A FULL TUTORIAL of Fire Management (1,000 Gallon Edition)

[@jimbo-bbqpitmaster1313]

Great video Joe !! I agree about the smoke stack. I keep mine on my Primitive 1,000 about 1/3-1/2 way closed to slow down the draw , and it also seems to help with the evening of temps from end to end !!

[@knoxavebbq]

For sure. Thanks for watching!

[@octavio3839]

glad you came on guga's channel. i don't know if i would have found your content. i love cooking channels so this is great ;)

[@knoxavebbq]

Thank you! Share with your friends!

[@ScottCooper]

Another great video with good info. My little 94 gal should arrive any day now and I can't wait.

[@knoxavebbq]

Nice! Sounds like fun.

[@Smokermod]

Great video Joe can’t wait for your next pop up.

[@knoxavebbq]

👍

[@mattb2484]

Your pit is so awesome!!!

[@knoxavebbq]

Thanks. It’s a beaut.

[@johnnymann5679]

Great vid Joe.

[@knoxavebbq]

Thanks for watching!

[@sonvo4095]

very informative. thanks Joe

[@knoxavebbq]

Thanks for watching!

[@bobbicatton]

Very interesting and useful information👍

[@erickwalsh9258]

Great video. Thanks!!!

[@knoxavebbq]

Thanks for watching!

[@kjohnson3177]

Joe, I'd like to know your thoughts on the use of a grate that lifts the splits and coals off the firebox floor and allows ash to fall through reducing the chance of ashes smothering the fire or blocking good air flow. What's your thoughts?

[@knoxavebbq]

That is something that will definitely be discussed in the coming weeks. Thanks for sharing and watching!

[@okcharleys]

Great video-as always, you explain the little “feel-based” things so well. I have a Primitive 250 coming in 6ish months and it’ll be my first real offset. I assume most of this would apply?

[@knoxavebbq]

For the most part, yes. Less wood most likely.

[@mrhalfapino]

Joe, are you cooking while this fire going? Is this just setting up for the cook? Thanks for all the videos!

[@knoxavebbq]

I was cooking during this.

[@donscott6431]

Really nice video. Maybe, in the vain of fire management, touch on flat-bottom fire boxes, and cold smoking fireBOX management and temperatures/humidity control

[@knoxavebbq]

I have this video of cold smoking sausage. I don’t really mess with humidity control. Hope this helps. Cold Smoking Sausage (Ft. Kasama - Longanisa Sausage) kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2Gkomlpadqbq8k

[@donscott6431]

@@knoxavebbq I actually don’t want to render ANY fat on my bacon so I keep my temp lower than 65 degrees. I only can do this in fall/winter. I use Prague #1 to take care of anaerobic bacteria inside the meat, and a heavy smoke environment to take care of aerobic bacteria on the outside of the meat. I DO PH test my pork belly trying for 58-ish. I then hang my bacon at 45-60 degrees ( nitrites work well with friendly bacteria at this temp, to creat too high of an acidic environment for botulism to be a concern ) until it loses 15 percent of its weight I will then smoke it a second time to kill aerobic bacteria, once again

[@mannvsfood]

great info Joe as always. I'm really on the fence about getting a big boy for my pop up. I def dont have need of a 1k pit but was thinking between the 250 and 500 and leaning towards the 500 and its double the space and only like 2k more with room to grow. Ugh, and then gotta figure out how to finance it, lol.

[@knoxavebbq]

If you can afford it, 500 for sure.

[@jettyongchua7656]

Another awesome video! Just a really random question, but how long is a minimum and maximum holding time for Dino beef ribs in the alto Shaam warmer ?

[@knoxavebbq]

I would say about the same time as brisket.

[@nathancasias6884]

How much wood would you say you burn through in a brisket cook?

[@knoxavebbq]

Not sure. Never really counted.

[@joekerrytorres3027]

I have a burn barrel. I like to burn the wood down in there first, then, put them in the firebox, especially with mesquite, as not to add such a strong flavor to the meats.

[@knoxavebbq]

Seems like a lot of work and a lot of wood if you’re doing that with an offset. Haha. But I’ve done that before with my very small cooker back in the day. Thought it was a good idea. Didn’t think about how much work it would be. Never did it again. Haha. But whatever works for you is what’s best. I approve! 👍

[@winstonmcgill6667]

Informative as always. I have a Yoder Cheyenne and I produce good bbq. Wondering what your thoughts are with your Yoder(pluses/minuses) I also removed the deflector plate

[@knoxavebbq]

Check out this video I made about the plate. BBQ Talk #16 - What is a Tuning Plate and Does it Work? kzbin.info/www/bejne/apOVXniPh5usZtU

[@BRISKETBOYS_BBQ]

Hello from Russia! Excellent and informative video as always ... A couple of questions: 1. Does the Primitive pits have a throat plate like a Mill scale or FATSTACK? 2. Have you worked on smokers with similar plates and how do they affect the filling of the chamber with smoke? Thank you.

