My new toy

[Msucowpoke51]

Originally Posted by eman

Keep the exhaust fully open and control the heat w/ the intake vent. Go to smokingmeatsforum.com and do a search for SFB mods. (side fire box modifications).
The most important one is a charcoal basket to get the coals up a few inches off the bottom to allow more air flow under the coals and to allow the ash to fall away from the coals. . Also, most folks extend the smoke stack down to right at grate level.
Lots more help at SMF.com

the problem I'm havin is that when I first got it, I put the charcoal on the very bottom of the pit and it wasnt getting hot enough (not enough air flow underneath as you said above), but when I put the grills in the sit in the bottom to get your coals a few inches off the bottom, my fire gets way too hot and flares up really badly

I've tried to just put less coals and it helps with the heat getting too high, but it still flares up uncontrollably