Getting consistent temps in a wood burning smoker
I just recently started smoking on a New Braunfels offset smoker. I have tried twice to smoke some ribs and butts. The first time I started w/ lump charcoal and wood chunks. It was windy and in the mid 50′s. I couldn’t keep a consistent temp. It went from 150 to 350 while I turned my back. The second time I used purely lump charcoal and could barely keep the temp up over 200 at the grill level with the a mound of charcoal and the airflow at max. The outside temp was about 60-75 throughout the day. What can I do to keep my temps consistent b/w 200-250? Do I need to use a different fuel, or is there something mechanical that I need to do? Thanks..
One Response to “Getting consistent temps in a wood burning smoker”
Hello:
Sounds like you may have a couple of problems… 1) a bad firebox design which does not allow proper airflow at the fire source. 2) Your smoker is not well insulated. I suspect the problem is more of #1 than #2. #2 can be fixed by keeping the lid shut on your smoker as much as possible. Good BBQ is all about the correct CONSISTENT temperature. Remember… if you’re lookin’ you ain’t cookin’. #1 can be fixed by drilling a few good airholes in the lower portion of your firebox but high enough as to not get clogged with ashes as they build up. Of course, build your fire on a grate above the bottom of the firebox. The idea here is to get air flowing from under your fire so it does not have to come in through a higher vent and then DOWN to your fire and then into the cooking chamber. In this scenario, the air is more than likely going to go straight into your cooking chamber bypassing the fire. You may also want to try Duraflame’s hardwood briquettes. They are easier to use than lump and they burn hotter than regular charcoal. For a review of these hardwood briquesttes, see the June 06 issue of our newsletter at http://www.bbqsuccess.com
Bill