What's up from Iowa

[mbloom24]

Hello!

I have been lurking on this site and smoking for about 6 months or so. I went out and bought an ECB Gormet to try and see if I could enjoy some smoked food and so far it's been pretty fun... if I smoke pork. I think that I may have a problem that most guys with ECB's don't have-- Too much heat! Seems that no matter what I do, the smoker goes up to 300 and hangs solidly in there, door open or closed. I put a damper to close (and open) the hole in the bottom of the charcoal pan and that didn't seem to do anything, either.

So anyway's if anyone has any ideas to get my temps to 225 that would be great! Even though 300 is too hot, I can smoke pork and it turns out really well. Did a brisket once.... and at that temp you can about imagine how fun that was to eat. If I can figure out how to post pics, maybe I can put some on here of my smoking machine and that may help if someone recognizes something that I've done wrong.

Thanks!
Matt

 

[meowey]

Matt,

Welcome!

I don't have an ECB, so I can't do much in the way of giving advice. I can say that we're glad you decided to join us. The friendly folks here will make a sincere effort to help you and answer your question.

Regards,

Meowey

 

[ultramag]

Matt,

Welcome to SMF!!! If you didn't do so while lurking you might consider taking Jeff's 5 day e-course. I also am not familiar with the ECB, but hang loose someone will be. I would suggest a new post in the charcoal smoker section perhaps.

 

[Dutch]

Matt, Welcome to SMF. My first smoker was an ECB. I use the Minion method for my charcoal. Place two starter chimney full of unlit charcoal in your fire pan. Refill the chimney and light. When the charcoal ashes over, pour the lit charcoal over the top of the charcoal in the fire pan and add a couple of chunks of smoking wood. Re-assemble your smoker per instruction. When the ECB reaches your target temp. (220-250*) add your meat.

 

[smokemack]

Welcome Matt. Dutch knows best. Give it a shot dry. What I mean is, go buy a bag of charcoal and try Dutch's suggestion with no meat on the grates just to monitor temps. It'll only set you back the cost of the coals. Any how, welcome to our world. Glad to have you here!

 

[wvsmokeman]

Welcome from another former Lurker :D . Hope you get it figured out and keep us updated when you can.

 

[mbloom24]

Thanks everyone, for your responses. I've been using the Minion Method and it works well as far as even temps go, however, it's just the temperatures that I end up with that are too high. Maybe I'm using too many hot coals to get things started and should use less. Maybe only fill my chimney half or a third full to start?

Matt

 

[cajunsmoker]

I'm going to ask a dumb question, but are you keeping plenty of water in your water pan? I smoked on ECB's for years and the only time I had a high temp problem was when my water pan was real low.

 

[mbloom24]

Roger that, it's full.

That actually brings me up another question- should that water be boiling? Because it doesn't really ever seem like it really is-- at least not what you'd expect at 300 degrees. I've verified my thermometers by testing them where water starts to boil in a pan on the stove. While I am smoking one is reading on the top grate and the other in the exhaust temp. (I put a 2" smokestack in the lid). They both tend to read very closely to each other, too.


Matt

 

[cajunsmoker]

The water in my pan did boil. It wasn't a real hard boil, but more like a simmer.

 

[mbloom24]

Thanks! That's the way mine acts-- just kind of a simmer, although I thought at the temps I was running it would be a pretty aggressive boil. I wonder if alot of that heat gets to moving around outsides of the pan and doesn't really get the water as hot as I'd expect it to.