smokers - fire control thoughts

C

capnamerca

500+ Posts
I know we have a bunch of smokers on here (not cigarettes, meat). I've been doing it consistently for about two years now, and something I still struggle with is fire control - keeping the heat where I want it. During yesterday's cook, I tried something a little different, and really liked the results, so I thought I'd share.

I use about 7lbs of charcoal in a chimney starter to get a coal bed going. I buy the 10lb bag of mesquite (or pecan) small logs from Academy - the mesh purple bag, small non-split logs, usually about 4inches across and a foot long, roughly. Anyhow, I'll add one of those logs to the just-dumped logs, to get a good fire going. I'll go ahead and put on the meat - as the long catches, the temp tends to spike to around 300 or so, then settle into the mid 240's.

The new strategy I used today was a more-maintenance-less-variance approach. Usually, I can add larger chunks of fuel and get more burn time, but I experience large swings in temps - dips to 200 as the logs exprire, and spikes to 300 as the two new 'large' logs catch again. Yesterday, I took a small hatchet and quartered most of the logs from the bag - just split each one twice, vertically. Over the course of the day, I added these smaller pieces, but I added them more frequently. After the inital spike, I never saw a temp north of 260, and never got below 230. Each time I saw the temps trending downward, I walked outside and added one of these smaller splits. I had to add one every 30 minutes or so, but the fire was super-controlled.

It was my best brisket ever, as well.

Just thought I'd share - this will definately be the method I work to perfect over time.
 
all that work and it ain't necessary if you practice air control. I cook my briskets when I am asleep, and they turn out great, it's all in controlling the amount of air that the fire gets.
 
While tinkering with a fire can be enjoyable and part of the whole bbq experience, the frequent opening and closing of the firebox alone can cause temperature swings. The addition of a large quantity of cold wood to the fire not only causes a future temp spike but increases the chance of creosote contamination to your meat and cooking chamber interior. By using smaller split logs, the temp spikes and creosote issues are minimized but still exist. Using properly aged wood is probably the best means of avoiding creosote, but that doesn't eliminate the risk. Some people will only introduce partially burnt wood or hot coals into a fire in order to avoid creosote, but that is not exactly a low maintenance approach. There is a popular method that requires far less maintenance and chance of creosote contamination known as the Minion Method.

The Minion Method basically involves loading your firebox with unlit fuel is gradually lit by the active fire. One version is by vertically layering lit fuel on top of unlit fuel allowing the lit fuel to gradually burns down into the unlit fuel. The use of a simple tool known as a charcoal box or ring can be helpful. Another version of the Minion Method involves the horizontal placement of unlit fuel and lit fuel, where the fire gradually moves towards the unlit fuel.

I practice both versions depending upon the smoker I use and they both work. I welded together a simple expanded metal ring for my bullet smoker and just bent together an expanded metal basket for my smaller trailer pit to help hold the fuel, which is usually a mixture of small logs (pecan or oak) and B&B Oak Lump. With my larger trailer pit I just load the box and get the pear burner after the end closest to the door and let it naturally and gradually burn across the firebox.

The smoker itself has a lot to do with how long your cook times are before refueling. Air leaks and pit material both play a factor, of course, but I can even get up to 6 hr cooks out of a thin wall bullet smoker using the Minion Method. My large trailer pit is 3/8" plate steel so, although it takes awhile to reach cooking temp, it holds that temp for ages it seems. Ceramic cookers will hold temp very long times as well.

S197HQQKEM has a valid point with air control. That is a critical part of fire control.
 
It takes 3 things for a fire, an ignition source (heat), fuel, and air. Air is the easiest thing to control if you have a relatively airtight firebox, damp down the air coming in and your fuel lasts longer don't control the air and it burns up fast.

I learned this from a german tile woodstove that I had, it had a dial on the intake damper that would actually let you set the temp that the stove was at, hat C degrees on it. Dial it to what you wanted and the damper would open and close to keep the stove at that temp. Want it hot, and it would burn a butload of wood in no time flat, and heat up the house to 98 degrees in no time flat. load it up with wood and turn the temp down and it would damp down the air and a load of wood would last 10 hours while keeping the house at a comfortable temp.


I build a small charcoal fire in my firebox, them put my brisket on, and then put the smoking wood that I am using, usually a mix of mesquite and hickory chunks soaked in water so they will smoke faster and not burn up in a hurry and then more charcoal so I don't get a creosote whang, and close it down pretty tight. It makes lots of smoke right away then in an hour settles down to a nice steady slow smoke and burn, I usually look once in an hour at the briskets and then go to bed, and when I wake up in 7 or 8 hours look again and see if I need to add more fuel, usually I don't I just need to stir the fire up a little and let it cook some more until time to wrap in foil.
 
how much wood? maybe a dozen fist sized chunks, evenly split between hickory and mesquite. then more charcoal on top of that. and then damp it down so it will burn a long time. I get the wood and charcoal from Wal-mart, use the house brand of charcoal and the chunk wood that comes in plastic 5 or 10 lb bags.
 
i just throw some oaks logs on and let them burn. It gets hot and makes smoke. Perfect for, you know, smoking a brisket.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Weekly Prediction Contest

* Predict HORNS-AGGIES *
Sat, Nov 30 • 6:30 PM on ABC

Recent Threads

Prediction Results Threads

2024 Schedules

Back
Top