Fuel for my offset smoker

[Pit pixie]

Hi all,

I am new to smoking and I have been using coals as my base but I am finding I am having to add more during the cook.
I wonder if this is correct and whether the coals should be warm and glowing or cold?

I use appx a small piece of wood every 20 to 30 minutes, I am going though a lot of wood and wondered if this is correct....any help please?

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Hi all,

I am new to smoking and I have been using coals as my base but I am finding I am having to add more during the cook.
I wonder if this is correct and whether the coals should be warm and glowing or cold?

I use appx a small piece of wood every 20 to 30 minutes, I am going though a lot of wood and wondered if this is correct....any help please?

Add hot burning coals to your already burning ones. Adding new coal will produce bad smoke and taste. Add small wood chunks to the hot coals. Every 20-30 mins is allot of smoke and spent wood. I use 2-3 wood splits at the beginning and a couple more during long smokes.

GL.

 

[boykjo]

First off welcome to Smokingmeatforums.com and were glad to have you aboard. If you would, please swing over to Roll call and introduce yourself so we can get to know you better.
I had the same problem with my small offset. Now I start with a full hot chimney of charcoal then add a few small splits of dry seasoned wood and get the chamber up to temp with the inlet and stack damper open 100%. when the chamber reaches temp I leave the inlet damper open 100% and adjust the stack damper to maintain temps. I add 1 split of wood about every 30 minutes which is normal. Be sure to use thin splits of really dry wood so they light quickly. If you use semi seasoned wood it will lower the chamber temp when added and probably over shoot when they become hot. hope this helps

Boykjo

 

[Marknmd]

I think it would help if we knew what offset you were using. Since you're new to smoking, it's probably on the cheaper side, but that's okay. I start with a few briquets but also lump mixed in, about one chimney fully lit. I add a heated thin seasoned split to my heavily modded Oklahoma Joe Highland right away and then about every 20 mins or so - basically as soon as I see the cooker temp start to drop. I will add a handful of lump every once in a while. Big pieces of lump I will heat up first. I prefer big pieces. Some of the high quality lump brands give you lots of big pieces. Sometimes I'll add a chunk of wood instead of a split, depending on where the temp is and how the smoke is doing. On a cheap offset, you really need a thin bed of coals to light the splits and you generally need to add only one split at a time. On a cheap offset, your chimney will have a limit on what it can exhaust, so that puts a limit on how big your fire can be and how wide your intake can be. You don't want heat and smoke getting backed up and coming out of your intake. On a large offset you can get away with burning multiple splits exclusively and the firebox door wide open. Either way, it's a learning process and loads of fun and a great hobby! Good luck!

 

[Pit pixie]

This is the size of the smoker I have.
All of your information has been very helpful.
Everything I have read has said to use small chucks of wood. Whcih if you can see on the fire chamber in the pic the size of wood i am using However I am going though a lot and cannot maintain a temp more then 96°c

 

[millerbuilds]

One thing to add to what has been said above:
You need to make sure both your Firebox and cooking chamber are well sealed. You should really only have smoke coming out the stack, if it is leaking out of the fire box, it is burning through fuel too fast.
I like to start with a stack of lump charcoal then add my hot coals on top (minion method), then once I am close to temp I add my splits. Your set up looks pretty small, so you would add chunks rather than splits.

It takes time to figure out how to dial in your smoker.

This is a great group, keep asking questions and learning.

- Jason

 

[Marknmd]

Yeah that looks like a small one. Offsets burn a lot of fuel. That''s just part of the deal.

The rule of thumb is, the smaller and cheaper the offset, the more difficult it is to cook with. If your offset instructions say to use chunks, I guess that's what you should do, although you could try thin splits too. Splits are conventional in offset smoking.

I see your exhaust is closed about 75%. That's not good. Open it all the way to maximize the draft.

96 C is not hot enough. So with a thin bed of charcoal, add more chunks of wood then you've been doing. Flaming wood is what will bring the temp up. But you don't want so much flame that the chimney can't handle the draft. Intake should be wide open. You can even open the intake door a bit to let more air in, see how that goes. On my offset, I keep my intake door cracked open about a half inch through the entire cook. But it depends on your chimney.

