Matt's Performance Cooker Blue

I spent many years manufacturing barbecue pits. I explored many options for finishing barbecue pits to now give customers a better understanding and education on services to buy when placing an order to maximize their dollar and help meet expectations. There are several options to choose and each option has it's benefits and drawbacks. They all fail under heat in their own way and in their own time. Another important consideration is submersion under water, which happens when it rains for long periods. Some are better with heat but not as good as a rust inhibitor. I would like to go over these with you lower on this page to help you with your ordering decision. Ultimately keeping your smoker covered is the most important thing you can do to keep your pit looking good long term no matter the coating choice. And remember no mater which paint you choose there will be maintenance on it. The higher end coatings will have higher maintenance prices if something happens like a unsupervised grease fire.

Traditionally backyard barbecue pits and trailer pits were painted with barbecue pit paint and other high heat paints to keep cost down for customers. An offset smoker cook would expect to burn a little paint off the firebox top and re-apply with a rattle can. A quality backyard offset smoker would still last for many years with this sort of maintenance but wouldn't maintain that new pit finish. Barbecue pit paint is standard paint used in the industry and is what most manufacturers use. Today there are several options to choose from. Let's explore these.

Paint types out there. What to expect from these coating types, no matter the manufacturer, and cost:

1. High Temp BBQ Pit Paints - least expensive but a good paint. Comes in a nice pretty finish. Is the base price paint as its standard in the industry. You can brush it on with a roller when you want to renew the finish. has a $50 per gallon price tag. They all fade with UV and rip if expanded too much by a hot firebox. You will need to maintain it. They don't really handle 1,200 degrees like advertised on the can. And remember the can says intermittent. Fireboxes have high continuous heat. They do fade at 450 degrees and will show signs of ripping, flaking, powderize-ing, etc. If choosing the base bbq pit paint it may be a good idea to purchase an etching service prior to the paint job on your order to give an extra layer of galvanizing protection on the steel. Ask us about this for an order.

2. Commercial Grade High Temp Silicone Based Coating - Silicone makes them have a dull flat appearance. They are more flexible to expansion than BBQ Paint and supposed to apply very thinly. They do resist peeling and flaking longer than BBQ pit paints. The material has a large $250/gallon price tag and the paint does wear over a short time from heat and UV. It will need maintenance but I can go over the maintenance with you if you decide to order this type. They don't really handle 1,200 degrees like advertised on the can. More like 550. It may be a good idea to upgrade to these paints if you want a round firebox or plate square firebox. You can upgrade to a zinc primer undernieth the base coat to galvanize the top layer of steel so when the paint does fail the steel is galvanized and protects from rust. The zinc primer system is $400 per gallon for material cost. And remember the can says intermittent. Fireboxes have high continuous heat.

3. High Heat Powder Coat- Is different from paint only because of the application and curing process. Its powderized rather than suspended in a solvent. It is more environmentally friendly to apply but is expensive, needs to be cured in an oven for even curing, fades in UV, and performs equivalent to bbq pit paint. If you need to recondition the finish do you have an oven to cure your pit in? Probably not. I don't have a giant oven either.

4. Ceramic 2000 degree coatings - Are more colorful and vivid than bbq pit paints and other silicone based high temp paints. They are available in many colors. The problem with these paints on barbecue pits is the curing process. Ceramic coatings need to be oven cured in 4 stages. You cannot easily cure these with a charcoal fire in your backyard. If warmed to fast it bubbles all up on you. They are too sensitive unless they are oven cured up to 600 degrees. Its probably not the best choice for you. Again you would need an oven to do it right.

5. Industrial High Performance High Heat Coating - Is a direct to metal coating that turns to goo when the temp reaches 200 degrees. The goo is not drippy but between solid and liquid state so that it expands with the steel firebox as the temperature increases. The coating turns solid again once the pit cools off. It doesn't seem to burn off but seems like it would last quite a while and does a great job protecting the metal from rain. The downside to goo paint is it collects a little dust, has a $250 price tag for the material, and you can't set a pot down on it as the goo will smear. You would need to re-coat with goo paint to keep consistant as it turns to goo when hot and other paints don't.

6. Performance Automotive Finish - Has many colors to choose from. Comes with a single stage coat where a clear coat rises to the surface in the curing process. Has a nice rich, glossy, professional look. You can wash your pit with car wash soap and sponge to keep looking nice. Is very durable and automotive grade to handle UV for years and does exceptionally well in submersion testing compared to silicone based o high heat bbq paints. Is going to be a more expensive coating with material cost at $240 per gallon. It requires a spray gun. You have to wear a full body suit and mask to apply it like a car body shop. Also you need an insulated firebox type and weld polishing service. We can put them on chicken cooker models because the top is so far away from the coals. You do need to use your pit right and with care. Its tough to burn off but you can do it. It will look the prettiest for years if handled with care. You don't want this paint over 500 degrees. You need an insulated firebox. Ask us about models and pricing for this paint.

Today several custom BBQ Pit builders, including Matt's BBQ Pits, LLC, offer better design concepts such as square fireboxes with heat deflection off the top and insulated fireboxes that reduce the temperate outside the firebox. These design concepts allow more finishing work ( such as welded corner polishing and performance automotive paints of different colors and clear coats) to be worth your investment. Not even high temp paint can handle continual temperatures above 500 degrees for very long, even though it says resistant to heat on the can. Firebox tops without deflectors run 600 to 750 degrees typically. The insulated firebox lowers the outside temp to the 300-400 degree range making high performance paints more suitable to a smoker. With all my years of experience I would like to help you make the decision to purchase the services that best fit your needs as a customer. On some models a performance finishing service is worth your investment. A performance finishing service is not for everyone as it does have its price.

Is a performance automotive finishing service for me? Or should I stick with high temp BBQ Pit paint?

Here are a list of services or design types you would need to include in your order to have better more lasting finish on your smoker:

1. Insulated Square Firebox
2. Weld Polishing Service
3. Performance Automotive Paint

A square plate firebox with a grilling lid is better than a round as we can build the square with a heat deflector on the top to help you keep your paint in good shape. The heat deflector lowers the top temperature from 700 degrees to 380 degrees. Round firebox is a good way to save money but you need to expect to do more regular paint maintenance as the shape doesn't lend itself well to installing the heat shields below the top.

Paint recommendations by design:
Round Firebox Pits---stick with standard bbq pit paint
Square fireboxes---standard bbq pit paint or upgrade to Silicone performance paint
Insulated firebox---We recommend high performance automotive paint