having trouble getting smoker to temp using fire box

[dillons]

I just recently got a new smoke hollow charcoal wagon smoker and grill and am having trouble getting the temperature up above 150 degrees in the smoking chamber. i was using kingsford charcoal briquettes, should i be using a different fuel. It says in my manual to use logs of wood 14-18 inches long and 3-5 inches wide in diameter. Should i use these or not. Any help would be Gladly appreciated Thanks

 

[graybeard]

Not knowing much about your grill I wood say you didn't have enought charcoal. Intake vent should be open if it has one. Your thermometer could be way off also. Calibrate it if possible. Wood AND charcoal makes a great combination butt you can use one or the other.
Try again and good luck,
beard

 

[dillons]

I thought the same thing about not having enough charcoal so i used a whole 13.6 pound bag of briquettes and near the opening the temp reached 200 but would go no higher and at the other end of the smoking chamber the temp was only 150. i had the intake vent all the way open. how could i calibrate my thermometer if it is the one that came with the grill. Thanks For the advice Dillon

 

[fourthwind]

Did you have any obstruction between the firebox and smoke chamber? I see a lot of folks put water pans too close to the hole between the chambers and it blocks airflow.

 

[dillons]

no i did not have a water pan in there at all thought about putting one in the middle but didnt because i could not get heat above 150 degrees on the back end of the smoking chamber. i added a whole thirteen pound bag of charcoal on top of another five pounds and still could not get it above 200 degrees on the end closest to the opening of the firebox. i really love smoking good meat but i cant do it without having my temperature right i would love to get this thing finally working i miss smoking those perfect racks of ribs thanks everyone

 

[graybeard]

OK, I think the culpret is your gauge. You can take yours off and put it in boiling water and it should read about 212. I have a feeling that you hit 300 + degrees if something isn't wrong with your grill. Did you open your vent stack wide open? Personally I wood buy a digital. Acu-temp makes a good one for a great price.

beard

 

[dillons]

here is what my smoker looks like, this is the website to it http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...oductId=191476
thanks again for all the help, you may not know but i am only eighteen years old and just need a little help from more experienced people thanks

 

[mavrick813]

I'm going to point at the gauge as well.

I like these.
http://kck.com/bbq_thermometer_barbe...ure_gauge.html

And these
http://www.smarthome.com/3219/Redi-C...mometer/p.aspx

 

[graybeard]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...PVX953TAKTE69P

 

[dillons]

ok thanks for the advice and i have an oven thermometer that i also use i had it on the grill level at the hottest temp it read 205 degrees but not for very long my smoker is on the sams club website it is a smoke hollow 36189C and is a grill and a smoker thanks for all the advice

 

[dillons]

you are right on the money that is my grill

 

[guvna]

beard makes a good point. but, other than more charcoal, there's only one thing that can make a fire hotter, and that's more air. if you need more air than your set-up can provide, don't be scared to pop a couple holes in the fire box. make sure you don't go crazy with holes though. also, lump charcoal burns significantly hotter than briquettes.

 

[dillons]

that is a good point lump charcoal does burn quite a bit hotter and i was wondering would cooking with a couple logs of mesquite would make my fite hot enough to achieve the temperature i need

 

[graybeard]

Don't take this personal butt I'm not happy with the smoker design. Looks to me it needs a vent stack. You may consider taking it back and look for something different. However, adding a stack is not that hard butt it may not work like you need it to. Research is the key to any purchase.

beard

 

[dillons]

Okay thanks for the advice, i am only 18 years old and got it for a birthday present and it has two rotating vents on the side and would it be a good idea to use actual logs of wood in the offset firebox to try and get the temperature that i need

 

[graybeard]

AHHHH, the vents! They should be opened all the way to start out. If they were closed or mostly closed that 's your answer. If they were opened all the way you still have a problem. You should be able to hit 300 or better so it really isn't gonna make a big difference in the fuel you choose. AIR FLOW IS THE KEY! AIR IN, AIR OUT.

beard

 

[dillons]

Thanks for all the help and there is a vent on the bottom of the smoking chamber opposite the fire box should that one be wide open also? and once i get the temperature i want how much do i close them or do i only close one and again thanks for the advice

 

[pineywoods]

Keep the vent on the smoker side wide open and use the vent on the fire box to control the air intake to the fire. More air into the fire equals more heat. I'd suggest buying a digital meat thermometer with a long wire leading to the probe you can find them in the grilling section of Lowes, Walmart, Home Depot type stores usually for under 20 dollars. When you get the thermometer home test it in some boiling water don't submerge the whole probe in the water use a pair of gloves or something and put the last 1-2" into the boiling water and depending on elevation it should read very close to 212. Now that you know the thermometer is right guide the probe thru the vent and thru a potato and place it on the grate about in the middle of the cooking chamber. Put the other end on a table or block or something and get the smoker going. See what the grate temps are reading vs what the thermometer on the lid is reading. Move the potato around from end to end of the grate so you know where the hot spots are if there are any. Then play with the intake vent to see how it affects the temperature. Once you have it figured out you can use that same thermometer to check the internal temps of the meat. You'll find we cook by temperature and not time on most things.

 

[natedog37]

One of the things that I had to do to my smoker to get it to a higher internal temp, was to extend the internal chimney pipe lower. It was venting at the top of the barrel and letting out all of the heat out (heat rises). After lowering the entry for the chimney down to the cooking surface, the heat has no choice but to build up before exiting through the pipe. I also have to prop the door open a little bit to get more air in to stoke the fire. Hope that helps.

 

[alelover]

Did you ever get your temp up Dillon? Another thing I didn't see mentioned was how much space is between the bed of coals and the bottom of the firebox. All of the falling ashes could be blocking airflow.