How to Season BBQ Char-Broil Offset Smoker 1280 

I've used this exact smoker (2 of them in fact) for the last nine years. I've replaced the firebox on each of them over the years. Recently just bought a Char Griller Grand Champ XD and gave one of my Char Broil smokers to my next door neighbor. I have had really good success with the Char Broil and rebuilt the one I kept using some Lava Lock sealer to seal up the spots you showed as well as between the top and bottom of the firebox and between the firebox and barrel. Just use some foil on the holes at the ends. Its cheap and easy. Good job on the video. To help in ash cleanup I line the bottom of the firebox with 2 layers of aluminum foil. When its cool I just wad it up, throw it away and sweep out the firebox. cheap and easy.

thanks so much I have been trying to figure out how to use this thing....I'm new to smoking meats. you are the first one I have found that shows me!!!! thanks again

Good luck with your Charbroil Smoker, I've had mine for over a year and have had great success with smoking salmon, ribs, brisket and turkey. I actually smoked 2 turkeys for Thanksgiving, it was awesome...

thanks to the yanks, im from the UK & smoking bbq are becoming quite popular, the manufacturer does,nt include any information on seasoning it, Good job i watched this first, im not thick, but i didnt even think of seasoning it, NICE 1

I'm buying this exact grill in July I hope you can make another videos on how you sealed everything where the heat won't escape...

Good stuff! Very insightful....keep it up.

Excellent video...I had the same concern about those gaps on the side and around the entire grill. So I m experimenting with foil going around the edges so far it seems to keeping the heat and smoke pretty good.

Just got mine Thursday... Smoke on !!!

Hi Anthony, very helpfull your video. I'm about to buy the same brand and start following you and learn smoking. Peace.

Thanks for showing seasoning of a smoker!

Thanks....i just got my first smoker.I dont have a clue how to use it . You video really helps me :D

Damm I am glad I live in Texas. I would not be able to survive with that much snow. Cool video!.

Great video.

just got one myself.. awsome smoker\griller...easy to put together, few leaks need fixed, must get extremely hot to burn off all the shipping oils....and add a better thermostat.... perfect for suckling pig....mmmmmmm

Cool vid bro.

thanks for the info it was helpful

I never knew you could not grill in Winter. lol

you can use grilling aluminum foil to cover those side gaps on the lids. It works pretty good for me

I bought the same exact smoker and now I'm going to buy some high temp silicone to cover all open spaces inside and out

I have the same smoker. I would suggest just working on sealing up the fire box just enough so you can control the air to the fire, not worry about the cooking chamber since there is a 1/2" gap all the way around the entire lid anyway. Doesn't seem to matter that the cooking chamber leaks like a sieve on mine, everything I smoke comes out great anyway. It's such a big gap, you can pretty much just shut the stack, then you are only venting smoke from grate level (meaning your smoke has too build from the top down before it escapes which is good). I also added some bricks to my firebox, seems to help regulate the heat and even out the temp fluctuations. In the summer, I turn the cooking chamber ash pan upside down and suspend above the firebox outlet to help send the heat across, it really keeps the temps from getting too high (it's nearly impossible to get above 300 deg in this config even with a 600 deg fire (added a woodstove thermometer also to the firebox)). In the winter I take the ashpan/baffle out though since getting enough heat is usually the problem. Keep the smoke chugging!!

damn good video. Thank you .

Great video. How did the built in thermometer end up matching with the oven thermometer you set inside? Pretty close?

when the camera gets hot the picture distorts lol made me woozie

The gap on the wood chamber is just letting air in like you'd want. So just dont open your inlet vent as much.

Nice Video :)

Did you make a video with all the modifications?

What's up Anthony is the small grill section/smoker only used for smoking or do you grill food inside it as well?

So this is what TJ Miller did before acting.

I just rest a sledge hammer or log up against the firebox door and put a brick on the handle to the door that you open to put wood in and its all sealed wallah lol good video bro

cool video

nice thanks

I've been thinking about purchasing one do you have to season all smokers like this includes vertical smokers

im down at lot #3. what time we eatin' lol. I'll bring the beer!

I have not read through all of the comments so I thought I would ask and offer a good idea. I also assume you have already taken care of this problem over the last two years. LOL Ok so on the door to the side burner not sealing tight enough. I noticed that it latches onto a screw. Is that screw welded on? If it is screwed into the metal can you just screw it in further to pull the latch in closer to the metal thus also pulling the door in tighter?

Was the log and coal enough to season the smoker? Or did you let it burn for 12 hours or something?

How did you seal up those gaps on the lid aside from the holes for the rotisserie?

Superbowl today buddy.

can you use a rubber gasket they use on the little green egg

Use some aluminum tape to seal up those rotisserie holes (use on the inside).

These Home Depot/Lowes type smokers are great for beginners who want to learn basic techniques of smoking such as building/maintaining a fire with logs and temp control but if you want a REAL smoker that produces competition grade BBQ, you'd have to spend 800-1000, and that's just the backyard smokers.

Do I have to coat the inside with veg. oil when I cure this smoker, I have a brand new one, same model still in box that I gotta put 2gether for Nov. 6th cookout.

I'm still trying to figure out why the Chinese brand smokers put the fire box on the left and everyone else puts them on the right.

I had to stop watching 8 minutes in I don't know if it's these edibles or if it's your camera or the heat that's making that wavy effect holy shit

What's the trick to using this cuz I have the same one

Is this large enough to smoke a turkey in?

hi was thinking that a magnet may be a option to close the rotisserie hole temp so you can use at anytime to rotisserie

just ball some tinfoil for the gaps

It appears that your vent door is warped. Put it on a flat surface and straighten it and put it back on and see.

how did you swap the temp gauge? mine is cracked

What is the best sealer to use if I'm trying to seal the smoke leaks?

Is it hard to assemble? I'm scared to open the box, lol.

You gotta have some type of fat or oil to properly season a smoker!

If your cooking ribs 250 is the optimum temp if you cooking low and slow to get fall off the bone ribs . Now if your smoking brisket you want to start with a temp of around 300 to 350 degrees then drop the temp down to around 250 for around 10 hours so the meat is so tender you can pull it apart with a couple of forks .

RTV silicone.

Can you do chicken breast