Using Charcoal in a Lang Smoker

[Mr. Bones]

@DanJohnston49 I do similar; lit chimley, then some splits, 2-3, more/less dependin on ambient, wind, etc. I make a helluva bed of coals, then maintain it as needed accordin to thermo indications.

[Pirate Scott]

DWCowles absolutely plain hardwood.

[DWCowles]

Have to be careful that it’s not treated

[Pirate Scott]

I was talking to a coworker the other day and he told me he gets Hardwood cutoffs from a local lumber company for cheap. They actually stack them on a mini pallet in a cube. He says it is kinda funny, all these small mismatched cut offs of Hardwood put together like a puzzle. Says the guy that does it must be a Jenga Master.

[jfmorris]

RAmorris it sounds from a little googling around that reverse flow offsets, once up to temp, can use a charcoal basket to maintain temperatures, but it probably will not burn overnight - you may get 3 hours from a load of charcoal, but that is still better than feeding sticks to the fire every 30 minutes. There's a lot of air flow in offsets by design, and its got a lot of space to heat up. I can burn my Weber kettle + SNS for a couple days off a 20 pound bag of charcoal. My fairly small offset (not reverse flow and probably 36" versus your 48") - I can go through 30 to 40 pounds of fuel for a single run of Boston butts. On the plus side, I can fit 8 to 10 butts on the grate if I have to, or with rib racks, probably 15 slabs of ribs. So there is a lot more capacity than on the Weber kettle.

Here are a few discussions that may give you some insight:

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65660

http://bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100445

And most importantly this FAQ:

https://www.langbbqsmokers.com/resources/faq-when-firing-up-a-Lang-smoker-cooker.html

Read where they say it is OK to season by using charcoal and getting the smoker to 250 for 4 hours.

I think you will need to use more lit coals to get the initial temperature up, then you can add unlit charcoal and wood chunks or splits to add smoke and flavor.

On the positive side - you found how to get a 225F temp, which is good for your low and slow cooks with beef and pork. You just gotta get it up to 325 now for some chicken!

[Troutman]

....ahhh, isn't this the answer right here? Lakeland is like right next to Winter Haven, guy seems to have tons of wood ?????

[Danjohnston949]

@Jerod Brouussard, I Think You are Right About Double Insulation of the FireBox‼️ I Have Been Trying to Figure Out the Best Way for My
OK Joe Highland Stick Burner❓ I also I've Been Looking at a Char-Broil
"Smoke" $ $ $ $ Will Solve All❓❓ 😪😥ðŸ˜😥😪
From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

[Danjohnston949]

Henrik, See My Comment on Mr. Bones Above‼️ 👍👍👍👍👍
From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

[Danjohnston949]

Mr. Bones, Thanks "CUZ", Now I Know Why My OK Joe Stickburner Runs Cool, Not a Big Enough Fire❓ Generally I've Used 1 Weber Starter of Lit KBB Topped With 2-3 Splits of Red Oak if Available❗️ Apple Wood Chunks for Smoke‼️ Pit Bull Fan (20CFM) with either the DigiQ-DX 2 or FireBoard Temp Control‼️ Dan

[Jerod Broussard]

You wood need to insulate the firebox and use B & B briquets (or some other hardwood briquette) to MAYBE get by without wood, but even then you would be refueling quite a bit.

[Henrik]

That's my experience too, I can't get mine hot enough with briquettes. You need wood. Get whatever you can, birch, oak, et.c. That will get your smoker hot enough guaranteed.

[jfmorris]

I got a half cord of firewood delivered recently by a local tree service - oak and some hickory. They told me they could deliver specific species of wood for cooking if I wanted it. I would check with a tree service in your area first.

[vandy]

I can say this, we have a lot of hickory wood in Tennessee and there are quite a few tree services in my area an I am sure all over the state that are more than willing to sell you all you want. The fruit woods, apple, cherry and so forth are quite rare around here so when you can find them you usually pay a premium price for them. If you can make a trip up close this area I am sure it would be worth it to find some good quality wood.

[Dadof3Illinois]

In all seriousness though I think comfortablyNumb has a great idea. Take the wife up somewhere in the Carolinas or Tennessee for a long weekend and while your there grab some good wood!!

[DWCowles]

Another thing you can do is check with some of your local BBQ joints and ask them where do they get their wood from. Who knows they might sell you 15-20 logs to get started with.