was coming down on the fire box 😢
Awesome video’s man!
Thanks for sharing 💪🏻
Congrats on the new smoker! Yeah that paint peeling off is a common issue. No worries though. You can either respray it with some high temperature engine block paint and let it cure for a couple of days before covering it or cooking, or you can spray it with some peanut oil the next time you fire it up but before it gets too hot and let that dry to the surface which will create a coating similar to seasoning a cast iron pan. Either of these methods will help prevent the rest that will eventually start. Just have fun with it, take your time and enjoy the smoke. Thanks for watching and let me know if there's anything in particular I can help with.
Got into offset smoking yesterday after realizing what that box was for lol. Watched a few of your videos on Friday and I went with the charcoal and wood chunk option. I think I might try the long and slow burning charcoal option with the chunks before I transition to just wood. It is a long process but it is rewarding. I think I’m going to bbq every weekend now haha
That sounds awesome Curtis! Charcoal is a nice easy way to get the hang of things. The flavor you get from burning wood is incredible though, and it just takes a little practice. I just recorded every second of a 6 hour cook, all in one shot, burning wood only. I need to edit the video to condense it down to less than an hour, and then upload it. My goal is to show everything, to show exactly what a long cook looks like. I also just ordered a whole pig today and I'm thinking about live streaming this weekend. I'm not sure how I'd do it, or how popular it would be, but I'm thinking about it. LOL! Keep on smokin my friend!
Great Job running camera, managing your fire, accentuated with practical tips. Best part is - no crappy music to get in the way!
I really appreciate that! I added background music to a couple of my videos but totally regretted doing that. Just didn't feel right and I don't like a bunch of fluff. Future videos will be more to the point. Thanks for watching!
I get so much education from channels like this.You may be at 6k subscribers today but continue being consisitent I swear I use channels like this all the time. I will use the education and forget then swing back around in two years or so and they're at 500k subs. I've seen it with so many educational channels on youtube like this.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that. I'm the same way. I have so many videos that I've saved and go back to. UA-cam is such a good resource for learning so many things. Also a lot of BS but it's easy to filter that out. LOL! Thanks again for visiting my channel and I promise to work hard to add more valuable content in the future. Smoke on my friend!
Hi Tony ive watched this about 10 times and i still never even finished building my smoker. just what you need to know.hope to use this tips soon.best fire management video on UA-cam handsdown.thanks
Jules, thank you! I'm really glad you're finding my video helpful. I hope you get that smoker built soon. It's time to fire it up! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the tips, I've got the exact same grill ( so it's apples to apples) the real eye opener was the vent and smokestack info
You're welcome! Yes, the smokestack on the Smokin Champ is pretty narrow, so keeping it wide open is important. I'm glad this helped!
So far one of the best videos on how to manage an offset fire I’ve ever seen! Kudos to you sir! You’re not getting enough credit on UA-cam but that’s not uncommon. Keep doing what you’re doing thank you for helping us wanna be offset ninjas👏👏👏👏
Randy... I appreciate all comments, good and bad, but there are some I appreciate more than others. THANK YOU so much! I appreciate you watching and I really appreciate your comments. I know not all of us have the time and resources to go to Jedi Pitmaster Academy so I'm glad I can help in any little way I can. Take care and rock that BBQ!
@@TonyToneBBQ he
Watched your Build a Fire video and I really appreciate these. Mostly because you use an inexpensive Offset, and I agree 100%, you have to love doing this kind of work, that is the entire process.
Hey thanks for watching! For sure, you gotta love it. Can be frustrating at first, but when you're good it, running an offset like this is super chill and a lot of fun. Makes for a satisfying day. Thanks again!
Thanks for showing most of the things we can expect. I suspect you probably could have gotten your temperature settled much quicker if not for you wanting to show all possibilities. Great educational session.
Hey, thanks for watching! Yes, I get it hot really quickly and settle the temp down right away when I'm actually just cooking and not working a video. I'm glad you enjoyed. Smoke on!
Great video. I just bought this smoker and I’m still learning it.
Thank you and congrats on the new Smokin Champ!
Excellent video!! Thank you.
Very thorough explanation/demonstration on controlling the temperature.
