Going through so much wood!

[Byrney]

hey guys im noob to smoking and i own one of these badboys

http://hark.com.au/hark-units/smoke/texas-pro-pit-smoker.html

I purchased ironbark wood from local farmer and he cut into about 30cm logs about 5cm thick.

My process is to fill a full chimney of lump charcoal, light it up let it ash and spread into FB.

I then add two pieces of wood sometimes 3 to get to my desired temp for cooking. Once smoke looks blue i start cooking.

Getting to the point I am finding that im going through lots of wood, roughly 1 log per 45min and running out quick of wood i have. I am adding no charcoal briquettes throughout the cooking process to fb.

Is it safe to say that my smokers main source of fuel is and should be wood? Or am i doing this wrong and i should be adding more charcoal briquettes when temps are coming down during the cooking process and using wood only for smoke ?

How do you guys do it? What should i do? Do you add charcoal to your fb during cooking to save on wood?

I have seen WSM videos whete they use more charcoal and only 1-2 logs total of what id use for the entire smoke!!

I saw a video that said smokes only good on meat until it reaches 140f IT, you may aswell wrap and throw in an oven after this period. How true is this? Does leaving it in the smoker give it any superior results?

They are my main noodle scratches but for bonus points id like to get some more ideas on a something.

My cooker leaks a bit throuhh the doors and FB. I purchased gasket tape https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com.au/ulk/itm/331825807958

Wondering if this us good stuff? Do i need to put a bead of RTV silicone underneath and do I put the tape on the inside of the doors or on the cooking chamber. Same kinda goes for the FB i guess.

Cheers again, im learning heaps and just spladhed some cash on jeffs stuff to get me moving in the right direction.

Sorry for all the Qs im trying to nail it all in one thread

Dave

 

[noboundaries]

Hey Byrney,

A WSM and an offset side burner are two different animals. The WSM is just about the most fuel efficient smoker you can buy, other than an insulated cabinet smoker. Vertical smokers are more efficient because heat naturally rises and fills the smoking chamber, finding the path of least resistance to the exhaust. Heck, even in my WSM, there are hot spots and cooler spots depending on bottom vent settings.

An offset is just about the least efficient smoker you can buy because heat is lost off the top of the firebox and cooking chamber. The draft design of the smoker forces the heat and smoke horizontally through the smoker, but heat is still lost through the metal as it tries to rise. Your log every 45 minutes is pretty close to what I've seen other offsets use, but someone with an offset can confirm that fact.

You can improve the efficiency of the smoker by adding tuning plates, which capture the heat flow out of the firebox and spread it more evenly across the cooking grate.

Every smoker has it's advantages and quirks. You'll get a much truer flavor out of a wood burning offset than a charcoal/wood chunk WSM, but a lot more baby sitting is required of the offset.

 

[Byrney]

Hey legend thanks again for your help. I have been working on my pork butt like you told me too! My cookers got two doors and theres 60f diff from one side to the other! Got baffles but seem to be doing little! Need to tweak it to get it even I guess or should i go by one of the dials? The colder one?

Ps the pork had.... issues my fault tasted ok but far too smokey.

 

[weev]

My smoker is a bit bigger than yours but its 1 to 2 splits every 45 min
and your going to get hot spots and temp variations you just need to learn where they are and how to cook around them or how to use them to help your time

 

[Byrney]

Hey weev hows it going man , do you ever add charcoal from the bag throughout the cook or just the start

 

[flatbroke]

@smokin peachey may be able to offer some sage advice.

 

[weev]

Hey weev hows it going man , do you ever add charcoal from the bag throughout the cook or just the start

I usually only add charcoal if I mess up and dont get my splits in and my base of coals go down otherwise I just keep adding splits
Is your source for wood expensive?

 

[zwiller]

I think the fuel consumption has been addressed but I will talk about the oversmoke. From some brief research that ironbark wood is eucalyptus and probably not the best choice for food. I would try and source some oak.

 

[Byrney]

Gday guys

ive been MIA for some time but im back and realised i didnt see this thread thru. So I’m going through a stick every 45min and using wood as my main fuel source (tell me im right) BUT if i had a wsm id only be adding a couple of chunks every 2 hours??? WSM seems like the better option?? Or msybe a pellet smoker?? Thoughts welcome.

i just purchased some apple chunks from a dude with an offset and he says he only adds a couple of chunks to his every 2 hours!!? Yet im add splits every 45min ... can someone tell me the right simple method to use. He said to me as i ourchased 15kg of apple that it should last me ages... im looking at it thinking maybe 6 months.. makes me think im doing something very wrong with how i cook.

if theres any aussies that know where i can buy oak im keen.
Cheers all and happy 2020

 

[noboundaries]

Hey Byrney. I do not add wood during a smoke in my WSM. I load my WSM a couple different ways and can get 18+ hours out of it.

