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Temperature Management on the Hasty-Bake Gourmet 256 Charcoal Grill

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    Temperature Management on the Hasty-Bake Gourmet 256 Charcoal Grill

    I purchased the Hasty-Bake Gourmet 256 a few months ago and I love it but can't seem to maintain the temp below about 300F. I use Kingsford blue bag briquets. If anyone has any suggestions on how to maintain 225F for long smokes, I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

    #2
    Have you checked the review of the Hasty Bake on here they may have a few points. Well I found the review and tried to paste it over here but it didn't take.

    https://amazingribs.com/grill-smoker...l-grill-review

    Ah it took this time I don't give up. LOL
    Last edited by mountainsmoker; June 12, 2019, 04:07 PM.

    Comment


    • Da Chief
      Da Chief commented
      Editing a comment
      Yes I did, Meathead said he also had a hard holding the temp down. Said it took a careful measuring of the charcoal, but did not elaborate.

    #3
    I think we need more info. How do you fill/pack the briquettes? How do you light them, and how many?

    Comment


    • mountainsmoker
      mountainsmoker commented
      Editing a comment
      Agreed in the review Meatloaf had to play with the number and the packing of the briquets to get down below 250 and maintain that.

    • Da Chief
      Da Chief commented
      Editing a comment
      I first tried loading/lighting the way they show on the Hasty-Bake web site. Then, I tried using the snake method wherein I separated a channel of briquets with bricks so that a fairly small amount of charcoal would follow in a chain or snake pattern but this didn't work well - I may have made the snake too skinny. I was wondering if sealing air leaks in the grill would help.

    #4
    I assume you are using the heat deflector and a water pan, and also have the fire cranked into the low position? My biggest problem with HB is constantly feeding it with charcoal (I prefer to add lit charcoal to avoid heavy smoke) to maintain temperature.

    Comment


      #5
      I have heard nothing but praise for this method:
      This fuse burn cook was done to just see how much time I could get out of a load of fuel running at about 225-250 degrees measured at the co...

      Comment


      • Da Chief
        Da Chief commented
        Editing a comment
        I have tried something similar to this but not quite the same. I'll give it a try. Is that wood that is used for the separator between the rows of charcoal? THANX!
        Last edited by Da Chief; June 13, 2019, 08:46 AM.

      • Da Chief
        Da Chief commented
        Editing a comment
        I tried the fuse method shown in your link with about 10 pounds of Kingsford charcoal using 2 bricks laid end to end for the separator. Tweaking the vents enabled me to keep the temp reasonably close to 225 for about 3 hours before needing to add more charcoal. I have no desire to constantly fiddle with the fire and add fuel every 3 hours for a long, slow cook. Wish I had never bought the Hasty-Bake. 40 briquettes in my PBC is good for about 8 hours with no tinkering.

      • WillieGee
        WillieGee commented
        Editing a comment
        Tried this method for a pork shoulder, but the fire still jumped. Thankfully you can't really mess up a shoulder. I am trying again today on a smaller scale for a pork loin(6lbs) only looking to cook for 2-3 hrs hopefully, but want to see how long it will go. Using Kingsford Pro. charcoal. Hope to report better results. Absolutely love my HB 257, but for longer cooks there is a learning curve. Enjoy the ride.

      #6
      Keep experimenting. There is a learning curve. This is the hardest part of the hasty bake. I did seal the door on mine and that helped a lot as well. Fantastic cooker.

      Comment


        #7
        I'm surprised you'd have to seal an expensive cooker like this.

        Comment


        • DavidNorcross
          DavidNorcross commented
          Editing a comment
          There are additions and modifications that people make to just about any cooker. Did I have to do it to get temp down? Nope. But it helped. As far as controlling temp for me it comes down to number of coals, lighting method, heat shield, height adjustment, vents,etc. there are tons of adjustments on this cooker which is why it is so versatile.

        • Ground Chuck
          Ground Chuck commented
          Editing a comment
          Understandable! I'm scared I would mess it up, lol. I wish I was more handy than I really am.

