Too much smoke? Why?

[finsfree]

I got an Oklahoma Joe Longhorn offset smoker. I love this thing!

One issue that I am having is too much smoke. If I place a log in the fire box it will smoke like it's supposed to (thin light smoke), but after a while that same piece of wood will start to bellow out white smoke like crazy. Why does this happen? It was working just fine and then all of a sudden I've got a huge smog of white smoke everywhere.

Why does wood do this? Is it because the wood gets too hot? I literally picked this piece of wood up with some tongs and smoke was shooting out of all sides of this thing. I had to remove it from the smoker box for a minute.

I was using seasoned dry pecan wood.

 

[sawhorseray]

Sounds like when the burn got down to the inside the split might have been wet in the center. RAY

 

[Chasdev]

IF not funky wood then lack of airflow to fire.
Instead of laying the log on the coals, set it an angle so most of it is exposed to the air to allow the flames to catch at the bottom and climb slowly climb up the log.
If only some or a few pieces steam/smoke then toss that lumber and try another batch.
You might also invest in a moisture meter, they are cheap and a real eye opener when it comes to buying "seasoned" wood.
Hint, most wood for sale is far from seasoned, and when you read it's been aging for less than a year, just say no.
Best smoking/cooking wood IMHO is dead fall or from a tree that was killed by disease or borers.
You want 15% moisture content for the best wood smoke flavor and believe me, that ain't easy to find in or around cities where the BBQ craze is in full swing.

 

[JWFokker]

Sounds like the wood isn't ready to burn yet. White smoke usually indicates "wet" wood. Isn't necessarily bad smoke, but you will struggle with it because it will burn cool as the moisture evaporates and then shoot up all of a sudden when the moisture is gone, if it doesn't just smolder the whole time. Try some kiln dried firewood from Walmart or Lowes and see if it works better. They're all hardwood, usually oak and maple and/or hickory. Very dry, burns fast, but only $6 a bag.

 

[Paul G Denton]

I am with you on the too much smoke. I get my hardwood from the local Box home improvement store...usually Kingsford whole logs in a burlap bag. I have a Dyna-Glo that i have modified to be quite sealed. Well, dang if i can't get the blue smoke to come out. I try to cook between 200-225. Also, I have the wide body model so i have plenty of room. the lowe racks tend to get quite hot, while the upper racks are much cooler. I have tried starving the wood for air to let it simmer, then it doesn't get hot enough. I open up the dampers a wee bit, and wham, it looks like an old locomotive is in my back yard!!! Im very frustrated. i have successfully made out of probably 50 attempts, 2, yes 2 pieces of meat that have come out well. Mimicking what i did in those events does not turn in to success for the next event. I love the wood smoker, but my patience wears thin. I am looking to pellet smokers. Seem to give a more sustained cooking experience of success. I feel your pain and i wish you the best of luck.

 

[thedude99]

I think it comes down to poor airflow in those smokers.

I had the same problem with my OKJ Highland, with properly seasoned wood. Smoker was sealed, happened with small splits

I upgraded to a Horizon, and the problem went away. Same wood pile.

 

[JWFokker]

I am with you on the too much smoke. I get my hardwood from the local Box home improvement store...usually Kingsford whole logs in a burlap bag. I have a Dyna-Glo that i have modified to be quite sealed. Well, dang if i can't get the blue smoke to come out. I try to cook between 200-225. Also, I have the wide body model so i have plenty of room. the lowe racks tend to get quite hot, while the upper racks are much cooler. I have tried starving the wood for air to let it simmer, then it doesn't get hot enough. I open up the dampers a wee bit, and wham, it looks like an old locomotive is in my back yard!!! Im very frustrated. i have successfully made out of probably 50 attempts, 2, yes 2 pieces of meat that have come out well. Mimicking what i did in those events does not turn in to success for the next event. I love the wood smoker, but my patience wears thin. I am looking to pellet smokers. Seem to give a more sustained cooking experience of success. I feel your pain and i wish you the best of luck.

I see two problems. Low and slow is outdated, no sense in cooking at 200-225. Just about everything cooks better at 275-300F. Low and slow ensures you have to deal with the stall, which is just evaporative cooling. You can wrap and have the bark get soft or you can wait it out. The stall ends when the meat has been dehydrated enough that the evaporative cooling effect falls off. Or you could just cook at 275+.

Second, you have the boxy Dyna Glo offset cabinet that requires all kinds of modification to get to run halfway decently. My recommendation is to cut your wood splits into good sized chunks and build your coal bed with lump charcoal. You want a small but hot fire to get clean smoke.

 

[Paul G Denton]

I see two problems. Low and slow is outdated, no sense in cooking at 200-225. Just about everything cooks better at 275-300F. Low and slow ensures you have to deal with the stall, which is just evaporative cooling. You can wrap and have the bark get soft or you can wait it out. The stall ends when the meat has been dehydrated enough that the evaporative cooling effect falls off. Or you could just cook at 275+.

Second, you have the boxy Dyna Glo offset cabinet that requires all kinds of modification to get to run halfway decently. My recommendation is to cut your wood splits into good-sized chunks and build your coal bed with lump charcoal. You want a small but hot fire to get clean smoke.

Thank you for the advice! As for the mods, I've done them all. Knew what i was getting into when I bought it and watched a ton of "how to make this smoker better" type videos for my model. It was in my price range, and it was actually quite fun to upgrade it. But I will try your recommendations next time I try to do something. Just a wee bit gun shy at the moment. I thank you again.