If using logs or splits, I'll place one 3"x8" log in the bottom of the charcoal basket, overload the basket with cold charcoal, then add 8-10 hot briquettes on top of a dimple in the pile.

If using chunks, I'll put 6-8 chunks in the bottom then add the charcoal like mentioned above. By burying the log/split/chunks, they preheat and carbonize more cleanly. I usually let the chamber SLOWLY come up to a 225-250F temp, like 2 hrs nowadays. Then load the meat. No white or gray smoke, just TBS.

After 12-14 hours, I knock the ash off the briqs and finish the smoke at high temp. 275-300F if I do not reset the bottom vents; 350F if I open them fully.

 

[Byrney]

Righto im using a big offset and so was the bloke i purchased the wood from. Im using pure stick and putting logs in. He says mate i get a Roaring fire then two chunks every couple of hours. In other words id go through 10 logs in 10 hours, the equilivant for him in chinks would be 5 logs cut into chunks with the main fuel being charcoal from the roaring fire at the start

am i wrong?

 

[noboundaries]

The big difference between horizontal offsets and any vertical smoker is efficiency. Verticals can smolder along and all the heat the fuel creates is utilized in the chamber. Horizontal offsets lose a lot of their heat to conduction as the air is forced to flow horizontally through the chamber. Think of it as water flowing uphill. Yes, it can be done, but it takes more energy to do it. Same with an offset. More air is required to force the heat through the chamber, and more air means the fuel burns up faster.

You can certainly try adding charcoal to the mix after weighing costs compared to wood. I'd be interested in the results.

 

[SmokyMose]

If I get 45 min. out of a stick in my offset I consider myself lucky or worry that something is wrong..

 

[sawhorseray]

If I get 45 min. out of a stick in my offset I consider myself lucky or worry that something is wrong..

Same here, my SQ36 eats wood like it's starving for it. 15kg is what, like 35 pounds of apple splits. I could go thru all that smoking one porkbutt, tho my preferred choice of wood is most always hickory. Byrney's got a big smoker with a big firebox, and it's going to take a lot of fuel to get thru a smoke. I have actually stopped using charcoal in my offset and just work towards a good bed of wood coals. If you want to get some good smoke without a lot of work and fuel expense get a WSM, a pellet popper doesn't impart what I'm looking for as far as smoky flavor. You have a pretty nice offset BBQ / smoker there Byrney. I'd suggest a chainsaw and a pickup truck, find someone who has a fruit tree orchard, and give him a $100 to let you cut what you need to fill that truck bed up. RAY

 

[Byrney]

Same here, my SQ36 eats wood like it's starving for it. 15kg is what, like 35 pounds of apple splits. I could go thru all that smoking one porkbutt, tho my preferred choice of wood is most always hickory. Byrney's got a big smoker with a big firebox, and it's going to take a lot of fuel to get thru a smoke. I have actually stopped using charcoal in my offset and just work towards a good bed of wood coals. If you want to get some good smoke without a lot of work and fuel expense get a WSM, a pellet popper doesn't impart what I'm looking for as far as smoky flavor. You have a pretty nice offset BBQ / smoker there Byrney. I'd suggest a chainsaw and a pickup truck, find someone who has a fruit tree orchard, and give him a $100 to let you cut what you need to fill that truck bed up. RAY

gday again,

yeah its hard to find these types of farms where im from.. very!

i have been looking into the FB charcoal grate level being more raised, stack exhaust being extended down to grate level and the removal of aluminium drip trays sitting underneath CC racks even if no foods above it(i heard this may cause heating/smoking problems)

Thoughts on my research so far? It will be a bummer to remove drip trays as it keeps my CC clean of gunk on the bottom.

 

[sawhorseray]

I always have a drip under the meat in my SQ36, 99% of the time it's filled with a couple of gallons of water. You want to have some water in the cook chamber to help keep meat from drying out, sometimes on a long smoke I'll go thru a couple of gallons evaporating. If your grill runs hotter on one side try putting a bread pan full of water on the hot side to see how it will even things out. Your smoker looks to be of pretty good quality and is fairly large, it's going to take a fair amount of fuel to get it up to temperature and keep in there. You bought about the biggest one you could find so if your just going to smoke a rack of ribs or a single porkbutt is not exactly going to be cost effective. I doubt you need to raise or lower anything, just get to know your smoker better and it's going to take whatever it takes to do a cook. Check out the pan of water under the porkbutt in my SQ36, there would be slop all over the bottom without it, and I've got a valve that will open to drain the entire CC. RAY