Thanks Brian! I'm glad you think so. I appreciate the comment and thank you for watching!
Fire management on the small thin metal offsets Oklahoma Joe/ Char-Griller are the hardest to manage. But also kind of fun! If you can cook great BBQ on these smokers your a true "pit master".
You're so right about that and it's the reason I like making videos with the one. I figure it's what most of us start with and they'll either make you or break you. Thanks for watching!
5,000 views only 81 likes. Something is wrong with that. Excellent video!
Thanks! Much appreciated!
controlling my fire was a hard job to do. I was use to my grill I could control my setting with out a problem. My son and daughter gave me a char grill offset smoke for Christmas this change my game and challenge my smoking to another level. Understanding that my offset need small instead of large will help me control my temp. Thanks
Hey Dwayne! Thanks for your comment and I'm glad you found my video useful. Let me know how it goes!
Guess that makes me “Bad Ass” lol….great video and tips
Yes, Sir! LOL! Thanks for watching all of that!
hey Tony,
very instructive and clear videos. I got my first smoker as a gift yesterday. I'm going to work with your tips! greetings Tim from the Netherlands
Hey Tim! That's a great gift! Congratulations on your new smoker and welcome to the awesome world of barbeque. Thanks for watching and let me know if there is something you'd like to see in the future. I appreciate your comments, all the way from the Netherlands!
G’day mateThanks so much! Made it through the 1hr 💪🏻 this video has been really helpful as I’m just branching out into smoking! Thank you for your time and effort! Your content is great!
Hey Ashton! I gotta say that Australia has the absolute coolest greeting and I get really jealous every time I get a "G'day mate" Hahaha! Thank you my friend! I appreciate your comment and thanks for watching. I'm glad you've got useful info from my video. Smoke on!
I was put off from smoked foods for many years after feasting at an event in Texas where they smoked turkeys and briskets. I was burping smoke for three days. Growing up, we either grilled over open flame mesquite or cooked things in an underground pit. Smoking wasn't real popular back then.
Now that I understand how to smoke without adulterating the meat, I can enjoy it much more.
Latigo, I can relate! Before I learned how to run the right smoke, I was burping up that nasty and I about ruined it for my family. Learning how to work the fire is more important than anything. I've always wanted to try some underground pit cooking. I'd love to take a stab at Cochinita Pibil. Thanks for watching and I appreciate your comment!
This was brilliant man! I learned a lot. Doing a pork butt smoke tomorrow with apple wood, and I'm going to apply as much of this as I can. Thanks.
Hey Jay! Pork butt with apple wood, you got me drooling! Thanks for watching and I'm glad my video was helpful. Have fun!
You are RIGHT ITS A EVENT LOVE IT........
Absolutely! I'm looking forward to upcoming cold days with the smoker. Thanks for watching!
Getting ready to build a smoker this weekend out of 55 gallon drums getting everything drew out while watching this video
Hey Jon! That's exciting! Good luck with the project! Thanks for watching!
Awesome video! Cant wait to try this. Thank you so much.
My pleasure! Thanks for watching and have fun!
Just what I needed! Thank you, Tony!!
You're very welcome! I'm glad my video helped. I've posted a few others so be sure to subscribe and check out my channel if you haven't yet. Thanks for watching and have fun!
I feel like cooking with real wood is similar to catching bullpens or fielding ground balls. It’s never going to be the same. I honestly think it’s harder to make what looks difficult looking appear to be easy.
That's right! It's never the same. The key is to learn to recognize the subtle differences. Just like the length of the grass makes the ball roll differently, knowing how to react to the variables helps you make the play.
Great video. Watched the whole thing!
Wow Rod! You rock! Thank you for watching!
Hi Tony 1st time listener Totally enjoy it Very action packed our I wish I would have seen this video yesterday I done that cook 1st time chicken legs Italian sauce If I was seeing this video I would really enjoyed my cook more comfortable Actually it's a lot of fun just needed to know what I needed to do thank you looking forward to some more videos keep him Rolling please
rolling buddy
Thank you John! I really appreciate that! I'm glad you watched the video, even if it's a day late. Good news is that you've got so many more cooks ahead of you. It's going to be a good time! Thanks again!
