vent adjustment?

[Guest]

Ok, I'm smoking, So what? You got a problem with that?
I've read many cooks on this site that refer to cook times and vent settings. 2 at 25% one at 50. One at 50%. 2 at 50% one closed, bla bla bla.
Seems to me that if you wanted an even cook you would adjust vents "evenly". Am I missing something or is it my logical mindset?

 

[Tony Weisse]

Bob,

There is no right way; there is no wrong way. There is only the way that works best for you.

I used to fiddle with all 3 vents to adjust temp. I worried about an uneven consumption of charcoal, heat distribution, etc. I now think that this doesn't make a bit of difference. The oxygen will go where it's needed by simple magic.

My current technique is to work with basically only one vent at a time. I leave all vents open while ramping up to temp. About 10-20 degrees short of target I close off 2 vents. I then work with the remaining vent to achieve my target temp. I the temp doesn't get up there, another vent gets completely opened and my original vent (the most convenient for me to reach) gets partly closed. I continue to work with only one vent. Repeat if temp still doesn't get up to range.

I need to made some adjustments when it's windy, but this method makes temp control pretty easy to manage. Sicne I started doing it I have had virtually no problems with temp fluctuation.

 

[Dan Bond]

I'm with Tony on this one, I open one vent at a time. If I really want to kick it up fast I open the vent that has the wind if any blowing in it. After several smokes I have one vent open 100% most of the time.

 

[Dave Lewis]

Its all a matter of personal preference. There is no right way or wrong way to adjust your vents as long as you can maintain the temps. My preference is to adjust all vents equally, except if its breezy, I may close the windward vent entirely. In my early cooks, I noticed that the charcoal nearest one of the closed vents was not as burned as the charcoal nearest one of the open vents, so I began adjusting all 3 vents equally to get an even burn. It works for me, but it may not work for you. Do what works for you and don't worry about it.