Greetings. I fired up my BSKD yesterday for the first time -- to cure it, no food -- and it was all I could do to get that thing up to 200 degrees. I used kingsford briquets and tried opening the vent, closing the vent, opening the firebox door -- all to no avail. I finally added some hickory chunks and got it up to 300 degrees very briefly. At that point the firebox itself got so hot that it blistered the paint on the firebox lid. Any advice on modifications I should make? I noticed alot of smoke escaping from the edges around the cook chamber door. Should I attempt to seal the door a bit better? Does real lump charcoal burn hotter than briquets? Or should I just build a wood fire next time. I found it a bit frustrating that opening and closing the vent had virtually no effect on the temp whatsoever.
On the other hand, maybe I should consider myself lucky that the smoker went to 200 and stayed there. That is ideal, is it not?
On the other hand, maybe I should consider myself lucky that the smoker went to 200 and stayed there. That is ideal, is it not?
