EAST TEXAS SMOKER COMPANY BBQ PIT User manual

Brand: EAST TEXAS SMOKER COMPANY

Model: BBQ PIT

Type: User manual

EAST TEXAS SMOKER COMPANY

BBQ PIT USERS GUIDE:

(ALL UNITS)

READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS BEFORE USE.

CAUTION:

 NEVER OPERATE LOG LIGHTER WITH FIREBOX

DOOR CLOSED. MAY RESULT IN EXPLOSION

CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

 SMOKER CHAMBER, FIREBOX, WARMING BOX,

GRILL AND ALL METAL SURFACES WILL BE HOT.

DO NOT TOUCH. RADIANT HEAT CAN LAST FOR

HOURS.

 NEVER LEAVE FLAMABLES, COMBUSTABLE

MATERIALS OR PLASTIC NEAR OR ON METAL

SURFACES OF SMOKER, FIREBOX, WARMING BOX,

STAR BURNERS, GRILL OR ANY OTHER AREA THAT

RETAINS HEAT.

 NEVER ALLOW CHILDREN OR ANIMALS NEAR THE

UNIT WHEN IN OPERATION OR UNATTENDED.

 ENSURE THAT LP IS OFF AT THE BOTTLE AFTER

EACH USE AND BEFORE TRAVEL.

 NEVER PARK TRAILER ON UNEVEN SURFACE.

 ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK THE TRAILER

CONNECTION WITH BALL HITCH AND HOOK

SAFETY CHAINS TO YOUR VEHICLE BEFORE

TRAVEL.

 MAKE SURE EVERY COMPONENT AND ITEM ON

TRAILER IS SECURED BEFORE TRAVEL.

1. GETTING STARTED

2. WOOD 101

3. USING YOUR SMOKER

4. SMOKER MAINTENANCE

5. TRAILER

6. FAVORITE TIPS & RECIPES

1. GETTING STARTED:

Seasoning the pit-

After you have taken receipt of your pit, the first thing you need to do is cure

it. In order to do this, you will need to spray or wipe down the inside of the

cooking chamber and the cook racks with peanut or vegetable oil. Start a

small fire and bring the pit up to a temperature of 220-240 degrees. At this

time, place a log onto the fire which has been soaked in water for about 20-

30 minutes. This is about the only time in operating your pit that “the more

smoke, the better” is applicable. Close the baffles down and allow the pit to

smoke heavily for about four hours in order to build up sufficient resin.

After you have cured the pit, you are ready to cook.

If your unit has a warming box or deluxe charcoal grill, you will also need to

season the racks and cure the paint on them.

What do you mean, “the smaller the fire, the better”?

Our smokers are very efficient when it comes to fuel consumption, and a

large fire is not necessary to operate your smoker. Fire management is the

key to good, quality barbecue. Start small, and work your way up to a larger

fire, if needed.

Large, roaring fires can, and do, exceed 2000 degrees+ in temperature. The

paint that we use is a commercial 1200 degree high temp paint that is used

on wood stoves. It can, and will, burn off, if the fire becomes too hot. To help

preserve the paint on the firebox, start with a minimum of charcoal or wood,

and work your way up. You'll be surprised by how little fuel you need to get

up to cooking temperature.

2. WOOD 101:

You will most likely find out that every pit master has their own preference

when it comes to wood. Our primary suggestion is that you use a mild wood

such as oak or pecan, and experiment with other wood types to determine

which flavors suit your tastes. We recommend you check out Mesquite,

Hickory, or Apple in small amounts. Never use green wood in your pit.

Wood should be "seasoned" by time before burning it for cooking.

3. USING YOUR SMOKER:

Once you have seasoned your smoker, you are ready to cook. It is very

important that you have good air flow so your meat does not have an over-

smoked or stale flavor.

 Building a Fire:

Getting a good hot bed of coals going will keep your smoker running

really well. If you have a log lighter, we recommend that you lay one log

across the back of the firebox and stack three or so logs perpendicular

to that log leaning them on the first log. The firebox door should be

open to allow air flow and get a good fire going. Once your fire is

started you should TURN THE GAS LOG LIGHTER OFF. Never

operate log lighter with firebox door closed.

