Dave from Canton

[dawells84]

Hello everyone -

As the name might suggest, my name is Dave and I live in Canton, Ohio. I'm relatively new to smoking but would like to learn much much more. I get Jeff's newsletter and I'm in awe of the things he posts. On labor day I'm planning on smoking some pork butts to go along with the smoked mac-n-cheese he posted awhile back. I'm currently using a Chargriller Smokin Pro (one of those charcoal grills with a side firebox) and have been having a hell of a time getting the main chamber up to temp. I've tinkered with the damper openings, I've tried using all wood, I've tried using lump vs briquette charcoal and I cannot for the life of me get the main chamber over 200 degrees! It's very frustrating. If anyone has any advice for some modifications that may help I would greatly appreciate it.

Did my first whole hog on the 4th of July this year and I must say it came out better than I ever could have hoped for. We rented a pig spit with a motor from a local tool rental store and were able to get some good smoke on it (used apple wood from a local orchard).

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I look forward to learning more!

 

[turnandburn]

welcome aboard! thats pretty awesome you can rent a spit...wish we had somethin like that here. lol. as for your smoker sitch, hows your firebox? is your coal/wood raised off the ground or is it sitting in a pile of ash? if its in ash its just being smothered out. we had another guy recently who couldnt get his smoker over 200* and if i remember correctly his fuel was just sitting in a mound of ash... also how much fuel are you starting out with? lighting method?

 

[kathrynn]

to SMF!  We are so glad you joined us! Would you mind updating your Profile to show the SMF members where you are located?  Might meet a few neighbors!

We love to see pictures of what you are cooking (or what we call q-views here at SMF).  To "upload the q-views" just follow the directions here and it will be easier. If you are using a cell phone, an IPad or a kindle, go to the main SMF page and click the Mobile button. Will make the uploads a bit faster too.

If you didn't read the "Terms of Service" notes.....please do.  There are a few things that everyone should know about those pesky little rules before plunging into the forums and some guidelines of how to interact within the forums. Off site links are not allowed here at SMF per Jeff. Not that you have done anything wrong....just a little bit of FYI for new members!

If you need any help roaming around the forums....just holler!  Happy to help out!

Kat

 

[s2k9k]

Hi Dave! :welcome1: to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 50,000 members who just love to share their experience and over 1,000,000 posts describing it! Yea that’s right over 1,000,000!

The search bar at the top can be your best friend when you are trying to find answers to your questions but you can still ask too if you want!

We have an ”Articles” section that is full of great information about smoking to include a lot of recipes and instructionals. Check it out there is a lot to learn in there!

You might want to check out ”Jeff's Free 5 day E-Course”, it will teach you all the basics plus a whole lot more!

 

[seenred]

Welcome aboard Dave! Glad you joined us. Sorry you're struggling with temps in that pit...good thoughts from T&B about raising your fire with a grate or basket. Many times temp issues are because of air flow issues...raising the fire grate would allow better oxygen flow to the fire. Also make sure your exhaust vent/damper stays full open...again for improved air flow.

Hope that helps...good luck!

Red

 

[dawells84]

Thanks for the tips all.

There is a raised grate in the firebox and I'm careful to make sure that all the ash is dumped before using. I've tried different types of fuel . . . I've tried all briquette charcoal, all lump charcoal, a mix of charcoal and apple wood and I've tried just straight wood. I use one of those chimney starters to get the coals nice and hot before dumping them in. The damper feeding the main chamber is all the way open and the damper for the firebox is all the way open (as well as the exhaust) and still will not get hot despite the fact that the fuel is nice and hot. Any other suggestions? 

 

[turnandburn]

dave do you have any pics of how youre setup? might be alittle more help to see your smoker and how you have it setup.

 

[dawells84]

Don't have any at the moment, but I'll try to get some posted this weekend. I'm planning on smoking some pork butts and some mac-n-cheese on Monday so I'll have plenty of opportunities to get some shots.