My First Smoke (and question)!

[Guest]

Right off the bat, I'd like to say this was an incredible experience. Probably couldn't have been better IMO.

I used one unlit chimney (chimney is from Lowes and only hold about 4lbs) on top of one lit chimney of Kingsford (yes, I returned that d@mn Matchlight *grumble*). 4 chunks of hickory (2 med and 2 smaller). From light time to cooker assembly and adding the slab was about 1h 20m. It smoked at about a constant 235-245* for 2 hours before I turned it. I turned up the heat to about 255-265* and they were about done at 3h 30m.

I followed the BRITU recipe best i could and they came out fantastic. Yeah, I cooked them a bit hotter and faster because time was limited. Next time I won't tho.

Here's my main concern/question from my first experience. With all the vents open, the temp would never go above 265* (i was shooting for 275*). I'm assuming this is because I had less fuel (remember, the Lowe's chimney's only hold 4lbs or so, I had 8lbs total)? Did I miss something else?

Anyways, thanks for all the advice here! This summer is gonna rock!

 

[Paul G.]

less fuel, less heat. I agree, had you been using a Weber chimney you would have had about 12 lbs versus 8 lbs with the one you used. Isn't that about 50% more ? However, it sounds like you had an adequate amount and that's what counts.

Paul

 

[Jim Clay]

The main problem is the water in the pan. Keep in mind that the water absorbs energy and heat. Since water cannot go over 212 degrees it's going to limit how hot your smoker gets. That's what the water is there for, to regulate heat. If you want to get the temps up above 275 you're going to need to drain (or not replace) the water in the pan.

I generally let the water just run out toward the end of a smoke. It lets me control the heat on the high side better and it makes for an easier clean up at the end, that is, if you foil your water pan.

Hope this helps.

JC