quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I've used my Weber kettle for overnight smokes, using the charcoal snake method and placing it out in the middle of the yard away from anything else. I'll go check on it a few times, but I've never felt that it was unsafe to just let it go.

Same here. For being such a cheap and basic grill the old kettles are incredibly diverse.

quote:

Originally posted by Shaql:
Go read the bge/komodo joe thread before you land on the bge.

THIS, The Kamado joe II is everything the BGE should've become. I'm buying one next week at the Costco event.



I have a weber smokey mountain dedicated smoker and have cooked on it many times for 12-14 hours. At first I checked it every 30 minutes, then every 60 minutes, but once you get the temperature level, it honestly holds temperature so well that you don't have to touch anything, after 8 hours it might drop 5-10F and you open the vents a little more, but honestly that wouldn't be a big deal...…… I'd have no issues of letting it go for hours or even overnight, if it was in a safe place.

I have built a few wood burners that have temperature control. The easiest is a thermostat and solenoid that opens and closes the intake air. Will maintain temp better than an electric oven but makes meat very smoky (think Indians and smoke signals) so you need to wrap your meat sooner than you normally would.

I have built dampers that use PID controllers that will hone in on just the right position to maintain a constant temp, these are my favorite.

I also modified an old upright grill to a pellet smoker but unless I use it with a smoke generator, it doesn’t have the same flavor as a regular smoker.

These are two versions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMZ9voAORYc

I don’t have video uploaded of the latest but if your interested I can upload one. It uses a PID controller and a 3” header dump motor/valve, similar to the sliding one above.

I asked a buddy about smokers. He has offered me his Weber Smokey Mountain model for free.
After poking around from the suggestions on this thread. The Green Mountain Grills Davey Crocket May for my bill. At the moment a turkey or a whole chicken and a half slab of ribs is all I plan on smoking.
Though he says it’s like a gun safe. Figure what you need then at least double it.
So may just piddle with the free Weber for now and save for the Daniel Boone with WiFi.

I like the portability idea of the Davey Crocket for camping and the cabin but I question whether I will actually do it or not.
I have bears at the cabin so a smoker may not be a good idea there.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
I asked a buddy about smokers. He has offered me his Weber Smokey Mountain model for free.
After poking around from the suggestions on this thread. The Green Mountain Grills Davey Crocket May for my bill. At the moment a turkey or a whole chicken and a half slab of ribs is all I plan on smoking.
Though he says it’s like a gun safe. Figure what you need then at least double it.
So may just piddle with the free Weber for now and save for the Daniel Boone with WiFi.

I like the portability idea of the Davey Crocket for camping and the cabin but I question whether I will actually do it or not.
I have bears at the cabin so a smoker may not be a good idea there.

I have a weber smokey mountain. It is a great smoker. I usually would use close to 2 chimneys of charcoal and then 10 pieces +/- of soaked hickory in it. I'd put hot water (from the tap) in the water pan. Keep the exhaust vent fully open and the 3 bottom vents 1/3 +/- open and once you get the temp level (I'd do 225F almost always) you really don't have to mess with it for 3-5 hours at a time......sometimes even 8 if it's not windy. Even then, I'd just have to tap the 3 bottom vents open a hair more, 1/16" maybe. You always leave the top vent wide open on the smokey mountain. It's a $300 smoker. It has 2 levels of racks.....I've easily done 6 racks of baby backs on it (laying flat), or 2 large pork butts with plenty of room to spare.


It IS a pain to clean it after using it.....As everything stuck in it (on the grates, water pan etc.), is not charred and gooey meat...… but dawn and a good nylon brush and the hose outside would do a good job.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jimmy123x,

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
It IS a pain to clean it after using it.....As everything stuck in it (on the grates, water pan etc.), is not charred and gooey meat...… but dawn and a good nylon brush and the hose outside would do a good job.

Who cleans a smoker?

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

I used to have a BGE and left it alone a few times but anytime you have potential grease coming off the food right onto the flame you can have a runaway and there are plenty of ceramic cookers that have cracked so I wouldn't really trust that.

