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This close to getting an excel20

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jeeplaw

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But I have a question :) How easy is it to add wood for flavor or do i need to buy bags of chips?
#1 - March 09, 2010, 12:46:26 pm

smitty250

  • Karma: 7
There is a door on front that has access to the charcoal/fire. Just open the door and throw on some wood chunks when needed.
#2 - March 09, 2010, 01:04:05 pm
Loot N' Booty BBQ
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azkitch

  • Karma: 9
I'm using small chunks, half fist sized, or taking a half split and chopping strips the size of half carrots from it.
#3 - March 09, 2010, 01:13:18 pm
CBJ # 53779
For cooking, lower and slower. For spices, mo' hotter, mo' better. Habaneros rule!

jeeplaw

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Thanks for the info..rarely do i see people talking about the excel20 and wood, so now I think I made my choice :D
#4 - March 09, 2010, 02:15:58 pm

birdie64

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I have a brand new Pro Q I would like to sell.  It is the biggest one and I have the extra stacker and the improved legs.  It has never been used.  I also have the instruction manual.  I could deliver to the Phoenix metro area.  I am asking $250.00.  Dennis Marker    birdie64@msn.com
#5 - March 09, 2010, 03:44:43 pm

KidCurry

  • Karma: 1
On the Excel20 the main fuel source will be charcoal (minion method) with hunks of wood for the "flavor". 
#6 - March 09, 2010, 04:08:12 pm
KidCurry@AZBarbeque.com
KCBS CBJ
Mike boils his ribs....pass it on.

jeeplaw

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I have a brand new Pro Q I would like to sell.  It is the biggest one and I have the extra stacker and the improved legs.  It has never been used.  I also have the instruction manual.  I could deliver to the Phoenix metro area.  I am asking $250.00.  Dennis Marker    birdie64@msn.com

Hey Dennis, just sent you a message

#7 - March 09, 2010, 07:54:46 pm

jeeplaw

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Thanks for all the pm's guys, appreciate feeling welcomed :) And Crash, I think i'm going to take you up on your offer. Hit me back a PM and we'll do the deal. Dennis, i'll pass for now since Crash offered up a really good deal, thanks though!

David
#8 - March 10, 2010, 08:32:35 am

birdie64

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Congratulations on the sale Crash.  I choose to believe you may have acted differently had you known your customer had told me he wanted to purchase the Pro I have for sale and at his request I was out today determining shipping costs.  And Jeeplaw, enjoy the grill!
#9 - March 10, 2010, 11:55:22 am

Crash

  • Karma: 20
Congratulations on the sale Crash.  I choose to believe you may have acted differently had you known your customer had told me he wanted to purchase the Pro I have for sale and at his request I was out today determining shipping costs.  And Jeeplaw, enjoy the grill!
Your belief is correct.
#10 - March 10, 2010, 03:50:00 pm
I love animals.  They're delicious!
VRM Pit Crew

AzJohnnyC

  • Karma: 2
Crash wouldn't step on anyone's toes...not on purpose anyway.  David, you're going to like that ProQ.
#11 - March 10, 2010, 03:53:50 pm
Whiskey Business BBQ
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jeeplaw

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Guess what I'm doing this weekend? That's right, smoking on my new proq excel 20  ;D

Now, any step by step tips to help me get started, lol? I am an ultra newb to smoking meat..but not to eating it!

I'm going down to wally world and getting some royal oak lump and try to find some apple-wood since chicken will be my first attempt, then followed by Brisket at some point. Also picked up a Polder dual probe thermometer for the assist.

Soo..stupid question, but do I aim to smoke a whole chicken, a cut, or what? Optimal temp? Length of smoke time?
#12 - March 26, 2010, 12:28:49 pm

KidCurry

  • Karma: 1
This is what I would do.  YMMV and no warranty is expressed or implied.

A spatchcocked chicken or thighs would be a good place to start if this is your first chicken cook.   (Pork butts are also good first cooks)
300 or so temp wise for the chicken until its done ie The US Department of Agriculture says 180.  ::)  IMHO that is overdone but I guess it would be safe.  
No idea on time, its a "till its done" thing. I would smoke until 160 internal (thigh) and then finish on a grill to crisp the skin. Pull when browned and 170-175 internal.
Don't use too much wood.

this might help...

http://www.azbarbeque.com/forums/pro-q%27s/using-the-excel-20/


also from CRASH

We've got our Pro Q 20's pretty well dialed in at this point.  Here is what we do.

1a)  For a longer cook (butts, brisket) we load up the entire basket almost full to the top with unlit Bluebag K.  We then hollow out the middle as best we can.  There will be unlit K above the top of the basket around the sides of the hollowed-out middle.  We then place a full Weber chimney of lit K coals into the hollowed-out middle.  We then use the chimney to actually mold the shape of the lit and unlit K coals into an even mound (it is kind of an intricate process).  We then add our cooking wood, usually 3-4 chunks depending on size.

