Not Enough Smoke on my Meat

[jcam222]

I really think it’s because im using a fire basket in my firebox. My coals would fall through the holes on the fire basket and im forced to burn hot and fast and ive to feed it with a log or 2 every 15 min or so. My firebox door is always slightly opened and ive the door vent opened too. My temperature would be around 300 if i don’t adjust the smoke stack vent.
So its my lack of knowledge of how to properly maintain my fire I believe

I’d say most if not all of us are using fire baskets of some sort. If you are getting what looks like a nice amount of blue smoke out that stack like the pic shows your fire is fine. Question is why that smoke isn’t imparting the taste you want. IMO Either it’s not circulating on the meat enough or woods way to dry. Do you know other folks with the same build? If you hold your hand up in the blue smoke for a bit how’s it smell?

 

[Fueling Around]

I really think it’s because im using a fire basket in my firebox. My coals would fall through the holes on the fire basket and im forced to burn hot and fast and ive to feed it with a log or 2 every 15 min or so. My firebox door is always slightly opened and ive the door vent opened too. My temperature would be around 300 if i don’t adjust the smoke stack vent.
So its my lack of knowledge of how to properly maintain my fire I believe

It's a fine line between holding coals and letting the ash drop down.
I built a fire basket for my offset that was the happy size to hold coals and let the ash drop away.
I'm 2,000 miles from home computer where I store all the photos or I would post.

Try closing the firebox door and go from there. It appears you get way too much air in the firebox and are just blowing away your heat

Double Yes to pineywoods on more photos of firebox and fire basket

 

[moonkmm80]

Most of us use some type of basket or rack to allow the ashes to fall down away from the fire otherwise it would choke out the fire. Can you get another picture of the firebox looking in from the open door and maybe the air intake on the firebox. In the pictures you've posted looking in the firebox it seems the fire is very far forward. Tell us how your doing your fire. How many splits do you start with how do you lite them how long do you let the fire burn before you put the meat in.
What size is the firebox width and length? What size splits are you using how long and about how wide?

These posts just may have saved me from throwing away my smoker. I’ve been smoking on an offset for the last 8 months and I can’t get a smoke flavor at all. I mean any smoke flavor. I run my exhaust wide open on every cook. Someone mentioned that the smoke may be running out the exhaust too quickly. Would this be a legitimate concern? I’ve can control my fire manage or temps from 220-265 and I get thin blue smoke every time because I’m using great splits. Moisture level at 20% or below. The only thing I haven’t tried is to close my exhaust most of the way. Can anyone help?

 

[moonkmm80]

Based in Ireland
Im using naturally seasoned oak, the wood is nice and dry.
Added some pics alsoView attachment 520386View attachment 520387View attachment 520386

Did you ever figure out why you can’t get any smoke flavor? I’m having same issue. I haven’t tried closing my exhaust halfway.