Awesome video bro, I'm learning sooo much from you
Thank you! I'm glad my videos are helpful. Thanks for watching!
The problem with that 1 log that was burning forever is that it had a knot. Those knotty pieces, people use in their wood stoves cause they burn really hot and long because of all the twisted fibers. They call them all nighters cause they won't split for that reason. Maybe stay away from those. You could also buy a small chop saw and cut those logs down into chunks. Great video bro.
Thanks brother! Love the comment. You're totally correct about that fat chunk with the knot. I've considered a chop saw, but I like to keep do as much as possible with hand tools to keep it simple, something anyone can do. Thanks for watching!
awesome info, probably the best I've seen so far. thanks for your knowledge.
Thank you Fabian! I appreciate your comment. Smoke on!
Finally after tons of videos I've found yours ... Thank You brother! I'm going use my offset for the first time the right way ... and confidently! 🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯💪💪💪
Hey Fabricio! Damn! Thank you so much! One of the best comments yet. I'm really glad my video helps. I'm working on more. Reading comments I know to be direct and detailed with less BS. Thanks again and smoke on!
Great vid man, you are a good teacher.
Thanks John! I really appreciate that!
I got the same grill just a bit bigger, I went by the 3 2 1 method, I use just wood as you shown in the video n they turned out great
Hey Kenneth! I love hearing that! Thanks for your comment!
I made all the way through your video lol... I'm a beginner so it actually a very good video i feel like a pro now. Lot's of knowledge thanks and god bless.
Wow! Good job! I'm thinking I might copy this one and edit down to a shorter version, I'm glad you made it all the way through and that it was helpful. Thanks for watching! God bless you too. Smoke on!
I really feel this is helpful. I'm going to try it
Great! Just be patient and get to know that fire and the heat it puts out. Thank you for your comment and I'm glad you found my video helpful!
You are 💯 correct. A clean fire equals great BBQ.
Thanks for watching Stephen! I appreciate the comment!
Great teaching video. Thank you!
You're welcome Keith! I'm glad you liked it. I've got several other videos on the topic in my channel you might want to check out. Thanks for watching!
Great video! It not only shows how to manage a wood fueled smoker but also shows how much work and time is involved!
I have to wonder how many Traegers you sold with this video haha. It's a lot of work for a 20-minute period of eating enjoyment. You have to love doing it! You summed it up when you said, "I love people's reaction when they taste what comes off of this."
Now I'm sitting here in dis-belief that I spent an hour watching someone cook without even getting a taste. That's just not right.
Well I'm hoping you can duplicate the process and then you'll have all you can eat whenever you want! And yeah, I know it looks like a ton of work, but it gets so easy after some practice and experience, especially after you get all your tools that work best for you and your process down. I gotta be home all day but I'm usually busy doing a bunch of other stuff unless I'm filming. But damn, whatever it takes, it's so worth it in the end.
@TonyTone BBQ Oh I spend a lot of time on my grill/smoker! It's almost daily when the weather is nice. I have 2 cords of seasoned cherry split, stacked and ready to go!! 😁
@@Musicianized nice! Cherry is great! I've been using a lot of Oak lastly and I have a big stack of cherry too. My favorites.
Excellent video and well worth watching for the full run time💯
Thank you Steve! I appreciate you watching and I'm glad you liked it. Smoke on!
Thanks for taking the time to show as explain great video looking forward to the next one
Hey Lou! Thanks for your comment! I really appreciate you watching and I'm glad you found my video helpful. Smoke on!
Watching this while I'm doing the maiden burn off. Playing around adding small bits, seeing how it reacts to adding one piece, 2 pieces, so on. Trick I'm finding is losing alot of heat when adding wood, waiting for it to flame up/ stop smouldering before I close the fire box up again. Attempting the wood preheat ontop of the fire box. Practice makes perfect 🍻 great video
Right on Rob! Yeah, if you get the next piece of wood nice and hot, it'll light up almost instantly. Try keeping the next piece inside the firebox between the fire and the cooking chamber. They get super hot that way and will light up super quick.
Thank you, Tony. This was absolutely helpful.
