# Not Enough Smoke on my Meat



## yordan (Dec 28, 2021)

Hi all, i cant seem to get enough or if any at times smoke on my meats. I would smoke a pork butt for 9 hours and can barely notice the smoke smell or flavor. Im using a custom build offset smoker and naturally seasoned oak logs. My firebox is square and im using a fire basket. Cant wrap my head around it.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated!


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## pineywoods (Dec 28, 2021)

Pictures of the smoker and a general location your in would help

Logs or splits? Green or seasoned?


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## yordan (Dec 28, 2021)

pineywoods said:


> Pictures of the smoker and a general location your in would help
> 
> Logs or splits? Green or seasoned?


Based in Ireland  
Im using naturally seasoned oak, the wood is nice and dry.
Added some pics also


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## old sarge (Dec 28, 2021)

I had an offset for years and unless I choked off the vent stack , smoke was mild. It also helped if I soaked one or two pieces of wood before replenishing on the hot coals along with dry splits.


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## SmokinEdge (Dec 28, 2021)

yordan said:


> Hi all, i cant seem to get enough or if any at times smoke on my meats. I would smoke a pork butt for 9 hours and can barely notice the smoke smell or flavor. Im using a custom build offset smoker and naturally seasoned oak logs. My firebox is square and im using a fire basket. Cant wrap my head around it.
> Any suggestions would be much appreciated!


Maybe had the Covid and lost taste and smell? Stick burners produce the absolute most smoke flavor. What are you searching for?


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## pineywoods (Dec 28, 2021)

What kind of temps are you running and have you checked the thermometers to make sure they are accurate?


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## golfpro2301 (Dec 28, 2021)

Have you ever noticed a lot of smoke flavor on meat whether you cooked or someone else? If no then might be your ability to taste it


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## Workaholic (Dec 29, 2021)

I'm kind of curious about the size of the openings from the firebox, and to the smoke stack.  That looks like the stack is what, 4 inches in diameter?  I'm honestly wondering if there's too much draft, and the smoke isn't staying in the chamber long enough.


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## nnolannn (Dec 29, 2021)

The things that affect smoke flavor as far as I know is to keep  temps below 300 ( I usually smoke at 225). Wood that is too dry or old (this surprised me when i found out using very old mesquite). I understand that moisture content is one of the reason pellet smokers produce less smoke flavor than a stick burner. There may be other reasons i cant recall or dont know.  Keep low temps and choose the wood carefully


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## yordan (Dec 29, 2021)

pineywoods said:


> What kind of temps are you running and have you checked the thermometers to make sure they are accurate?


Usually running from 250 to 325 and no I didn’t check if they are accurate


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## yordan (Dec 29, 2021)

Workaholic said:


> I'm kind of curious about the size of the openings from the firebox, and to the smoke stack.  That looks like the stack is what, 4 inches in diameter?  I'm honestly wondering if there's too much draft, and the smoke isn't staying in the chamber long enough.


Im not exactly sure what the dimensions are. Is there any way i how i can check if the draft is too much? Usually there is not a ton of smoke when i open the smoke chamber to check the meat. Even after putting a fresh log.


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## yordan (Dec 29, 2021)

Workaholic said:


> I'm kind of curious about the size of the openings from the firebox, and to the smoke stack.  That looks like the stack is what, 4 inches in diameter?  I'm honestly wondering if there's too much draft, and the smoke isn't staying in the chamber long enough.


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## yordan (Dec 29, 2021)

I have a video of it when it was new and how was working but i cant seem to upload it on here


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## Fueling Around (Jan 1, 2022)

Nice looking smoker
Are you getting a nice bed of hot coals in the firebox?
The side view appeared to have a nice draft of thin blue smoke, but maybe you want more than TBS.
Do you always leave the firebox door open?
Is there any draft control on the firebox?
My first thought is the firebox is a bit small for the cook chamber.


old sarge said:


> I had an offset for years and unless I choked off the vent stack , smoke was mild. It also helped if I soaked one or two pieces of wood before replenishing on the hot coals along with dry splits.


