# Fire control.................



## oldschoolbbq (Sep 18, 2009)

Fire Control in the Offset Firebox Smoker



As a stick burner, I tend to have more hands on during my smoke sessions than the Electric, Gas or Pellet  Smokers. But ,then that’s what I enjoy. The involvement in feeding the fire, controlling combustion, and just being close to my Pit. Conversation and friendships flourish in this environment; beer(or other drinks) are definitely in order, as are the snacks you will be creating as you monitor the progress.
 And , the result of “showmanship” ensures only YOU are the GO-TO GUY for BBQ in your neighborhood.LOL!

O.K. Say you want to go with just wood. What is first?
Build a fire, be it with a chimney, gas support(weed burner), or the old Boy Scout way.
Let this fire burn until you have a good bed of embers(1 hr. or so). Next, adjust the intake to the temp . you want(your exhaust should be wide open and left that way the entire cook).Do the adjustments slowly and wait between moves.It takes a few to do it.Drink something.
(firewood. Should be about one year old, have no mold or bugs on it, and split to a size  your smoker can handle.)

Size of your wood is a factor in maintenance of a fire. 
In a smoker the size of “FLO”-(20”X40” with an upright) SFB I can use 16” sticks, split twice or appox. 4”X4”.




however in my New Braunsfeld-(16”X30”)SFB







I use 8” sticks , about 2”X2” in size.

What does this do for me?
I use a thermometer at the grate level of the smoke chamber and one in the thickest part of the meat I am smoking. This gives me a visual of what’s happening, tracking both the IMT(internal meat temp.) and the cooking level temp.
 I try to keep the cooking temp. at 220*F to 225*F-giving me a window to work with when things start to change.
 I watch for a 5*F to 10*F changes on the grate level therm.  When  I notice it going down, I add a piece of wood and open the intake just a wee bit, watch and shut it back down when stable. When it increases in temp., I’ll close it down, in increments, until stability occurs .This change can happen quick  so be aware. If it gets out of hand you could be fighting an hour to stabilize it…
It takes a little more effort this way , but you will notice a great difference in the taste of your “Q”. I know circumstances call for alternate methods and different strokes for different people, but as for me……………………….
STICK BURNERS RULE!


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## downstatesmoker (Sep 18, 2009)

I tend to use coal and feed wood in only for smoke.  Have added sticks to my smoker before (dried and aged over a year, no critters/mold) and it seems to work well, I just always worry about creosote (sp?).

Best option I've seen (which I have yet to do ) is have a burn barrell so you can take embers directly from the burn to your pit and not have to worry about the impurities in the wood.


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## rickw (Sep 18, 2009)

If you maintain a small HOT fire you should have no worries about creosote. I like to use  this method  in my Horizon offset (18x20" fire box)


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## downstatesmoker (Sep 18, 2009)

that's a great post.  I'm going to have to give that one a whirl.


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## meat hunter (Sep 18, 2009)

Great post BBQ. I I agree with you 100%, stick burners are the way to go. As I have said on here many times, when I first got into this hobby, I was intimidated by the old school way, was set on electric or propane, but the more I learned and the more questions I asked, the more convinced I was that stick burners were the way I wanted to go. I had a heck of a time at first getting that fire right, mainly because I did not know what I was doing. First smoke, I swear I went thru a half cord of wood LOL. Once I learned how to maintain a small, hot manageable fire, it was smooth sailing and now I go thru about 10-14 pieces of wood, 3X3" by 12-14" long. I don't know if thats good or bad, but its a heck of allot better then when I started. Using good seasoned hardwood, there is no problems with creosote. And yes, the old weed burner makes a great fire starter


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## bmudd14474 (Sep 18, 2009)

great thread


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## oldschoolbbq (Sep 18, 2009)

Just wanted to help the Newbees.


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## markmcrae (Sep 18, 2009)

Being a stick burner is the only way that I know how to smoke. I will use a little charcoal to get the fire started, then it's all wood.