My pleasure! Thanks for watching!
Can u do a video on smoking turkey wings
Very useful information. Thank you for the video
You're very welcome and I'm glad you think so. Thanks for watching!
Keep on smoking!! thanx for sharing your idea`s and story Greetings from Holland!
Wow! All the way from Holland! I appreciate your comment and thank you for watching. Smoke on!
Man you didn't Crack a 🍺 open until you were done? Your a better man than me I would have went through at least a Six Pack by this time! What patient's and will power!
Yeah, that's right... but I made up for it after! It's difficult to film, cook and drink all at the same time. I don't have a film crew or anything. hahaha! Thanks for watching!
Keep on smoking greetings from egypt
AWESOME! Smoke on in Egypt! Thanks for watching!
Just want you to know I watched the entire video. Tomorrow morning 1/16/23 I'm smoking meat for the 2nd time ever. Im using your tips this time around for my ribs to see how they go.
Awesome! Good luck tomorrow! Sounds like a great way to spend the day. I hope everything goes well. In fact, please let me know. Thanks!
@TonyTone BBQ will do! only difference is I have white oak to use instead of cherry.
@@wolfgangturner7032 white oak is actually my favorite! Check out some of my newer videos if you get a chance. Thanks! I can't wait to hear how your cook goes!
Thanks a lot. This video was what i have been looking for. I needed to see someone walk through the process so I could see the steps needed to manage fire temperature and maintain the clean smoke. You are a life saver. Now all i need to know is how is it different if you use coal as your heat base and a single split for smoke? Are you scooping out coal if you need to lower the temp? I'm having difficulty getting to and maintaining the range of 225 to 250.
Hey John! Oh that's a really good question. This can be a little tricky, but with some trial and error, it's not that hard. If you're using charcoal, you can choak the air down and it won't cause dirty smoke. Same with most lump coal, but you gotta keep an eye on the stack. I usually keep intake wide open and close down the stack to reduce get the temp that I want with charcoal. If you want to add wood to the mix, use a small chunk. You'll have to feed it more often, but as long as a small chunk is burning well, you won't get the dirty smoke. I did a vid on charcoal you might wanna check out. Thanks for watching and I appreciate your comment!
Here's a link to charcoal:
ua-cam.com/video/qXW0sD58Lb8/v-deo.html
Awesome video! Thank you!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Does the lignan have the flavor of the wood that carries over to your meat if so would saw dust pellets have less lignan in it after all of the processing and nobody knows how long that pile of sawdust was exposed to the air before being turned into a pellet because air oxidizes , well everything...
Here I am. What is your question?
I really can't answer your question. I'm not a scientist or chemist and I don't know what role lignan plays in the production of flavor. Honestly I'd rather not get into the science of it all, I've always considered barbecue more of an art. The smell in the air, the look of the smoke, the way the fire burns, the way the meat looks, the way it feels, the way it tastes... Those are the things that I look for. My favorite results come from using natural wood burned the right way, so naturally that's what I end up using most of the time because it just tastes better. I also enjoy the challenge of developing that relationship with the fire. So much more satisfying than programming machine with my phone. That's just me though! I really appreciate your questions!
HEY! Great video; seeing you go through each step was invaluable. So I have a very similar smoker (DynaGlo) but the cook chamber is smaller than yours.....do you think I need to use smaller wood pieces, or about the same and just vary the time, or something else? Thanks!
Hi Mark! Thanks for the question! You're on the right track with the size of wood that you burn. It takes a bit of trial-and-error, but experiment with different sizes. The goal is to find the size that burns the cleanest, for the longest time, at the right temperature range. Small and thin might burn too hot and too fast. Long and fat might burn too slow, too cool and make too much dirty smoke. The temp in a smaller cook chamber will have more drastic fluctuations, and you just have to learn how to work with that. In my Smoken Champ, I'm usually using splits about the size of a soda can. I recommend you start with smaller peices, maybe even two at a time, but get a nice little bed of coal going first. Let the time get too high, and then slowly work it down to the temp you want and figure out the size to add to the pile that keeps it in that range. I hope that helps!
@@TonyToneBBQ thanks.....really great channel!
@@markskeels1339 thank you!
