Maintaining a Proper Fire
Q: Jeff-I live in OKC. Where can I get good lump charcoal? Can't seem to find any! Also- using the dampers on the side of the fire box and the smoke stack to maintain is quite a challenge. Any tips?
A: Lump charcoal can be a little evasive.. I have had the best luck finding it in smaller grocery stores believe it or not. The local Piggly Wiggly, Reasors, IGA, etc. all carry it around Tulsa. I can also get it at the local fireplace and grill store in Bixby and Sapulpa.
It can be a little difficult to maintain smoking temps using the damper and intake but with practice it gets a lot easier. The first thing you should try to do is to build a 225 degree fire with the damper 3/4 open and the intake open at least half way or better. This is optimum in that it gives you good airflow while maintaining near perfect temperatures and with time you will learn how often to add a stick of wood or another scoop of lit charcoal to maintain the temperature for as long as you need.
Many people build the fire too big at first and then have to shut down the dampers and intake to cool it down and this is a perfect recipe for adding nasty creosote to your food.
There is no perfect recipe for doing it correctly since every smoker is different.. you will have to learn what is required for your particular smoker by doing it and keeping good notes.
Just a good excuse to smoke something in my opinion and while you are learning you might consider things that are fairly inexpensive like chicken.
Another good item for learning is pork butt.. it is easy to smoke and a few temperature spikes is not going to hurt it beyond repair due to the high fat content within the meat.. the fact that it is a delicious meat is just an added bonus.
Visit Smoking-Meat.com for hundreds of great tutorials and guides on smoking meat.
The Technorati Tag for this post is Maintain a Proper Fire
A: Lump charcoal can be a little evasive.. I have had the best luck finding it in smaller grocery stores believe it or not. The local Piggly Wiggly, Reasors, IGA, etc. all carry it around Tulsa. I can also get it at the local fireplace and grill store in Bixby and Sapulpa.
It can be a little difficult to maintain smoking temps using the damper and intake but with practice it gets a lot easier. The first thing you should try to do is to build a 225 degree fire with the damper 3/4 open and the intake open at least half way or better. This is optimum in that it gives you good airflow while maintaining near perfect temperatures and with time you will learn how often to add a stick of wood or another scoop of lit charcoal to maintain the temperature for as long as you need.
Many people build the fire too big at first and then have to shut down the dampers and intake to cool it down and this is a perfect recipe for adding nasty creosote to your food.
There is no perfect recipe for doing it correctly since every smoker is different.. you will have to learn what is required for your particular smoker by doing it and keeping good notes.
Just a good excuse to smoke something in my opinion and while you are learning you might consider things that are fairly inexpensive like chicken.
Another good item for learning is pork butt.. it is easy to smoke and a few temperature spikes is not going to hurt it beyond repair due to the high fat content within the meat.. the fact that it is a delicious meat is just an added bonus.
Visit Smoking-Meat.com for hundreds of great tutorials and guides on smoking meat.
The Technorati Tag for this post is Maintain a Proper Fire
posted by Jeff at 11:47 PM
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