Offset Smoker Fire Management on a Basic Offset Smoker - Char-Griller Grand Champ XD

An entire 6.5 hour cook, all in one shot, you get to see everything that happens. This is an average hardware store budget friendly smoker, not an expensive giant tank. Watch this video to see what it takes to run a normal Offset Smoker in your own backyard.
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[@elbrus65]

Thank you for this presentation Tony, confirmed what I was doing on my OKJ offset is allright . Being new to stick burners Im working on maintaining good sized coal bed. Sometimes have to refresh it with smaller caliber splits through the duration of the cook...Started using offset a few month ago after watching 100's of bbq videos....your channel is by far the most clear and educational especially in fire management...Blessings to you!

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thank you, Oleg! I'm glad to hear that! Yes, that's a trick that I use every now and then also. Having various size splits in my bin helps with that too. When choosing a split, I first have a look at the coal bed and if it looks weak, I might choose a smaller or lighter split of wood that I know will burn a little faster, and that I can break up after 15 or 20 minutes of burning. Hope you're having a great day and thanks for your comment!

[@geraldobooysen9083]

This video literally motivated me to get an offset smoker... awesome info and love the pure joy when u tasted the meat real world conditions. Keep it up...

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thank you very much! Go for it! It's one of the most satisfying things I do, cooking up various meats and other foods in my offset. Please keep me posted!

[@jayo8506]

I think we can all relate to your genuine satisfaction when you eat your own food and get it right. 100% authentic reaction at the end. 👍🏾

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Hahaha! It's a great feeling. Right? Thank you!

[@lancer525]

Damn good stuff, Tony. This is what most people want, and you delivered.

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thank you! I really appreciate that!

[@lancer525]

@@TonyToneBBQ And thank you for including that Chuck Roast in there. Thanks for showing the way. Glad I asked about it!

[@jmagee9940]

Just wanted to drop in & say thanks once again. By watching your video, i cut my wood into smaller chuncks & was able to maintain my coalbed, & control my temps alot easier. Great video...thanks again.

[@TonyToneBBQ]

I'm super glad to hear that! Thank you!

[@ourlifeinwyoming4654]

I eased back into smoking this week after a long Wyoming winter. The first thing that hit me was that I needed a refresher on fire management. Great timing. Good to see you again!

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Yes! Time to fire up that firebox! Glad things are warming up for you and that you're back at it. I myself haven't been very active over the last few months because I just moved, so it feels great to be barbecuing again. Thanks for watching! I appreciate you!

[@avalon92]

Bro the plate short ribs are the best, I prefer them over brisket. I usually cook mine for 9-10 hours and they come out really tender, probably my favorite thing to smoke. Thanks for the video!

[@TonyToneBBQ]

I agree! Short ribs are just so damn tasty! And they take on flavors from rubs so much better. I like to slather mine up with some Dave's Carolina Reaper sauce before adding a nice coat of salt pepper garlic. And they're so fun to eat! Pick him up and bite into them or knife and fork it like a steak but my favorite is peeling that last bit of meat and skin off the bone. So good! Thanks for the comment my friend!

[@seventynesevyntysyx]

Really great video. Ive been smoking for a few years but have a buddy just getting into it. He just started last weekend and was panicking about the temp fluctuations and I told him not to stress. I just sent him this video. Great job.

[@smokingtarheel3003]

That lamb looks awesome! Pork ribs look perfectly cooked. Beef ribs look perfectly cooked. Great video on fire management.

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thank you! Yes, I definitely need to do a video just on lamb shanks. My favorite part of doing these videos is feasting once the camera shuts down. Lol! I had a good nap after that. I appreciate your comments and thanks for watching!

[@mAdcApMalkmus]

I don't even have a smoker and I have been watching your vids. Good stuffs!

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Maybe it's time to get one! Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying my videos.

[@billmendoza5822]

Thanks for doing this in this format. I remember one of your previous videos you discuss how you have a target temp for the smoker but every cook is different and there will be variances to the cook chamber temp. I was vehemently torturing myself ever 15 min if my probes got below 200 or above 225. This video demonstrates that despite the deviation from the target temperature, the cook is still successful. Great video and keep up the good work. Hope the new house is working out for you. Cheers.

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Hey Bill! You're welcome! Yeah, I figured it would be helpful to let viewers see everything that actually goes down in a long cook. I struggled a little bit with the view of the thermometer. With a crash course on Adobe premiere pro, I was able to add that little screen for a close-up but I think next time, I might just use a second camera. I'm really glad you like this. I'm going to do the same thing for my next project. New house is working out really great! Thank you so much, I appreciate you!

