1st stick smoke question

[sc smoke]

Doing my first stick smoke. Everything seems to be going well except for the smoke.
I'm using cherry, it's a damp, overcast 70 degree day. I'm not getting the blue/clear smoke. It's constantly fairly thick white. I'm holding temp at grate level in the 230 range.
Am I doing something wrong or will this happen?
Thanks

 

[SmokinAl]

What smoker do you have & how are you generating the smoke?

Al

 

[sc smoke]

What smoker do you have & how are you generating the smoke?

Al

I have an OK Joe Highland offset.

I've noticed if I open the FB lid the wood ignites and the smoking stops.

 

[joe black]

If that were me, I would pre-heat my splits and prop the FB door open a little. IMO, your splits have too much moisture on them and are not igniting quickly enough. Also along with that, your fire is starved for air. Give it a try and good luck.

 

[sc smoke]

If that were me, I would pre-heat my splits and prop the FB door open a little. IMO, your splits have too much moisture on them and are not igniting quickly enough. Also along with that, your fire is starved for air. Give it a try and good luck.

By experimenting I found that using the ash door along with the vent on the FB gave me better temp control and reduced the smoke, probably from more air. (I was warming the splits)
Another thing I learned was to add wood before the temp dropped for lack of fuel. Otherwise my coals had about died and I was playing temp catch up.
In the end the ribs turned out great.(2-2-1 method)
Thanks for the advice.

 

[joe black]

I'm glad you got it worked out. Yes, the coal bed is very important. It needs to stay very full and hot. Good heat management is a pretty big learning curve and can take some time to become comfortable.

 

[3montes]

Pre heat and keep your exhaust vent wide open all the time. Control the fire from the intake. When I fire up my stick burner I burn for a hour to a hour and half before the meat ever goes on. I start with a bed of charcoal and put my splits on top of that to get the fire going. I let the smoker heat up to 275 and when I have a nice bed of wood coals and the smoker is at 275 and drawing thin blue clear is when I add the meat. I will lose maybe 25 degrees adding meat and having the smoker open to bring it to 250 which is where I like to start cooking.

Then I add a couple small splits which will maintain that 250 and go from there.

The key for me is I always cook on the downside of coals and not the high side or hot side if that makes any sense. Much easier to add heat than take it away.

Heat in a stick burner is the key to a good draw and achieving a nice consistent smoke. Start your smoker hot and get that draw going and then let it cool to cooking temps. Thick smoke is always the result of poor fire management.

 

[SmokyMose]

Pre heat and keep your exhaust vent wide open all the time. Control the fire from the intake. When I fire up my stick burner I burn for a hour to a hour and half before the meat ever goes on. I start with a bed of charcoal and put my splits on top of that to get the fire going. I let the smoker heat up to 275 and when I have a nice bed of wood coals and the smoker is at 275 and drawing thin blue clear is when I add the meat. I will lose maybe 25 degrees adding meat and having the smoker open to bring it to 250 which is where I like to start cooking.
Then I add a couple small splits which will maintain that 250 and go from there.
The key for me is I always cook on the downside of coals and not the high side or hot side if that makes any sense. Much easier to add heat than take it away.

Heat in a stick burner is the key to a good draw and achieving a nice consistent smoke. Start your smoker hot and get that draw going and then let it cool to cooking temps. Thick smoke is always the result of poor fire management.

So you use charcoal just to get the fire right and just use wood from there? I'm just learning how to use an offset and I kind of assumed you used charcoal for the heat and wood for the smoke.
I have a lot to learn....

 

[joe black]

My heat/cooking wood is usually oak. I use Apple, Cherry or Hickory for a particular flavor. IMO, using those woods for a full cook would be too much flavor. Other folks may differ and use fruit or nut wood the whole time. I only use it for about 1-1/2 hours. The oak is burning throughout the cook. I only use lump charcoal for the original heat up and coal bed.

 

[3montes]

My heat/cooking wood is usually oak. I use Apple, Cherry or Hickory for a particular flavor. IMO, using those woods for a full cook would be too much flavor. Other folks may differ and use fruit or nut wood the whole time. I only use it for about 1-1/2 hours. The oak is burning throughout the cook. I only use lump charcoal for the original heat up and coal bed.

Exactly what I do. Start a chimney of briquettes dump them in the fire box and then put 4 to 6 oak splits on top of that to get things burning. I leave the top door of the firebox open and really let the flames get going then close the fire box door and let the things start to draw and heat up the smoking chamber. By the time the meat goes on the briquettes are long gone and I'm cooking on oak coals. Apple, maple go on later for flavor woods but oak is always burning. Joe and I are on the same stick burning page.

Best advice I can give you SmokeyMose is to keep at it and don't get frustrated. Stick burning requires some patience and a enjoyment of tending a fire. In this set it and forget it smoking world we are seeing stick burning is becoming a lost art, Once you master it you will be able to do something many others can't.

Feel free to ask any more questions.