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## chadjackson01 (Oct 6, 2009)

I have a stick/charcoal  Chargriller smoker. I have only used it once. The TriTip and Pork Loin turned out great but the Bonless Chicken Breasts were over smoked smelled and tasted like a bonfire Waste of meat. I used Lump  to get the fire rolling and then just tossed in chunks of applewood to keep the temp up and add smoke. I had light blue smoke most of the time but a couple of times I had a heavy white smoke. What can I do in the future to reduce the smoke/campfire smell taste?


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## blue (Oct 6, 2009)

Thanks for the info....

As a newbie to the sight...by a stick burner, you mean using logs?  Thats what I suspect, but just wanted to make sure.


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## downstatesmoker (Oct 7, 2009)

Great post.  I use a mix of charcoal and wood in an SnP.  It is a tricky dance and can sometimes cause frustration beyond belief but all of this is a labor of love, correct?


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## meat hunter (Oct 7, 2009)

I had light blue smoke most of the time but a couple of times I had a heavy white smoke. What can I do in the future to reduce the smoke/campfire smell taste?[/quote said:
			
		

> Nest time, try setting a piece or 2 of the wood chunks inside away from the coals and let them heat up. When I do mine, I have the coals/fire going and set a stick or two about 8 inches away. What this does is bring the wood close to burn temp, but without igniting it. Sometimes, the pieces will actually start to smolder a bit. When its time to add more wood, place one of them on the fire and it will ignite instantly, and you will not have the white smoke. I posted these pics in one of my other posts, but this will give you an idea of what I do.
> 
> I preburnt these pieces first with my weed burner just to burn the bark away and any nasty stuff that may have gotten on the wood. I then set them just inside the firebox next to the door. They heat up almost to the point of ignition, and when I need to add more, take one and set it in the fire and its burning in less than 2 seconds.
> 
> ...


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## chefrob (Oct 7, 2009)

great info for a FNG like me still learning.....thx guys!


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## chadjackson01 (Oct 7, 2009)

MH  that there is a monster fire pit compared to what I have./ Looks like you pre burn your wood befor nesting it?  this is great info thanks to everyone!


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## jdt (Nov 3, 2009)

I use the pot warmer to pre heat my logs, gets them so hot when you throw them in they ignite instantly with very little smoke


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## mballi3011 (Nov 4, 2009)

Man this is a good thread for sure. It will help all the stick burning newbies and some of us new charcoal burners too. I have to learn that too now.


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## evo 9 guy (Nov 4, 2009)

Some great info one stick burners. Thanks.


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## red stick bbq (Nov 8, 2009)

I've taken to preheating my wood recently, but always on the top of the firebox.  I'll have to give the "inside the box" method a try!


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## meateater (Nov 8, 2009)

Great thread, thanks!


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## ricklarge (Jul 14, 2010)

Cool thread and thought it deserved a bump from the past. I use stick only and build via boy scout method w/ maybe a little boy scout juice to help get the flames started. After that it's all logs and whatever I have laying around. We have a lot of citrus trees out here so that's what I've been using but had trouble with black smoke too so I'm going to try this method.

My biggest question is that flame that 'oldschoolbbq' or 'Meat Hunter' showed in the pics OK?

I thought flame was bad so was constantly battling to keep it at a min. From this post the HOT flame looks to be ok. Can anyone confirm that?


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## doggone bbq (Oct 4, 2010)

I have a Char-Griller with a SFB and a few mods.  I have switched from charcoal to wood in it and have a horrible time trying to find a good, consistent temp and smoke no matter what fuel I am using.  I was hoping switching would help me and it hasn't.  I just finished my 4th run with just wood.

This last weekend I ranged from having the vents closed for over 4hrs and opening the lid every ten minutes to dump heat when the temp climbed over 250 on the hot, to having a box fan running outside the thing with temps barely climbing over 180 a few hours later.  I have seasoned, dry, high quality hickory and am using a good therm probe lying on the grates.  It seems like my cooking chamber temp will be really high, 250+, if I have nice TBS, if I have my temps in the 220 range I have white smoke.   I do run some good hot coals before trying to settle the thing down for cooking, I light my fire at least an hour in advance.

Any suggestions from some good fire users?


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