        #8
        Originally posted by Ground Chuck View Post
        I'm surprised you'd have to seal an expensive cooker like this.
        I bought a HB Gourmet about 5-6 years ago. Cooked on it for a year and sold it. It’s not that I didn’t like anything about it, but it just wasn’t for me. As far as "sealed"... nope... they pretty much leak everywhere. That and you cannot snuff out your fire after a cook... those are two of several things that drive me bonkers.

        Comment


        • Ground Chuck
          Ground Chuck commented
          Editing a comment
          That's crazy! Hopefully you didn't eat too big of a loss on the thing .

        • rwalters
          rwalters commented
          Editing a comment
          No loss as I bought it gently used from a buddy that didn't care for it either. Figured I'd give it a shot. No go! I was pretty transparent when I sold and decided to check in with the new owner several month after selling. He was determined to make things work, but was struggling as well. Honestly, I don't get the love for HB's. The new 357 model does look quite a bit more promising... time will tell

        #9
        No videos, little support, no tutorials unless you live in Oklahoma. If you mention this or ask for help in the fb group you get hazed. The most common advice i got was to throw away my digital thermometer and cook by fire not by temp..i dont get it

        Comment


        • tbob4
          tbob4 commented
          Editing a comment
          I don't own one so I can't help. However, DavidNorcross (above) seems like he could be a great resource. I'll bet if you messaged him with questions he would be more than happy to help. People here wouldn't haze you.

        • DavidNorcross
          DavidNorcross commented
          Editing a comment
          The fuse method is mentioned above which is recommended. Without knowing how you are setting up the cook it is hard to tell. It takes some experimenting. It does take some trial and error. I am happy to help any way that I can.

        #10
        How to maintain 225 on the Hasty Bake?

        With years of experience on various models, with the Hasty it is about...

        Fuel & Air Control

        Of course the vents come into play, but a Hasty is not a high air current cooker. Yes, there is air flow inside, and there are ways to adjust that, but it doesn't have a stack, so it doesn't pull a strong draft. Give it some air and exhaust, a little more on the exhaust than the intake is how I like to keep mine set. Just crack the intake open a bit. Say.... about so you can stick a fat pencil along the edge and the door. You'll find the hinge will naturally want to hold in a certain spot somewhere near there.... find that spot and assume that's a good place to start. Exhaust ...maybe level with the ground??? Probably not quite that.

        Let me get back to Fuel Control though. They say it's designed to work with Hasty Bake lump. OK. I use B&B Oak Briquettes, when I make the special trip to Academy for them I usually buy 2-4 18 lb bags.

        My long cooks with B&B are a bit easier, as once the cooker is fully heated and stable..... I 'typically' only have to add maybe 18 briquettes to the fire about every hour and a half. More in the winter,. Fewer in the heat of summer With other brands, I seem to have to fiddle with it on the hour or less. It might seem like a little difference, but over a 12-14 hour cook, it makes a difference to me. Especially when you've got another hour plus, or more, getting her to temp and stable before even adding the meat. It makes for a long day, and being able to confidently shut ones eyes for an extra half hour (as life allows) can be a real blessing, as well as just not having to F with it as much..

        That's to bounce in a range of 235 - 275 F. It's where mine likes to ride. I shoot for 250.... knowing that I wanna keep a low 225 as bare minimum. Above 275, I'm taking steps to reign temps back. Between 235-275 though... based on gradual fluctuation in temp, I just let it cook. If temps are moving faster,....well, I have to get them to stabilize. If it settles on 265 F I couldn't be more pleased....

        Typical opening and closing of vents make a difference. Just like any other grill, starve her and she will cool off. Feed her, and she gets hotter. Maintaining a consistent flow within the cooker is one of my goals.

