KBQ firebox lid on or off?

[Smokin D]

Whats typically recommended when cooking with the KBQ. Firebox lid on or off?

[Spinaker]

I use it unless the wood prevents it from sitting on the top of the fire box. Or if I am cooking over the fire.

[JGrana]

I always have the lid on. I have never tried running a cook with the lid off... I look forward to other KBQ owners comments!

[Smokin D]

I found tonight that it worked better than I had anticipated. I was concerned with smothering the fire, but that was not the case. I understand why. I was able to get more heat out of it than before.
Going to keep on experimenting.
Cheers

[Spinaker]

You will always get more heat out of the firebox with the lid on. You will not be pulling any ambient air.

[Histrix]

I never use it.

[Smokin D]

I also want d to know about lump charcoal since I have not used it. Can this smoker be run on it or is it only acceptable to use it to get things going?

[Histrix]

You could just use lump but you would not get much smoke and it would be kinda expensive to just use lump. You really do want to use wood to cook and lump to start.

[EdF]

Yeah, and all lump kind of defeats the reason for the KBQ - great smoke.

[bbqncigars]

With lid on and both poppets open, my KBQ can easily match the absolute best that ever came out of my Klose.

[Quailsroost Smokers]

I always have lid on. I use top poppet a lot and want as much of the smoke going in as possible.

[EdF]

Likewise! But I tend to use the bottom poppet because the Missus likes less smoke.

[lostclusters]

BBQ_Bill has a post in one of the KBQ threads that says the flavor and bark is not all the way there without the fire box lid on. Lid on.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/grills-and-smokers/logs/karubecue-kbq/105628-kbq-~-has-landed?p=354828#post354828

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...965#post377965

Also, some have said you burn through less wood with the lid on. I agree with this.

[SMOG MAN]

I’m like Spinaker, lid on unless I am searing over the top or just added a large chunk of wood.

[DWCowles]

Question for you KBQ owners. If you cook with the lid on the firebox how does the dirty smoke escape without going through the cooking chamber?

[EdF]

My experience, as advertised, is that it gets sucked down through the coal bed. But that's with the lower poppet open and the top closed.

[lostclusters]

The lid does not seal tight enough to stop smoke from escaping.

[lostclusters]

I think what is being missed here is that no smoke gets in to the cook box unless it is pulled in by the fan in the control box. With the bottom poppet or valve open the fan pulls gasses through the coals bringing in to the cook box clean smoke. With the top poppet open the fan brings in gasses above the fire. When the fan is not running no smoke enters the cook box.

[Quailsroost Smokers]

Question for you KBQ owners. If you cook with the lid on the firebox how does the dirty smoke escape without going through the cooking chamber?

How does dirty smoke escape from any stick burner without going through the cooking chamber ?

[DWCowles]

Most of my dirty smoke escapes out the back of my firebox because I leave the firebox door open anywhere between 3-5 inches after throwing a log on until it starts to burn.

[Smokin D]

I’m starting to learn that what DW stated is the big secret to offsets. Get the fire going at the door with it open. Move it towards the cooking area as needs to maintain temperature. There is an art to this. Managing the fire on a stick burner is everything. It’s not hard.
Cheers

[Quailsroost Smokers]

So with the KBQ, all you have to do with the lid on, is close the top poppet for a few minutes until the wood is burning clean and you get no dirty smoke.

[Smokin D]

What I have learned with My KBQ and my offset recently is that it’s all about fire management. You’ve got to get a feel for what the wood and fire are doing. You have to definitely roll with it on the KBQ. Sometimes I needed the lid off to get the fire burning down correctly. Sometimes the lid on worked great.
A lot has to do with how well seasoned the wood is that your burning.
Keepng a solid coal bed in the KBQ seemed to be paramount to me.
I am finding that my offset is much easier to manage once I understood never choking out a wood fire with dampers. I now keep all the dampers wide open and regulate by opening the firebox door to vent the excessive heat out. I also am very Concientious about how much and how fast I add wood.
Cheers

[EdF]

Definitely maintaining the coal bed is the key with the KBQ.

[Quailsroost Smokers]

DWCowles DW, the way to keep smoke out of the KBQ with the lid on is to close the top poppet where the dirty smoke would be able to get pulled in, just until the new split is burning good. Since there is a top and a bottom, you are still pulling in smoke through the bottom, but it is the cleaner smoke that is being pulled back down through the coal bed. I think there's a lot of people who don't ever use the top opening anyway. The firebox also has openings on the sides where a lot of the dirty smoke escapes if you decide to leave the top open/lid on when adding wood, which would be similiar to how your's escapes from your open door.

[DWCowles]

Thanks for the explanation now I have a more understanding.

[Quailsroost Smokers]

I'm still hoping someone here will start bringing in a top of the line smoker like yours so I can add one to the herd !! I had a cheap offset for years, and would love to be able to use a high quality one.

[Quailsroost Smokers]

I noticed the Lowe's here started carrying the Oklahoma Joe, but it's just a hair better than the cheap ones..