How To: Keep Smoke Thin and Blue

[mkedda]

So, if you spend a lot of time searching this form you see a lot of posts regarding the following: "Keep your smoke thin and blue" and "White Smoke is bad".

What I dont find is a good thread dedicated to techniques to avoid the billowing white smoke OR techniques to recover from it.

So, lets start the discussion. I would love to hear all thoughts and tips, tricks, and techniques to keep the TBS.

 

[rickw]

A lot has to do with the type of smoker you cook on. I found this thread to be a great help with achieving some tbs on my Horizon offset.

 

[smokin' dick]

Like Rick said, a lot has to do with what cooker you have.
In my small off-set, a Silver Smoker, I burn lump for heat and add wood chunks for flavor. Typically I will pour in about 5-8 lbs of lump with a few chunks of smoke wood mixed in. This cold fuel will be mounded up toward the vent end of the fire box. I will add in some hot coal to the side of the unlit coal on the smoke chamber side. This will last a few hours. When more fuel is needed, push the hot fuel into a pile toward the smoke chamber end of the fire box. Pour more unlit coal and chunks into the fire box on the vent side of the fire box, beside the lit, not on top of the lit fuel. If you add unlit fuel on top of the lit you will smother the fire and you will get that unwanted white smoke. This works well for me and on a 6 hour cook I will add fuel probably just once.

 

[gnubee]

In some smokers the firebox can get clogged up with ash quite easily so that the coals do not get enough venting of fresh air. You then need to tap or jiggle the fire box every once in a while so the ash drops down and away from the coals . An expanded metal basket placed in the firebox can alleviate this problem in some smokers.

 

[dirtman775]

What kind of rig are you runnin? Do you burn coal? runnin a gasser? stick burner? Well, there are 3 elements that i have found that contribute greatly to the TB.

1- fuel
2- air flow
3- patience

once you master these you will always in most cases achive the TB

 

[coyote-1]

Also, certain woods emit different colors & grades of smoke.

I have some seasoned cherry that routinely burns blue smoke. I also have maple, equally seasoned.... some of that maple burns bluish-white, and some burns white. Some of the white-burning stuff is fine, and some not - I just keep my nose handy, and if the maple split doesn't smell good I pull it. But if it's whiteish smoke that smells right I'll leave it on, provided the smoke is thin enough.

Some guys burn 'wet' (unseasoned) hickory, and they WANT that white smoke. If it ain't making creosote, it's good.

 

[div]

meat drippings onto hot coals in a vertical smoker without a drip pan will also cause billowing white smoke

 

[indyadmin1974]

On my vertical gasser I find that the TBS runs well if the firebox isn't too crowded and I stack the pieces in a log cabin form (it's the Eagle scout in me). This produces a better fire in the firebox that wasn't designed for air flow.

Too much wood or unseasoned wood will get white smoke and I can unfortunately confirm that not using a water pan in a smoker designed for one will cause white smoke also.

Keeping the drippings away from the fire will also help out.

 

[the dude abides]

On my Weber Kettle and also on the WSM I use mostly lump and a few chunks of woods mixed in with the minion method. If I see absolutly no smoke or I can't smell it, I'll throw a chunk in here and there as necessary. It's been said "if you can smell it, you're smoking".

 

[smokingauthority]

When I'm cooking for people that don't know the difference I burn 100% lump, it's still wood. I did that last thursday and never saw white smoke, I burn Royal Oak (aka Best Choice) because it's less ash and I've had trouble with Cowboy and Kingsford Charwood.

 

[mkedda]

thanks for all the help guys. i basically have a 38" gosm propane. i use hickory with a few kingsford briquettes.

so when i see white billows... do i just dump whatever hickory/charcoal i have and start a new?

 

[meandmytwodogs]

I use an OK Joe Longhorn with a side fire box. I like to push the coals to one side and just place a single chunk of wood next to, but not right on the coals so that the wood heats up to the point where it slowly starts to burn. This has been working very well for me recently.

Dave

 

[flash]

How much. I pretty much have the same smoker and may see some white smoke when I start, but not well into the smoke. Even if you do see it, does it last that long for you?

 

[oldschoolbbq]

This is how I keep the smoke Thin and Blue...





and it looks like this...





good luck and
SMOKE HAPPY

bbqfans

 

[dirtman775]

Same here. the hickory is a strong wood to start with, you might be just fine...