[KidCurry]

This is how I get the most out of my Excel 20...
Load up with Blue Bag K and some oak barrel chips. (I don't usually use the chip but they were free and all in all worked out ok)



A little less than 1/2 a lit chimney...



Dump them on top...



Add the lower level and the water pan covered in foil...no water...



Load it up with ABTs, both layers...



Let it roll...Temps of course are lid showing 200, top therm showing 230, and lower therm showing 260...



Smoked meat loaf and finished ABTs...Also did a shoulder but did not get finished pics.  



I have recently started using the PROQ in Mini Mode (only one stacker level) so I need to get some pics of one of those cooks.

I got this bad boy from Crash and have loved every minute of it.

[Crash]

Very nice write up Ralph.  I especially liked how the bacon looked on the ABT's.....Perfect!!

Two observations:

1) That is exactly how we load our charcoal basket for a long cook (minus the chips).  We try to bulge the top to about 105-110% of basket capacity before we Minion Method the top with coals.  We also use a half a lit chimney but will jump it up to 3/4 of a lit chimney if it's really cold (under 40 degrees for us desert dwellers).

2) We always line the waterpan with foil as well, and usually add water to it for pork and beef.  We never use a lot of water, and it is always as hot as we can get it before we add it.  If the temps aren't working for us, we ditch the water and proceed from there.  IMO, the waterpan in the Pro Q's is more for an indirect heat rather than for adding moisture.

BTW..... ABT's at Havasu sound like a great idea. Just Sayin'.

[Mike (AZBarbeque)]

Great write up and as Crash said, the ABT's look incredible...

[G$]

So, is the 200 plus 30 plus 30 per grate pretty typical for a loaded cooker that has stabilized?  I know there has been some discussion on this, but as a ballpark, with no water in the pan is it safe to say that 200 on the dome is 260 at the bottom grate?

[Crash]

So, is the 200 plus 30 plus 30 per grate pretty typical for a loaded cooker that has stabilized?  I know there has been some discussion on this, but as a ballpark, with no water in the pan is it safe to say that 200 on the dome is 260 at the bottom grate?

Yes...ballpark......on a two stacker cook.

[azkitch]

But, be ye forewarned--YMMV. Those thermo's included with the units are whacked, so no telling how far off they are. More thermometers are better. I keep tellin' people here that, but no one gets me one for Christmas/Anniv/Birthday. Hrmph.

[KidCurry]

A therm stuck just in the lid vent on mine usually reads pretty close to what the dome read...so at least mine is not that far off.  Always a good idea to check...and yea the more therms the merrier I always say.

[pegraves]

OMG! I never thought of smoking a meatloaf!  My lady been very tolerant of my BBQ'ing so far, but if I can deliver with a smoked meatloaf, oh baby!  Are the recipes posted someplace else on this forum?  A man's got to know.

[AzJohnnyC]

Man, think of it as an outdoor oven. Just adjust your water it the pan, or take ou the pan for the temp you need. I'm still planning on doing a no-water-pan pizza. I'll probably take the pan out and put on the third stacker to see if I can get the temp up to around 4 or 5 hundred degrees and put a pizza stone on. The possibilities are endless. Nearly. I've even thrown a quesadilla on while I'm cooking to snack on.

[KidCurry]

2lb hamburger
1lb Jimmy Dean hot
1 red pepper (large)
1 purple onion (a big one I cooked it a little to soften it)
4 slices sourdough bread ripped up and tossed in a bowl.
milk poured over them until they stop soaking it up.
About 2 tables spoons of my pork rub and 2 table spoons of D-Dogs apple rub
A squirt of ketchup
3 Eggs
Garlic (about 2 cloves)
Mix for awhile to make sure you have no big chunks of bread or anything

I formed them up and cooked them on the drum at about 250.  When the internal temp reached about 150 I poured on the glaze and kicked the heat up to about 300 took them off at 165 and they sat for 30min before we ate them.



The BettyCrocker cook book also has a good one that is very easy to make.

[Smell My Butts BBQ AZ]

And the Recipe for the glaze is.............

[KidCurry]

Just ketchup with a splash or 3 of apple cider vinegar.