Howdy everyone. So about a week ago I decided to use the main chamber in my CharGriller Pro to cook some burgers. Usually a couple or three times a year I'll actually have my fire in the main chamber instead of the firebox, and while I will get a bit of a fire now and then from the old grease, this time was a bit more extreme.
About 2 hours extreme to be a little more precise. I think the only thing that really got toasted (besides some hair on my arm) to the point of damage was the thermometer, as it doesn't have a reading past ~550F. While there is definitely some burnt off paint and a few scorch marks on the wood working area, my only real concern is there was a painted area on the inside of the main chamber that was part of that whole roasting experience. And because of all the soot and stuff, can't really tell if that started peeling or not. Which means I'm not so convinced it's safe to use for cooking since I went way beyond the mfg recommended heat tolerance. How do I know if it's still safe?
So, now not so sure I should trust doing more smokes on this, I'm thinking of upgrading to the OKJ Longhorn since it's got a few extras. Things like tuning plates, thicker steel, stuff like that. The one thing I'm not so crazy about at the moment is ceramic coated grates instead of cast iron. But besides that, well, it also being out of stock everywhere near me, what has your experience been?
Obviously I'll be going new, so the questions are more about is it worth the money? I can't afford the higher end stuff, and really would like to stick with the offset types.
Any and all advice appreciated. Sorry for taking so long to say "I'm thinking about getting a new smoker...".
About 2 hours extreme to be a little more precise. I think the only thing that really got toasted (besides some hair on my arm) to the point of damage was the thermometer, as it doesn't have a reading past ~550F. While there is definitely some burnt off paint and a few scorch marks on the wood working area, my only real concern is there was a painted area on the inside of the main chamber that was part of that whole roasting experience. And because of all the soot and stuff, can't really tell if that started peeling or not. Which means I'm not so convinced it's safe to use for cooking since I went way beyond the mfg recommended heat tolerance. How do I know if it's still safe?
So, now not so sure I should trust doing more smokes on this, I'm thinking of upgrading to the OKJ Longhorn since it's got a few extras. Things like tuning plates, thicker steel, stuff like that. The one thing I'm not so crazy about at the moment is ceramic coated grates instead of cast iron. But besides that, well, it also being out of stock everywhere near me, what has your experience been?
Obviously I'll be going new, so the questions are more about is it worth the money? I can't afford the higher end stuff, and really would like to stick with the offset types.
Any and all advice appreciated. Sorry for taking so long to say "I'm thinking about getting a new smoker...".
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