[@knoxavebbq]

I haven’t cooked on a fat stack and not much on a milscale. To he quite honest with you, they may be slightly different but the learning curve on all of them will be the same.

[@BRISKETBOYS_BBQ]

@@knoxavebbq thanks. What about Primitive? They have something above the throat? I mean baffle or scoop?

[@knoxavebbq]

@@BRISKETBOYS_BBQ there is, yes.

[@chrishenderson4556]

Hello Great video I learned alot. I have a 500 gallon offset but I notice on my first cook I had firebox ash on my foil pans by the firebox, could to much draw cause this? Just need some advice. Thanks

[@knoxavebbq]

It could be, or also having too much ash left in your firebox.

[@chrishenderson4556]

Joe thanks bud! I noticed on my 500 gallon I can not get that smoke on my meat but I do have my stack wide open so I'm will try shutting it half way, will that help me get a smokey flavor?

[@knoxavebbq]

@@chrishenderson4556 possibly, but it also has to do with how your fire is built. which is why i say in my videos that i build a "dirty" or "messy" fire. everything is burning, but not super super clean which gives me a little bit more of a smokey flavor. or i would recommend cooking with a different kind of wood.

[@chrishenderson4556]

Thank you buddy!

[@chrishenderson4556]

Joe so when I run my 500 gallon this weekend have my stack half open what about my firebox vent all the way open or half as well?

[@bigstevessmokemchokembbq8746]

Thx bruh,once again very informative. 2 questions. How would you go about fire management using a square firebox? Have you ever tried fire management using a basket?

[@smokeking85]

Square firebox’s are just insulated and actually more balanced than non insulated

[@knoxavebbq]

Not all smokers. Some square fire boxes can be non-insulated. But there my issue is usually with a flat bottomed fire box. I will do a more in depth bbq talk about this topic soon!

[@bigstevessmokemchokembbq8746]

@@smokeking85 I'm thinking more about it being flat, and how it would be more difficult to remove the ash and keep a good burn going

[@bigstevessmokemchokembbq8746]

@@knoxavebbq This is what I was thinking the flat bottom opposed to round.

[@Roaring.On.Carnivore.]

How did you like the klose pit you used ?👍

[@knoxavebbq]

🤔 Which one?

[@Roaring.On.Carnivore.]

@@knoxavebbq anyone of them 😎

[@T2_Sug]

When do you put the food on?

[@knoxavebbq]

You can honestly put it on whenever. As long as the fire isn’t too hot. Sometimes I’ll start loading the smoker even though the fire isn’t up to temp yet. Just saves time.

[@T2_Sug]

@@knoxavebbq thank you good sir

[@14hnguyen]

Hi Joe! Thank you for all the informative videos. Quick question, when you’re starting your coal bed, are you paying attention to the temperature or you’re just worried about getting a solid base? Once you’ve gotten a solid coal bed, are you letting the temps come down to your preferred cooking temp? I just feel like if you’re letting the temps come down, the coal bed itself is dying, no?

[@knoxavebbq]

I get the fire hot. So that while I’m loading the pit, it stays hot. Remember the goal is to get the cooking chamber up to temp, and it’s gonna need a lot more coals than just from the chimney.

[@14hnguyen]

@@knoxavebbq thanks for the reply! I think I may have worded it incorrectly. The initial charcoal+logs is to create a solid base, yes? But are you letting it reach to your cooking temperature? I just feel with all the charcoal and logs, it’s going to hit 400+

[@knoxavebbq]

@@14hnguyen 400 is really hot. i dont think you'll reach that temp in an offset unless you're putting in wayyyyy too much. im not really trying to reach the cooking temp. im just making sure it stays hot. if its too hot, i'll open up the fire box door. if you're shooting for 250, build at 275-300 fire. as long as you dont have an uncontrollable fire, you're good.

[@EffectiveLivingForToday]

What city are you from or cooking in?

[@knoxavebbq]

I’m in chicago, but currently not doing pop ups.

[@cfro101]

What Yoder do you cook on? I have a loaded Wichita and going to try not using the heat deflector plate this spring. Any tips?

[@knoxavebbq]

I have a kingman. Take a look at this video. I talk about the plates. BBQ Talk #16 - What is a Tuning Plate and Does it Work? kzbin.info/www/bejne/apOVXniPh5usZtU

[@cfro101]

@@knoxavebbq thank you!

[@justplanefred]

One day I'll get something bigger and I think more importantly thicker but I also notice that if I get to big of a fire going in my small pit firebox it will burn the deposits off the top of the firebox and usually creates darker smoke and I have to play with my fire then too to get it settled down.

[@knoxavebbq]

I would consider giving your firebox a good scrape down.

[@justplanefred]

@@knoxavebbq I did after noticing that dark smoke and that the coating on the inside looked different right above the fire. I scraped it and lightly coated it with oil again. The next cook was much better. Also thank you for being so attentive and responsive to comments.

[@knoxavebbq]

@@justplanefred gotcha. maybe give it a few more coats to recreate that surface.