doing something wrong?

[thesmayway]

I have a Charbroil horizontal offset smoker. My food comes out decent but I have to babysit it constantly. I know I should get a digital thermometer to tell me when my heat is getting low, but I feel like I am constantly adding wood. I start with charcoal and then add wood as I continue. Even if I had a digital thermometer I feel like it would be telling me to go out and add wood very often.

Is there any way to set up this type of smoker in a more "set it and forget it" way? I have only been able to do small briskets because I simply do not have time to stay home with it for 10+ hours to constantly be adding fuel. I'd like to be able to start my smoker late at night/early morning and go to bed and not have to keep adding fuel...

I was looking to switch to the Master Forge Propane smoker... is that more of a set and forget smoker? I was talking to a customer at work and he said he had a master forge propane. He said that after adding the first "batch" of wood that the meat gets enough smoke and the propane does the rest. I have gotten great smoke rings with my smoker, I don't want to lose that.

 

[davidhef88]

Love my MFP and get great rings.

 

[mossymo]

Check out building a UDS http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/f/199/uds-builds ; you can build it yourself very inexpensively and it will maintain temps well and give you a great smoke ring.Offset are great smokers but very time consuming.
 

 

[barnesski1]

Have you thought about going electric?  If you want to "set it and forget it"  that's the only way to go. 

 

[boykjo]

I have a Charbroil horizontal offset smoker. My food comes out decent but I have to babysit it constantly. I know I should get a digital thermometer to tell me when my heat is getting low, but I feel like I am constantly adding wood. I start with charcoal and then add wood as I continue. Even if I had a digital thermometer I feel like it would be telling me to go out and add wood very often.

Is there any way to set up this type of smoker in a more "set it and forget it" way? I have only been able to do small briskets because I simply do not have time to stay home with it for 10+ hours to constantly be adding fuel. I'd like to be able to start my smoker late at night/early morning and go to bed and not have to keep adding fuel...

I was looking to switch to the Master Forge Propane smoker... is that more of a set and forget smoker? I was talking to a customer at work and he said he had a master forge propane. He said that after adding the first "batch" of wood that the meat gets enough smoke and the propane does the rest. I have gotten great smoke rings with my smoker, I don't want to lose that.

I have read from previous post your smoker is not designed for burning wood which I have to agree with experience with an offset smoker. I have a modified braunfel which is a little thicker gage metal than yours but yours should work fine.

Try adding some aluminum flashing to the smoke stack and extend it down to the grate. This is a easy mod you can start with......

I add 1 chimney of lit red hot charcoal to the fire box and then I add 1 chimney of unlit lump charcoal over the top. Then I place one chunk of pre soaked hickory down in the center for some thin blue smoke. This will give you about 3 hrs of cooking time. You will have to add more chunks as they burn out. I prefer using a charcoal/wood smoker over an electric or a propane. Just have to work a little harder.......

If you want a set it and forget it i would move on to a electric or propane

Joe