 

[SmokyMose]

Exactly what I do. Start a chimney of briquettes dump them in the fire box and then put 4 to 6 oak splits on top of that to get things burning. I leave the top door of the firebox open and really let the flames get going then close the fire box door and let the things start to draw and heat up the smoking chamber. By the time the meat goes on the briquettes are long gone and I'm cooking on oak coals. Apple, maple go on later for flavor woods but oak is always burning. Joe and I are on the same stick burning page.

Best advice I can give you SmokeyMose is to keep at it and don't get frustrated. Stick burning requires some patience and a enjoyment of tending a fire. In this set it and forget it smoking world we are seeing stick burning is becoming a lost art, Once you master it you will be able to do something many others can't.
Feel free to ask any more questions.

Thanks, 3montes! You may regret it because I have lots of questions lol!
Actually I like what I'm hearing because around here Oak is plentiful (I have a rack of it for fireplace wood), but Hickory or fruit/nut woods have to be bought.
I've learned a lot just from this post...
Dan

 

[cats49er]

To get that TBS you have to have flames not smoldering splits.If you. I find small splits about the size of a soda can work best for me.You control your temp by the size of your fire.Low temp small fire like 225  ,the higher the temp the bigger fire.If you maintain temp with tbs your coal bed will maintain it self.If your starts getting to hot,just open your firebox door 4 or so inch's and close your exhaust damper just a tiny bit until the temp starts to drop.Then open a little at a time to maintain temp.Also as temp level off close firebox door.By doing this you let heat escape out the door because the draft is restricted  with the exhaust partly closed.Hope this helps.

 

[joe black]

To keep your temp from dipping too much when putting in more wood, be sure to pre-heat the splits. This will allow them to ignite rapidly when added to the FB. The quick ignition will keep from using the existing heat to get them started. Quick ignition will also keep them from smoldering until they get hot which will keep your smoke clean and maintain TBS.

 

[SmokyMose]

To keep your temp from dipping too much when putting in more wood, be sure to pre-heat the splits. This will allow them to ignite rapidly when added to the FB. The quick ignition will keep from using the existing heat to get them started. Quick ignition will also keep them from smoldering until they get hot which will keep your smoke clean and maintain TBS.

How do you pre-heat the wood??

 

[joe black]

Lay 3-4 splits on top of your FB. This will keep them nice and toasty. When you put 2 in, add 2 more on to pre-heat. If you don't have a flat top on your FB, take some strap metal and make a saddle for the splits.

 

[meat peeker]

I don't preheat my sticks but will definitely give it a try. Great idea! As a general rule of thumb is to add a couple sticks to the fire every 45 minutes or so. Weather will play a roll in this. Wind will make your smoker command more attention. Also, I like to go about 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 on my wood combination, meaning only 1 part expensive fruit or nut wood.

Have fun.
Brian

 

[SmokyMose]

I don't preheat my sticks but will definitely give it a try. Great idea! As a general rule of thumb is to add a couple sticks to the fire every 45 minutes or so. Weather will play a roll in this. Wind will make your smoker command more attention. Also, I like to go about 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 on my wood combination, meaning only 1 part expensive fruit or nut wood.

Have fun.
Brian

I like your 2 or 3 to 1 method, peeker. I have an unlimited supply of free Ash & Oak, but I have to buy anything else. I'll also try the pre-heating...

 

[sc smoke]

To get that TBS you have to have flames not smoldering splits.If you. I find small splits about the size of a soda can work best for me.You control your temp by the size of your fire.Low temp small fire like 225  ,the higher the temp the bigger fire.If you maintain temp with tbs your coal bed will maintain it self.If your starts getting to hot,just open your firebox door 4 or so inch's and close your exhaust damper just a tiny bit until the temp starts to drop.Then open a little at a time to maintain temp.Also as temp level off close firebox door.By doing this you let heat escape out the door because the draft is restricted  with the exhaust partly closed.Hope this helps.

Seeing this post about splits the size of a soda can (we call them pop cans) brought up a question. A neighbor cut down a cherry tree and gave me the wood, nice neighbor. After splitting the larger pieces there are still several branches that are about pop/soda can size in diameter. Is it necessary to split branches that size to season or is leaving them as-is OK? i cut the branches to about a foot long to fit in my FB.
Thanks

 

[meat peeker]

Seeing this post about splits the size of a soda can (we call them pop cans) brought up a question. A neighbor cut down a cherry tree and gave me the wood, nice neighbor. After splitting the larger pieces there are still several branches that are about pop/soda can size in diameter. Is it necessary to split branches that size to season or is leaving them as-is OK? i cut the branches to about a foot long to fit in my FB.
Thanks

Personally I'm a fan of split wood but at some point splitting it becomes unrealistic. Even the round stuff should season fine. With good coals going, it'll burn.

 

[joe black]

I like to split anything I can. I think the exposed inside gives a better flavor rather than waiting for the outside to burn through. I use the iron Kindling Kutter and I can split probably down to about 2" diameter, maybe even less.