250 gallon offset smoker

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k.a.m. USER_AVATAR
k.a.m.
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Re: 250 gallon offset smoker

Postby k.a.m. » Wed Nov 03, 2021 3:14 pm

Do you start with just wood or some sort of charcoal or lump?
If it were me on that size cooker I would put about 3 lbs of lit charcoal or lump and two splits of wood. let the splits turn to coals regulating your heat as this process goes. Then once your stable put meat on the cooker and continue to feed your coal base as needed. A cooker that size needs at least an hour to an hour and a half to get hot and stable before adding meat.
On a side note if you are losing your coal base you are waiting too long to add a wood split.
Always remember slow and steady wins the race.



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Re: 250 gallon offset smoker

Postby Rambo » Wed Nov 03, 2021 4:24 pm

k.a.m. wrote:Do you start with just wood or some sort of charcoal or lump?
If it were me on that size cooker I would put about 3 lbs of lit charcoal or lump and two splits of wood. let the splits turn to coals regulating your heat as this process goes. Then once your stable put meat on the cooker and continue to feed your coal base as needed. A cooker that size needs at least an hour to an hour and a half to get hot and stable before adding meat.
On a side note if you are losing your coal base you are waiting too long to add a wood split.

What I said exactly
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Re: 250 gallon offset smoker

Postby Artur » Wed Nov 03, 2021 5:31 pm

I stack 5 or 6 splits and light them with a propane torch.
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Re: 250 gallon offset smoker

Postby GRailsback » Wed Nov 03, 2021 6:25 pm

Artur wrote:I stack 5 or 6 splits and light them with a propane torch.


I do the same thing, but I let them go to coals and I am rolling thin blue smoke before I throw any meat on. Then I just feed as needed. I don't use any charcoal either. My propane starters are built in, I let them run for 15-20 minutes then turn them off. Let the pit spike and then settle out with the coal base. I can usually find plenty to do while I am waiting on it. I also keep my wood dry as well.
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Re: 250 gallon offset smoker

Postby flexster » Thu Nov 04, 2021 4:47 pm

k.a.m. wrote:In my opinion 275° is a great temp to cook at. What are your differences left to right? A 50° difference is not unrealistic in my opinion. Once you learn the cooker the temp or sweet spot it likes to run at makes your day much more enjoyable. The other side of the coin is you can fight it trying to make the cooker cook at lower temps than it likes to.


I broke in my new LSG 20x42 offset smoker this week. Chris's directions emphasize not to exceed 250º for four to six hours of burn time. I got the inside all "Pamed" up and started the fire. Before I fired it it I put five Taylor oven thermometer in it. Three on the top rack and two on the bottom rack. I had it all dialed in at 225º for about two good hours never opening the cooking chamber door. I thought this should be a good time to check temperatures. The LSG TeleTru door gauge read a study 225º. I open the chamber and took a quick but accurate read of the thermometers. Top rack from left to right: L 250º,C 250º and R 275º. Bottom rack from left to right: L 225º and R 225º. I would say this cooker has very uniform temperatures range. The fire box is on the right side of the cooker and the heat baffles are positions on the right wall very evenly. Being as heat rises I would expect on most cookers the top rack is the warmest. I think it's nice to know what and where various temperatures are in your cooker.

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