Seasoned/Tested Smoke Vault SMV24

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toastedpenguin

Newbie
Original poster
Jun 12, 2013
5
10
Oswego IL
So I did the seasoning thing yesterday and used that time to test out what it took to hit and maintaining temp, the accuracy of the thermometer and how using chunks would work for getting smoke.

Hitting temp and maintaining was about what I expected, needed to adjust the dampers and slightly move the dial in the front to find the upper and lower limit to get to and stay around 225.  Very similar to using the banjo burners I have for brewing 10 gallons of beer so I knew I'd have to adjust ever so slightly to hit the target.  The thermometer is off by a few degrees but as with brewing beer having 2 measures of temp is a given since the door thermometer is a little lower and more forward, where the additional thermometer I used was more towards the middle of the smoker closer to the top.  Anyway I will use 2 thermometers going forward and adjust as needed.

Now on to the wood chunks and my mean reason for this post.  I like how the wood chunks didn't burn up like a camp fire but I noticed about 1.5 hours into my test they really started to smolder which caused a rapid release of smoke (compared to the decent but much less smoke during the first part of the test).  So my question is, using chunks in a propane smoker, what tricks are people using to prevent this sort of situation?  I did turn over the chunks to move the burning side away from the pan heat but once they got going it was sort of to late.

I'd guess the increased and what I would call uncontrollable release of smoke that I got later into the test wouldn't be a good thing?  Am I wrong?

David
 
You might want to get a needle valve to fine tune your temperatures.  I got one from Bayou Classic Depot, and it sure made temperature adjustment a lot easier for me.

As far as your wood chunks smoldering too much, try adjusting your lower vents, to decrease the amount of oxygen getting to the wood.  A small amount of adjustment can make a world of difference.  Make sure the top vent is wide open, helps with the smoke flow.

BTW Welcome to the Forum!
 
 
I always leave the top vent open....and use the bottom ones to control the air flow and the smoke too.

Kat
 
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You might want to get a needle valve to fine tune your temperatures.  I got one from Bayou Classic Depot, and it sure made temperature adjustment a lot easier for me.

As far as your wood chunks smoldering too much, try adjusting your lower vents, to decrease the amount of oxygen getting to the wood.  A small amount of adjustment can make a world of difference.  Make sure the top vent is wide open, helps with the smoke flow.

BTW Welcome to the Forum!
 
I have some spare hoses that have built in needle valves from my banjo burns I use for brewing.  Don't use them because I built a stand for the burners and plumbed for gas so I can share a tanks for both burners.  I might swap the hose that came with the Smoke vault for one of those.

Thanks for the warm welcome looking forward to smoking some meat!
 
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Make sure you let us know how things work out for you, and pictures are always appreciated!
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