How do I regulate temp on char. smoker

[kellyrae8]

Hello everyone. Newbie here.
How do I regulate the temp. on a charcoal smoker? Not sure how much brickets to put to keep it at a regulated temp. and how much to start with?

Was also told that the wood needs to be wet and hearing now that it should not be wet. Can someone give there advice in this? I haven't smoked anything before so want it be as tasty as possible. Doing a brisket and ribs..

Thanks,
Kelly

 

[autoferret]

welcome! what kind of smoker do u have? that should help us help you out. With the wood wet or not to wet is up to you. I have a off set smoker and use logs so i do not wet them. But if i were to use chips in this unit directly onto the charcoal i would wet them to help them last longer and not to cumbust instinitly. But it really depends on your smoker and taste.

 

[rbranstner]

Does your grill/smoker have air intakes on the bottom and then exits holes on the top? If so that is how you regulate the temp. On the bottom the more air you give it the hotter it will get the less air the lower the temp. You normally keep the vents on the top wide open. As far as soaking your wood or not thats up to you. There are arguments going both ways so either way it will work. I personally don't soak mine.

 

[graybeard]

Welcome kellyrae, I hope you realize the time it takes to smoke a brisket.

 

[kellyrae8]

I have the Brinkman Upright Charcoal Smoker. I only have 8 lbs of charcoal.
I didn't realize how long it took to smoke a brisket until I stumbled upon this site and boy oh boy... I am sooooo glad I did!
Ya'll are going to be a lifesaver to me!!

I'm now searching online for a good marinde to "hurry" and marinade this baby since I thought I would have all night long to do it but was proven wrong. :(

Live and learn, right? lol
Thanks!!!

 

[graybeard]

OK, do some more reading and buy more charcoal!!If brisket isn't cooked correctly it ain't worth eating!!! Maybe you should have started out with some hot dogs!

beard

 

[chisoxjim]

lmfao...

Ive been smoking for years(10+) and havent tackeled a brisket yet(mostly because I am a pork guy, and prefer beef in steak form..

), its gotta be one of the toughest smokes to get right, not something I would do as my first smoke.

Start with chicken, and learn you smoker.

 

[tom in nc]

That is the best advice! Chicken is relatively cheap so bad smokes don't hurt the wallet as bad. I can't tell you how many chickens I bought, quartered and smoked. Some were good, some were not. I still go back to chicken because (1) it tastes good, (2) gotta try hard to screw it up, (3) easy on the wallet, and (4) fun to smoke.

Good advice Jim!