The Texas BBQ Forum

Greetings:

So I won a homemade pit. It has an offset firebox to the left attached to a horizontal smoker tat is then pipe connected to a vertical smoker. I haven't bbq's in about 25 years (just grilling), so I'm getting my feet wet again. 2 questions:

1. How do I use the vertical smoker (furthest away from the fire box)? Why wouldn't I just cook in the horizontal smoker?
2. Adding wood. Do I just add wood as the fire dies down 91-2 logs at a time, etc.)? Would this create peaks and valleys in temp?

Okay, that was 4 questions but that's using the new math.

Thank you

Guy Incognito wrote:Greetings:

So I won a homemade pit. It has an offset firebox to the left attached to a horizontal smoker tat is then pipe connected to a vertical smoker. I haven't bbq's in about 25 years (just grilling), so I'm getting my feet wet again. 2 questions:

1. How do I use the vertical smoker (furthest away from the fire box)? Why wouldn't I just cook in the horizontal smoker?
2. Adding wood. Do I just add wood as the fire dies down 91-2 logs at a time, etc.)? Would this create peaks and valleys in temp?

Okay, that was 4 questions but that's using the new math.

Thank you

Welcome to the forum Guy Incognito and Congrats on your cooker.

1. How do I use the vertical smoker (furthest away from the fire box)?
You can expect 50° plus temp differences in the vertical and horizontal. In other words if you want the vertical to be cooking at say 250° the horizontal could easily be 300° or more.
My advice on this is first use the horizontal to cook on and learn what it takes to use the vertical for what ever you want, there is no need in fighting the cooker at first trying to balance the two it will not happen.

2. Adding wood. Do I just add wood as the fire dies down 91-2 logs at a time, etc.)?
Start with a chimney of lit charcoal and one or two splits, let the cooker come up to temp and watch your temps. You need to find the cookers sweet spot, meaning where she likes to run maintaining a clean burning small hot fire.
Example: If the cooker likes to run between 240° and 275° then that is her sweet spot, as the temps near 240° you would add a split. You will have spikes in an offset but once you learn the cooker and fire management you can reduce them greatly.
Enjoy your cooker don't fight her, learn how she likes to operate and you will do fine.
I hope this helps.

KAM is spot on, learn your new cooker and dont fight it. Rarely can you "cook" on both at the same time. Most verticals attached like that are used for very low n slow cooking. To me they are just warmers to keep food warm after its done, I cook at 300+ most of the time.

Thank you for the pearls of wisdom.

Guy Incognito
Houston by way of San Antonio