Hey Rich. Very good question. I’m running a poll to see what the BBQ community thinks about this… should be interesting. Check the poll at kzfaq.info/love/bfaWDQ16EHcydmy3k42J9Acommunity . Thanks for the question, and thanks for watching.

As long as it’s not pressure treated or waterproofed, etc... it’s got to be pure clean cherrywood

😂😂😂

Thank you for checking out my video T-Roy! I’ve watched you for years (my old account was “Booger Bear”). I picked up my LSG end of May this year. Not my first offset, but my first “good” one. I’m loving it! I’m also watching you work the T-Roy magic on yours as well. Cheers!

That’s awesome, Javier! Wishing you a wonderful cook today. Thank you… you made my day!

Glad you enjoyed the video Joe. In the distant past, I’ve been guilty of rushing, fighting and overthinking my fires, and it would just suck the fun right out of the BBQ day. Once I relaxed and got back to the basics, I was able to enjoy my cooks again. “Low & Slow” doesn’t just mean the meat. The whole cook should be a relaxing experience, fire starting included. How else can a guy get away with “doin nuthin” for 6 to 8 hours? 😊😊😊 Thanks for the kind words and thanks again for watching.

Ahoy! Understanding the basics and a little practice is all that's needed. It really is not that difficult to tame the beast. So... jump in, fire it up, and most importantly... have fun! Thanks for watching and thank you for subscribing.

Hey Paul... welcome to the LSG family! I'm so glad to hear this video was somewhat helpful. Congrats on your purchase! Thanks for watching, and I hope to hear how the new smoker is performing for you.

Thank you Joe! This one is getting a bit old, but the info is still relevant. I appreciate you checking out the channel!

Thanks Ian. I hope the information was useful for you. Thank you for tuning in all the way from the UK!

All credit to the 'ol LSG! Makes tending the fire look easy, and me look good... and I love the square firebox! Thanks for watching Zach!

Awesome Bruce! Welcome to the LSG family. I hope I helped you in some way to make your cooks sucsessful. You are gonna love your new pit!

Thanks Phil. I too have watched a ton of fire videos through the years, but usually not with the details I was looking for. I hope my interpretation helps anyone out there struggling with their fire boxes. L8R.

Thanks Rob. You are going to love the smoky goodness only an offset can give your cooks. Thanks for watching.

Hi J.P. So glad you found my video helpful. Looking at your “post” dates for your LSG, the timing was about right! I look forward to watching your LSG cooks. Thanks for watching and thank you for subscribing. Smoke on…

Glad you enjoyed it Henry… and thanks for watching.

Thank you. I'm so glad you found my video useful. Thanks for watching.

Joe, you are very kind to say that… I appreciate it 💖. BTW, I haven’t heard from you in a while. I hope you and yours are staying safe. Hmmmmmmmm, just thinking about it… “Dr. Grumpus” does have a nice ring to it……! 😂😂😂

I was just thinking the same thing. I have watched several videos and this was one of the first that really emphasized the coal bed. Knowing that it may be an hour before you're ready to cook is huge. Explains alot as to why I struggled with my first cook on my reverse flow. Thanks Grumpus! You sir, have a new subscriber.

Thanks, Gary. That is very cool. I find smoking on an offset very relaxing and fun. Congrats on you purchase… I’ll be watching for your videos on it!

So glad my video was helpful. You picked a fine smoker. Thank you for watching.

Hey Joe how's that 20x36 cooking for ya? I'm thinking about buying one this week. Did you get the 1/2in fire box?

I’m so glad you enjoyed the video, Conrad. Thank you for watching.

Thank you for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the video.

Thank you, Jeremy. It’s hard to believe this video is a year old already! I hope you found the information useful. Cheers… 🍺

You are welcome!

Thank you, Charlie Brown, for the kind words. Your comment made me smile today 🙂!

So glad you found my video helpful. It’s interesting how quickly wood will ignite with just a little pre-heating. Thank you for watching.

