Grandadfatboy

Thank you for that ribgobbler, that's exactly how mine is too, I was just expecting some sort of heatproof grommet in the middle to prevent heat transfer from the hot metal body to the temp probe. In the end the probe holes were to small to allow my temp probes to pass through, so I popped the probe into the smoker before putting the lid on. Going to have another play today, when my neighbours take in their washing in. Forgot to say, I removed the door yesterday and tried to gently massage it to make it a better fit. Not really successful, so went with the fire seal tape and this worked a treat.

Hi ribgobbler, I've checked all the packaging again, but it appears they didn't include the rubber grommets for temp probes with mine. Did yours comes with them included?

Thank you for the link Icefever. Regarding the thermos, I notice the smoker has 2 thermometer locations, and I was wondering how to get an extra 1 or 2 thermos to monitor several joints and to monitor the smoker temp. Hope I've explained it a little better this time.

Well having decided on the Callow smoker, after reading Wade's review of it, I ordered one from the Garden Gift Shop on this forum. It was supposed to arrive on Tuesday, my wife's birthday, but it arrived late yesterday. So this morning with my wife's assistance, we managed to get the smoker assembled without any hitches, although where my wife and I both have arthritic hands and fingers, getting some of the screws into place was a bit of a challenge, but in the end a large Birmingham screwdriver came to the rescue. 🔨 I decided to put spring washers under as many of the bolts/screws that would physically take them, including the air vent adjusters, and thank you to Wade for suggesting that as an upgrade. The Callow is now nearly ready for its initial firing, but I need to get some fire tape, or something similar, as the door doesn't seal to the body very well. In addition to the Webber briquettes and Booker restaurant grade lumpwood charcoal I already have, I ordered 4kg Coconut Shell Briquettes, 15kg Professional Marabu Charcoal (RCH15) and Woodies Natural Wood Wool Firelighters. I'm sure you guys and gals will have your own preferences, but I've got find what works for me, but any advice welcome. I do have a couple of question tho. My thermometer has 6 lines input, but it only has 4 temperature probes (at the moment). My question is, If I'm cooking two different meats how can I ensure that I have a temp probe in each joint of meat, and also a temp probe next to/between the two meats to monitor smoker temperature at grill level? Here's a couple of pics, including the gap between the body and the door. Thank you for reading.

Thank you Wade. It would have been great to see the photos to better understand the post.

I can see this thread is over 3 years old, but is there a reason why I can't open any of the pictures?

Thank you lads, that was the one I was thinking of, but I couldn't remember the name of it. It's my age. 🤣

Thank you for sharing Paul 6057.

I will continue with foil for now then. Thank you Icefever.

Sorry for the newbie question, but I've read that using butchers "pink" paper is better for wrapping than foil. Is this the case, and should I buy some "pink" paper?

Tell me about it Wade. 🤣 I've told the wife I haven't got dementia, it's just that I've absorbed so my much useless information over the years my brain (hard drive) is so full that RAM (Rambling Alzheimer's Mouthpiece) has great difficulty locating and relating what needs to be recalled. 🤔 As I understand it, there is a BBQ centre in or near Ruxley, so I'll be checking that out soon, now I'm no longer shielding. I was checking out the BBQ range at our local Dobbies last week, and they had several Webber designs there, but no bullet smokers for me to check out. I didn't even think to check on the availability of a cover for the Callow. Yeah I know, it's an age thing. 😆

Thank you for the information Wade, it's very much appreciated. I'm in Walderslade on the outskirts of Chatham, a couple of minutes from J3 of M2 and Bluebell Hill, so not too far from you. My wife bought me a 4 channel Bluetooth digital thermometer for my birthday last year, but I've only used it a couple of times. In fact our first test with it was a direct comparison to the one my wife uses for oven cooking. Both read within a degree or two of one another throughout the cook, and both alarms went off within minutes of each other. From what I read in the Callow thread it seems that some benefit from Lavalock gasket, so I'll make sure to test for leaks. I will perform the modification you suggested as I'm putting the smoker together. Looking to keep things simple to start, ribs, chicken portions, spatchcock chicken, lamb shanks, pulled pork etc, which if I get right will win me serious brownie points with my wife and daughter. I already have a small brisket in the freezer ready for a longer cook, but that will be when I've learnt the basics. Talking of learning, what courses do you run Wade?