[@fabianrios5539]

Can't wait to see you smoke a good brisket, hopefully soon. Thank you for the great previous videos it's helped me better my smoke cooking.

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Hey Fabian! Thank you! I'm glad my videos have been helpful. I did post a video on brisket a while back, but I'm working on a new one pretty soon with extra detail. Stay tuned my friend! Thanks again!

[@micahlantz905]

Epic video sir! Please give us more of this! This is how I learn! So informative. Please more of these full smoke videos! 🙏🏻 So very helpful

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thanks Micah! I'm really glad to hear that! The comments I get from you and everyone else are super helpful and I'll keep working on making better videos. I've got another Brisket video coming soon. Thanks for watching!

[@dwyanejetersr6470]

Your new Tube vid is great Tony, thanks for teaching me to up my fire management skills😊

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thank you, Dwyane! I really appreciate your comment! Smoke on my friend!

[@michaelmullins4372]

Tony, love the videos. I bought a grand champ and run it just how you do. Absolutely love it!

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thank you! I'm glad you're loving your Grand Champ! I really appreciate the comment my friend. Keep on smoking!

[@moto.bushrider7215]

Great vid, I have the same cooker but I’ve lined the fire box with fire bricks it holds temps much better and longer and you also can get a nice coal bed going.

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Nice! I appreciate the comment and thanks for sharing!

[@geraldmay7606]

Thanks Tony. Another informative fire management video. Hopefully it’ll help me from reaching for the pellet grill first.

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Ah, those pellet rigs sure are handy for those times when you're not available to feed a firebox, but you just can't beat natural firewood. Thank you my friend! I appreciate you!

[@user-hw5dg3ew4m]

Tony your Awesome, thank you, I'm learning and need to learn how to do a brisket, thank you, I will b supporting ur program!

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thank you! I appreciate your support! Briskets are super easy once you get fire management down. In fact, EVERYTHING is easy once you've got fire management down. Have fun my friend!

[@davidmorales4574]

I was indecisive about which grill to buy thanks to you I ended up buying the Judge I love it thank you.looking forward to more videos especially with the Judge.

[@MrChrilify]

Really nice video, thanks so much! I just got an offset smoker myself and did my first cook following your video explanations. The lamb-ribs that I made were absolutely stunning. Thanks so much for your information and the relaxed way you present them. A minor point of critics though: The sound in the speed up parts is a bit annoying, maybe you could cut in some nice music in these sections. Other than that, a really brillant video. Thanks again and keep up this awesome channel.

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thank you! I really appreciate that and I also appreciate your feedback about the audio. Yeah, I was thinking about either muting that or adding some music, but I'm not a big fan of adding music and I felt like a little noise might be better than no sound at all. I agree with you though, that sound is a little annoying. Lol! Just started using new software with a lot more capabilities over what I was using so still have a lot to learn. I'm excited about those lamb of yours! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@SafwanRashad]

Love the video think you putting on to big blocks of wood

[@brw3446]

Great video! Just bought my first offset. This helps a lot!

[@WilliamRainey-jv2dc]

I subscribed because of this video

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Awesome! Thanks, William! I really appreciate that and I'm glad you liked my video. Have fun!

[@em8340]

Also I see a gap on the right side of the lid. Yet it doesn’t seem to interfere with the cook!

[@TonyToneBBQ]

You're right, it does look like there's a gap but the Char-Griller Grand Champ comes with a gasket factory installed to prevent leakage. There is barely any smoke leak and not enough to cause any problem with the cook. Thanks for watching!

[@AnthonyMaske]

Nice cook! I've got the same cooker and it does produce some amazing barbeque! I did do a few mods to help with better heat distribution of the cook chamber since I do some pretty big cooks for family get together, but the mods can easily be removed for the baseline cooker.

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Awesome! Yeah, I've been super happy with the Char-Griller Grand Champ XD. I've got a 31 lb pig in it right now! I appreciate the comments and thanks for watching!

[@AnthonyMaske]

@@TonyToneBBQ ... and your vids of the spring pigs have inspired me to throw one in my cooker as soon as I'm able!

[@jerrypredmore8793]

I enjoy all your. Ideas Tony keep it up.

