5
Spent years fighting my smoker temps until a guy at a comp in KC showed me I was choking the firebox the whole time
I had this offset smoker for about 4 years and could never keep it above 225 without fighting it constantly, figured it was just a cheap rig. Then this old competitor in Kansas City noticed I had my stack damper almost shut and told me to open it all the way, said I was starving the fire of oxygen. Has anyone else had a stupid simple fix like that completely change how they look at their setup?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
danielr992d ago
MAN, that's a classic. I spent TWO YEARS fighting my Okie Joe before I realized I was running the intake too tight. Did your temps actually go UP after you opened the stack, or did it let you control the fire better? Because for me it was a total game changer on how fast I could recover after adding a split.
4
theajohnson2d agoMost Upvoted
Heard a buddy tried that fix and his firebox almost melted... wild stuff.
7
morgan.jason1d ago
Wait hold on, your buddy might've done something else wrong because opening the top vent normally helps keep temps more stable, not melt stuff. I've had my offset for three years now and running the stack wide open while adjusting the intake is basically how every barbecue guy I know does it. The firebox melting thing sounds more like a bad airflow path or maybe he was burning something that got too hot, like construction lumber. Tell him to check if his firebox has any warped metal or if he was running the intake WIDE open with the stack half shut, that'd trap heat like crazy.
6