I was in hospital on her birthday in 2019, and we were in lockdown last year, and I promised her I would replace a gold bracelet that kept breaking. So as soon as the shops open I will be taking her shopping for a new bracelet. In the meantime she will have something to open, and assemble on her birthday. How generous am I? 🤣

Hi Ripple, I still have a 1/4 of a bag of Booker restaurant lumpwood, but probably less than that of the Webber briquettes. They will serve to give the the Callow a first burn, and for me to start getting a handle on controlling temperature, and seeing how long the burn lasts for a given amount of each charcoal. Ordered my Callow today from Garden Gift Shop, one of the vendors supporting this forum. Competitive price and delivery on Tuesday, which is wifey's birthday. Looking forward to getting going now.

Hi guys and gals, Only joined the forum yesterday and looking to buy the Callow as my first smoker. I've read all the post in this thread, hoping to get a definitive answer as to which charcoal to use. The one constant piece of information is, buy good/great quality charcoal, be it lumpwood or briquettes. It also seems that users prefer lumpwood for hotter open style grilling, whilst briquettes appear to be favoured for low and slow cooking. Over the years I discovered the cheaper petrol station brands not to be the best, and through trial and error I ended up using either Webber briquettes and Bookers restaurant grade lumpwood charcoal. I'm now learning about heat beads and coco shell briquettes, and think I'd like to give them a try, along with my usual buys. I'm looking to start small, with cook times of a maximum of 2 hours, until I get a feel for what I'm doing.

Thank you Icefever. I learnt some interesting things on my first day on the forum, especially regarding the Callow bullet smoker, which I will be ordering over the weekend. The info given by one member in the Callow threads regarding his smoking experiences with that smoker was insightful. I think I've certainly landed in the right forum.

Thank you for sharing. The information gained from this post, has had me writing lists for kit I may need to buy when I get my Callow. I nearly ordered one earlier this week, but decided on doing more research before hitting the buy button. It was reading Wade's review on the Callow that tipped the scales in its favour, and also why I joined this forum today. As for the meats you smoked, I sat here drooling as I read. Again thank you for the reviews and the advice. I know I'm gonna need to make my own mistakes, and more importantly, learn from them, but having a frame of reference is going to be very handy as I start my smoking experience.

Hi everyone, My name is Ian, I'm 63 and I'm married to Bev, who is most definitely the better half in the relationship. We have always enjoyed entertaining, with many an evening enjoying good food, beer, wine and spirits. BBQ has always been a firm favourite with my wife and I, as well as with our family and friends. I was about to break my virginity and buy a smoker to enhance my BBQ skills, when I became quite seriously ill. It's taken 3 long years to get well again and I'm now looking to purchase my first smoker. I've been reading and researching and had settled on the WSM 47cm, but just the other morning the Callow bullet smoker came onto my radar, so typing Callow reviews into Google led me to Wade's review on this forum, and having read the review I decided to join the forum. I'm thinking having read Wade's review that I will start off with the Callow as my first smoker, so thank you for that Wade. It is my intention to start off gently with smaller cuts of meat, gradually building up the smoking times to where both my wife and I happy with the level of smokey taste. Obviously there are many wood species to try, and in various shapes and sizes. One bonus in my favour, I have found an excellent butchers within the farm shop we visit weekly. All the meat we have had so far has been excellent, and if they haven't got a particular cut/joint of meat in stock, they will get it for their customers. Well that's all from me for now. I will be exploring the forum to expand and add to the little knowledge I have gained thus far. No doubt I will be asking some newbie questions some time in the future, but I do promise to use the search tool.