        The positioning of the charcoal basket can greatly vary the air flow. I like mine so that the bottom of the basket, when loaded, is just above the intake holes. I want the air to enter just below the fire and feed the coals gently from below. I keep the coals rather evenly dispersed on the intake side, but under the heat deflector.... I keep both the firebox and the heat deflector as close to the door as possible. Touching. It seems to work as far as maintaining low temps.

        If she gets too hot, I can lower the basket... all the way down into my ash pile if needed. This also allows the cool air in above the coals. So, things can just mellow like that a bit, while we watch how fast or slow the temperature reacts to the change. Definitely an emergency move.

        Also, one can remove a few coals, if temps are higher across the board than is acceptable. The ash bucket works for that too. Hopefully we are just a few coals over.

        The door itself, on my Gourmet, does seem a bit drafty. I do keep a small galvanized covered pail, typically carrying ashes from previous cooks, just pressed up against the door. When temps are just slightly high, and rising faster than I like, it does make a difference, so I try to keep it there just for consistency's sake. Another I had, had an adjustable door latch that let me adjust how snug the door fit. I haven't done that on this one. I haven't figured out how. The latch appears different. Luckily, the can bit works for me.

        It takes a bit to learn to use the heat deflector, and to understand just how wild of an effect it's placement over coals can have on the cook. As mentioned earlier, I keep it and the firebox as far to the right as possible. Sometimes..... I'll notice the left side of the cooker is wildly hotter than the right. Well... Coals can be pushed too far in under the cooker, or a vent or exhaust might need a little adjustment. If the coals are placed good, I'm learning I can just tap the heat shield with my tongs, knocking it maybe a 1/4 inch to the left, and it will totally change the dynamics of temps across the cooker, Drafts change... a little more heat to the right, a little less to the left, and it all balances out.
        Sometimes it's the other way.... sometimes it a half inch instead of 1/4.

        Essentially, all these Hasty Bakes are a bit different. They all have their idiosyncrasies. What works for me may not work for you. Still, keeping a smaller fire, but under control, is a much better way of BBQing than just choking off a pile of charcoal that is a bit big but being made to last for a long time.

        Start with a small fire, and learn to make gradual changes. Rather than getting hung up on a specific low temp.... I just run her low but steady. I'm good with adding coals as the temps begin to fall towards my set limits, having them light, gradually raising temps, and falling back off gradually, only to repeat,,, and repeat... and repeat.... etc...etc. It doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes I get blessed and don't have to mess with it for several hours, but that's a rare stretch.

        Don't trust that thermometer that comes with. Get a digital Bluetooth or wifi or whatever of your choosing. I like to monitor the temp of the cooker rather than the temp of the meet, for the most part, but vary what I measure. Top left, top right, bottom left, and bottom right. I've got four probes, so I can measure all four at the same time. My game is currently to a point of balancing temps within different zones of the cooker so that they rise and fall fairly consistently together.

        So I don't know if I helped anyone, or just rambled. Essentially.... control the fuel amount and location, as well as the air flow. The heat deflector can be moved (probably much less than you think) to minimize hot spots. Gradual changes and consistency is the key.


        Last edited by journeymanjohn; May 27, 2020, 11:10 PM.

        Comment


        • Craigar
          Craigar commented
          Editing a comment
          Thank you for the great write up!

        • WillieGee
          WillieGee commented
          Editing a comment
          Thanks for taking the time to "ramble" as there are some great tips/ideas in there.

        #11
        Since the monthy winner chose a Hasty Bake, I thought I might toss out another technique or four.

        My Dad has one also. His approach is much different than mine, when he uses it. (He also has an egg style that he smokes with, which is HIS personal favorite).

        He will dump a whole BIG bag of Blue & White in, light it off and get the whole thing searing hot. The side door warps (it goes back straight when it cools). I do not recommend this with powdercoat!!!! You can cook all that off at these temps, quite easily. He and I have all Stainless Steel models. There is NO two zone here. Just grilling. Definitely not my way of doing things... but to each his own, and it's edible, usually. Burgers, sausages, etc.

