Well, just as I was posted this my temperature jumped up to 243 from 190! This is a new smoker to me, so I'm still learning its quirks. This is what I have going on...
I have lump charcoal and briquettes in a charcoal basket, and I soaked some wood chunks so they wouldn't burn up so quick. I was struggling with the temperature hovering around 190, and I read some of the posts on this forum for some tips. One of the tips was moving the hot coals closer to the chamber to leave space for new coals (pre-lit in a chimney). I had my stack and vent wide open, but it still hovered around 190.
After 10-15 minutes after moving the charcoals, the temperature jumped up to 240! I've just closed the vent 1/2 way and it's slowly going down.
I'm quickly learning this is a fine balancing act! About how many cooks does it take y'all to get used to a new smoker? This is only my second cook on this one.
Thanks everyone!
Mike