If the draft starts backing up and coming out of your intake, then you'll be forced to close down the intake a little at a time until you figure out what draft your offset can handle.

You can also start thinking about modifications. It's probably thin steel, so consider how to keep the heat in. Think about a welder's blanket perhaps. And seals around the cook chamber door.

Good luck!

 

[boykjo]

From experience small chunks of wood were not the right fuel to heat a smoker like yours although others have had success. IMO Chunks take some time to ignite and burn and should only be used for smoke addition and adding it to a heat source. When added the fire box temp will fall. While the chunks are taking time to ignite your bed of coals are depleting as they are trying to heat the chamber. Wood should immediately catch on fire and burn when added. The splits of wood in my previous post couldn't be no more than 14 inches long, no bigger than 2" round and dry as a popcorn fart which should fit in a smoker like yours. When the split lays across the bed of coals, airflow around it helps it to ignite, burn quicker and burn hotter and keep the firebox hot and chamber temp up.
Also like Jason said you need a well sealed chamber too.

braunfel smoker

Couldnt resist this braunfel smoker. Picked it up for $50 in exellent condition on CL. well built from TX. looks like it has been garage kept. The guy I bought it from said it was about 10yrs old.I have been slack with my smoker/freezer build, I hope this wont slow me down even more.

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braunfel reverse flow modification

Got busy this morning and decided to turn my braunfel into a reverse flow. Not happy with the way its hot at one end and cold at the other..... so I found some free plate steel and went to work..... removed the smoke stack and cut out the stack holder and cut a new hole for holder prepped...

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My 2 cents

Boykjo

 

[Pit pixie]

All of your advise is amazing.
Thank you all so much, I am pleased that I have got much feed back, I have been keeping the fire vent half open and the same with the exhaust which by what you all have said is wrong. So next weekend I am going to try and do a while chicken with the fire vent open and the exhaust closed. I am also going to invest in a welding blanket that someone has suggested as I am losing some smoke though the lid as it is only a light and has no weight, which someone else said. Thank you all so much.
I will post pics of my efforts next week

 

[millerbuilds]

To seal your cook chamber and Firebox you can purchase Wood Stove Gasket rope and glue it in place with food safe high temp RTV Silicon. That is what I did to seal up my offset. Also below are some options for latches to hold your lid down tight. All of this is available from Amazon here in the US, not sure if it is available over there.

- Jason

 

[Marknmd]

All of your advise is amazing.
Thank you all so much, I am pleased that I have got much feed back, I have been keeping the fire vent half open and the same with the exhaust which by what you all have said is wrong. So next weekend I am going to try and do a while chicken with the fire vent open and the exhaust closed. I am also going to invest in a welding blanket that someone has suggested as I am losing some smoke though the lid as it is only a light and has no weight, which someone else said. Thank you all so much.
I will post pics of my efforts next week

If you're trying to solve the problem of low heat in your cook chamber, the last thing you'd want to do is close off your exhaust. Most experienced offset owners keep their exhaust (chimney) wide open most of the time or all of the time during a cook. They close the intake and exhaust down when they are done cooking. Some new folks think that keeping the exhaust almost closed will trap the heat in the cooker and make it more hot, but that is not true. The opposite is true. Keeping the exhaust closed or almost closed will kill the fire and kill the heat. You want maximum draft. So you want a maximum exhaust opening. Good luck

 

[ddow229]

Big coal base. Bigger than you think you need. I was surprised at how much I started with and then used through out the smoke. I used a heaping chimney to start and then aother full chimney over a five hour smoke. I added a chunk or tow every 20-30 minutes depending on what temp I was looking for. It takes time to dial in what your smoker is looking for to keep temps.

