Fire Mgt. Ash question

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golfguy
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Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby golfguy » Sun Sep 17, 2017 9:31 am

Hi Everyone, I purchased my first offset a little while ago and have done about 4 cooks so far. I'm still learning about fire mgt but am slowly getting better. One question I have though is after about the 4 - 5 hour make my fire box has quite a bit of ash, do you guys empty it out during the cook? if so how do you actually do that? Or should I not have an ash problem and am managing my fire incorrectly?

fyi I have a Brazos offset from Old Country BBQ pits.

Thanks,
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby Chasdev » Sun Sep 17, 2017 11:39 am

I brought this up earlier and am not sure what is right.
You can buy a fireplace shovel and remove the ash around half way through a long cook OR you can do like what (seemingly) most of the famous pitmasters do and that is to remove your fire grate and let the ash pile grow as the cook proceeds letting the coals sit on the ash.
I know Franklin runs without a fire grate and Mueller as well..I think.
They just space out the logs arrange and tilt them so there is plenty of room for air to get to the sticks as they burn.
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby golfguy » Sun Sep 17, 2017 4:59 pm

Hmmmm interesting, I think I might have to risk burning my hair off removing it. I don't think I have the skill to just burn on the ash.
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby Doozy-Q » Sun Sep 17, 2017 9:44 pm

Chasdev wrote:I brought this up earlier and am not sure what is right.
You can buy a fireplace shovel and remove the ash around half way through a long cook OR you can do like what (seemingly) most of the famous pitmasters do and that is to remove your fire grate and let the ash pile grow as the cook proceeds letting the coals sit on the ash.
I know Franklin runs without a fire grate and Mueller as well..I think.
They just space out the logs arrange and tilt them so there is plenty of room for air to get to the sticks as they burn.
No fire grate? I've seen some posts stating that this method can choke your fire?
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby freddie987 » Mon Sep 18, 2017 12:33 am

No way i would cook in a backyard pit without a grate. Franklins pits are big enough to eat a smaller backyard pit for lunch..... the size of his firebox allows for airflow. Use a grate
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby FAT » Mon Sep 18, 2017 4:25 am

What type and size of wood do you use?
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby Chasdev » Mon Sep 18, 2017 6:47 am

In Lockhart Tx there are several world famous places and none of them use fire grates...the sticks are set in a pile at the end of the pits leaning on the open end of a long brick or concrete pit and the smoke drafts through.
I played with no grate on my smallish offset and it seemed like the coals base lasted longer than with a grate.
You can experiment by just not clearing ash from under your grate, let it build up till the sticks are sitting on the pile.
At that point you have to manage stick placement, angles and airflow but it's not that big a deal..
My smoker used to toggle back and forth between too hot and too cold and as they say, learning to manage your pit is half the fun...
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby golfguy » Mon Sep 18, 2017 7:46 am

FAT wrote:What type and size of wood do you use?


I am still getting better with fire mgt but what works best for me is small splits about 2inch by 2 inch by 10 inch, I have only tried the hickory bbq mini logs from Academy. (I am open to any recommendations)
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby Chasdev » Mon Sep 18, 2017 11:04 am

Best advice I have is to buy and study Franklin's book.
Lots of stuff in there you must be aware of if you are serious about Q.
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby golfguy » Mon Sep 18, 2017 11:14 am

Chasdev wrote:Best advice I have is to buy and study Franklin's book.
Lots of stuff in there you must be aware of if you are serious about Q.


Thanks, yes I have read his book but I don't really remember any specific parts about dealing with ash on a small cooker.
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby Chasdev » Mon Sep 18, 2017 5:00 pm

No small cooker stuff for sure, but have you watched his videos?
In one he cooks a brisket in his back yard on a small offset and while he does not talk about it, there are some video clues..and he is not running a fire grate..

http://video.klru.tv/show/bbq-franklin/episodes/

The one to see (all of them really but this one first) is called "the payoff" on page two...
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby FAT » Mon Sep 18, 2017 5:27 pm

Short of a grate, a rock or a brick would give you some clear elevation on later "sticks"
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby golfguy » Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:15 am

FAT wrote:Short of a grate, a rock or a brick would give you some clear elevation on later "sticks"


Thanks that's an interesting idea.
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby golfguy » Tue Sep 19, 2017 8:21 am

Chasdev wrote:No small cooker stuff for sure, but have you watched his videos?
In one he cooks a brisket in his back yard on a small offset and while he does not talk about it, there are some video clues..and he is not running a fire grate..

http://video.klru.tv/show/bbq-franklin/episodes/

The one to see (all of them really but this one first) is called "the payoff" on page two...



Thanks, I had watched these videos before but I never really paid attention to the fire or wood. Yah your right he doesn't have a grate and seems to have a pretty good ash pile too, looks like he just kind of places them on top.

One thing I am doing different is my splits are much longer and thinner then his, do you think this would make any difference ?

Thanks,
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Re: Fire Mgt. Ash question

Postby Chasdev » Tue Sep 19, 2017 9:13 am

I think any aspect of the fuel that affects burn rate is worth consideration.
Heck, I may switch to his brand of beer just to see what happens!

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