Hey Timothy… Welcome to the LSG family! I know you are going to love your new pit. I’m so glad you found my channel and hope you find the information presented here useful. Let us (the BBQ community) know how your cooks turn out. BTW… Texas 2.5 BBQ (kzfaq.info/love/b9lLaXMGlWLBKbm9IYapLA) has a pit just like yours. If you haven’t already, check out his channel and tell him “Grumpus sent you”. Cheers…

@@GrumpusOnFire Thank you for your reply. Watching Texas 2.5, T-ROY COOKS, and Smokey Ribs BBQ is what made up my mind to buy the LSG. But mostly Taxes 2.5 he is just honest about everything good or bad about his cooks. Anyway your channel and the ones I mentioned or my favorite ones. Good videos on all y'all's channels. Keep up the good work. God bless

Thanks, Ben. It is easier to try stuff “just to see what happens” if there is no stressing over ruining good meat. You not only learn more about your cooker, but you will have more confidence when you are “cooking for real”. I hope my video was some help to you, and thanks for watching.

Welcome to the LSG family, Freddie! You are going to love your new toy. Keep us posted on your cooks, and drop me a line if I can help in any way.

@@GrumpusOnFire Thank You Sir. I'm loving my LSG. Already smoked some chicken, ribs and yesterday I smoked a brisket. It's made a big difference for me. Your fire management video helped me a whole lot. Appreciate it. Have a blessed day Sir

Hi, Matt. I’ve been grilling and smoking meats for better than 40+ years. This is by far the most well-made and thought out smoker I have ever used. Low and slow, hot and fast, I’ve even built fires in both ends… This smoker has come through like a champ every time. I hope my videos are helping people (who may otherwise be on the fence) make educated buying decisions as they shop for new equipment. BTW... I do not have any affiliation with Lone Star Grillz… I’m just one extremely happy customer. I appreciate your comment, and thanks for watching.

Glad you enjoyed my video. Thanks for watching.

Thank you John, and thanks for watching.

You are very welcome Benjamin. I hope you found the information useful… and those chimes get more shout-outs than me! 😉

You are welcome, and thanks for the kind words. Looks like you've got quite the rig yo self...

Definitely the best fire management video. It helped me a lot. Thx from southern germany

Thanks Joe. Coming from someone who knows his way around a ‘stick burner’, it really means a lot. Admittedly, the LSG sure makes it easier to tame the flame. Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching.

Welcome to the LSG family, James! I’m glad you found my video useful. I’d love to see you stick around and watch me stumble through this BBQ stuff! Cheers…🍻🍻🍻

Thank you. So glad my video was helpful.

Welcome Travis! Videos are never old if you are watching them for the first time! I’m glad viewers are still finding my videos somewhat helpful. Thanks for watching… and I appreciate the sub! 👍

Thank you, Martin. I love play’ in with some fire! Thanks for watching.

Glad you liked it!

I appreciate the compliment. Thanks for watching.

@Texas CAT Manuals Congrats on your purchase… let me be the first to welcome you to the LSG family!

Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.

Wow Roger, what a nice thing to say. This You Tube BBQ community is like a big family. I’m so glad you decided to be a part of it, welcome. I’m glad you liked the video. Thank you for subscribing and thanks for watching.

Thanks for taking the time to watch, Brad.

Glad I could help. Thank you for watching.

Thanks, Big Time. I appreciate you watching.

Spencer… Glad you liked my video. Just fire up your pit! Waste a little charcoal and/or wood now and learn your pit. It’s time well spent for down the road. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching.

So glad you liked my video. I sure like showing what this pit can do. Thanks for watching.

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks, Ric. I really appreciate you checking out my stuff. Cheers… 🍻🍻🍻

Thank you Brad.

So glad you found my video useful. You are on the right path by researching and planning... before you buy. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. Thanks for watching.

Glad you found it helpful.

Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and thank you for subscribing.

Tim, congratulations on your new LSG! It pleases me to think my little video has helped so many. Enjoy your new toy, and thanks for watching.

So glad you found my video helpful, Rey. Thanks for watching, and thank you for subscribing!

Fire it up! Thanks for watching.

Welcome to the LSG family! I'm glad you found my video helpful. You picked a fine smoker for your first pit. The LSG 20x line of smokers are fast becoming very, very popular pits. Thanks for watching and your subscribing to my channel is very much appreciated.

Thanks Jason. These fundamentals can be applied to any fire, smoker, heck, even campfires. Thanks for watching.

gracias for the great videos,i am recommending your channel to all my Barbecue friends.@@GrumpusOnFire

Much appreciated. Thank you.

Thanks for watching!

So sorry this reply is so late. I'm sure you are loving your new smoker by now. Welcome to the LSG family! I hope my videos were of some help getting you started with your new pit. Thanks for taking the time to watch my channel Ed...

@Grumpus On Fire No problem sir Appreciate you

Hey, JB! So glad you stopped by and checked out the video. I’ve also been watching your channel… good stuff! 👍

Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.

