Changing Wood and Water

[sbukicker38]

hey everyone...looking for some help as i am a newbie with this...i have a GOSM smoker, the smaller one, not the big block...im having trouble keeping my temperature at 225 it keeps rising to 250...but im going ton buy a thermometer because i have read it is never very accurate, can you guys suggest what kind of thermometer, like brand and all, having trouble finding one...

my second thing is, i have no idea when to change the wood....also, i use an aluminum cake pan to put my wood chunks in...should i put charcoal under the wood chucnks? or just straight wood? now, i do not know when to change the wood...what i do is i wait until i see smoke coming out and then i take the burnt side of the wood and turn it over...then i wait until it starts smoking again and then the wood is burnt black on both sides and i change it...is that right, or no...i have no idea when to change the wood. and will changing it at the right time help with the temperature...

also, when do i put the meat in to start smoking?? that may sound like a stupid ass question, but really, when? when the wood starts smoking? when the temperature hits where i want it to?? when??

lastly, do i change the liquid in the water pan at all throughout cooking? or do i just leave it. someone told me to put ice cubes in it too drop the temp down...so do i change it at all, what do i do?

thanks everyone !

 

[adiochiro3]

First of all, 250* is fine for smoking meats, but you do need to check the thermo for accuracy. Boiling water is the test.

You don't "change" the wood. Leave it until it turns to ash, then add more if needed/desired. The wood should smolder, not burn in Full-on flames, so do whatever it takes to achieve that in your rig. I usually lay the wood chunks near or next to the burning coals so the heat just gets things smoky. Remember that you don't really need to see the smoke, just smell it. Thin and blue (TBS) don't ya know!

I do not change water. I do add to it during a long smoke to keep moisture in the cook chamber up. The water mostly acts as a heat sink to keep cook temps stable throughout the smoke. You can probably cool things down with ice, but it would take a fair amount, I would imagine.

If your thermo is accurate, then manage temps by airflow and the amount of fuel. Keep practicing, and soon you will keep the temps steady and in the butter zone with minimal effort and much ease!

 

[sbukicker38]

I was always afraid I was burning the wood by letting it turn to ash...should I still turn the wood over or just leave it...do you guys recommend I use coal on the bottom and put wood on top...i have been soing just wood

 

[adiochiro3]

[quote name="SBUKicker38" url="/forum/thread/107377/changing-wood-and-water#post_642740"]I was always afraid I was burning the wood by letting it turn to ash...should I still turn the wood over or just leave it...do you guys recommend I use coal on the bottom and put wood on top...i have been soing just wood[/quote]

Just leave the chunk alone -- no need to turn it. Even when smoldering, you are technically burning the wood. You just don't want the chunk to flame up because then it produces very little smoke in the smoke/heat ratio.

Put the coals on the bottom and the chunks near the edge of the bowl/basket/pile of coals. As I said above I try to minimize contact between coals and the smoke-generating wood so I get a slow smoky burn.

 

[chef willie]

You mentioned therm's....many guys here have more than 1 and many use the dual probe Maverick with remote to monitor temps. One probe for the chamber and one for the meat. Makes life easier. The AMNS is also a handy gadget to have, but uses dust instead of chunks to provide hours of TBS. I have switched to sand in the water pan for a heat sink. Keep at it....

 

[sbukicker38]

i edited my post with one more stupid newbie question....

"also, when do i put the meat in to start smoking?? that may sound like a stupid ass question, but really, when? when the wood starts smoking? when the temperature hits where i want it to?? when??"

someone want to help me out with this one, thanks  guys