How to control temperature in an offset smoker?!
Answers: I get elected to smoke turkeys and briskets frequently. However, I think my results are more luck than anything else. I cant seem to get a firm handle on controlling the temp inside the smoker. I have an offset smoker... The smoke stack has no damper, so I use a piece of wood to regulate that end. I have a damper on the firebox. How do I use these two to control the temp? How to they relate to temperature? It would seem that sometimes adding more air cools, sometimes it fuels the fire and makes it hotter than hell.... Please help.
Don't worry about the smokestack damper. Remove the piece of wood. Only use the damper in the firebox. To lower the temp close the damper & to raise the temp open the damper. More oxygen means more heat. Make your adjustments a little at a time. Soon you will know your smoker well enough to know how open or closed it will need to be. Having two adjustables creates too many variables to contend with. Get yourself a remote thermometer (Polder).
Stick the probe end through an apple or onion & set it a grill level while you're cooking. It will be easier to maintain your low temps. You can set an alarm in the thermometer to let you know when the heat is out of a certain range, too high or too low. You may also want to get a second thermometer for the meat so you'll know when it reaches the correct internal temp. Using these thermometers also means you won't have the door open as often. "If you're lookin you ain't cookin".
I use another remote thermometer & keep the probe in the meat. That way I can monitor grill temp & interior meat temp without ever opening the door.
Well the dampers do have a lot to do with it.
I also use a mix of charcoal and whatever type of wood I am using (hickory, apple, pecan)
I start with 2 chimney starters of charcoal and about 5 lumps of wood and get my temp under control 200-225 before I Even add the meat. I have the side damper open about 1/4 of and inch and the stack damper almost closed.
From that point I control with the stack damper. If the temp starts to drop I open it. If it starts climbing I close it off. That will slow the airflow over the fire.
Vert smokers are made for the occasional smoker or what they would call in the auto industry an automatic, what you have is a "stick-shift", it takes alot more practice to get the hang of it. One thing that stands out is, and I'll guess at this, you want to control the temp "down", this will take that practice, start with half the amount of wood you normally would, I'll assume you have a temp gauge and a timer, set the timer for one hour when you have your wood ignited, record the time and temp when the wood grays, close draft dampener, wait 15 minutes record temp, then do the reverse.
Add a measured amount of wood and start the monitoring again. After a few readings you will have the data you'll need for control of the amount of "heat", I sure hope you noticed I said "heat" and not smoke which actually only happens in the first hour of "smoking".
no clue