Problems and Questions about NG Smoker

[willbeg4q]

I got my natural gas smoker up and running yesterday and had a very difficult time getting wood to smoke unless the air temp in the smoker was 314 or higher (measured with thermoworks chef alarm and air probe). I read some threads on here that talked about propane eating some smoke and water preventing smoke, so I replaced the water with play sand. That didn’t make a difference for smoke. I then laid a grate on the bottom pan and placed the chip tray on the grate. This brought the tray from about 6” from the burner guard to 1” above the guard. I was able to get smoke at that point, but after TBS occurred, my temps slowly climbed to 315. I removed the sand pan, and the temps started climbing rapidly. I placed water back in the pan and the temp dropped and leveled to 250. I can live with that.

Today, I smoked pork spare ribs with a combo of mesquite pellets, chips, and chunks (and water in the pan). I decided to forgo the 3-2-1 method and just leave in the rack at 250 until done. They turned out pretty juicy with a nice bark, but the smoke only penetrated a little less than 1/16” inch. I would like to see a little more penetration and get more smoke flavor. I wonder if there is an airflow issue but can’t just go drilling holes since the inner layer is stainless steel. I’m guessing I’d need a special stainless hole saw for that. I have the following questions:

Do any of you gasser guys know if drilling 1” holes at the top and bottom will help airflow on a NG grill like they do on propane?

If I’m getting ok smoke like I mentioned above, will drilling holes help any?

Is it normal to way overshoot temps with sand when smoking and not with water (chips were not on fire)?

What are your recommendations to achieve heavier smoke? (I am getting an AMNTS tonight to try next time)

Should I combine the AMTS with chips or chunks in the pan?

Thanks in advance for the help and see below for some qview and smoker pics.

 

[willbeg4q]

I forgot to mention I smoked some peppers, onions, squash, and zucchini at 275 for 1.5 hours last night. I got my AMNTS today and wanted an easy way to see the smoke flavor it produced. I smoked the same vegetables at 275 for 1.5 hours, and compared results. The AMTS smoked like a freight train, but the smoke taste was lighter than when I was using the combo of pellets, chips, and chunks. It makes me wonder how light the smoke flavor would be with ribs. The AMNTS had no issues with staying lit, and seemed to smoke the same whether the bottom door was cracked or not. Now I'm really not sure if I should drill extra holes in the smoker. Thoughts?

 

[gmc2003]

The amnts is a cleaner burning smoke, so you will need to run it longer during your cooks. I would hold off drilling any holes in your smoker until you've used it for a while.

Chris

 

[oldsmokerdude]

I used a gasser (it was a cheap one) for about a month or two a few years back. I noticed that it was difficult to maintain an even temperature, though I didn't have any problem getting smoke or smoke ring (which is NOT that important). Like Chris, I would not recommend modifying your smoker till you've used it for a few months. But that's just me. Every cooker is different and it takes some time to learn their peculiarities. Just keep at it, after all, you get to eat your experiments!

 

[daveomak]

If there is no exhaust in the top of the smoker, good air flow is necessary for good smoked meat.. The AMNTS should be above the flame so the smoke is not consumed by the flame and to the side as to not get the AMNTS too hot... The gap around the burner "should" add enough air for good air flow from the bottom of the smoker...
SS is a witch to drill... Use a very slow drill speed so you don't burn the drill bit.. Once you start drilling... DO NOT STOP... SS will work harden.. Stopping "usually" makes it impossible to finish the hole..
A plasma torch is wonderful for making holes in stainless...

 

[willbeg4q]

Thanks for the responses, guys! I was about to buy a 1” hole saw for stainless, but I’ll hold off for a while. Im not sure if there’s enough airflow, but both top side vents feel like air is pushing out fairly hard. There is no stack in the very top, though. I will be smoking a lot of food in the near future trying to figure this thing out. I like a heavy smoke, and it would be nice to be able to achieve that on NG. With the design of this smoker, I don’t have the ability to get the smoke any closer than 3” above the top of the flame, so I guess that means the flame is not eating the smoke.

 

[daveomak]

Side vents in the walls is perfect...

 

[HalfSmoked]

Will take time to learn how to control it. As suggested don't do any mods until you have exhausted the art of learning your smoker.

Warren

 

[willbeg4q]

Will take time to learn how to control it. As suggested don't do any mods until you have exhausted the art of learning your smoker.

Warren

Thanks, and that's exactly what I will do.