 Log Lighter Safety: WARNING- WHEN USING LOG

LIGHTER FIREBOX DOOR MUST BE OPEN. Closing the door

will use up oxygen and upon opening may cause explosion, serious

injury or death.

 Smoke Stack Baffle: This baffle should be completely open when

cooking on your smoker. Closing it will reduce air flow and result in

stale or over smoked food.

 Firebox Baffle: The firebox baffle needs to be cracked to allow

oxygen into the firebox to keep the fire going. If you notice your fire is

not staying hot, open the baffle more or even the firebox door. No air,

no fire.

 Reverse Flow Plates: These plates in the bottom of your smoke

chamber allow you to control the convection of your pit. The smoke is

forced beneath the plates and runs out the other side, which helps

prevent hot spots next to the firebox and over smoking. Pushing the

plate closest to the firebox all the way over, and leaving a 2 inch crack

between the second plate and opposite end is a good starting point. The

plates may be adjusted to make one side hotter than the other if you

are cooking various types of meat or vegetables that require different

cooking temperatures. As with the wood, this is something to

experiment with and find what works best for you.

 Drain Pipe: Lowering the jack a few degrees will point the front of the

trailer downward slightly so the grease will slide towards the grease

drain located towards the front of the smoker chamber. To prevent

grease from draining onto the ground, put a 2" ball valve on the drain

pipe, or simply place a bucket underneath the drain to catch the grease.

 Warming Box: Once you have seasoned the racks in the warming

box, you are ready to use it. There is a smoke gate at the back of the box

that allows you to cook with or without smoke by opening and closing

the gate. The box uses radiant heat from the fire below to keep food

warm, smoke meat or even bake something. The temperature depends

on the fire below and will have some variance from top to bottom.

 Deluxe Charcoal Grill: The racks in the deluxe charcoal grill should

be seasoned much the same as the smoker chamber and warming box.

The DCG will work like most charcoal grills with much more cooking

surface area. With both doors open, the charcoal grated rack can be

raised or lowered to bring your heat source closer to your food. The key

is to get a good bed of coals going. It is not recommended that you put

the coals directly on the steel bottom as that may damage the structure

rapidly and is costly to replace. Keep your racks clean and lid closed to

prolong the life of your grill. Baffles can be adjusted to allow more air

into your burning coals. NEVER adjust charcoal rack once fire is lit.

4. Maintaining Your Smoker:

Think of your smoker like a cast iron skillet. If you see a spot that looks

rusty, oil it. Some like to oil the entire unit, others the firebox. Peanut oil,

which is consumable and has a high flash point, is recommended unless you

have a peanut allergy.

Normal wear and tear on your unit is not covered by East Texas Smoker

Company.

Cleaning-

After every cook, I take a long-handled pizza oven brush (available at your

local restaurant supply store) and brush off the racks. When it's time to give

the pit a good cleaning (every few months, depending on use), I power wash

out the pit. Remember that using a degreaser will remove the resin built up

in your chamber. This resin protects the inside of the cooking chamber from

rust, so it might be necessary, at this point, to re-season the pit. Do not get

the degreaser on the outside of the pit, it will remove paint.

Firebox-

Paint will most likely burn off of your firebox. Hopefully if this happens, it

will be after numerous times of using your pit, but paint is never

guaranteed. If this happens, take a wire brush and remove as much of the

rust as possible to clean the area that you are about to repaint. Most

hardware stores will carry a high temp black paint that is made for outdoor

grills. This is suitable for repainting the area that has burned off. Take a rag

and wipe down the area that you have brushed and repainted. CAUTION!!!!!

FIREBOX IS HOT! Do not allow anyone or anything near the box while in

use. Serious burns could occur.

Wood Bar top-

To prolong the life of your wooden bar top, keep the surface clean and dry. If

creosote or grease drip onto the board, clean immediately to prevent

staining.

Wood Handles-

All of the wooden handles have been coated with durable polyurethane. If

the elements wear the coating off, sand the handle, wipe down and recoat.

Temperature Gauges-

Never apply pressure to the temperature gauge. The temperature gauges

should never be tampered with. Installation and adjustment require use of a

wrench on the back and caution. Over tightening the gauges can result in

damage that will cause the readings to be off. Be careful not to twist or spray

water directly on the face of the gauge as this will ruin it. There is a 5 degree

margin of error with all gauges.