@@TonyToneBBQ So I bbq'ed some chicken and a rack of ribs today using smallish Oak splits. Well I used somewhat smaller pieces and I found that the fire was easier to control and things came out pretty well. I think one secret is to build up a good sized bed of coals in order to maintain good temperature regulation. Next time, I am going to build up a good bed of coals first.
mmm also temps were in the high 60's today here in the northern mid west. I am wondering whether or not lower temps had something to do with the ease of control today.
Seems like it may be easier to use a charcoal base, would get a base built faster and might help to keep a steady temp with the wood? Might be worth the comparison...
Thanks for you comment! Yes, starting with a charcoal or lump coal base is easier. When I do start with a char or lump base, I go for lump because it's closer to actual wood. Even though it's a little more work, my preference is still wood only for two reasons. Reason number one is the purest factor of using only one heat source. The second reason is that I need to get the smoker up to 400 degrees which takes a big pile of wood anyway so might as well save the char/lump coal.
What do you do when the wind is constantly changing does that mean you should have decided to barbecue on a calmer day?
Wind can be a real pain, but I don't let it stop me. I usually just prop up some type of shield around the intake vent. A piece of plywood propped up against the firebox or a chair next to the firebox usually does the trick. If it's really cold and windy, you just have to run a hotter fire because the cooking chamber will lose heat faster, but yeah if it's super windy and super cold, it can be difficult. You just got to create the right kind of shelter around your offset.
@@TonyToneBBQ thanks for the help man..
I'm trying to transition to a pellet smoker and only seem to get constant white smoke from any pellets that look Brown in the bag.. so after about 6 20 lb bags of pellets and plenty of white smoke I would have to steer myself to say something needs to change to get a different outcome and the outcome would be blue smoke or thin blue smoke.. I know I didn't want to be smoking with white smoke but that's all I had.
I've been using offset smokers for 35 years and had finally gotten the grasp of fire management but this little class I had watching this video was a good refresher course..
Onward to the pellet grill problems..
Last year near the end of the barbecuing season I was in Walmart and found a 20 lb bag of pit boss charcoal blend pellets where I looked at the bag and saw the pellets didn't look Brown but they were brown specks in the pellets so I bought that bag and gave it a try I got home took a handful out and put it in my pellet smoker turned it on and went inside expecting white smoke but when I came outside I always glance over at the grill whether it's running or not it's just a habit maybe just to reassure me that is still there and somebody didn't walk off with it... Anyway I looked over at the grill and all I could see was blue smoke literally literally blew I couldn't have asked for more blue or smoke but there it was my eyes were deceiving me I thought big smile come across my face and I took my ribs and put them in the smoker shut the door cuz it was a vertical smoker and was using a chamber temperature of 130° cooking them low and slow for 5 hours in the smoke when ribs were done you couldn't tell the rib for even close to a smoker you would have thought they were cooked in the oven in the kitchen..
I understand just because you have blue smoke and a smoke ring doesn't mean you have the flavor in your meat.. that's where I'm starting to have a concern about all of the processing that goes into making those wood pellets that exposes is more of the wood to air which oxidizes things and yes nobody knows how long that pile of sawdust was laying there before they decided to make pellets out of it..
I keep all my pellets in tupperware because smoking pellets are very very high groscopic I will suck up water out of the air liquide split...
The pellet grill I have allows the pellets to get screaming hot before they're dumped into the fire pot so I'm not adding cold wood to a hot fire and I understand that wood coming up to temperature will not create blue smoke because it's not in the 650 to 750° f range to start producing blue smoke...
The ribs had a fantastic color when they were done and and tender just the way I like them but there was no wood flavor on the meat at all you would have thought they were cooked in the oven in the kitchen ..
I could have sprinkled some paprika with wood smoked flavor on it but that really wasn't what I was after for flavor.. it was a regular day no sun bearing down on the vertical smoker..
Any words of wisdom about getting flavor from a pellet smoker?
The pellet smoking industry is actually a unregulated business that that can put anything on the bag that says what's supposed to be in the pellets but end up not having any hardwood in it at all going from one extreme to the other...
