Heat questions.

[cheesehead]

I got my Camp Chef Smoke Vault 18 put together. When I turned it on to season it I sprayed the inside with Pam put a wet hickory chunk in the chip pan and filled the water tray.

On the low setting it will only come down to 250 and there is much too orange tips on the flames I believe. The only way to get the temp down was to run it just a touch off of the warm setting.

Does this sound right? Will the temp be more manageable once loaded up with food?

Newbie here just learning the ropes.

TYIA

Jeff

 

[peculiarmike]

Jeff, DeeJayDebi will be along in a minute to help you. She has one also.
She likes hers and has not reported any problems.

 

[oillogger]

You may be OK since a new smoker will cook hotter than one than has been well seasoned. Lets see what the lowest temperature is after 3-4 smokes.

 

[monty]

The same holds true with the GOSM!

Cheers!

 

[packrat]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I've also got a heat question (although it's on a GOSM). I know that putting some meat in the smoker will cause the temp to go down. My question is--if i'm wanting to cook at 225, should i get it up to that temp then put the meat in (causing it to dip for awhile), or should i set it a bit higher, let the meat "bring it down" to the desired temp, then back off the heat?

 

[oillogger]

I always start a little hotter just to speed up the process a little. For the first 1/2 hour you can smoke almost any food at 250-300F without causing any concern about the outcome of the final smoke. That should get you pass that initial temperature drop that got you worried and after the 1/2 hour, according to what you are smoking, you can back off of it or let it go a little longer. Some folks like to smoke their chicken at 275F so that the skin is crispy. I kind of like crispy skin on my chicken so I follow their advice when I smoke poultry.

 

[domn8_ion]

Most cookers run lower when food is loaded in it. But like all cookers, they run slightly different. Best way to find out is see what it does with your first few cooks, and try to take a few notes on the way.

 

[smokin_all_night]

Packrat, Just put the meat in as the smoker comes up to speed. The meat temperature rises slowly anyway, based on the difference between the meat temperature and the smoker temperature. In the beginning the smoker temperature does not make much difference as long as it is not so hot it sears the meat. Low and slow remember. The only exception I can think of to this advice is if the meat is already warm, somehow you might linger at a dangerous temperature too long. If the meat is cold, put it in. That's what I do.

Regards
Aubrey Page
-------------
OTBS # 007

 

[cheesehead]

sorry for the delay...........Very busy with day and small biz after hours. I talked to camp chef and they told me to put the cast iron wood chip plate right down on the opening for the burner. It helped for awhile till later into the smoke.

Just have to keep playin with it. The only problem with adjusting the temp from the warm position is that you are only a fraction of a turn away from HIGH!! Caught the smoker on its way up one time already.

Jeff

 

[ron50]

Jeff:

I have a Camp Chef 24 and had the exact same issue. I couldn't get the temperature below 250 even set to low. I also went to the warm setting where I was able to achieve a constant 225 after fiddling with it for awhile. I only had one rack of ribs on, so it may be different with more food loaded in the smoker or as stated as the smoker becomes more seasoned through use, the temperatures may moderate.