maintaining temps/fire?

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sinfony78
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maintaining temps/fire?

Postby sinfony78 » Tue Jun 16, 2015 11:16 am

can i get a rough breakdown of how/when to add logs to maintain temps?

if i were smoking at 250, started with some coals and a piece of wood, got temp at 250:

1) about when would you add more wood - when temps drop to a certain level or when wood has burned down to embers?
2) after adding new wood, when do you start adjusting dampers to get temps back to 250 - after wood has been burning for a few minutes? a specific time period or kind of fire you are looking for?
3) how much higher do your temps get when a new piece of wood is added?

thanks
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Re: maintaining temps/fire?

Postby txsmkmstr » Tue Jun 16, 2015 2:32 pm

...
Last edited by txsmkmstr on Thu Jun 18, 2015 7:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: maintaining temps/fire?

Postby k.a.m. » Tue Jun 16, 2015 3:46 pm

I run with my exhaust wide open always. I control my temps with my intake air, this way I am cooking with coals and not flaming logs. Once my cooker is set for the day I rarely adjust the intakes.
Once you learn your cooker and how big a coal base she likes to maintain your desired temps then adding a split at the right time is easy.
Example my cooker likes to run between 245° and 275° with a balance temp around 250°. This cycle is about 45 min. to 60 min. depending on wind and so forth.
To maintain this I add a pre-warmed split when my grate temp hits about 250°, she drops to about 245° then climbs back up to around 275° and we repeat the cycle.
Learning where to catch your cooker on the fall and maintaining a small hot coal base is the key.
I hope this helps. :D
Always remember slow and steady wins the race.



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Re: maintaining temps/fire?

Postby Gator » Tue Jun 16, 2015 3:53 pm

k.a.m. wrote:I run with my exhaust wide open always. I control my temps with my intake air, this way I am cooking with coals and not flaming logs. Once my cooker is set for the day I rarely adjust the intakes.
Once you learn your cooker and how big a coal base she likes to maintain your desired temps then adding a split at the right time is easy.
Example my cooker likes to run between 245° and 275° with a balance temp around 250°. This cycle is about 45 min. to 60 min. depending on wind and so forth.
To maintain this I add a pre-warmed split when my grate temp hits about 250°, she drops to about 245° then climbs back up to around 275° and we repeat the cycle.
Learning where to catch your cooker on the fall and maintaining a small hot coal base is the key.
I hope this helps. :D


What KAM said. Yup. :cheers:
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Re: maintaining temps/fire?

Postby sinfony78 » Tue Jun 16, 2015 7:59 pm

will having too large of a coal base throw off temps as much as not having enough coal?
i have noticed that on my current offset, the later i get into my cook, the more steady the temps are...i usually start off with a full chimney of coals to start and 2-3 logs, but that sounds like a lot...maybe it's just this smoker is odd like that, too
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Re: maintaining temps/fire?

Postby BluDawg » Tue Jun 16, 2015 9:06 pm

I'd listen to K.A.M. he learnt that from me :P :laughing7:
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Re: maintaining temps/fire?

Postby Gator » Tue Jun 16, 2015 9:46 pm

BluDawg wrote:I'd listen to K.A.M. he learnt that from me :P :laughing7:


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Re: maintaining temps/fire?

Postby limey » Wed Jun 17, 2015 5:08 pm

I also start of with a full chimney of charcoal or lump and a few split pieces of your preferred wood. Wouldn't worry about the higher temp at the start because of you putting cold meat on the pit, wont hurt a thing, should stabilize after a while. I usually have to add a stick about every 40 or 45 minutes to the fire. Will take a lil getting use to but that is the fun of a stickburner.
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Re: maintaining temps/fire?

Postby k.a.m. » Thu Jun 18, 2015 10:52 am

BluDawg wrote:I'd listen to K.A.M. he learnt that from me :P :laughing7:

:lol: :lol: :lol:
Always good for a laugh Dawg. :D

sinfony78 wrote:will having too large of a coal base throw off temps as much as not having enough coal?
i have noticed that on my current offset, the later i get into my cook, the more steady the temps are...i usually start off with a full chimney of coals to start and 2-3 logs, but that sounds like a lot...maybe it's just this smoker is odd like that, too

I think starting with two logs and a chimney of charcoal is fine. Getting your cooker up to temp and letting your cooker get stable is two different time frames. Just because your grates get up to temp in 30 minutes doesn't mean the chamber is stable because the steal is still cool. My cooker takes about one hour to stabilize, starting with a good coal base. I like to cook between 245° and 275° when I start my cooker I let her climb to about 290° then adjust my intakes and wait for her to start falling, when she is around 275° I put my meat on.
Always remember slow and steady wins the race.



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