gas smokey mountian great outdoors smoker

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bassrat

Fire Starter
Original poster
Aug 22, 2006
37
10
iowa
I only get real good smoke coming out it the first hour to hour and 15 min. What can I do to get longer smoke time ?? thanks you guy's are awesome
 
Hey, Bassrat!
Yup! Add wood. And go with the mod described in another part of this thread and change over your original cast iron wood box which came with your GOSM to the baking pan described.

Using the pan gets smoke up faster and makes it easier to add more wood, especially if you buy two pans and have one always ready. The pans cost about $3 each.

Use chunks, not chips. Chunks burn longer and give a steadier smoke. I am fortunate to have an almost unlimited smoking wood which I cut myself and have experimented with various sized cuts of wood. Definitely go with the larger chunks!

Hope this helps!
Cheers!
 
Hey Bassrat,

I found that I need to use chunks of wood. I use the original cast iron box. I find that I need to add chunks about every hour. The last smoke I did, last Friday (pulled pork) I added two chunks every hour when I sprayed the butts. I found that the smoke never got too heavy. Most of the time it was the "Thin Blue Smoke", the Grail of smokers.

I have also used the cake pan mod with chips rather than chunks.

Keep the questions coming.

Regards,

Meowey
 
Bassrat,

I also used the cast iron box that my Big Block came with. I start with 2-3 chunks of wood along with some chips to accelerate the start of the smoking process. About once per hour I will use my handy-dandy, Sam's Club, less than $17 pair of 14", 500F, blue, silicone oven gloves to remove the cast iron box in order to add a couple more wood chunks. I leave the burnt chunks in the box since soon they will turn to ash allowing additional wood chunks later. My biggest problem is getting the wood to start smoking in the beginning and also why I use a few wood chips at the start. I have been threating to use a propane torch to start off one wood chunk since my Big Block is at temperature for quite some time before the wood will ever start letting go some of that sought after thin blue smoke.
 
Basrat, I'm new also and I can tellyou a few stories about my new smoker for laffs, but as far as the smoke is concerned, here is what I have found:
If I use wood chunks and fill the container that came with it and (soaked for an hour) cover on, I run the temp on full to about 420 for about 15 minutes then turn it down to medium (about 350),the smoke starts to come very wispy very light and bluish white.If you run it on low from the start I'm not sure youll get any ignition of the chunks. My low setting runs at about 205 to 210.
but once it starts to smoke you can run it on low. Smoke lasts about 1 3/4 hrs on my small block from wallyworld.(98bucks). How much more to add I don't know but someone here will help with that aspect of it.. roli
 
I just bought a smoker from Lowe's (Listed below -- the BBQ Grillware one) and have had the same problem. I was using the built in cast-iron box.... well, that didn't work as good. I packed it too tight, and didn't get enough smoke. I lessened, and was getting only charred chips...
I moved it off of the 'rack' it was on a few inches above the flame, and it was closer, and started burning better.

It was frustrating the hell out of me when I overpacked my soaked wood chips this last time again, and couldn't get smoke going for a while. So, after burning up one oven mitt, I took the #(#($@! cast iron box out and replaced with a big coffee can right on top of the burner. OK. This worked awesome. For a little while. The problem was that they burned almost TOO fast. As I'm adjusting the flame later, I see the flame lipping AROUND the can, and soon after, I realize it actually boiled all the water out of my water pan. TWICE.

I used about 2 normal sized bags of chips for smoking a shoulder for 13 hours, the last of the time, I was moreso 'cooking' it, not smoking it.
Needless to say, even though I had a good deal of smoke for a while, my smoke ring on the shoulder was less than desireable. Now, the chicken came out awesome!

So, what I'm hearing is the disposable aluminum pans are the best to use? Obviously, I'll move to chunks next time.
I had no problem keeping this between 200-250.... most of the time it was actually BELOW 225..... probably why it took so long to get to 200 degrees on the meat.

Open for thoughts. How long would a pan last to smoke with? Wouldn't the heat kill it pretty quick?

Oh, and I'll go post in the roll call :)
 
Heya, Guido! Benvenuto!
The pans in question for the wood are bakeware pans, not aluminum. Aluminum would burn up very quickly and add who knows what to the food!

Please refer to the coffee can mod thread in this same section and read through it. You will find an exact description of the baking pan. I use them and love the results.

Cheers!
 
Can you point me to the right thread? I haven't found that one yet.... Also, the smoker that I have doesn't have a shelf the box sits on, the cast iron box itself has 'wings' to rest on the shelf, so the coffee can mod I'd seen before wouldn't work as well.... hence why I'm looking at the bakeware one....
 
Coffee Can Mod

It has some pics that show a possible way to use the can as well as bakeware. The way you describe yours, it sounds like if you could find a pan that is the right size so the edges would rest on the shelf that holds your stock box might be a way to go. Good Luck!!!
 
Muchos gracias.
I wanted to see pics of it, but it's as simple as it sounds.

One thing that you guys haven't discussed is getting direct heat onto the water pan.

Water pans aren't meant to be boiled, and that's exactly what was happening with my coffee can that I had. The flames from the burner were coming right around and cooking the crap out of my water pan. Although everything turned out well, I'm looking forward to the baking pan idea!
That should solve all the problems.
 
I know this responce may be a little late but here it is anyway. I have the same smoker and I tossed the little cast iron box away and replaced it with a 10" cast iron skillet, works great, and you can put more wood chunks into it. :)
 
Hmmm. 10" Cast iron? That may not be a bad idea. How is the smoke production on that? What the heck did you do with the handle on that skillet? :)
 
I lucked out, I just turn the pan a quater turn and it fits. I guess that you could saw aome of the handle off if needed. As far as how well it smokes, I just load it with pre-soaked wood chuncks and it smokes for hours.
 
OK. I feel like a moron. I love to cook, and love to smoke. I got an aluminum baking pan (old one lying around) and threw that on the propane smoker today. Well, the problem is that I go out there and the temp is up to 300, and I see the water pan boiling, and the middle of the pan with a huge gaping hole in it. I just put the cast iron pan back in there, but it's being a pain in the ass again. Got to be a better way!
I tried the coffee can mod before, but it doesn't cover enough of the burner, and the flame comes around the can and boils the water pan.

Is there a different type of pan to use?

Ideas?
I'm getting mucho frustrated!
 
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