What am I doing wrong? WSM 14.5"

[birdman080]

I am trying to smoke a pork loin...But one hour into it (without meat on), I still have white smoke.

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• birdman080
• Jan 21, 2017

I used the minion method...Top vent is wide open, bottom vents I have two closed and one wide open. Maintaining about 300°

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• birdman080
• Jan 13, 2017

How long should it take for "good" smoke???

 

[dirtsailor2003]

What's the outside temp? What fuel and wood?

Have you used the smoker before?

 

[birdman080]

Outside temp is in upper 50's. I used KBB and hickory chunks. This is my first true smoke....Only other use was last weekend for a burn in.

After the smoker "calmed down" (about 2 hours in), I finally had TBS with all vents wide open, so I took one of the pork loin halves out of the oven and put it on. It turned out tasty...

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• birdman080
• Jan 21, 2017

 

[SmokinAl]

It looks to me like you put too many lit briquettes on the unlit ones.

For your 14.5, you only need 8-10 lit briquettes to start the fire.

Put them on top of a full ring of charcoal & wood chunks that are mixed in with each other.

Don't put the lit ones right on top of a wood chunk.

Al

 

[cornman]

Al, thank you for this tip. I'm going to try this.

Happy that the pork came out good! It looks like you had a good beverage to go with it.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Give this thread a read

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/257071/side-light-method-for-charcoal-smokers

 

[birdman080]

 
It looks to me like you put too many lit briquettes on the unlit ones.

For your 14.5, you only need 8-10 lit briquettes to start the fire.

Put them on top of a full ring of charcoal & wood chunks that are mixed in with each other.

Don't put the lit ones right on top of a wood chunk.

Al

Thank you.  I will try that.  I might also try using the wax cubes to light my grill, since the ring is a lot smaller than I thought.  Some of the wood chunks wouldn't fit.

Al, thank you for this tip. I'm going to try this.

Happy that the pork came out good! It looks like you had a good beverage to go with it.

Yep, the SN Tropical Torpedo was really good.  I used to not like IPA's, but I started liking them after drinking several Sierra Nevada Beer Camp IPA's last year.  I really like the citrusy flavors.

 

[jheroth74]

Why not put the lit charcoal on the top of the wood chunks?

 

[jheroth74]

Couldnt you just load and light your chimney up and pour it in your basket?

 

[gr8day]

I have an 18.5 and have found if I mix wood chunks in with the charcoal and some wood chunks are exposed when I pour my full Weber Compact Chimney (holds about 25 briquettes) of ashed over coals over unlit coals and wood it takes about an 60 to 75 minutes to clean up. If I don't add wood chunks I have clean smoke from the get go I throw a couple of chunks on top when I put the meat on,  I do a lot of cooking with the Weber Hanging Kit so I'm cooking a lot of times directly over coals without a diffuser, so it's easy to throw a couple of chunks without even opening the door. I use RO briquettes and Cowboy Lump. 

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I have an 18.5 and have found if I mix wood chunks in with the charcoal and some wood chunks are exposed when I pour my full Weber Compact Chimney (holds about 25 briquettes) of ashed over coals over unlit coals and wood it takes about an 60 to 75 minutes to clean up. If I don't add wood chunks I have clean smoke from the get go I throw a couple of chunks on top when I put the meat on,  I do a lot of cooking with the Weber Hanging Kit so I'm cooking a lot of times directly over coals without a diffuser, so it's easy to throw a couple of chunks without even opening the door. I use RO briquettes and Cowboy Lump. 

Using this method I have clean burning fuel and TBS in less than 15 minutes in either my 14.5 or my 18.5.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/257071/side-light-method-for-charcoal-smokers

 

[jheroth74]

Can't keep up temp on wsm 14.5, full basket of Kingsford blue, 15 degrees outside and very windy... any suggestions?

 

[cornman]

Doing the same thing with a pork shoulder as we speak. It's cold and windy here in central PA. I put my WSM out of the wind as much as possible. If possible, can you reposition your smoker out of the wind? Do you have some type of safe wind barrier? I've found wind is hard on my WSM as it really sucks the heat out. I've found protecting it from the wind and letting the charcoal heat up is the best bet, but I'm also not the absolute expert. Good luck, hope it works out for you!

 

[jheroth74]

I could only retain 190 degrees so I took it out of the wsm, IT temp was only 160, put in the oven at 300 to finish, it's at 190 IT temp right now, should I take it out to rest?