        Here is a friends method, which produced surprisingly good food. It was an OLD model. Lots of rusted out holes down low. Forget air control.... haha.

        He drapes (draped, a large limb fell on it and destroyed her during a major storm a while back) aluminum foil under the grate, like a hammock. Essentially a big heat deflector that stretches the whole width of the grate. He would run the firebox much higher than I do. He would use lump, and place however much unlit in the middle of the firebox grate, then dump lit lump on TOP of it. The theory being that since heat rises, it would light the lump underneath more slowly. Like a time release. Anyhow.... excellent food. Probably not a method I would use for the really long cooks, but for pork ribs, or maybe a ham.... sure.

        Another friend will fill the whole right (intake) side full with charcoal and light. He keeps the box low, without the deflector, I think. Two zone.... but not really searing. He will choke of the intake, and just leave the exhaust open. She will run a good long while that way. Crank up the firebox at the end, for a true warp 10 sear, if the particular meat calls for that.

        I do the two zone bit myself... maybe a bit fewer coals than the last guy I mentioned,... but I'll light half a chimney or so near the end and add when it's time to sear.

        There is a highly popular restaurant not far from me that cooks EVERYTHING in Hasty Bakes. NO Joke, Everything. Ribs, Brisket, Taters, Mac and cheese, even the coleslaw gets a dose. I won't mention the name, as I don't give the food favorable reviews, myself.... but I can be a bit snobbish (about BBQ that I pay for at least). Still they have a waiting line daily, and always sell out. Good for them.

        I always thought the food tasted like creosote. It turns out, they build a big fire, toss in the meat over high flames, then shut the lid and choke everything off. I wasn't surprised to learn of this from their facebook page, as that is a recipe for bitter creosote coated meat. I'll admit they have a good savory rub, and they use a lot of it! It is a feeble attempt to cover the bitter flavor, in my opinion, but they now have at least two locations..... go figure????

        Sooo, the Hasty is a very versatile cooking instrument. It can do a lot of food, in a variety of ways. It's not a set it and forget it cooker, in my opinion. It takes some learning. Your gonna burn some stuff, probably. Your gonna be late getting the food on the table a few times, probably. But if you are dedicated to learning it.... just like one has to learn an offset or whatever else that's not automated.... you can turn out top notch food.

        I now have neighbors asking me when I'm going to fire it up again, so they can pay me to cook them Brisket & Beef Ribs. It's hard work at times, and tiring, but very rewarding. And I don't mean the money,... at the scale I am cooking at, there is no real money in it. It's the guys that tell you.... "I am a Brisket eating fool, and that Brisket you cooked was the absolute best Brisket I have EVER had!", or the "You should open a restaurant".

        Smoke on...
        Last edited by journeymanjohn; June 8, 2020, 11:37 PM.

        Comment


          #12
          My complaints about Hasty Bake are now dunzo. I kept cooking on it because its a phenomenal grill and then I started figuring out the temps plus HB came out with a video series. Here is the one on temp managment https://youtu.be/Mby_BifueOY

          Comment


            #13
            Originally posted by tenphases View Post
            My complaints about Hasty Bake are now dunzo. I kept cooking on it because its a phenomenal grill and then I started figuring out the temps plus HB came out with a video series. Here is the one on temp managment https://youtu.be/Mby_BifueOY
            You have tried this method and it works for you?

            Comment


              #14
              Originally posted by journeymanjohn View Post
              Since the monthy winner chose a Hasty Bake, I thought I might toss out another technique or four.

              My Dad has one also. His approach is much different than mine, when he uses it. (He also has an egg style that he smokes with, which is HIS personal favorite).

              He will dump a whole BIG bag of Blue & White in, light it off and get the whole thing searing hot. The side door warps (it goes back straight when it cools). I do not recommend this with powdercoat!!!! You can cook all that off at these temps, quite easily. He and I have all Stainless Steel models. There is NO two zone here. Just grilling. Definitely not my way of doing things... but to each his own, and it's edible, usually. Burgers, sausages, etc.

