# hard time raising temp for seasoning.



## zz005zz (Feb 7, 2016)

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__ zz005zz
__ Feb 7, 2016





Wiped down excess oil after 1st attempt. Loaded my weber chimney full of coals. Got it nice and HOT. Dumped into charcoal pan and closed smoker. Top vent and side vent wide open. Crept to 330 then dropped. It's great that it's sealed up nicely with the high temp gasket. But it's not getting enough air. Any fire goes out almost immediately. Any ideas? Also I uploaded pics. Hope they went in













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__ zz005zz
__ Feb 7, 2016


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## crankybuzzard (Feb 7, 2016)

All vents and exhaust open?

I'm not familiar with that smoker, but someone will have an idea soon!


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## zz005zz (Feb 7, 2016)

Yes. All vents are open.. sitting at 275 now


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## crankybuzzard (Feb 7, 2016)

zz005zz said:


> Yes. All vents are open.. sitting at 275 now



It'll season at that temp.  What's the outside temp and is it windy?  That too can affect the pit temp on thin metal cookers.  

Another thought, that temp may be your pit's happy spot for high temps...


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## zz005zz (Feb 7, 2016)

Well. Been an hour and 15 minutes. Just dropped to 245. It's pretty windy. Outside temp is 43 degrees.


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## zz005zz (Feb 7, 2016)

Also this is a trailmaster. So it is MUCH thicker gauge then the cheapo


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## chef jimmyj (Feb 7, 2016)

zz005zz said:


> Well. Been an hour and 15 minutes. Just dropped to 245. *It's pretty windy. Outside temp is 43 degrees.*


That's it...I had a similar Mecco as my very first smoker. No issues during the summer but cool spring and fall windy weather played havoc with temps and...Fagetaboutit in the winter. The thin steel was terrible at maintaining heat. This was long before SMF and broad use of Internet for that matter. Since those early days, there is plenty of info on wrapping with a Welders Blanket and Wind Breaks to improve heat retention...JJ


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## zz005zz (Feb 7, 2016)

Well. It has been 2 hours and 45 minutes and coals are just about ash. Not adding any more than I started with and it's sitting at 200


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## zz005zz (Feb 7, 2016)

Do you all think I'll be able to smoke some meat today? And if so what do you recommend for a newbie?


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## SmokinAl (Feb 7, 2016)

Like JJ said a wind break would help & if you can insulate it with a welding blanket or something like that.

My son is in Kansas & he ended up building a small shed with a space heater in it so he could smoke in the winter.

He has a WSM, so it's not real thin steel.

Al


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## zz005zz (Feb 7, 2016)

Well the wsm has a porcelain coating which helps dramatically. But the trailmaster is a more dense steel than you may be thinking. I'll post a pic of the sidewalls.


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## chef jimmyj (Feb 7, 2016)

Sure you can smoke today...Quick, Easy and if anything goes wrong, not a big hit in the wallet...Chicken Quarters or Thighs. They are best smoked in the 300°F range but anything 225+ works fine. Smoke until the IT reaches 175 to 180. Will take 1-4 hours depending on temp range and size of the parts...JJ


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