vertical gas smoker - too much smoke?

[ozdave]

Hi guys, have been having problems getting too much smoke with my vertical gas smoker (at least I think it is)

I have tried everything I can think of chunks, chips, wrapping in foil. Finally today i put a few bits in the pan and covered with foil and put a hole in the foil but this was still too much so I just covered it to allow it to get out only the gaps but i think its still too much. After a while it eventually burns out and I need to fiddle with it again meaning i am opening the door more!

Here is a pic of what I am getting. interested if you think this is too much and i am just being paranoid or ideas I can use to reduce it to a more thin blue smoke throughout the cook! thanks!!

 

[slareau]

That doesn't bad to me. I realize that smoke doesn't photograph well but it doesn't look like pure white billowing smoke to me. Others may disagree but I don't think a few minutes of white smoke is going to destroy a piece of meat that is on the smoker for 10+ hours. I have a GOSM and I'll get white smoke occasionally when the chunks burn out/(rarely) catch fire but it never lasts very long. That being said, your smoke doesn't look bad.

Hope this helps

 

[tjoff]

I agree. i dno't think the smoke looks to bad. It is a blue smoke which is good. I would be more concerned if it was a thick white billowing smoke.

 

[okie joe]

Where is the top vent for the smoke to get out? open the vent and let the smoke get out....I keep my vent open (top) and control it intake for fire and smoke...I try not to trap smoke on my meat. my two coppers.

 

[grampyskids]

Every smoker that I have ever seen has a vent toallow the smoke to escape. I googled your "smoker" and came up empty. Somehow you need to get a smoke vent on this "cooker".

 

[ozdave]

yeah there is a vent on the back of it so it does have one.

I do need to put another vent in the bottom to get more air in and help me control my temps. at the moment I can just cracking the door at the bottom with a little splint to get some flow in there.

 

[rbranstner]

Does your food taste too smokey to you or does it just look like you are producing too much smoke when you are watching the smoker? If the food tasts good and not too much smoke then I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[sprky]

THat smoker looks almost exactly like mine i got from lowes. Mine has a top vent that i use some where between 1/4 open to full depending on the temp outside and smoking temp. the smoke from yours looks exactly like mine did befor i added the door gasket. what you have there is the TBS we all seek IMOP. If it was the thick white smoke you would get a bitter flavor to the food. if it looks like you just set off a smoke bomb then you got too much smoke. hope this helps you out

 

[ozdave]

thanks guys, sounds like im not too far off the mark.

The food tastes great! I find I have trouble tasting the smoke though after working on cooking it all day and smelling it all day!

 

[tlzimmerman]

Good smoke, and no thats not too much for my taste, especially if you are saying you are having trouble tasting it. Keep it a thin blue and you are golden!

 

[flash]

Not bad at all.



Now here is Bad smoke/Good smoke

 

[richoso1]

You must have good circulation of smoke, stale smoke can produce creosote. That is one thing you don't want as it is a food safety issue. Good luck my friend,

 

[ozdave]

I can always taste it the next day in any of the leftovers no worries, and everyone else says they can taste the smoke it fine, i think its just cause I am smelling it all day that I lose the sense for it a bit..

 

[pineywoods]

Dave by the pics it doesn't look bad at all if the vent on the back is up high and do you keep it open I think you'll be fine. I find most of the time after a long day around the smoker I can't taste the smoke flavor and generally don't eat much of it that day.

 

[mballi3011]

I too don't know why you don't have a vent on the top of your smoker but I would cut a hole in the top and put something over it so that water cann't get down into your smoker. I use a roof but just a deverter made of metal can be placed on your smoker.

 

[wingman]

I'm going bananas! I just want to pick up my tools and cut a hole in the top of your smoker and put a vent in...

As others have stated I have not seen a vertical without a top vent. That said it means nothing if the food is coming out tasty as it should.

 

[ozdave]

there is a vent! its on the back though near the top rather than on the top