A smoker firebox is a chamber in which wood or charcoal is burned to produce smoke. The smoke from the firebox flavors the food as it cooks. Smoker fireboxes come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common: they need to be able to hold a hot fire.
Can you cook in the firebox?
No, you should never cook in the firebox. The firebox is for producing the heat and smoke only. It would be way to hot to smoke food in there, plus they’re usually to small to fit a decent piece of meat.
How hot does a smoker firebox get?
The temperature in a smoker firebox can get quite hot, depending on the size of the fire and how well the fire is ventilated, and it can rise to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. A rule of thumb is that the fire should be hot enough to produce thin blue smoke, but not so hot that it produces thick white smoke.
