How do you cool down your BBQ after the comp?


 

Shayne P

New member
I'm starting to notice one of the most annoying things about competing is all the work involved in trying to kill the temp and get my pit's cool so I can load them up in the back of the truck and cut out.

Anyone have any tips, tricks for this? I'm using a 22.5" WSM and a UDS right now. Basically when the comp's over I have to locate a hose near by and kill the fire then clean it out when I get home because of potential rust problems.

Once i'm done cooking I do kill all the oxygen by closing it all up but my WSM will stay over 200+* with all the vents closed for over 10+ hours! It takes a few hours to kill the fire/temp in the UDS.. but it does seem to do a much better job than the WSM.

I typically don't like sticking around long after i'm done.. especially after i've been out in the hot sun all day cooking. Saturday it was 115* and I was dreaming of the A/C!

Thanks,
Shayne
 
Shayne...

Air Leaks. Might check around the lower vents.
After a cook, stoker get unplugged, upper vent closed, and with the other 2 lower vents already closed, the wsm is cold in less than an hour.

Bob
 
I carry a small galvanized trash can (it's like 3 gallons or something similar) with a tight fitting lid to ours and I dismantle everything, dump the coals in that and shut the lid. That helps to cool it down pretty quickly and keeps ash from blowing everywhere on the way home. It only requires high-heat handling for about 15 minutes or so, and even then it's not awful. Once there's no more oxygen, it cools down pretty quickly. Not sure if that's an option for you, perhaps.
 
If I may............Galvanized can is a great idea. Get some long vending gloves so you dont
burn yourself and a galvanized can with lid and should be good to go. Maybe some
water in the can just in case.....

Peter
 
After a comp, the best thing to do IMO is to burn it out. I remove the mid-section and lid and let the fire rage and then burn out. By 2pm (1/2 hour after last turn-in) the fire is on it's last legs anyways, so it burns out within an hour while I pack up my other equipment. Then I dump the ash into a small ash can that I have and dump them in the ash dump...or if the dump is close enough, I just carry the bottom-section to the ash dump and dump it.
 
thanks for the input guys, the trash can idea is what i have been thinking about doing the entire time.. just haven't went and bought one yet and wasn't sure how long it would last. I've also pulled it apart and let it burn out but depending on how many coals you have left sometimes that takes awhile (for me at least)

looks like i'll be making a trip to lowes or home depot for a galvanized trash can. thanks!
 
thanks for the input guys, the trash can idea is what i have been thinking about doing the entire time.. just haven't went and bought one yet and wasn't sure how long it would last. I've also pulled it apart and let it burn out but depending on how many coals you have left sometimes that takes awhile (for me at least)

looks like i'll be making a trip to lowes or home depot for a galvanized trash can. thanks!

Yeah, this is me as well. After comps, I've typically not slept for days, bustin' it in 'go go go' mode for overnight into the next day, and by the time it's over, I just wanna go home...lol. I'm not waitin'. I have this one and it was worth every penny. Perfect size, and the handle helps the lid stay on in the back of the truck.

http://www.amazon.com/Behrens-6106-6-Gallon-Locking-Lid/dp/B000RNDR3W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371007359&sr=8-1&keywords=galvanized+Behrens+can

Hope that helps...
 
Every comp I have ever attended has had burn barrels where competitor can dump their ashes after the comp. Assuming you're using a WSM, you can just carry the bottom section to the burn barrel and dump it.
 
Bruce I have never seen a burn barrel, but thank you for the input. I will certainly ask from here on out!

Thanks for the link Randy that's exactly what I need.
 
Bruce I have never seen a burn barrel, but thank you for the input. I will certainly ask from here on out!

Thanks for the link Randy that's exactly what I need.

If your comps are like the ones around here, you've probably seen a burn barrel but it was full of trash. Seems a lot of folks don't understand the concept of barrels for hot ash only even when they are well marked.:mad:
 

 

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