But what mystified me was why that bag of pit boss charcoal blend pellets that looked black with the only pellet that I could ever get any blue smoke out of..
Was it the color of the pellet that was absorbing extra heat because it was black ???
This actually is my first pellet smoker and just trying to ring just a little bit of blue smoke out of those pellets because more blue smoke doesn't necessarily mean more flavor.. any words of wisdom would be appreciated..
@@brucerogers3253 anytime Bruce!
This is a fantastic video and great advice
Hey Christopher! I'm glad you found my video useful. Thanks for watching!
Currently building a 172 gallon tank smoker and trying to learn all I can before it’s done! Never used any offset of any kind or size before! 😂😂
DAMN! That sounds AWESOME! I hope it works out well! Best advice I can give you is to practice working that fire. Don't even worry about food until you're really familiar with how it burns and the temps produced with whatever you're burning. Learn it out burns, then cooking the meat will be easy.
Lol good bro...you'll be fine
@@sprig6043 oh yeah it turned out awesome I’ve smoked a whole bunch in the past month and everything is turning out pretty decent! Some briskets were a little dry after a 17 hour rest but that had a lot to do with it 😂
@@TheNaturalHazards Brilliant news. I've been staring at my Oaklahoma Joe Highland for over a month drove 824miles to collect it lol. Here in the UK only access to splits it by online order, just got delivered today. I'll be off work for two weeks from Sunday and can't wait to get stuck In. About to order digital grill thermometer for the big. I've never smoked meat before so I'm just like you in that sense won't be doing Brisket for a while lol!
@@sprig6043 haha I’m from Arkansas so we just cut down a tree for our splits, I’ve not used half the wood yet 😂 second cook ever I cooked 3 briskets, 3 pork butts, 3 rack of ribs, and a whole chicken. It was a blast but that dry flat side of the brisket was upsetting. I probably trimmed too much fat as well if I’m being honest
*Looks at are cherry log* So what about building the file around/next to it and it will catch later on.
Thanks for the question! If other pieces of wood are placed too close to the burning wood, it will catch fire. I'm like cool that will slowly spread, burning wood spreads fast. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for sharing this video, great stuff. New subscriber.
Thanks Alex! I'm working on new videos to upload as I type this. Glad you like my video and thank you so much for your comment! Smoke on!
Great video. Have you ever thought about getting a bigger smoker maybe like a 150 gallon offset smoker. That would be a awesome video to see you do.
Hey! Thanks for you comment! I'm glad you like my video. Yes, I've been considering getting something bigger and heavier. I've got something in mind. I think a 150 is just bigger than what I need, and it's also a lot bigger than what most backyard barbequers use but absolutely yes, there will be something bigger in future videos. Thanks for watching!
@@TonyToneBBQ Thank you for replying. Something to consider a 150 offset smoker is more of the mid range backyard Offset smoker. It's right in the middle between the smokey Joe and a 250 gallon offset smoker. Check it out when you get time.
@@bnsfnortherncalitrains6684 yeah, you're right about that. I just realized that one of the rigs I've been looking at is about 250. Something is coming in the near future. Thanks for the tip!
Good video and information.👍👍💯
Thank you! I'm glad you think so. I appreciate your comment!
Is a reverse flow offset smoker any benefit to adding flavor to your meat???
Excellent question Bruce! Thanks for asking it. In my opinion, the primary benefit of a reverse flow is a more consistent temperature throughout. The same volume of air will be moving through, so I do not believe there is a flavor benefit, but because the air has to make its way to one side and then back to the other, the result should be a more consistent temperature throughout.
Great tips Thank You
My pleasure, Julian! Thanks for watching!
I'm a newbie. I guess I'm doing good if when I'm using wood I see no smoke at all but smell the aroma of the wood?
Yes! Good job! Sounds like you're doing it right.
Can you do a video on a cook on an old smokey thank you
Hi Charlie! Thanks for watching and thanks for your request! I don't have an Old Smokey, but I'll keep that in mind as I collect more tools. What model are you using?