[@user1233002]

Made a comment yesterday, but I don't see it. Anyway, I was wondering why you didn't use a pan for water? Didn't seem you needed it. I'm just curious. Also, if you set your Therm Pro alarm to "Angel's Feather," it's not as intrusive, and you can let it run in the video while you take care of other cooking stuff, when you close down your Smoker and it comes to temperature the alarm will stop. Really good video, I'm taking your advice to keep it simple. Doing Pork Ribs on my SNS Grill with just SPG. They smell fantastic, and it is still in the refrigerator dry brining. Thanks Chuck

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Hi! Your original comment must have not made it to me, I have no record of it. Glad you followed up! I haven't used a water pan in several years now. I used to use a water pan in about half my cooks, but I started using it less and less and noticed it really didn't make a difference. It might be due to the climate I'm in, so I don't recommend ditching a water pan without some thorough testing first. It may make a difference in different climates. Thanks for the tip on the alarm! I actually hardly use it anymore. When I'm not filming, I'm usually checking the temperature when it's about 2° from the alarm going off. I will definitely change the tone for the sake of the videos. I appreciate that! Enjoy those ribs! I bet they turn out awesome!

[@mikeyvisser8740]

Great video Tony. After watching this video i feel much better about how ive run my offset and realise i dont need to stress out nearly as much as I have. May i make a suggestion? I did three racks of spares on my folks pellet grill..two had rub and were sauced at the end and one rack was just salt and pepper. Decided to put a light sprinkle of Lawry's seasonung salt first before the salt and pepper and then added some smoked pork lard i had going in there and added at the time of wrapping. Those unsauced ribs with the smoked pork lard were the best ive ever had

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thanks Mikey! Dang! That sounds awesome! So, what would you say made the biggest difference? Was it the Lawry's or the Pork Lard? Personally, I prefer leaving ribs without sauce and then having sauce as an optional side. Lawry's is one of my favorite seasonings and I think it gets often overlooked. Thanks for the tip!

[@mikeyvisser8740]

@@TonyToneBBQ I fully agree with you on that...I usually do both cause the others in my house like them saucy so everyone wins lol. I think it was a little bit of both...I've done ribs with salt/ pepper and the smoked lard a couple times and they were good. Was the first time I had them with the seasoning salt and it upped the flavor quite a bit. I got the idea from watching a brisket video where they used two parts black pepper, one part salt and one part of Lawry's so i thought to myself why can't this be done with ribs

[@florianlukkien168]

Thank you for the great instruction! The only thing I am wondering is if you need to add new charcoal/briquettes during the cook? Last time I did a cook I noticed the briquettes turned to ashes in about 3 hours. Do i need to add new charcoal/briquettes? Or can I throw wood sticks on the ashes. Greetings from The Netherlands

[@TonyToneBBQ]

You're welcome and thanks for the great question! Yes, you can just keep adding splits of wood. In this video, after I heated the offset with the lump charcoal, I only added wood for the rest of the cook. You can add charcoal/briquettes if that is your preference, but it's totally okay to just stick with wood and I believe you get better flavor this way. I appreciate you, my friend in the Netherlands!

[@efrembrown10]

Great Video,I have a XD myself and it was nice seeing someone grill without the charcoal basket,I’ve been wanting to try it…in your experience is it better with or without the charcoal basket

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thank you! I only use the basket when I'm using charcoal, no wood. I'll fill the basket near to the top with charcoal and then choke the airflow to keep the target temp. I'll usually go 3 to 4 hours without having to add charcoal this way. If I'm burning natural wood, I don't use the basket because it just gets in the way. I really don't use charcoal and wood together. So, to answer your question... It's better to use the basket if I'm cooking with charcoal. It's better to leave the basket out if I'm burning wood. Does that make sense?

[@dchang90010]

Hi Tony, great video, very informative. Question: I made beef ribs the other day and had trouble keeping temp up to target of about 275°. Any suggestion for maintaining a higher temp? More wood chunks?

[@user1233002]

Great video Tony. What A mouth watering cook. I learned a lot about fire management. I have the same Char-Griller Grand Champ. Quwstions: 1. No fire basket. Makes for more room to stage wood. 2. I heard you say fire box was half, but only heard you say the stack you closed to a Crack? You didn't make adjustments once the temp came to range. Did I miss the adjustments? 3. I believe you said started with 1/2 a chimney of Charcoal? Did you add any during the cook? I only saw wood. Thanks for providing all the information, Chuck from Southwest Arizona.

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Hey Chuck! Thank you for your comments and questions! 1. No fire basket... I only use the fire basket when cooking with charcoal. When I'm burning wood, I build the coal bed on the right side and I keep the next pieces of wood on the left side so they get nice and hot. The basket gets in the way of this. 2. Vents... I keep the firebox vent wide open, 100%. Let the air in. The smoke stack I normally keep wide open also, but if the fire is really too hot, like more than 50 degrees over my target temp, I'll close the smoke stack to about half open or a little more open than half. This slows the airflow down enough to calm the fire. 3. Charcoal... Yes, I started with about a half chimney of Lump Coal (not charcoal briquettes). The reason I started with Lump Coal is because it's an easy way to get an nice coal bed going. This was the only time I used Lump Coal. Everything after that was wood. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks!

