PBC- 1st cook tomorrow

[Durham Smoker]

Thanks.  It seems to be the consensus that most folks let the basket get ashed over almost completely before hanging meat.

The major concern I would have is the cooker being too hot with 8lbs of fully lit coals.  Also, does this allow for a 6-8 hour burn?

I really only get to play with my cooker once a week at best so I'm trying to jump start my learning curve and appreciate all the help.  Pre wife/kids era I would have had it dialed in to my exact liking in a couple of weeks but I just don't have the time to block off hours to experiment.

[amshepar]

You should have no issues with 6 hours, even if left open to get the coals evenly distributed. I would be worried about needing to hit 8 hours though if leaving the lid off for a significantly longer period of time than the initial 20 minutes.

[smokeasaurus]

You want the top coals to be white hot insuring they will keep the downward burn going for up to 8 hours. The coal basket holds 8 lbs so a lb an hour burn rate at 300 degrees is pretty darn good