charcoal, wood smoker

[gaboy]

having a problem controlling the low temp with this smoker. it is a charcoal ok. joe with a fire box on the side. just sealed the cooker side now I need to seal gaps on air dampener. as it is now the only way to control the temp is by the amount of charcoal added. i won't tend it like that, if sealing does not work I will put a dampener between the two compartments so I can fill the fire box and walk away for a while. the chimney dampener is not the answer here. is this the norm for a charcoal burner? your thoughts please.

[CatFan]

You don't want to close off the connection to the firebox. Air flow through the cooking side is important on these to keep from having big differences in temp from one side to the other. Some of these type smokers have a kind of baffle in the opening from firebox to cooking side to help even it out.

Are you having problems keeping the temp low enough or high enough? Putting two thermometers in, one on each side can be eye opening.

[mxmike]

I have the same cooker and it's very hard to maintain temps but doable with a lot of tending . It is far from "set and forget"

The only way to keep low temps is to maintain a small fire and add small amounts of fuel at a time. As Catfan said . don't block off the firebox as it needs airflow. I leave my side firebox door wide open most times. Sometimes I also need to prop open the top firebox door open a few inches to keep temps down.

[bassworm1]

do have plates in the bottom??if not you put can put plates in the bottom to do a reverse smoke this will even out the heat and make it more manageable.ive been researching this for awhile for my smoker build and this seems to work on the store bought smokers. also re routing your smoke stack or lowering it helps also.

[Bwell]

Make a charcoal box for the firebox, this will really help with the temps. You can go to home depot and get the metal needed, just cut it with tin snips or angle grinder. Youtube charcoal box Oklahoma Joe, and it will tell you what you need and how to cut it. Its very simple.

Once you have the charcoal box made, you fill the box with charcoal and then get about 20 lit coals going in a chimney and dump that on the unlit coals. This will allow you to maintain small amounts of heat and also burn the charcoal at a slower place. This is called the minion method....

[07SkeeterZX225]

I've got a Oklahoma Joe Longhorn and to maintain 225-250 I use about 1/2 chimney of royal oak lump charcoal with bottom vent about 1/2 open and top 1/2 open. Can maintain those temps for around 1 hour with little to no tending beforr I have to add more coals

[gaboy]

the problem is keeping the temp. low enough and I do have 2 thermometers and on average there will be 60-70 deg. diff. within the 2 feet at low temp.. I have done the same things mxmike to control the heat as you do but feel like I am wasting charcoal. I agree that the two compartments do not need to be separated but the baffle was thought of as regulator. bassworm1 that was my thoughts on the stack, put a 270 deg. box around the chimney opening and drop it to the shelf height.

[gaboy]

so I went to youtube to checkout the suggestions and to answer your question bassworm1, no I do not have the plates but will probably be putting some in. I did see the video on the fire box (minion method) and am interested in fabricating one as soon as I return to work. 07skeeter it did not take but one time to realize with the smoker as is not to put a full chimney in it. I let it get really hot before opening it. it was new so I thought what the heck it will kill anything in it. and I thought the meat was expensive until I bought a smoker. surprise, spices and charcoal. this may keep the boat in the yard a little bit more or maybe I can carry the smoker to the lake. thanks to all

[bassworm1]

Check out these sites lots of info.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/1...-time-building

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_tech...t_smokers.html

[gaboy]

i checked the sites out also thanks.I smoked a ham for Christmas and other that sealing the smoker no other mods have been done so far. I dumped about 3/4 of a chimney starter in and had no problems keeping the low temp to 225f. I could have walked away from it for an hour or more at a time.

[CatFan]

i checked the sites out also thanks.I smoked a ham for Christmas and other that sealing the smoker no other mods have been done so far. I dumped about 3/4 of a chimney starter in and had no problems keeping the low temp to 225f. I could have walked away from it for an hour or more at a time.

That is reasonable. A remote reading thermometer is pretty handy and you won't have to keep going out to check the temp.

[okhawg]

A little late, but I have one and and run with the chimney vent always wide open. The box does have some gaps, but I leave just enough ash at clean out to rake up against the fire box door bottom and up the sides a bit to seal it for the next run. I can set and hold the temp for 3 1/2-4 hrs at 200-300 deg. easily with a full load of lump charcoal.

[Sharpcard]

I have a couple similar off-set smokers.

The only mods I have done is lower the chimney to grate level and seal it up what I could. I keep the chimney damper open and adjust with the firebox damper. I do use a wire basket to hold the charcoal, you can make your own out of expanded metal but I found some at Lowes that work well.

One thing to remember is that charcoal briquettes are much more forgiving than lump especially for keeping the temps lower.

Good Luck

[gaboy]

the remote therm. info would be handy dandy, I smoked 2, 12+ pd. hams for friends and their families a few days back and naturally the one closest to the fire was ready way ahead of the other. I used apple juice for evaporation and the hams did not appear to be as moist as when i used water. of course I could not do a taste test since they were going to other homes. I am thinking about going to wood coals like for a pit. great new interest for me and a lot of good tips from the board community.

[basscat22]

If you are wanting something that is set and forget. Green Mountain all the way. Hell I can control it from the couch.

[gaboy]

I take you are talking electric which I will also buy for the convenience of. will take a look at g.m. thanks . I have not looked at the auto pellet feed yet.