[@user-hw5dg3ew4m]

I just baught the large char grill barrel with firebox on the side, it's huuuge my wife wasn't happy wit what it cost but hey, oh well, lol I seasoned it how u did on other video, so now I'm benging ur videoslol

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Haha! I like it! Just make sure to cook lots of stuff that the wife likes and hopefully, that helps make up for it. Besides, it's a good investment because it will cook better and last a lot longer than a lot of other rigs that cost less. Please let me know if there's anything you'd like more info on. Smoke on my friend!

[@user-hw5dg3ew4m]

Thank you Tony, next weekend I'm smoking 60 slabs of ribs for our local hunting club, I'm a bit nervous, but I'm using a 10 foot rig, large smoke box, we serve sunday fathers day at 11am, I'm also smoking 200 leg quarters, and 200 hot links, I'm using my wet dry rub, apple cider vinegar mixed with red wine vinegar, with garlic cloves punched into the vinegar, I'm Portuguese / mexicanna, so then dry rub with everything but the kitchen sink, lol. Anyways I'm getting temp up to 225 then adding 30 slabs, I go five hours, then pull and other 30 and hopefully by 4am I will have them in warmer, I'm starting the cook at 6pm sat, than putting the leg quarters on about 430 am, pill hopefully by 8 or 830, than throwing hot links which will b quick than serve between 11 and 1130, I may start earlier sat eve. I have all warmers in place and set, I'm not uncharge of sides, whoosh, lol. What's your thoughts? Thank you sir, Sincerely Derick!

[@TonyToneBBQ]

@@user-hw5dg3ew4m my GOODNESS!!! That's a serious cook you've got planned! And it sounds like you've got it planned very well! I can't think of anything to add, except make sure you get lots of rest tonight and tomorrow. You're committing to a good 20 hours! Do you have anyone running the fire with you so you can get some rest in the middle of the night? Besides that, just make sure you have everything you need in place so you don't have to go looking for anything, especially toward the end when the cooking pace starts picking up. There's going to be some good flavor at this barbeque! I'm intimately familiar with Mexican flavors and spices, which is why I LOVE everything spicy. Adding Portuguese flavors to the mix has to be a home run! Make sure you have plenty of water available to drink, especially if you're running low on sleep. This is going to be awesome! Please let me know how it goes! Have fun!

[@dwyanejetersr6470]

Thanks Tony.

[@bubblehead7680]

Man that looks good. Where did you get the meat from?

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thanks Tim! I picked up the beef short ribs from a local butcher shop, but the rest were just a nearby normal grocery store. I usually pick up my meat from the regular grocery store but what I can't get there, I pick up from the butcher shop. Thanks for watching!

[@em8340]

I noticed towards the middle of the cook ,you used more wood as opposed to,coals and managed to maintain great temp. Can you explain this further?

[@TonyToneBBQ]

That's a great observation and question! If you go back and watch again, you'll see that I start off Lump Coal, just to warm up the Grand Champ. Shortly after the temp starts climbing, I add a split of Oak. After that, I never add Lump Coal again. It's just split of Oak for the entire cook. I cut and split the wood to a size that's appropriate for an offset of this size. If using a larger Offset Smoker, I would use larger splits of wood. The key is to figure out the right size for your Offset Smoker. If too big, the temp will go too high. If too small, it will burn too quickly and you'll need to add wood more often. I typically have to add a new split of wood every 30 minutes. Does this make sense?

[@tonytrentacosta3789]

Tony, what are the size of your splits you use? They seem to be 3-4x4 range. Do you cut your splits into 3 chunks to get that size?

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Hey Tony! Great name! Excellent question and I'm glad you asked it. I think I'll make a short on this very topic. I like to have various sizes of splits. For the most part, around 4 to 6 in in length, and various thickness. To achieve this, sometimes I will cut splits in half and also sometimes in thirds. I want various sizes so that I have options, based on what the fire is doing. Sometimes it calls for a bigger split and sometimes I need a couple of really small ones to rebuild the coal bed. Don't stress about getting them all to be the same size. Variety is the spice of life! Lol! Hope that helps! Stay posted and I will try to work up a video on this topic soon. I've got a pile of wood I need to cut down anyways so that's when I'll make the video. Thanks!

[@vonwalter8727]

You should give your patiently waiting a dog a sample of your smoked meat

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Lol! Packer most definitely gets his treats. Thanks for watching!

[@sistersisters6809]

Why don't you spray your meat? Or use wagyu?

