Help with Charcoal amount

[planedoc1900]

Hey guys,

This is my first post and tonight I did my first chicken smoke!

Question for you all about the amount of charcoal to use? 

I started with a charcoal chimney worth, placed it in my offset smoker and let it burn for 30 min. I added my chicken and added a few coals about every 30 Minutes. About 3 hours in, I found my smoker temp dropping and my coals cold and ineffective at lighting newly added coals.

Should i have added more coals at my 30 minute checks or at the start? I didn't want to add to many and worry about the creosote taste. 

Any help would be great. thanks. 

 

[cliffcarter]

Difficult to give a proper response because we don't know what kind of BBQ cooker you are using.

Generally you should add fully lit coals when needed as opposed to unlit ones.