Smoke Issue


 
D

David Livesay

New member
I've done a couple of cooks on my new WSM 22 and I love it. However, I do have a question. Once I lock in on a temp. smoke billows out for 45-60 minutes before it finally settles down into a beautiful thin blue smoke. Is it normal to take so long? The smoke isn't acrid smelling, but there is a LOT of it until it settles in. If it's normal to take this long I'll adjust my cook times, but if there's a way to shorten this I'd sure like to know.
 
That sounds about right......plus it kind of depends on what wood you're using...it's almost impossible to over-smoke with apple so you WSM can chug out heavy smoke longer without bad results, however....put one too many chunks of hickory on it can end up tasting like blech regardless of smoke color/duration
 
Yeah that is spot on to what I experience, some people put the meat on during that time, but most time I wait until I get Thin Blue Smoke.
 
Chad-Burnt to a T said:
I have never had an issue. I get it to stabilize and on goes the meat. No reason to waste an hour once it hits the desired temp and stays that's all I care.
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This is what I've been doing for as long as I can remember. Why waste time and fuel?

I've only waited for that "thin blue smoke" once, and it took too long and made no difference, (to our taste buds anyway)

I tend to go light on the wood anyway, especially with hickory, or mesquite. A little smoke goes a long way, especially with poultry.
 
This is what I've been doing for as long as I can remember. Why waste time and fuel?

This is an often debated topic. I'm in the just start cooking/don't wait camp. Seems fine to me.

Among other reasons, the cooker doesn't really "stabilize" until after the fully loaded cooker comes up to temp. Since adding pounds of water and/or pounds of cold meat de-stabilizes whatever was going on before.

Once the big puffs of smoke from the chimney starter slack off after 15-20 minutes, I load it up and get cooking.

Like many on here, I do bury my wood chunks in the coal pile. With the thought that doing that helps with the good/bad smoke thing.
 
In my experience, the white smoke at the start is from the briquettes. They give off a lot of white smoke when they're lighting quickly. Once they ash over the smoke stops. They don't seem to smoke as much when they catch very slowly, or perhaps there just isn't enough smoke after the initial rush for it to be noticed.

You can minimize the smoke by using the Minion method, lighting just a few briquettes, dumping them on top of the filled charcoal ring, and letting the rest catch slowly over the time of the cook.
 
White smoke is not bad ( as already mentioned) Black or grey smoke is a poorly combusted fire and no way would /should you add the meat.
I'm a start my MM and load my meat on immediately type of guy.
No need to wait for anything IMO...;)
Oh and on edit, It is called a Smoker for a reason..:D
 
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I used B&B Competition Briquettes for the first time last week. They only produced a wisp of smoke. It might be because they’re made out of lump with no fillers.
 
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