 

[Chasdev]

Run both the exhaust AND firebox doors wide open.
Regulate cook chamber temps with the amount of fuel you introduce into the burn chamber.
More air equals cleaner smoke and better tasting meat.
Clean smoke (pale blue to almost invisible) is a byproduct of unrestricted airflow into and out of the cooker.
You can start the cook with a bin of charcoal briquettes but as soon as the cooker reaches the temp you are aiming for (around 250/275, right?) use fully dry sticks of hardwood.
Make sure the wood is fully dry, many sellers offer green or wet wood and don't know or lie about the difference.
You can buy a moisture meter for under $40 US. and everyone who burns wood to cook needs one.
Ideal moisture content of cooking wood is around 15%, 20% will work but the higher the moisture content the harder it is to manage the coal bed.
Remember, burning wood with flames showing produces the smoke that flavors the meat, but the coal bed produces most of the heat.
Burning wet or under cured wood produces a larger coal base which raises the cook chamber temp which will prevent adding more wood until the coals burn down which reduces the clean blue smoke you are seeking.
Properly dried wood burns down to coals quicker and those coals burn out quicker which allows better control of the fire which makes life much easier.

 

[chp]

Hi all,

I am new to smoking and I have been using coals as my base but I am finding I am having to add more during the cook.
I wonder if this is correct and whether the coals should be warm and glowing or cold?

I use appx a small piece of wood every 20 to 30 minutes, I am going though a lot of wood and wondered if this is correct....any help please?

One other suggestion that might help is to preheat your wood. I also leave the exhaust wide open and control temp via the inlet and fuel. When I add a stick, I place a stick on top of the firebox. I keep a few sticks on the firebox and by the time I need to add more fuel, the sticks I add are ‘smokin’ hot. It helps the stick immediately start on fire and avoids off colored smoke. Many times smoke rolling out is not good. It took me awhile to understand that little to no smoke is what you want when smoking food.

 

[Pit pixie]

To seal your cook chamber and Firebox you can purchase Wood Stove Gasket rope and glue it in place with food safe high temp RTV Silicon. That is what I did to seal up my offset. Also below are some options for latches to hold your lid down tight. All of this is available from Amazon here in the US, not sure if it is available over there.

View attachment 639302
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View attachment 639301

- Jason

This is great advise, i am assuming you would put the rope on the inside of the lid around the edge to create a seal?

 

[raymo76]

After you figure this thing out and decide you want to remain an offset smoker your next one will be a breeze.

Offsets are just very difficult when they’re the thin metal, air gaps everywhere models. When you are ready and can afford to step up to something bigger with thicker metal you may even find you use less fuel. Depending on the size of course.

My method is to light a fire with some kindling, add enough fuel to burn down and crestería a bed of coals. While it’s doing this I am also preheating the thick metal so it just runs on smooth control during the cook. I don’t mess around with lump or briquettes like I did in my small offset. You don’t have that luxury I’m the small firebox you have.

You’re learning the way most of us did. I’d say most offset cookers probably started in a less expensive model that was a pain to run.

You can repurpose used butcher paper, if you’re wrapping with it, as fire starter. The soaked in rendered fat makes it an excellent fire starter.

Good luck and happy smoking!

 

[millerbuilds]

This is great advise, i am assuming you would put the rope on the inside of the lid around the edge to create a seal?

Correct and over the lip so that it compresses when you close the lid/door.

Good luck!

Jason

 

[Pit pixie]

Correct and over the lip so that it compresses when you close the lid/door.

Good luck!

Jason

Looks like I got to go shopping on amazon then!!

Wicked thank you so much.
Cooking temps do you cook in °f or °c?
My thermometer does both I have been trying to keep between 140 and 150°c but I may have converted incorrectly.

Cheers

Lucy

 

[Pit pixie]

To seal your cook chamber and Firebox you can purchase Wood Stove Gasket rope and glue it in place with food safe high temp RTV Silicon. That is what I did to seal up my offset. Also below are some options for latches to hold your lid down tight. All of this is available from Amazon here in the US, not sure if it is available over there.

View attachment 639302
View attachment 639303


View attachment 639301

- Jason

I cannot get the lavalock over here so I have found a wood stove and fire shop close to where I work who can supply all the above.
When I spoke to them they knew what I needed and was talking about.

Thank you much

Lucy

 

[millerbuilds]

I cannot get the lavalock over here so I have found a wood stove and fire shop close to where I work who can supply all the above.
When I spoke to them they knew what I needed and was talking about.

Thank you much

Lucy

Glad you found what you need! That is what is so cool about SMF, we all help each other out

- Jason