Trimee

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

trimee

Newbie
Original poster
Apr 25, 2017
3
10
Western Australia
Hello all i hale from lovely Australia in the west just picked up a water bullet smoker trying it 1st time today and think have failed. Cany get ot over 150f had it up to 230ish before meat bit as soon as meat and water went in dropped and couldn't pick it back up. Any tips be good dont know if this is right place to ask that but will give it a shot cheers guys
 
Trimee, welcome to SMF!  Glad you are here and asking questions right out of the box. 

Let us know what brand of water bullet smoker you have.  A lot of folks here, me included, use the Weber Smokey Mountain, so we have some experience with bullet smokers. 

First, understand what is happening inside a bullet smoker.  When it is empty, no meat or water, the energy from your fire will heat up the air flowing through your smoker from the bottom vents to the top.  When you add cold water and cold meat, it is like adding a heat sponge.  The technical term is "heat sink."  The cold water and meat absorb the available heat, dropping the chamber temp of your smoker.  Planning for this temperature drop is part of the process of prepping your smoker.  

A gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs, or 3.78 kg.  That's a big heat sink.  My WSM hold 3 gallons of water.  I can heat my smoker dry to 350F, then throw 3 gallons of 70F water in in, and watch the chamber temp drop like a rock as the water starts absorbing the heat.  I dry smoke, no water, for just that reason. 

Water is meant to be a temperature stabilizer.  With three gallons of water in my smoker, I will see the chamber temp eventually rise to 200-215F.  The issue is I'm using fuel to heat water.  To me, that's a waste of fuel.  I'd rather be heating meat, that's why I dry smoke.  Learning to control your chamber temps with the bottom vents is all part of the fun of learning to use your smoker.   

Try a dry smoke with your smoker and you'll see different temps. 
 
Thanks for the info gents and you will see some aussie cooking once i get it sorted out. So with dry smoking to. I have to spray the meat to keep it moist.
 
Thanks for the info gents and you will see some aussie cooking once i get it sorted out.
So with dry smoking to. I have to spray the meat to keep it moist.
Some people do and some don't, some use a spray bottle and some baste with a brush.
Everything from juice, juice combos, mops of every kind, traditional BBQ sauce(s) and etc.
Some just rub/season and let it go, especially for cuts that you're trying to get a 'Bark' on.

Some people do smoke some things completely dry, when dry most will have a drip tray of some sort to help with clean up and avoid potentially dangerous flare ups/fires.
Others add a relatively shallow water pan for some meats to help keep meats moist, high humidity and help smoke adhere to the meat, and also to catch those drips.


And also after cooking do you clean the inside of the smoker
I try to clean my grates while still warm, my water/drip tray and the wood tray above my propane burner as soon as possible after every cook.
I only clean the inside surfaces when it is really in need, mostly just the bottom where stray drips fall.
A dirty, greasy smoker/grill is a potential fire hazard.
 
Last edited:
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Clicky