Brand new to this great stuff...

[EGrant23]

Hi all! I'm glad to find this site and what appears to be a wealth of information. I am completely new to this smoking stuff, but it's something I've wanted to start doing for a while now. I recently picked up a small Grillpro 16" Charcoal Smoker last week. I had my first day of testing it out today and I can't help but be a little discouraged. I started with a whole chicken as I figured that would be simple. The process, and the chicken actually tasted great. I'm more stressed with the process. I had a hard time keeping my smoker above 150 or so for the 3 1/2 hours I had the chicken on. I didn't take the cover off at all either. I went through a whole bag of pellets and much a decent amount of charcoal just to keep it hovering around 160ish or so. I did some playing around with the vent and the access door to check the flow and all that stuff. Any recommendations? Thoughtful questions to ask? TIA!

 

[jokensmoken]

I'm not familiar with grillpro but I do run those charcoal water smokers A LOT...i.own four...so a question...is the bottom sealed tight or is it open bottom?

 

[EGrant23]

I'm not familiar with grillpro but I do run those charcoal water smokers A LOT...i.own four...so a question...is the bottom sealed tight or is it open bottom?

I'd say there's like a 1/2" gap around the charcoal tray and the bottom cylinder of the smoker. There was smoke coming out between the different three sections of the cylinders at all times today as well. Not sure if it should be smoking like that, or just out of the top vent.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Bit of research if it's the model I just saw on Amazon, it's essentially a cheaper version of a brinkmann El Cheapo.

I'd honestly suggest investing in a dedicated smoker vs grill/smoker..

But I'll let Walt take over from here :)

 

[EGrant23]

Bit of research if it's the model I just saw on Amazon, it's essentially a cheaper version of a brinkmann El Cheapo.

I'd honestly suggest investing in a dedicated smoker vs grill/smoker..

But I'll let Walt take over from here :)

I don't doubt that, it looks like it only retails for $80. I, however, won this and a $25 gift card to our local meat market for $35 at a silent auction so I'm just working with what I have at this time. I will definitely be looking to invest in the future though. Just trying to make the best of what I got! :)

 

[kawboy]

Did you have a temp probe at grate level? My smokers of that style therms are not even close.