Sawdust.

[scotty]

WHAT OR WHY sawdust as compared to wood chips and also wood chunks???

Burns faster???

interchangability.

My rival KC toy smoker is already getting to be
too small but i want to learn as much as i can with it while i use it.

When i upgrade i will still keep it.

 

[flagriller]

I've never used sawdust, don't think I would though. I prefer chunks or split wood for the offset smoker. For the verticle I use chips slightly moist with a piece or two of lump put in. I would think sawdust would create a mess and burn too quickly.

my 1.32564 cents

 

[scotty]

Thanks for the reply.
This Kc thing has me confused any way. Im beginning to believe that the smoke i saw coming from the cover vent last week was just the 1/2 cup of water that i placed in the drip pan.

The wood chip area is completely isolated from the food rack area by an inner lining and there are no areas for the smoke to pass up past the meat and out the vent.

Because i put too many chips in this morning, the inner lining did not sit down firmly on the rim of the smoker body. Blue smoke is leaking out the sides but nothing is coming from the vent in the cover after the water evaporated.

interesting but its a learning process.

im already getting to see why larger units are more convenient. Smoke a few items at once and not so often.

i cant see how the smoke flavor can get to the meat without having contact with the smoke.

oh well. Only $ 60 plus i have a new one in the box to sell on ebay.

 

[geek with fire]

I doubt saw dust would work well for smoking at full temp, but I think it would do fine for cold smoking. Someone mentioned some time ago about using a soldering iron in a tin can filled with wood pellets. I'd bet sawdust in that environment would work as well.

 

[fatback joe]

Yeah, it seems like you only see sawdust really even mentioned for cold smoking or certain electric smokers. I guess it must take less to get them going and maintain it, but they would burn right up on hot coals.

I know when I was toying around with smoking using a hotplate for the heatsource, I put a chunk of wood in my iron box and after a while it became evident that not much was happening other than heating up wood. I took the chunk and broke it into chips and after a while they seemed to do alright. I suspect that the sawdust would have worked even better, but I wasn't in the mood to make any...........

Now when I use the hotplate, I just put a couple of chunks in, hit them with a torch to get the party started, then the hotplate seems to help keep them going well enough for what I am looking to accomplish.

 

[scotty]

Well folks this little smoker will be returned to wal mart if i cant find any holes for the smoke to pass over the meat.

i just did what i didnt want to do. I opened the unit and removed the inner lining while Rocky was going to level out the chips. They were all turned to powder already--2 hours with smoking chamber heat on.

I guess more controll is the name of the game.
Its still fun learning.

 

[flagriller]

Did you get the directions I sent yesterday? This is going to be a great time!

 

[scotty]

Yes we have the mapquest all printed. I will wash the bike. Rocky will check out reasonable motels if there are any.

We are both looking foreward to meeting new nuts. I mean fiends. NO NO NO

I mean friends

 

[scotty]

I think i will drill my own holes for the smoke and see what happens.

Im seriously looking for a slightly larger and something that borders on a real smoker.
It has to be electric though because my mobility is not as it shoild be and i want to be messing with the bikes while watching the smoker work.

So far, i've learned that for me,

I need a larger unit.2-3 shelves
electric with a thermostat.-- I can monitor the accuracy.
I want something that is vented
wood tray removable to fill while in use.
I dont know what i need a water pan for YET but would like to know
I want a front door that opens
I guess stainless steel for easier cleaning.

Also, It must be colored fuscia

Looks like im in the 3-4 hundred dollar range now

I believe that using electric and smoking without charcoal, i will be missing some of the smoking flavor so i wonder if some charcoal could be crushed and put into a wood tray for flavor???

 

[richtee]

Charcoal is used for heat, not flavor. Any stickburner would shudder at using charcoal... well, the cheap stuff anyway. The lump seems to have a better rep.

The smoker I am constructing is a stickburner hybrid...uses propane to fire the wood and then is shut off, and then an additional propane burner within the smoker body for heat only.

 

[scotty]

oK THEN CHARCOAL IS A HEATE AND NOT A FLAVOR ADDING ELEMENT.
THANKS

 

[deejaydebi]

I got some sawdust from Dr Smoke from Smokinlious last weekend at the contest. http://www.smokinlicious.com/index.php?home

told him I always though is was for electric smokers but it's not limited to them. He gave me a few bags of the stuff he calls Smokin Dust, which looks like fine sawdust and told me to sprinkle it over the hot coals.

Amazing smell and nice light smoke! It looks like fairy dust when it hits the coals it twinkles but gives more smoke smell and flavor but maintains a light smoke. I was very impressed by this stuff. A little goes a long way. I'm going to try it on my porkbelly bacon cold smoke this week. I think it'll smoke better than chunks with so little heat for the wood chucks.

http://www.smokinlicious.com/index.php?home

He's revamping the site and adding all kinds of neat flavors. I got some pecan, wild cherry, mango, and hickory to play with. This stuff is really fine and only takes a few pinches to get an awsome smell.