Long and narrow expanded sheet metal auxiliary charcoal briquet baskets

[Jimherritage]

Have owned my 3d for several years. Works great but I believe my results could be more flavorful if I added two expanded sheet metal baskets to hold lighted charcoal at the beginning of a Boston Butt or beef brisket cook. Has anyone experimented with this? The 3.5” x 3.5” x 20” baskets would sit on the bottom of the smoker - on each side of the stainless steel wood smoking chamber. Am hoping the two openings in the cabinet would permit sufficient combustion air. I wonder if the heat from the charcoals would be enough to heat the smoker cabinet for the first two hours. Then, the electric could start - in essence turning the unit into a two stage smoker. Thanks, jimherritage@gmail.com

 

[old sarge]

With the amount of 'drippings' that come with smoking meat, I would think a grease fire might be in your future.

 

[Jimherritage]

David,
1st, thank you for your service - and for your response.
I believe I have answered my own question. The interior of an electric smoker is a SMOLDERING environment, not an OPEN COMBUSTION environment; the chamber is intended to be close to air tight. Smoldering combustion of wood AND/OR charcoal releases different compounds than from open combustion. Unfortunately, much of the rich flavor from open combustion of wood or charcoal is eliminated from smoldering. We only get white smoke, no thin blue smoke.

 

[MR BBQ]

I have put one or two small pieces of charcoal in some foil and put it in the wood box of the smoker, usually I will use some half burned charcoal from my weber that I shut the dampers on after being done with a cook. But I don't put too much and I wrap in foil and poke a couple holes in the top so it doesn't burn too fast or hot.