Hello from Florida

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peppeh

Newbie
Original poster
Sep 21, 2020
2
1
Hi, all!

New to the forum, and new to smoking, here. I've got two dry runs and five (plus one rib/shoulder combo) sessions under my belt as of this post, but still learning the fire management on my new smoker (Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Combo). I'm using a Weber iGrill2 with two probes (one meat temp, one ambient), and my only modification thus far is adding a Lavalock gasket on the firebox and smoke chamber.

So far the cooks have gone pretty well: two racks of ribs (3-2-1 worked out well), three pork butts (one bad, one serviceable, and one excellent), and a beef tenderloin (it was excellent, but I think I just had beginner's luck).

I find myself able to hold 220-235 with perfect blue smoke if I'm watching it like a hawk, but only when I'm keeping the smallest coal stack and fire in the farthest corner of the firebox, and only if I take store-bought chunks, quarter them, and add them every 10-15 minutes. I supplement with a couple briquettes about every 25 minutes. I think lump coals would make a small difference, but I figure my issues are more user error than anything else. My biggest issue is getting (and keeping) the temp down at 225 without catching white smoke.

I know this smoker wants to land at 245 and stay there, and part of me is willing to let it if it means I can stop opening the firebox every 10 minutes. Another part of me thinks the firebox is sucking in air pretty heavily through the seams, which would explain why a half split spikes the temp to 315 and burns out in 25 minutes. I haven't searched the forums for this particular rig yet, but I suspect there's probably a thread floating around about this exact situation (which I'll search for shortly :emoji_blush:).

Regardless, I'm going to kick off my first brisket this week and see how it goes. I'll take some pictures and plenty of notes so you guys can critique my fire and intake settings. Wish me luck!
 
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Welcome to the forums, glad to have ya join the fun.

Chris
 
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