Charcoal basket in reverse flow (2024)

To my Lang, Bubba and other reverse flow Brethren,

What has been your success with a charcoal basket? I have one made for the Hog coffin but have yet to use it. I'm going to give it a run this weekend but wanted to know if there were any tips/tricks I should be mindful of before getting into it. I have a 120 gallon reverse flow. Thanks.

Have used charcoal baskets on my offsets for several reasons... mostly for having room for power-naps overnight; 3-4 hours between loads. Was also required when running the Lang 60 non-stop for 4 days straight.

Note: The basket in the Lang 60 can and did hold and burn 40 lbs of charcoal during a trial run, however had a difficulty keeping the temps below 300*. Would not recommend that. One 20 lb. bag will easily run 3-4 hours.

With all the vents open (4 daisy wheels on a 60); start with a lit chimney full in the firebox by itself... use the chimney to partially warm the smoker... or take a torch to a one full bag poured (lower corner) in a basket. Add wood chunks as needed for flavor.

Once up to temp, have closed 3 of the 4 vents fully closed... and throttle down the fourth @ 1/4-1/3 open.

The best time for charcoal is during the major holidays when on sale; Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor day, and end of season. Have stocked up in bulk during those times.

Lang 60:

Lang 84:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125816

I built one for mine which holds 20# of brigs and runs for 3 hours.

I used it twice and decided to cut it down to experiment a bit. This is where it is now which I sort of like as it gives me more room to add another chimney as needed and more room to slide sticks in. I plan to build another one down the line but it won't be as nice as Bandit's unless I find a decent welder that will work for beer and good Q.

Great Thread. This is a topic I too was starting to research. I have a Lang 60 (clone) and am looking for a basket. I am not a fabricator so I would not be able to make one myself. Are there any resources out there to order them already made?

Thanks again guys ...

Code3BBQ said:

Great Thread. This is a topic I too was starting to research. I have a Lang 60 (clone) and am looking for a basket. I am not a fabricator so I would not be able to make one myself. Are there any resources out there to order them already made?

Thanks again guys ...

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If you have access to a sawzall or a grinder, you could make one. All you need is 4 (or 5 if you want a bottom) pieces of expanded metal that you can get at Home Depot, cut to size, and some steel wire to hold it all together at the corners.

cpw said:

If you have access to a sawzall or a grinder, you could make one. All you need is 4 (or 5 if you want a bottom) pieces of expanded metal that you can get at Home Depot, cut to size, and some steel wire to hold it all together at the corners.

Click to expand...

I used a 4-1/2 angle grinder with a cutoff wheel on mine, and they make cutoff blades for skill saws that help on the longer cuts. Also made the bottom of mine a separate piece so if i am planning on running just wood it will still keep the chimney coals from falling through the gaps on the rack.

If you have a metal supply near you its worth checking on the price of expanded metal before you go to HD. I bought a 4x8 of 3/4 #9 flattened for $60 at mine and our local IMS wanted $100 for the same thing.