Propane Plumbing-

 Always turn propane off when not in use and especially before travel.

You can clear the lines by lighting a burner and turning gas off at

bottle, then let the fire burn all the way out.

 Make sure all valves are closed before turning propane back on. An

open valve will result in a lockdown of the gas at the bottle due to the

fast drop in pressure.

 If you have a really small flame, close all of the valves and wait for the

system to pressurize before trying to light the burners.

 You should periodically test for leaking by turning the propane system

on, coating lines in soapy water and looking for air bubbles in

connections.

Star Burners-

Burners are made of cast iron and may rust in elements. Coat them in oil to

prevent rust. Like any gas burner, you should use extreme caution when the

fire is lit. Keep children, combustibles and plastic away.

Battery-

 Refer to warning labels on battery for care and information.

 Battery will need to be charged from time to time or placed on a trickle

charger.

 If you are not experienced in battery maintenance it is best to have a

professional conduct the inspection or guide you through it. Use

goggles, gloves and proper clothing when maintaining battery.

 If you detect acid build up or corrosion it will need to be properly

cleaned. Environmental laws have strict precautions that should be

followed.

Electrical System-

 Extension cord must be plugged in to power system.

 Before each use, check for nicks, cuts and abrasions to the wire.

NEVER use system is extension cord is damaged.

 NEVER use in puddles of water or damp ground.

 GFCI protected outdoor receptacle boxes have a built in breaker. If

there is no power, check that the breaker has not thrown. The test

button located on outlet should be used to check that the system is

working properly.

 Overloaded system may cause breaker to shut off. When using an

electricity draining appliance, you may not be able to use any other

outlets.

Sink System-

All necessary chemicals to keep tanks conditioned and odor free can be

found at your local RV dealership. Your sink system MUST BE

WINTERIZED. Winterizing chemicals keep lines from cracking or bursting

when the temperature outside is near freezing. Turn your system off and

depressurize by turning the faucet on when not in use.

Temperature Control System-

A few things you should know:

 The Control Box is NOT water proof. If it's raining it is not

recommended for use. You can flip a waterproof bag on top of the

control to use in wet conditions, but do so at your own risk.

 Never leave the control box out in the elements. It should be stored

when not in use.

 If using your cooker while temperature control system is not in use, fan

gates must be closed. Hot coals can make their way into the fan

housing and melt it if this step is not done.

 Read all manufacturers’ instructions to understand how the system

works.

 Neither ETSC nor The BBQ Guru is responsible for any malfunction

due to improper use.

Slide-out Cutting Board-

 CAUTION: Always lock slide-out mechanism into place before travel

using the tab on the front.

 The cutting board should be bolted into place or stored safely for travel.

 Clean the board with bleach to kill any bacteria and grease the bearings

with food safe oil.

5. TRAILER:

Registration:

When you take ownership of your new smoker you will be given the

necessary documents to register your trailer in most states. Some states

require additional information that can be obtained upon request. You

should check your state requirements for further information.

SAFETY AND MAINTENANCE:

*Check your state requirements for towing guidelines, laws and restrictions.

For residents of Texas, visit: www.txdmv.gov.

 Periodically Check:

o Lug nuts should be tightened at 200 and 500 miles, and

periodically thereafter around every 1,000 miles.

o Look for loose bearings and make sure there is adequate grease.

 Before hitting the road EVERY TIME:

o Confirm that the trailer has locked on the ball and that the safety

chains are attached properly.

o Test lights to make sure they are in working order.

o Check tire pressure to ensure that it meets the manufacturer's

standard, which is listed on the tire.

o Secure your smoker components into place and make sure there

are no unsecured items that could fly while traveling.

 Park your trailer on a level surface, and chock wheels to prevent

movement while parked.

EAST TEXAS SMOKER COMPANY BBQ PIT User manual

Brand: EAST TEXAS SMOKER COMPANY

Model: BBQ PIT

Type: User manual

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EAST TEXAS SMOKER COMPANY BBQ PIT User manual

EAST TEXAS SMOKER COMPANY BBQ PIT User manual

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