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Great questions! Spraying just isn't necessary and I like the way the bark turns out better without spraying. As for Wagyu, besides the fact that it's super overpriced and it's really the opposite of traditional barbecue, I'm just not a fan. Wagyu to me is just another gimmick. Thanks for the questions and thanks for watching!

[@valenciasarahdewi2851]

I’m struggling with fire management, yesterday i try smoked with 3,3kg brisket but the result my meat was dry😭😭. What temperature to keep the fire box on smoke brisket?

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Thanks for this question! For briskets, I definitely like to keep the temperature on the low side, around 105 C, Plus or minus a few degrees shouldn't hurt. Keep the flat farther away from the hot side also helps. For a 3.3 kg brisket, I would smoke it for 3:00 to 4 hours and then wrap it in aluminum foil and keep cooking at 120 C until you get an internal temperature of about 95 C. Give that a shot and let me know how it goes. Thanks!

[@valenciasarahdewi2851]

@@TonyToneBBQ how we know that brisket ready to wrap with alumnium foil? thank you, i will update the result for my next smoke😃

[@jessehernandez52]

Right on boss everything looks amazing! I love me a pecan dry rub on pork ribs with no sauce,and no wrap! Smoke on!

[@TonyToneBBQ]

@@valenciasarahdewi2851 even on a large Brisket, I only smoke 5 to 6 hours and then wrap with aluminum foil. I don't even bother to track the internal temp most of the time. On a small Brisket, 2.5 to 4 hours is more than enough. Wrap it when it looks good and has a nice bark. Stick a temp probe in it after you wrap it and watch what happens. Yes, please! Keep me posted! Thanks!

[@TonyToneBBQ]

@@jessehernandez52 sounds awesome! Thank you!

[@xxkasperxx]

Looking at picking one of these up ...can anyone tell me the difference between the XD and the regular one? Just that upper grate?

[@TonyToneBBQ]

As far as I know, there isn't a Grand Champ (without the XD). Char-Griller also makes the Competition Pro, Smokin Champ, Dakota, Smokin Ace and Smokin Pro. The all vary in size and features. Here's a link to the Char-Griller website where you can see all the specs of each model... www.chargriller.com/collections/offset-smokers?_gl=1*1k4dk8n*_up*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-ai0BhDPARIsAB6hmP5UpaBbISnpn6_XKkWhvXBZXL0g2WauRb6pm5DLAO5tdh1nv4on_TgaAv3FEALw_wcB

[@jamesmcclinton4958]

Where did you buy the extra XD thermometers from??

[@markortiz9316]

Why did you get a new offset smoker? Was the other one no good

[@TonyToneBBQ]

No, the other offset was still working well. In fact, I still have it. I just wanted a bigger one. Plus, the construction of the Grand Champ XD is better and it only cost $300 more than what I paid for the other one.

[@johnsangalli7438]

Thanks for this informative video. I just did my first smoke and had trouble with my fire, hopefully with this info I can get more proficient. PS your poor dog is being tempted you should throw him/her a bone haha

[@Jules-qu8mp]

Hi tony i enjoyed prevous fire management vid which i watched about 20 times but this one is good but just too little talking.a lot of vid .sorry freind constructive critism

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Jules! Don't be sorry my friend. I really appreciate your feedback! I pay attention to comments and I do my best to create videos based on feedback like yours. So thank you! I appreciate you!

[@randypoe560]

can you do spatchcocked chicken

[@micahlantz905]

Where's the new videos at brother?

[@TonyToneBBQ]

I'm working on it! Filming is difficult. Editing the shots into a video is even more difficult! LOL! Actually, it's just time consuming and right now is the super busy season for my job so finding the time is the hard part. I appreciate that you're looking for it!

[@micahlantz905]

Where abouts do you live?

[@TonyToneBBQ]

Somewhere in the United States my friend 😀

[@micahlantz905]

@@TonyToneBBQ I know I know, you can be general like, the Midwest, or deep south, or east coast. I guess it doesn't matter, but it'd be cool if you lived in Texas. I was just curious.

[@TonyToneBBQ]

@@micahlantz905 yeah, I know... I don't live in Texas but I have a lot of friends in Texas. The truth is... it's kind of embarrassing! I don't live in a state that's known for it's amazing barbeque. Fortunately, I grew up with people who would be considered Pit Masters by today's standards and I've also spent years studying techniques from various great sources. The state I live in should really be know for it's farmland because that's what most of the state is but... the rest of the country bashes my beautiful state for the politics that come from a small handful of crappy cities. LOL! You can probably guess from that. By the way! New video posting tomorrow (July 4th) morning. I'd really like to know what you think! Thanks again!