Ever heard of a "drip pan"?
FWIW, the vast majority of good BGE cooking is done indirectly not over flames.
Of course there are exceptions for some items and searing of course.

That's how I always used mine unless it was for chicken wings or pizza. Doesn't help if you get a crack and have a runaway on a wood deck though.

A pellet grill would be almost impossible to have a catastrophic fire just the way they are designed.

quote:

A pellet grill would be almost impossible to have a catastrophic fire just the way they are designed.

This is sadly not the case, just google “traeger explosion”.

And if you plan on hauling one from one place to another, in the back of a truck, be sure it is completely out or you can run the fire all the way back to the pellet hopper.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

I used to have a BGE and left it alone a few times but anytime you have potential grease coming off the food right onto the flame you can have a runaway and there are plenty of ceramic cookers that have cracked so I wouldn't really trust that.

Ever heard of a "drip pan"?
FWIW, the vast majority of good BGE cooking is done indirectly not over flames.
Of course there are exceptions for some items and searing of course.

That's how I always used mine unless it was for chicken wings or pizza. Doesn't help if you get a crack and have a runaway on a wood deck though.

A pellet grill would be almost impossible to have a catastrophic fire just the way they are designed.

How do you get crack growth in a ceramic komodo grill once it's at steady state temperature (i.e. the point of the thread since we're saying left unattended)? You may assume I have advanced knowledge of fracture mechanics when you explain.

Also, if you're grilling/smoking on a wood deck why aren't you using a grill mat?

quote:

Originally posted by jmorris:

quote:

A pellet grill would be almost impossible to have a catastrophic fire just the way they are designed.

This is sadly not the case, just google “traeger explosion”.

And if you plan on hauling one from one place to another, in the back of a truck, be sure it is completely out or you can run the fire all the way back to the pellet hopper.

Operator error. The guy was right there and screwed up. Not saying it's impossible, anything is possible and you can never say never.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

I used to have a BGE and left it alone a few times but anytime you have potential grease coming off the food right onto the flame you can have a runaway and there are plenty of ceramic cookers that have cracked so I wouldn't really trust that.

Ever heard of a "drip pan"?
FWIW, the vast majority of good BGE cooking is done indirectly not over flames.
Of course there are exceptions for some items and searing of course.

That's how I always used mine unless it was for chicken wings or pizza. Doesn't help if you get a crack and have a runaway on a wood deck though.

A pellet grill would be almost impossible to have a catastrophic fire just the way they are designed.

How do you get crack growth in a ceramic komodo grill once it's at steady state temperature (i.e. the point of the thread since we're saying left unattended)? You may assume I have advanced knowledge of fracture mechanics when you explain.

Also, if you're grilling/smoking on a wood deck why aren't you using a grill mat?

It's easy to get a crack and not notice it and then fire it up. Yeah Yeah I know you do a 10 point inspection every time you use yours. I don't grill on a wood deck my deck is concrete and my entire house is brick.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

I used to have a BGE and left it alone a few times but anytime you have potential grease coming off the food right onto the flame you can have a runaway and there are plenty of ceramic cookers that have cracked so I wouldn't really trust that.

Ever heard of a "drip pan"?
FWIW, the vast majority of good BGE cooking is done indirectly not over flames.
Of course there are exceptions for some items and searing of course.

That's how I always used mine unless it was for chicken wings or pizza. Doesn't help if you get a crack and have a runaway on a wood deck though.

A pellet grill would be almost impossible to have a catastrophic fire just the way they are designed.

How do you get crack growth in a ceramic komodo grill once it's at steady state temperature (i.e. the point of the thread since we're saying left unattended)? You may assume I have advanced knowledge of fracture mechanics when you explain.

Also, if you're grilling/smoking on a wood deck why aren't you using a grill mat?

It's easy to get a crack and not notice it and then fire it up. Yeah Yeah I know you do a 10 point inspection every time you use yours. I don't grill on a wood deck my deck is concrete and my entire house is brick.

