Help! Cooking on a(n unfamiliar) Char-Griller smoker box

[BrentC]

Help! So I’m visiting my brother and his family. They proposed doing some BBQ tomorrow, and before I came they asked me to bring a rub from my stash — and that’s all they asked. We show up today, and all of a sudden I’m the one who’s cooking, and they have a Char-Griller 5050 with a smoker attachment they’ve never used. We’re doing pork butt.

Now I’ve cooked on many things (currently mostly using a kamado) but I’ve never cooked with an offset, and the Char-griller smoker attachment has one of the more...colorful reviews I’ve seen on the site. Any tips to give me some shot at success? Thanks in advance.

[Nate]

Lol using one of those is like a right of passage!

So are you going to be using little sticks or charcoal with some chunks of wood tossed in there?

Fire management and temp control are typically the problem as those things are thin metal, leak like crazy, and have uneven temps end to end.

The GOOD news is you are doing a pork butt which is the most forgiving thing there is to cook. Recommendations:

A water pan on the cooking grate closest to the fire.

Cook hot and fast (the pb can handle the heat).

Going to have to baby sit it a bit to fuel it and keep air flow adjusted.

Keep the ash cleaned out often.

If you are going to wrap it and the Cooker is giving you fits then finish it in the oven. Just use the Cooker to get some smoke on it.

[Ahumadora]

Good info above. Just left out the most important part... Gift them a membership to the pit forum for Christmas.

[HawkerXP]

Nice Nate. Voice of experience.

[BrentC]

Thank you! I have it going and think I’ve got the temp fairly stable. Put in a water pan and just waiting for the blue smoke. Doing charcoal with wood chunks.

It’ll be interesting.

[Mr. Bones]

Another tip in these (POS) is to locate yer food as far opposite th firebox as possible, an rotate, at least hourly, to minimize th th inherent uneven temps an convection.

As Nate said, previous, a water pan is essential, to help mitigate th above...

Jus my 2¢, havin used many POS/COS cookers...

Have a great cook, I'm sure with a PB it'll all be fine!!!!

Ya got this, brother!

[BrentC]

It was going well until the rain started, just a few bits of extra dark bark close to the firebox. The 40 degree rain has made temp management a new challenge. Think I’m at least close to the stall, and I can probably finish in the oven if need be.

[HawkerXP]

No problem doing that. Wrap with some fluid and crank that oven up to 300.

[BrentC]

POS challenge complete. After 6 hours I did move it to the oven, as the rain turned torrential (flood warnings and all). Took about an hour in the oven to hit pulling temperature.

End result had good bark and a solid smoke ring and flavor. Family suitably impressed. My brother’s not ready to switch cookers but is now on the Char-Griller mod sites. A high-temp gasket on the smoke box and cooker alone would help tremendously.

[klflowers]

Nice cook!

[Fire Art]

Once again amazing ribs.com has showed another Pit boss they can cook great food on any thing

[texastweeter]

Make a heat baffle out of cookie sheets or sheet metal too. Some fire bricks in the bottom.