Thank you for your reply you do a lot of good videos I saw the one today about beer or Bourbon and then you did the veggies on the smoker
@@charliebreazeale6448 thank you! I appreciate that. Smoking/barbequing is something I really enjoy. It's great way to relax, enjoy a good brew or cocktail and just enjoy life 🙂
Watched it all! Great Info
Awesome! I'm glad you found the info helpful! I'm working on a new video and hope to upload by this weekend.
@@TonyToneBBQ yea man I’m sitting here doing a brisket now. I’m new to off set smokers. Always used charcoal with direct heat. My woods at 30% and kinda tough to light it wants to smolder. I did what said and have some pre-heating on the edge of the fire. Working like a charm! 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽
That sounds beautiful! It's freaking awesome the way the wood bursts into flames when it's preheated. Nice work!
I'm just curious what modifications you used to get that thing to not leak. I opted for a oklahoma joe highland which is made by charbroil apparently. This thing leaks out of the box. Other than that excellent video. Different cuts, splitting it, size, all good info
Hey Michael! Thanks for watching and I appreciate the question. My Char-Griller Smokin Champ leaked smoke like crazy until I sealed it up. I used Lava Lock Smoker Gasket and RTV. I actually made a video in which I describe how I did it. I'll leave a link below. If you watch the video, check the video description for links to the products I used. Sealing the Smokin Champ make a HUGE difference in performance. I had trouble holding temp, had massive temp spikes and dips and it was an overall nightmare. After I sealed it up, the Smokin Champ worked like a much more expensive rig. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks and here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/Z3Mnl-HHrgs/v-deo.html
@TonyTone BBQ awesome...thank you so much. Will definitely look into. I refuse to go back to WSM and pellet. I love the labor. Thank you again for taking the time out of your day to help!
@@michaelebberup3034 sounds great Michael! I love it! My pleasure. Have fun and smoke on!
Can you use real wood mixed with fogo lump charcoal?
Yes, you can and it's something that I do occasionally. I usually start my burns with a pile of lump coal to build up the temperature and preheat my offset, but then after that I typically just add natural wood. Occasionally, if for some reason I'm struggling with temperature management, sometimes the wood and/or the weather is just uncooperative, I will add in lump coal to fix the situation. Just keep in mind that if you are burning any natural wood in that firebox, you must allow maximum airflow because if you don't, natural wood will smolder and create white smoke that will cause a bitter overly smoky flavor. I call that the ashtray flavor. Not pleasant in my opinion. But yes, you can use lump coal but the more lump coal you use and the less would you use, the less flavor from the smoke your meat will have.
When you add a new piece of wood, don't you have crappy smoke for awhile ( or in the grand scheme of things it won't matter )
The trick is to get the wood really hot before adding it to the fire. My favorite way to do this is by keeping 2 or 3 short splits in the box between the fire and the cooking chamber. When the wood is hot, it lights up much faster and minimizes dirty smoke. But in the grand scheme of things, a few minutes of dirty smoke isn't going to ruin anything so don't even sweat it. Thanks for the question! By the way... I'm working on a new video right now. I shot an entire 6 hour cook in one take. I'm just speeding up the video so time passes quickly when I'm not doing anything, and running normal speed when I'm adding wood or making an adjustment. My goal is to show exactly what running a long cook looks like, including temperature fluctuations and all. I'm also thinking about live streaming a whole pig I'm cooking this weekend. Let me know if you'd be interested in either of these, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!
is the wood use kiln dried or not? some say a little moisture is good, true or not?
Great question! Wood can be too dry, but it should be dry enough to burn cleanly. In my opinion, too wet is way worse of a problem than too dry. I usually get wood from a local firewood distributor so it's never kiln dried. I don't know about the stuff you get at hardware stores, but I'd guess it's kiln dried. Thanks for the question!
I wanna see a video of you smoking a turkey, I wanna see you season it to putting it on the smoker, basting it and everything, lol you are my man, I watch all your videos, so please show me ok? Thanks
Joe! I got you man. I'm almost done finishing a video on Smoked Turkey that I did with the help of the wife. I hope to have it up in a couple days. Stay tuned my friend!
I know some of you guys are reading the commments on this video. I have watched some of his other videos and I’m just saying…just scroll up and simply drop a like for him. I have a bad habit watching good videos and not liking them, and so do you.
