Congratulations on the purchase of your new R&R Smoker. We appreciate your business and are proud to back every build with quality support and service. Give our page a like on Facebook to stay up to date on new products and smoking tips — then let's get you dialled in.
Seasoning Your Drum
Before your first cook, season the steel. We recommend an 8-hour first burn to set a protective coat and get to know how your drum smoker runs. Spray all inside surfaces of the drum, the diffuser plate and the cooking grates using vegetable oil or cooking spray (such as PAM Buttery).
After 8 hours of seasoning, throw on a pack of bacon for the final touch — the rendered fat lays down a flavourful, rust-resistant finish that only gets better with every cook.
Pro tip: That first burn is the best time to learn your intakes and exhaust. Take notes on how far open each one runs at your target temperature — you'll thank yourself on the next cook.
Lighting The Coal Basket
There are several methods for lighting the charcoal basket. Our recommendation — and our daily driver in the shop — is the Minion method, which lays a small bed of lit coals over unlit fuel for a long, steady, low-and-slow burn.
The Minion Method, Step By Step
- Start by placing charcoal in the charcoal chimney and lighting it.
- While that's coming up to heat, load your charcoal basket.
- Fill the charcoal basket halfway. Add a handful of wood chips or chunks. Top up with charcoal, then add another handful of wood chips or chunks on top.
- Dump the lit chimney on top of the unlit charcoal in the basket. The fire will slowly creep through the fuel, holding temperature for hours.
Basic Operation
Once your basket is built, running the drum is simple. Follow these steps in order:
- Fill the charcoal basket with briquettes or hardwood lump, plus your choice of wood chips for flavour, and light it.
- Open the intakes on the smoker all the way.
- When the charcoal is burning nicely, place it inside the smoker.
- Install the diffuser plate and racks, then place the lid on.
- Wait for the smoker to reach your desired temperature and close the intakes accordingly.
- Let everything settle in until you see that nice clear or slightly blue smoke.
- You're now ready to cook for hours on end without tending a fire.
Finishing up: When you're done smoking, close the intake and exhaust. This snuffs the fire and saves that unburnt fuel for your next cook.
On Your Next Smoke
Remove the charcoal basket and dump the ash. The easiest way is to spin the charcoal basket left to right to draw all the ash down into the ash pan. Any unburnt fuel from the previous cook can be reused — just be sure to clean the ash out of the charcoal basket first.
There's no need to clean ash out of the smoker itself: our basket is designed to catch all of it, so the body of the drum stays clean cook after cook.
Cleaning After Use
Lightly scrape any food left on the grill. Remember — everything else is seasoning. Many owners never clean the inside of their smoker at all; it's entirely a matter of personal preference.
You'll occasionally want to clean off the diffuser plate if you're not running a drip pan, which helps prevent flare-ups on the next cook.
Cleaning Rust
After periods of non-use, you may notice some surface rust inside the smoker. It's nothing to worry about. If you see rust, rub it back with sandpaper or steel wool, then re-apply your seasoning coat just like the first burn. Good as new.
Optimal Operating Setup
Some smoker models ship without a draft plate and diffuser plate. Your drum smoker will work just fine without them — but the drums are designed to run with them, delivering more even heat and tighter temperature control.
If your build didn't include these parts, they can be purchased separately through your dealer. Not sure what fits your model? Reach out and we'll point you to the right setup.
Want the full kit? Charcoal baskets, diffusers, draft plates and more are covered in our Builder's Kit — everything that goes into an R&R drum.
Heat & Safety Warnings
Warning: The drum smoker's outside surface gets hot to the touch. Always wear insulated gloves when handling the smoker, grates, diffusers and charcoal baskets. Keep children away, and keep the drum clear of flammable objects — it will emit heat.
Heat ratings: Satin black finishes are rated to 950° Celsius and are suitable for barbequing on, although that's not their intended use. Coloured drums are meant for smoking temps only — no higher than 325° Celsius. Running a coloured drum above this could cause discolouration, which is not covered for smoking.
For Any Questions
R&R Smokers
179 Palmer Brook Rd, Quispamsis, NB E2G 2A9
Open today 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.