You did not answer my question. This thread is about leaving a smoker unattended so my question was not about crack growth while heating up (ie when attended). My question was about crack growth during steady state heat (i.e. exactly how a low-n-slow smoke would be at the point one would leave it unattended). Once again, how would a crack grow during steady state heat?

I regularly do long cooks with my Kamado Joe, I’ve never had any kind of negative issues. It is a tool I wish I would have discovered years ago!

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
It IS a pain to clean it after using it.....As everything stuck in it (on the grates, water pan etc.), is not charred and gooey meat...… but dawn and a good nylon brush and the hose outside would do a good job.

Who cleans a smoker?

The smokey mountain is not like a grill where the meat pieces and residue get burnt to a crisp. It is a dedicated smoker with a big water pan. I use it at 225F, not hotter like a bbq grill. The chunks and pieces of meat stuck on the rack stay as meat and rot. The racks are directly over the water pan. The water pan fills with the grease drippings and turns rancid. The racks and water pan NEED to be cleaned...…. The body and lid don't need to be cleaned.


NOW, on my weber kettle BBQ grill, I never clean anything just brush the grate off, let it heat for 5 mins and throw the food on. The same for my Weber genesis S-330 gas grill, once in a while I shopvac the stuff out of the bottom of it, but that's about it.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
I asked a buddy about smokers. He has offered me his Weber Smokey Mountain model for free.

I have a Kamado Joe and a Weber Smokey mountain. I'd jump on that Weber if I were you.

With my WSM, I built a HeaterMeter (after seeing a thread on it here a few years ago) - it's an automatic temperature controller that works well. There are other add on temperature controllers that can be used with the WSM. I have no issues running my WSM unattended with the temp Heatermeter on it - but I do place the WSM away from the house on concrete when I do that.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
You did not answer my question. This thread is about leaving a smoker unattended so my question was not about crack growth while heating up (ie when attended). My question was about crack growth during steady state heat (i.e. exactly how a low-n-slow smoke would be at the point one would leave it unattended). Once again, how would a crack grow during steady state heat?

The guy that bought mine bought it because his cracked and spilled hot coals on his patio. He claimed it was because he was doing a long smoke and it started to rain. I took his word for it.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
You did not answer my question. This thread is about leaving a smoker unattended so my question was not about crack growth while heating up (ie when attended). My question was about crack growth during steady state heat (i.e. exactly how a low-n-slow smoke would be at the point one would leave it unattended). Once again, how would a crack grow during steady state heat?

The guy that bought mine bought it because his cracked and spilled hot coals on his patio. He claimed it was because he was doing a long smoke and it started to rain. I took his word for it.

What he told you is just not passing the sniff test from a technical perspective, my experience using in rain & snow in Alaska and Canada, and the fact that he is buying from you instead of getting it replaced under BGE's lifetime warranty.

I wouldn't take his word for it and I wouldn't repeat it to dissuade people from buying a ceramic komodo.

My BGE is about 15 yrs. old and ironically, the only thing that's cracked wasn't ceramic. It was the cast iron fire grate at the bottom of the pit. Over time the crack kept spreading wider so I replaced it ($20 part)
Think about that. Cast iron cracking before the ceramic.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
What he told you is just not passing the sniff test from a technical perspective, my experience using in rain & snow in Alaska and Canada, and the fact that he is buying from you instead of getting it replaced under BGE's lifetime warranty.

I wouldn't take his word for it and I wouldn't repeat it to dissuade people from buying a ceramic komodo.

I could really care less if his story passes your sniff test. What is undeniable is that ceramic cookers do crack. How and why they crack are certainly debatable.

Where have I used the fact that it can crack to dissuade anyone from buying a ceramic cooker? They work fantastic and the chances of it cracking are small.

The only thing I said is I personally wouldn't leave it unattended for long periods of time after hearing several stories from people that have had cracks. There was a guy on the BGE forum that had a crack he didn't notice and fired his up in the normal fashion but it was getting way more air than usual and he had a runaway fire that got so hot it caught his wood "nest" on fire.

^^
The possibility of a manufacturing defect always exists. It makes me curious how long the failed cooker was owned. I would think a problem would be apparent early on.