Thank you and thanks for watching.

Thank you for watching, Mimi.

Thank you, and thanks for watching.

Glad it was helpful!

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

Very well said. I couldn't agree with you more. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching Lasone.

Glad you enjoyed it David. Thanks for watching.

WOW! All the way from Germany? So glad I could help. Quick tip: feed the coals, not the fire. Let us know how the next cook goes. Thank you for watching, and welcome to the LSG family! 👏👏👏

@@GrumpusOnFire "Feed the coals---not the fire..." was the trick...I have had my first big cook with ribs, pork shoulder, homemade sausage and chicken...a great event...thank you so much...greetings from Germany

Practice, practice, practice… It’s all about learning YOUR cooker. It ain’t about the perfect cook… it’s about learning how to recover when the unexpected happens. Thanks for watching!

Permanent cover coming next spring. The LSGs are a little pricey, but you get what you pay for. Their workmanship has no equal. If you configure it right, it will be the last smoker you will ever need to buy. I’m 6 months in and have no buyers remorse whatsoever. I wish I had bought this pit maybe 4 cheap smokers ago… Thanks for watching.

@@GrumpusOnFire are you buying the LSG cover or did you find a different brand cover that's cheaper? How is the rust? I would love a followup review video of how its held up, the mods you love, the ones you wish you bought, paint issues, etc...

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.

I appreciate that, Rio. Hope you are enjoying the channel. Be sure to subscribe, and hit the bell so you don’t miss anything new coming up!

Thank you and thanks for watching.

I’ll try to cover that in a future video. Thanks for the request, and thanks for watching.

No problem

Thank you, Tommy. I’ll never forget the wait to purchase my smoker. Seemed like forever.

Hello Donald. Thanks for the kind words. If you bury the chunks in a way that still allows it to ignite, that’s good. If it is just going to smolder due to lack of oxygen, I’m not a fan. I prefer to place the chunks on top of the coals so it can burn cleaner. Thanks for the question and thanks for watching.

I see what you are saying. Unfortunately, I can’t move my pit around very easily. I have my smoker parked right next to a 6’ fence with deflects the wind right over the top of my pit. I have noticed as the wind blows across the exhaust stacks it creates a draw through my pit (much like blowing across a straw and drawing soda up and out). I’ll actually have to close the inlet damper on windy days to keep my temps down. But if it is really windy and I open the cook chamber door, it can blow ashes out the inlet! Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching!

Stuart... I have never had a problem using wood with bark. If I grab a split and the bark is real loose, or falling off, I'll set the bark to the side and use it when I start my fire next time. If it's hanging on there fairly well, I toss it in the fire and don't worry about it. Right or wrong... it's what I do. Thanks for the question, and thanks for watching

First off, thanks for watching my video. An open fire pit, adult beverages… AND beans? Sounds like an awesome way to tend a fire… I’ll be right over!

@@GrumpusOnFire As a Texan I've grown up with Texas technics.After watching N. and S. Carolina whole pig competitions I realized they had it right. Add the fire you need,not the log that isnt burning. You get clean blue smoke with no work.

Good phrase… I like that! Phil n Florence, (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ndBpqLdinL_Jg5s.html) (tell ‘em Grumpus sent you!), did this exact process on his WSM. His chicken looked fantastic.

Hi, Jeffrey. That is a good idea. I’ll add that to my list of possible videos. Thank you so much for watching my videos.

Glad you liked it. I had a lot of fun making it. Thanks for watching.

Glad you liked it and thanks for subscribing!

Thank you, tulz43. I’m so glad my video helped. I usually grab the smaller, lighter splits when I first starting my fires. After the coals are established, I’ll start using the heavier, denser splits to maintain the bed. Thanks for watching.

Thanks… Glad I could help. For good combustion your fire needs oxygen. If your fire is elevated, more air can get to, and under, your fire. The grate allows this, and also lets the ash fall away from your fuel source, thus a more even burn. Think of a campfire burning right on the ground. You have to constantly poke and stir it to keep a flame or it will just sit and smolder. Now build that same fire up off the ground utilizing some form of grate, it will get more air, resulting in a cleaner and hotter burn. So, no you do not have to have a fire grate, but your fire building and cooking experience will be considerably more enjoyable with one. Thanks for watching.

