Hello,
I'm Tom, from Denver and brand new to smoking. I just bought this puppy a couple of weeks ago on Craigslist but it's kicking my ass! Main problem: I cannot get my temps to a good smoking temp (usually peaks around 200 before falling). I've been at it for three days trying different fire builds but I honestly don't know what to do. I was able to get my temps to around 250 but with massive fire that was producing way too much white smoke. I've attached some pics.
I set up four thermometers throughout the smoker just to watch the temps. I'm using a chimney starter and Red Oak wood. It's 65 degrees and no wind today. The current setup in the pics currently have a constant temp of 190 degrees. There doesn't appear to be much leaking and I have all the dampers open. I've tried raising the grates from the bottom of the firebox as well opening the firebox door and some other tips I've read online. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Newbie Tom
I'm Tom, from Denver and brand new to smoking. I just bought this puppy a couple of weeks ago on Craigslist but it's kicking my ass! Main problem: I cannot get my temps to a good smoking temp (usually peaks around 200 before falling). I've been at it for three days trying different fire builds but I honestly don't know what to do. I was able to get my temps to around 250 but with massive fire that was producing way too much white smoke. I've attached some pics.
I set up four thermometers throughout the smoker just to watch the temps. I'm using a chimney starter and Red Oak wood. It's 65 degrees and no wind today. The current setup in the pics currently have a constant temp of 190 degrees. There doesn't appear to be much leaking and I have all the dampers open. I've tried raising the grates from the bottom of the firebox as well opening the firebox door and some other tips I've read online. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Newbie Tom