Keelan THANK YOU!!! I really appreciate your kind words and support of my channel. It means a lot to me. Thank you for watching my videos, liking, sharing and being a fan!
I haven’t watched the entire video yet but my problem is I can’t get a proper coal bed established. By time I need another split the coals are basically gone
obrigado amigo, muito bom
Obrigado!
NICE video!!!!!!
Thanks Randy! I'm glad you like it!
Very helpful.
Thanks Thomas!
Hi Tony, I'm a complete amateur to the game. I purchased one of the cheaper end offset smoker on Amazon. Should I use the offset smoker ONLY to heat up the grill? I put the charcoal in the main chamber to heat it up... Is the offset smoker only for LONG term grill? I'm talking just for burgers I guess.
Hi David, thanks for watching and thank you for your question. The side fire box should be used when you want to "smoke" your food and/or if you want the heat to be "indirect". Indirect heat is when the food is not directly above the fire. Indirect heat is what you will need to do for long, low temperature cooking processed, like you would use for a Pork Butt, Brisket or Ribs. You can heat the entire grill using the side firebox, as I do in my video, and this way you don't have to clean out any coals from the main cooking chamber. If you are cooking "hot and fast", as you would with hamburgers, then you should build the fire in the main cooking chamber and then place the food directly over the coals. I do this a lot with burgers, chicken, steak, kabobs, fish... anything that I want to cook quickly. I hope this help! I'll do a video on using an offset to cook burgers or chicken legs with direct heat soon. Thanks!
@@TonyToneBBQ thank you for that
My pleasure!
THANK YOU
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
What temp do you add your food that you're going to smoke?
Hey Matt! I preheat to about 350, and then let the temp settle down. I add food when the temp gets down to within 25 degrees of my target. If my target is 225, I open the lid at 250 and add meat. Thanks for watching and thanks for your question!
Spray some canola oil on the inside and outside of that smoke to keep it seasoned and keep it from rusting out.
Yeah, I do now and then. I actually prefer peanut oil. In my climate, I find that regular use and cleaning out the ash is the most effective.
What thermometer are you using to keep track of cook chamber temperature?
Thanks for asking! It the Thermopro. See link below.
buythermopro.com/product/thermopro-tp-20-digital-wireless-meat-thermometer/?gclid=CjwKCAjwv_iEBhASEiwARoemvJHubWkjt87eY7qBzlT9kSEXKu8c75eyz5nrpCf7SQFGOG8zUV3sWhoCJW8QAvD_BwE
What kind of wood were you using
Hey Carl! In your video, I'm using Cherry. I get Cherry, Oak, Apple and a few others from a local firewood distributor.
@@TonyToneBBQ thanks!!! Appreciate the quick response 👌. I'm smoking a couple of slabs of baby backs and wings for my birthday tomorrow. The way you explain it a first time smoker can get it right.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARL!!! Sounds like you've got a great day planned. Have an awesome day and smoke the heck outta those ribs!
I am a bad ass and committed lol
Damn right! Lol!
Watch your entire video I realize I seen what I was doing wrong and what I was doing right.
using the my offset smoker to do my ribs two weeks ago I realize that I didn't understand
Thanks for watching and I'm glad it helped! Congrats on the new offset! You got a whole new world of BBQ in front of you!!!
So how many beers did you go through making this video?!
I think I was too busy trying to film to have any! Could've used an extra set of hands.
I would not smoke using wood that still has the bark on it.
Yeah, I don't mind leaving a little on, especially if it's burning the right way and the smoke is staying clean. I understand the potential hazards but it's minimal in my opinion. Thanks for watching!
Dang you must of went through a quarter of a cord of wood before you through the ribs on!
I know it looks like it. I usually get 4 to 6 mini logs from 1 split that I cut up. I did a Pork Shoulder a few days ago using 4 splits on an 8 hour cook. Your mileage may very, depending on factors.
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I didn't even finish the video, Mad scientist BBQ is the best BBQ channel.
Hey Enrique! Thank you so much for letting me know. I've been so worried about knocking Mad Scientist BBQ off his throne as the best barbecue channel, it's been keeping me up at night. Finally I can get some sleep! You da man!