Hello Chad. What a great find! I’ve gone through quite a few pits through the years. To try and answer your question on the size… a big, heavy metal pit is like steering a battle ship verses a speed boat. It is steady and slower to react, so it is easier to control. I’ve had small, thin metal pits that, just checking the fire, the temperatures would spike out of control so fast I’d have to pull the meat till things settled down again. So, in my experience, bigger is better. As for the wood consumption… it is like cruising down the highway, once you get up to speed you barely have to touch the peddle. When all that metal heats up, your fire maintenance is minimal. Also, let’s face it… most of the heat and smoke is going right out the stack anyway! I’ve found that I use less wood in my LSG than I did with my old pit (which was ¼ the size). I blame this on the great design Lone Star Grillz puts in their pits. So… I’m sure you are going to enjoy your new toy… and thanks for watching.

Happy you liked my video. Wood prices are going to vary by the variety, the season and your particular location in the country. The last full cord of pecan I bought was $300/cord, in August 2018. If you have the room, and a dry place to store it, you will generally get the best deals buying in quantity. If you store the wood yourself, you have all the control as to how it is protected from the elements. Ideally, I look for a cord or two around fall. I’m in Houston, so this is around September, way before folks in these parts start getting ready for winter. Sometimes I’ll place an order for wood not yet available, but if I prepay I’ll lock in my price for when it is cut. This will be the wood I’m planning to use the following summer. So I get about six months of air drying before use. It gets hot ‘round here so cut and split wood will dry fairly quickly.

LOL... Thanks for watching, Jorge.

So true, Carolyn. If you add up the cost of all the cheap, burnt out smokers you’ve purchased in the past, the cost of an LSG becomes more palatable. Thanks for watching!

Hi Ken. Excuse me if this runs long, but I don’t know how to give a short answer. So please, bear with me. First, I only know from my experience and a little common sense (i.e. I ain’t no expert!). Second, is your setup like mine, i.e. horizontal WITH the vertical option, or is it the Vertical Smoker attached directly to the firebox? I have five gauges on my pit and every one of them reads a different temperature, which is perfectly normal. You can use the temperature differences as an advantage to place your meat in the "sweet spot". My temperatures at the grate level ALWAYS read higher than the gauges on the doors. Depending on the size of the fire, sometimes 50-100 degrees different! Remember, the door gauges are giving you the temps at the gauge, which could be inches or feet from the actual meat. As soon as you can, get a quality temperature probe to set at the grate level where the food will be placed. Use this as the “go by” temps for the cook. After a while you will know how far off the gauge temperatures are from the grate temperatures. It just takes time and experience, only learned on your pit. Unfortunately, cutting your fire in half won’t necessarily cut your temperatures in half. It is all about AIR FLOW. The bigger fire you have, the more air is being sucked in through the damper. As the fire builds, the air entering the damper accelerates, literally “blowing” on the fire, increasing the fire, increasing the air speed, and the cycle continues till the fire is satisfied and becomes stable. As the heated air flows through the cooking chamber(s), it is trying to rise, but if it is blocked (tuning plate(s)), it’s momentum will carry it sideways till it gets deflected and changes direction, usually the farthest side wall of the smoker. This is why the side farthest from the fire box can, and usually, runs hotter. If you open up the gaps in the tuning plates, some of the hot air “escapes” the sideways flow and the remaining heat/flow loses some momentum, and less air is slamming into the side of the smoker. This should get the temperatures a little more even, left to right. BUT there is not a perfect plate setup. IF you make the fire smaller, the air flow through the chambers will be slower, allowing more heat to rise through the plates and, theoretically, your temperatures could now be hotter on the firebox side. So, your plate setup will always be a compromise, based on your fires and where you place the meat. Consistency will pay off. While you are getting things set to your liking, build consistent fires and ONLY mess with the plates. OR, set and leave the plates alone and ONLY change the fire. Don’t mess with both together. It will run you nuts and only be discouraging. These Lone Star pits take a bit of time to get the metal heated up and stable, but once this happens, they take a lot smaller fire to maintain temps than you would think. So… the short answer: Maybe open up the tuning plates and build a smaller fire? Good luck. Let all of us know the outcome and final solution to this.

Wow… that’s pretty impressive. I watched it, maybe a dozen times, and fell asleep! 😄 I’m so glad you liked the video, and thanks for watching.

Hey Al. It’s all good here. It’s really been a hot summer this year and hard to hang around a hotter smoker. I think you will like the convenience of the Flame Tamer. Will get videos out soon.