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i usually mix lump and KBB when i do chicken cooks in my 18.5, which lets me hit 350 degrees or more with my extra lid vent. One time i substituted K-comp for the lump and had trouble reaching the same temps. Thats been my only real test, i used the rest of it up on some longer smokes.

Have you measured the lid to see if it is out of round? I accidentally bumped mine once pretty hard and it stopped fitting right, so i gave it another bump 90 degrees from the first and it fit good again.

That is exactly what I was thinking. I thought Chris had a picture on the main website somewhere with that type of setup. Maybe his went in the door though.

I made myself a Piedmont Pan to use in place of the water pan, and have added 3 air vents ( 2 intake, 1 exhaust) for high heat chicken and turkey smokes. I also wire tied the ring to the charcoal grate and added a 2nd charcoal grate rotated 90 degrees from the original to hold small pieces of...

For pork butt or brisket I always load the charcoal ring up as full as i can get it, (14.5 or 18.5) then take some off the pile to fire up in the chimney starter. A windbreak will help immensely. I built a collapsible enclosure for my 18.5 that breaks down and folds.

I've put 2 butts on one grate several times without tying. You just want to make sure they don't extend past the water pan on the lower rack where the hot air from the fire comes up, and if you can leave a small gap between the butts that is ideal. I would load the fire ring as full of unlit...

If the porcelain didn't crack i would gently bend it back to normal shape. If it did crack, maybe use some grill/bbq paint and touch it up? I think i ran across a dent repair article on the main site but could be wrong.

I would also like to know the difference between the new stuff and the competition. One time i tried using comp in place of lump for a high heat chicken cook and it didn't provide the same heat as lump.

I should've pulled the bag off the shelf and checked to see if there was an ingredients list but SWMBO was in a hurry. Curiosity just might get the best of me, as i will be in the area of the store again tonight.

Has anyone else seen these things in the store? I'm curious if they really are like lump charcoal for high heat. I ran across them in the local Hyvee but they were about a dollar per pound so I resisted. https://www.kingsford.com/products/100-natural-lump-briquets/

I think the water in the pan is most likely your problem. When i do chicken i never use water in the pan. My little 14" unit seems to run cooler than the 18 anyway, but no way will you get close to 300 with water. I always start with a full ring of lit coals for chicken also. Lump will give...

I made a Piedmont Pan and do not use foil. I run it dry when needed like for poultry, and with water for other things. I just feel like foiling the pan every time wastes a lot of foil and don't see a reason that the pan needs to be squeaky clean. I just scrape out the majority of the residue...

OD and ID are terms usually used on piping and tubing. I do not understand how a hole in a piece of metal could have an ID and an OD?

I went to cook chicken direct in my 14.5 a week ago and noticed the chimney starter was taking much longer than normal to get going sitting down in the charcoal bowl. I thought of this thread and set the chimney on a old baking pan on top of the charcoal ring and in no time there were flames...

I usually put the brisket on top because i check it more often for temp and then doneness and it tends to be done before the butts anyway. I always put it fat side down to protect the meat. First one i did fat up and the bottom 1/8 of the brisket was jerky.

IMO, if you actually plan on eating it for dinner on Sunday you had better plan on putting it on closer to midnight or a little before. My first cook with 2 9lb butts and a 12.5lb brisket took 16 hours in ~30° weather cooking with water. You want to let the meat rest in a cooler wrapped up in...

I built a Piedmont Pan for my 18.5, seems to be the best of both worlds for me. Better access to the fire, similar water capacity, slightly slower water consumption when running with water, and when i do high heat poultry the drippings don't cause excessive smoke anymore.

In my 18 i light 2 chimneys of KBB and lump. The more lump the hotter, i usually use 25 to 50% KBB. I made a Piedmont Pan to avoid using foil all the time and keep the drippings from burning. I have also added 2 intake and 1 exhaust vent and if i crack the lid i can get over 500F before...

Never will i live in California. I grew up on a farm and we burned all kinds of stuff that would give those crybabies a heart attack.

I just hit mine with a wire brush after they heat up in the smoker before a cook and call it good. I think i cleaned the water pan once and decided never again. I do make sure i scrape out most of the leftover gunk in the pan though.