I have a constant struggle maintaining my temperature when I add wood.
First, some facts:
Oklahoma Joe offset smoker, dual thermometers. I have a metal box insert in the fire box. Haven't installed my gaskets, do lose some heat around the edges of the chamber, but not a ton. I use wood logs (hickory today) from Home Depot that I usually split into long thin rails (about four from one log). I've found that this helps my wood last longer than burning a whole log at a time. Anyway, my biggest problem is the timing of adding wood. I can get the smoker to hold steady for 225 for a good 20-30 minutes or so. The problem is that when I add wood, the wood will start to burn and cause the temperature to spike a good 50-75 degrees. I can hold the temp by keeping the fire box lid open, but I lose a lot of heat this way and the wood burns faster. Any suggestions on the best way to add wood without causing temperature spikes? (I usually cook 6-8 hours, ribs & a tenderloin for pulled pork today).
First, some facts:
Oklahoma Joe offset smoker, dual thermometers. I have a metal box insert in the fire box. Haven't installed my gaskets, do lose some heat around the edges of the chamber, but not a ton. I use wood logs (hickory today) from Home Depot that I usually split into long thin rails (about four from one log). I've found that this helps my wood last longer than burning a whole log at a time. Anyway, my biggest problem is the timing of adding wood. I can get the smoker to hold steady for 225 for a good 20-30 minutes or so. The problem is that when I add wood, the wood will start to burn and cause the temperature to spike a good 50-75 degrees. I can hold the temp by keeping the fire box lid open, but I lose a lot of heat this way and the wood burns faster. Any suggestions on the best way to add wood without causing temperature spikes? (I usually cook 6-8 hours, ribs & a tenderloin for pulled pork today).