Next we add a foiled water pan and fill it up about 1/3 of the way with the hottest water you can get your hands on.  We use boiling water or if we're feeling lazy we use the hottest tap water we can find.  We let everything settle for about 5-10 minutes and then the butts or briskeys go on.  Temps for us are usually right around the 225-240 mark at the start.  We will then adjust vents accordingly to get to our optimum temp.

1b)  For a mid-range cook time (ribs) we basically do almost the same thing. We will reduce the unlit K coals to about 3/4 of a basket and add about 3/4 lit chimney using the same hollowed-out (MM) method).  We add wood the same way and tend to use less water in the foiled water pan, but still make sure the H2O is hot.  Temps for this cook also mimic the longer cook for us.

1c)  For a fast cook (chx) we will line the bottom of the charcoal basket with unlit.  We then drop a fully lit, overflowing chimney of coals into the basket and spread them around evenly.  We then add our wood and put on a foiled water pan.  We do not add any water for this cook at all.

2)  Of the few times that we have had trouble getting the temps up, we have taken out the water pan, ditched the water in the pan, and returned the pan to the smoker.  This has always allowed the temps to come up, and in some cases higher than we wanted.

I think the key to using water is to use hot water.  I really believe this.  It is really more of a scientific thing than anything else really.  If you use cold water in the pan, the coals (fuel) will need to use more energy to get that water hot....energy that would be better used to cook your food and maintain a consistent temp.

3)  Lump has always cooked hotter in my opinion.  I dint like using it, because I have too much trouble controlling the temperature spikes.  Some people swear by it because, hey, it works great for them.  I myself have just gotten use to the consistency that the standard Bluebag K offers me.

I can say one positive thing about lump though.  I have only cooked using the Ono brand of lump once.  It was the first lump that I have used that I have actually really liked.  I didn't use it on purpose, but because it what was given to me to cook a bachelor party.  For that cook, I used one 20 lb bag of Ono for the entire cook and also used the third Excel 20 stacker for the first time.  If I was to ever use the third stacker again for a cook, it would be with the Ono brand of lump.  Good stuff and you can get it from our club sponsor BBQ Island.

4) The lid-mounted thermometer just really isn't going to tell you what's going on temp-wise two levels down.  I can see the pros for it if you are hanging something by the hooks up top, but even that would be sketchy at best.  We like to use the Maverick E-73's at each grate level to get an accurate reading.  

#13 - March 26, 2010, 01:50:37 pm
« Last Edit: March 26, 2010, 02:05:10 pm by KidCurry »
KidCurry@AZBarbeque.com
KCBS CBJ
Mike boils his ribs....pass it on.

jeeplaw

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Thanks for Crash's info, Kid, much appreciated. So I had my first burn today, completely firing off from the hip - so bear with me.

Assembled my excel, and love MOST of the fit and finish. Unfortunately it appears that half the latches don't latch very hard at all. It's like the placement of the latches to work effectively should have been placed 1/4 of an inch lower..and there's some paint "dimpling" on the cover as well. Like what you'd see if you painted over a rust spot (i'm not saying this is since it's brand new, it's just the appearance that it gives).

So i got myself a charcoal chimney, and a bag of royal oak wood charcoal. Got my chimney going nicely (and quick) and then filled out the charcoal basket with a healthy dose of royal oak, some apple wood chips (wish i could find chunks of wood instead of chips), and then my chimney full of white hot royal oak.

I also set up my polder dual probe thermo. Time to see if this thing holds temp! Added the extra stacker too btw along with an empty water pan.

Holy crap was this thing burning hot. Mind you, i'm absolute newb at this. The temp kept climbing into the mid 300's and I was starting to worry if this would top out in the 4's, since i heard there might be some paint issues up in that range. My temp adjustment was taking place with the three lower portal openings. Closed, open, 1/4 open..the temp was still climbing. This was at the mid level thermo position at grate level (middle stacker). I had to leave the house, and kept the lid off of the smoker while I was out (that seemed to help bring the temp down). An hour later, I put the lid back on, the temp is steady at 225 degrees. It stayed that way for a couple of hours until I called this burn off as a win for a first try.

A) is that normal for the temps to climb that high in the beginning? What's the worry zone? What's the appropriate way to control temp rise? At the start I had all openings uncovered. By the time i was holding at 225, Only the top was open, and the rest were 1/4 open. I've heard of other smokers talking about their smoker holding temp after "things settle down". Is this what i was seeing?

B) Did I use to much fuel? Basically half  bag of royal oak. Granted there was no meat to absorb some of the heat, but I couldn't think of anything to slow down the rise of the temp unless i took the cover off..
#14 - March 27, 2010, 06:56:16 pm

AzJohnnyC

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I use lump in mine, basket to the top. For vents (with no water), I close two vents and crack the third. That will normally stay steady for hours. What grate were you taking temps on?
#15 - March 27, 2010, 07:09:54 pm
Whiskey Business BBQ
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