How To Use A Char Broil Vertical Charcoal Smoker [7 Easy Steps]

You are here to know how to use a char broil vertical charcoal smoker. Am I right?

If your answer is yes, we can assure you that you are going to learn all about char broil vertical charcoal smoker. And by the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of charcoal smokers’ usage and its maintenance. 

Most importantly, you will be capable of cooking super delicious smoked foods. Plus, reading the whole article, you will also know about how to use char broil electric smokers. So let’s begin…

How To Use A Char Broil Vertical Charcoal Smoker?

Learning to use a charcoal smoker is an adventure. You will get a fantastic feeling when smoking meat on a charcoal grill. 

If you are new to the BBQ world and want to dive into a charcoal smoker, you need to follow proper guidelines to get a perfect grill. Have a look here to know step by step for using the Char-Broil Charcoal grill.

Step 1: Fix the Smoker and Put Charcoal

As a first step, you need to set up your smoker at a steady base where you want to start smoking. Disassemble the Char-broil smoker, then put the charcoal ring in the bottom of the smoker. 

Then keep the charcoal grate and coal chamber. All the equipment needs to be cleaned before. Burn the charcoal in a chimney starter until a thin layer of ash is visible; add these with other unlit charcoal chunks. 

Make a circle with dark charcoal and put hot charcoal in the middle. Then, you will get besides and indirect heat properly.

Step 2: Keep Some Wood Chunks with the Coal

To enhance the flavor of meat, use some wood chunks and chips beside charcoal because they produce smoke for a long time. 

Choose hardwood for the smoker like oak, apple, hickory, or cherry, and keep the wood chips from burning fast for better smoky results. And never use softwood as it will destroy the flavor of your food.

Step 3: Fill up the Water Pan with Cold Water

In a smoker, there is a water pan that is not available on the grill. It evokes vapor for better smoky food. Please fill up the pan three-quarters with cold water to minimize the high temperature and regulate it.

Put the pan in the center of the smoker. You can use a baking pan if you do not have a water pan.

Step 4: Place the Food on the Cooking Plate

Now place your meat on the grill grates. If you have two grates, then put the large piece of meat on the lower grate. You can keep smaller items or vegetables on the upper grate; because the lower grate will receive more heat than the upper one.

Step 5: Put the Lid on the Smoker

At that stage, put the lid on the Smoker. So the vents are fixed well. Through this process, airflow can go through the meat, and it becomes cooked. 

There are two vents required to keep the system running. A lid vent will be opened the whole time and a lower vent to adjust the temperature.

Step 6: Set up the Heat of the Smoker

For smoking meat, the ideal cooking temperature is 220° to 250°F. By adding new coal, you can increase the temperature. If necessary, to reduce the temperature, close the lower vent slightly. In this way, oxygen circulation runs less. 

When the fire goes to die, open the lower vent more. You can use a char-broil thermometer if your smoker does not have a temperature gauge.

Step 7: Let the Food Cook

Depending on the amount of meat, cooking time is needed. The slice of beef is also right in size for smoking at a time. To get a complete look, it needs at least 6/7 hours at 220°F. For getting flavor, brush some pork chops with onion powder, salt, black pepper, brown sugar, thyme, and cayenne. 

Let the meat soak in the spices and then cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes. In the time of smoking, you can follow the 3-2-1 rule to get the best result. First 3 hours, you need to keep the meat on the smoke. 

Then, wrap the meat with foil and cook for 2 hours. So the inner part can cook well. After that, remove the foil paper and smoke for 1 hour to get a crispy exterior. Before serving, spread some BBQ sauce and enjoy your food.

3 Things To Consider Before Buying Your Char-Broil Charcoal Smoker

Now let’s discuss some important points that you will have to maintain to buy the perfect char-broil charcoal smoker.  

Smoker Type:

There are mainly 4 types of charcoal smokers available. They are: 

• Kettle grills, 
• Horizontal offset, 
• Water styled, 
• And Kamado charcoal smokers.

If you are looking for easy maintenance then water-styled charcoal smokers are the best option for you.

Cooking Capacity:

You have to take the cooking capacity into account. Most charcoal smokers have 100 square inches of cooking space. This varies depending on the number of racks.

Versatility:

Look for versatile features in the smoker. The latest smoker models come with highly effective thermostats, digital PID controllers, and many more.

These features can be very helpful for you. So before purchasing a smoker, see if it has all the modern conveniences. Buying the perfect charcoal smoker can be difficult for you. You never know if you are missing out on something.

But if you follow the above-mentioned instructions then you are likely to get your hand on a good charcoal smoker.

Char-Broil Vertical Charcoal Smoker Troubleshooting Guide

Here you will get the guidelines to get rid of troubles using Char-broil Charcoal Smoker. Let’s go through some common errors and their solution-

Dull LED Screen

As time goes by, the LED Screen of your smoker can be dull which makes it harder to read. To protect your smoker from this, you should keep your smoker out of direct sunlight. And, if it is already damaged, you should follow your user manual to replace the LED Screen.

Hard to Seal the Door

The door of your smoker might get loose because of extended use. To fix that, you have to adjust the silicone gasket that is equipped with the door. You can do that by readjusting three screws that are attached to the door.

Electric Failure

There are Digital timers, measurement elements, etc in a Char-Broil Vertical Charcoal Smoker. Sometimes they might not turn on normally. 

If the thermostat doesn’t turn on, unplug and reconnect it. If the issue remains, you need to locate and replace it following the user manual. In the case of other elements, check if there are any cracks in the element surface. If damaged, you should replace that too.  

Care & Maintenance Tips

Look here for some crucial aspects of care and maintenance tips for Char-broil charcoal smokers:

• Before first use, apply natural vegetable oil to the coat inside the Char-broil smoker. Burn into 300°F for 15 minutes.
• Remove extra lubricant and food elements after every use.
• For protecting the grill from rust, apply coating regularly with cooking oil.
• Avoid using any chemicals to clean the inside of the grill.
• Do not try to apply oil to a hot grill; it may cause a fire.
• Clean up the ashes after every use because ash contains humidity that causes rust inside the smoker.
• The grill should be used in the outdoor areas for good ventilation.
• In the time of assembling your grill smoker, be more cautious to avoid cuts from edges.
• Never place your smoker beside any flammable gas or liquids.
• Keep your children and pets away from running smokers.
• Do not move your grill when it contains hot coals.
• Ignore touching the hot surfaces of your Smoker.
• Never transcend the temperature of 400°F.
• Be careful when you open the lid because hot vapors will come out and hit your face and hands.
• After cooking, keep the leftover meat in the refrigerator as soon as possible.
• If you need to add charcoal to the running time, you need to be more careful.

Advantages of Using Char-Broil Vertical Charcoal Smoker

Here is the prominent advantage that you get from Char-broil Charcoal Smoker:

• Portable grilling device.
• Comfortable to use.
• Give smoky and aroma-flavored food.
• Simple maintenance process.Adjusting system of heat.

Disadvantages of Using Char-Broil Vertical Charcoal Smoker

Despite all these aspects, there are a few adverse effects given here:

• Cleaning charcoal requires more time.
• For a longer cooking process, you need to add more charcoal.
• Dealing with ash is quite tricky.

FAQ:

Final Thought

We can definitely declare, now, you have a good understanding of how to use a char broil vertical charcoal smoker reading the whole article. And your grilling experience is sure to enhance. Even if you choose to use an electric smoker, you could certainly learn about that as well. 

So the only thing left for you to do is to enjoy your grilling with a char broil charcoal smoker. Do let us know in the comments below if you have any thoughts to share. Or can we help you in any way?

Happy grilling!