Question on hot vs cold smoking.

[fwismoker]

I hope this isn't an episode of the "Mr Obvious Show" with this question. 

With cold smoking  it seems i have way more smoke going out my exhaust and out the door when i open it vs when i have the heat on.  Does something happen to the smoke in a cooking chamber when the heat gets say 250-300 degrees?  

It just seems like when  the cooking chamber gets very hot the smoke seems less pronounced.  Thanks

 

[s2k9k]

What kind of smoker are you using?

 

[fwismoker]

I'm using the smoker that's in my picture.  Basically it's an offset smoker design.  When i'm cold smoking ( i use a smoke daddy) for cold smoking or for hot smoking which works fine. My question is when i turn on my heat for hot smoking (propane) i see less smoke in my cooking chamber and out of the exhaust.   I can adjust my smoke..that's not a problem but i am just curious if something happens to smoke with high heat.   

 

[s2k9k]

I use propane also and have read where the flame of a propane burner can "burn up" the smoke. I have an external fire box (EFB) on mine so I can use an AMNPS. The inlet to the chamber from the EFB is right above the burner. When I first built this I noticed that I was getting very little smoke out the top vent even though I could smell it very well and still got smoke flavor in the meat. After I read about the burner "burning up" the smoke I installed a baffle between the burner and the inlet and I noticed a lot more smoke coming out the vent. I really don't know the science behind this but I do believe that a propane flame will "burn up" the smoke even though the smell and flavor remain, just invisible.

 

[fwismoker]

Huh interesting...There is definitely some crazy physics going on with high heat pouring in the cooking chamberthat interacts with the smoke coming in.  I'm planning on placing my water pan in between where the heat comes in and where the smoke comes in to act as a baffle as you were saying.  I thought about that today but haven't had a cook on the smoker to try it out yet. 

 

[s2k9k]

I don't remember who wrote it but I found it while researching using an AMNPS in a propane smoker on here. It was either NWDave or forluvofsmoke, they both have written a lot of their research with propane smokers on here. Very detailed and technical threads, I have learned a lot from them.

 

[fwismoker]

S2  this is what i believe it is... It's the same concept as a new furnace or wood stove that runs more efficiently because it re burns the combustion that is produced. 

In my situation the high heat is burning up part of the smoke that is in the cooking chamber. This is just a guess but it makes sense. 

 

[fwismoker]

By putting a baffle in between the smoke and the heat inlet as you suggested as well as cranking up the smoke a little should remedy it.   Thanks for insight!

 

[s2k9k]

You're welcome! I have found though, if you can't see the smoke but can still smell it, it still gets into the meat and adds flavor.