FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: 

Do I have to pay sales tax?

If you are a resident of the state of Texas, you will be charged all applicable taxes and fees for registering your trailer with the state. Out of state customers will pay any taxes due to their local tax office when registering their trailer in their home state.

Do I have to register my pit with my Bureau of Motor Vehicles?
Always check with your local licensing agency. Some states require you to register and some don’t. We will provide you with all of the necessary paperwork to register the smoker.

Can I use water in the pit?
Yes, on all the standard models that we produce, you can add water, fruit juices, cut-up onions, or garlic and spices to the cooking chamber. All of these liquids will help create humidity in the pit. Also, the onions and garlic, if you choose to use them, will give off a nice aroma that helps add flavor to the product that you are cooking. When you're finished cooking, just flush the liquids away with the drain located on the bottom of the pit.

How do I clean my pit?
I only thoroughly clean my pit about once every four months (this is cooking on it about once a week). After every cook, I take a long-handled pizza oven brush (available at your local restaurant supply store) and brush off the racks. When it's time to give the pit a good cleaning, I use a commercial grill degreaser, and power wash out the pit. Remember that every time you use a degreaser, you are removing the resin that has built up. This resin protects the inside of the cooking chamber from rust, so it might be necessary, at this point, to re-season the pit. Do not get the degreaser on the outside of the pit, it will remove paint.

What is the first thing I should do with my pit?
After you get your smoker home or have taken receipt of your pit from the shipper and found it to be in good working order, the first thing you need to do is cure it. In order to do this, you will need to spray or wipe down the inside of the cooking chamber and the cook racks with peanut or vegetable oil. Start a small fire and bring the pit up to a temperature of 250 degrees. At this time, place a log onto the fire which has been soaked in water for about 20-30 minutes. This is about the only time in operating your pit that “the more smoke, the better” is applicable. Close the baffles half-way and allow the pit to smoke heavily for about four hours in order to build up sufficient resin. After you have cured the pit, you are ready to cook.

What do you mean, “the smaller the fire, the better”?
Just because you have joined the ranks of those who have purchased a large pit, doesn't mean that you need a large fire to operate it. Our smokers are very efficient when it comes to fuel consumption. Fire management is the key to good, quality barbecue. Start small, and work your way up to a larger fire, if the situation calls for it.
Large, roaring fires can, and do, exceed 2000 degrees+ in temperature. The paint that we use is a commercial 1200 degree high temp paint that is used on wood stoves. It can, and will, burn off, if the fire becomes too hot. To help preserve the paint on the firebox, start with a minimum of charcoal or wood, and work your way up. You'll be surprised by how little fuel you need to get up to cooking temperature.

What if some paint has burned off of the firebox?
This will happen! Hopefully, only after numerous times of using your pit, but paint is never guaranteed. If this happens, take a wire brush and remove as much of the rust as possible to clean the area that you are about to repaint. Most hardware stores will carry a high temp black paint that is made for outdoor grills. This is suitable for repainting the area that has burned off. Take a rag and wipe down the area that you have brushed and repainted.