              Here is a friends method, which produced surprisingly good food. It was an OLD model. Lots of rusted out holes down low. Forget air control.... haha.

              He drapes (draped, a large limb fell on it and destroyed her during a major storm a while back) aluminum foil under the grate, like a hammock. Essentially a big heat deflector that stretches the whole width of the grate. He would run the firebox much higher than I do. He would use lump, and place however much unlit in the middle of the firebox grate, then dump lit lump on TOP of it. The theory being that since heat rises, it would light the lump underneath more slowly. Like a time release. Anyhow.... excellent food. Probably not a method I would use for the really long cooks, but for pork ribs, or maybe a ham.... sure.

              Another friend will fill the whole right (intake) side full with charcoal and light. He keeps the box low, without the deflector, I think. Two zone.... but not really searing. He will choke of the intake, and just leave the exhaust open. She will run a good long while that way. Crank up the firebox at the end, for a true warp 10 sear, if the particular meat calls for that.

              I do the two zone bit myself... maybe a bit fewer coals than the last guy I mentioned,... but I'll light half a chimney or so near the end and add when it's time to sear.

              There is a highly popular restaurant not far from me that cooks EVERYTHING in Hasty Bakes. NO Joke, Everything. Ribs, Brisket, Taters, Mac and cheese, even the coleslaw gets a dose. I won't mention the name, as I don't give the food favorable reviews, myself.... but I can be a bit snobbish (about BBQ that I pay for at least). Still they have a waiting line daily, and always sell out. Good for them.

              I always thought the food tasted like creosote. It turns out, they build a big fire, toss in the meat over high flames, then shut the lid and choke everything off. I wasn't surprised to learn of this from their facebook page, as that is a recipe for bitter creosote coated meat. I'll admit they have a good savory rub, and they use a lot of it! It is a feeble attempt to cover the bitter flavor, in my opinion, but they now have at least two locations..... go figure????

              Sooo, the Hasty is a very versatile cooking instrument. It can do a lot of food, in a variety of ways. It's not a set it and forget it cooker, in my opinion. It takes some learning. Your gonna burn some stuff, probably. Your gonna be late getting the food on the table a few times, probably. But if you are dedicated to learning it.... just like one has to learn an offset or whatever else that's not automated.... you can turn out top notch food.

              I now have neighbors asking me when I'm going to fire it up again, so they can pay me to cook them Brisket & Beef Ribs. It's hard work at times, and tiring, but very rewarding. And I don't mean the money,... at the scale I am cooking at, there is no real money in it. It's the guys that tell you.... "I am a Brisket eating fool, and that Brisket you cooked was the absolute best Brisket I have EVER had!", or the "You should open a restaurant".

              Smoke on...
              I've tried many methods for trying to smoke on the HB and so far none have been very successful. The fuse method worked the best but my fire eventually jumped my divider and then it was back to high temps. I've bought some taller Weber flavorizer bars and will try it again.

              If you live in Tulsa, I know the restaurant you mention. I've been there once and the food was pretty good on the day I was there. Burnco is the name for those of you who were wondering.

              Maybe one day I will master the HB for smoking but I recently bought an M1 which does a much better job at smoking than the HB ever thought of doing.

              Comment


              • journeymanjohn
                journeymanjohn commented
                Editing a comment
                I've never tried the fuse method myself. Remember it being discussed on the HB forums before they moved to Facebook. Risky, due to sparks jumping the barrier, as you mentioned, and coals falling thru the grates and lighting from below.

                I'm not familiar with the M1. Enjoy it! It probably is easier to smoke with, if it's designed solely for smoking. Will it turn out better Q??? Possible, but doubtful, IMHO.

                If you decide to get rid of your HB, give me a shout before it hits Craigslist, please.
                Last edited by journeymanjohn; June 12, 2020, 12:34 PM.

              #15
              70monte I searched that M1. It looks quite interesting, and I bet it will do a fine job of smoking for you.

              Comment

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