I've noticed the same on a variety of home built hog roasters.  Temp control (and smoke) was by damping the exhaust.
I last dabbled with a very cheap and leaky offset.  I got some great smokes out of it, but it ran through wood really fast.  The cover leaked so bad I always had the chimney completely closed


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## jcam222 (Jan 1, 2022)

You seem to have a very nice amount of blue smoke coming out the stack. If you open the cool chamber and don’t see a pretty fair amount of that same smoke it may be drafting out too fast. As someone else mentioned try choking the stack down some. You might also try mixing in some wood that a little greener in the 20% range. Out of curiosity are you getting a smoke ring on meats? Smoke ring doesn’t create flavor but if you aren’t getting one it could be part of the same issue.


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## yankee2bbq (Jan 1, 2022)

yordan said:


> Hi all, i cant seem to get enough or if any at times smoke on my meats. I would smoke a pork butt for 9 hours and can barely notice the smoke smell or flavor. Im using a custom build offset smoker and naturally seasoned oak logs. My firebox is square and im using a fire basket. Cant wrap my head around it.
> Any suggestions would be much appreciated!


Sounds like you might have/had COVID-19. It happens.


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## Workaholic (Jan 1, 2022)

As mentioned by 

 jcam222
  The easiest way to tell would be what your smoke ring looks like.  If you aren't getting much of one, it may be too much draft, and you may need to adjust the draft, preferably by adjusting down the intake, bur if there isn't an adjustment there other than opening and closing the door, then you may need to play with adjusting the damper on the exhaust.


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## pineywoods (Jan 1, 2022)

Have you tried any other types of wood? I have found different varieties of oak have different amounts of smoke flavor


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## yordan (Jan 2, 2022)

Fueling Around said:


> Nice looking smoker
> Are you getting a nice bed of hot coals in the firebox?
> The side view appeared to have a nice draft of thin blue smoke, but maybe you want more than TBS.
> Do you always leave the firebox door open?
> ...


I really think it’s because im using a fire basket in my firebox. My coals would fall through the holes on the fire basket and im forced to burn hot and fast and ive to feed it with a log or 2 every 15 min or so. My firebox door is always slightly opened and ive the door vent opened too. My temperature would be around 300 if i don’t adjust the smoke stack vent. 
So its my lack of knowledge of how to properly maintain my fire I believe


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## pineywoods (Jan 2, 2022)

Most of us use some type of basket or rack to allow the ashes to fall down away from the fire otherwise it would choke out the fire. Can you get another picture of the firebox looking in from the open door and maybe the air intake on the firebox. In the pictures you've posted looking in the firebox it seems the fire is very far forward. Tell us how your doing your fire. How many splits do you start with how do you lite them how long do you let the fire burn before you put the meat in.
What size is the firebox width and length? What size splits are you using how long and about how wide?


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## jcam222 (Jan 2, 2022)

yordan said:


> I really think it’s because im using a fire basket in my firebox. My coals would fall through the holes on the fire basket and im forced to burn hot and fast and ive to feed it with a log or 2 every 15 min or so. My firebox door is always slightly opened and ive the door vent opened too. My temperature would be around 300 if i don’t adjust the smoke stack vent.
> So its my lack of knowledge of how to properly maintain my fire I believe


I’d say most if not all of us are using fire baskets of some sort. If you are getting what looks like a nice amount of blue smoke out that stack like the pic shows your fire is fine. Question is why that smoke isn’t imparting the taste you want. IMO Either it’s not circulating on the meat enough or woods way to dry. Do you know other folks with the same build? If you hold your hand up in the blue smoke for a bit how’s it smell?


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## Fueling Around (Jan 2, 2022)

yordan said:


> I really think it’s because im using a fire basket in my firebox. My coals would fall through the holes on the fire basket and im forced to burn hot and fast and ive to feed it with a log or 2 every 15 min or so. My firebox door is always slightly opened and ive the door vent opened too. My temperature would be around 300 if i don’t adjust the smoke stack vent.
> So its my lack of knowledge of how to properly maintain my fire I believe


It's a fine line between holding coals and letting the ash drop down.
I built a fire basket for my offset that was the happy size to hold coals and let the ash drop away.
I'm 2,000 miles from home computer where I store all the photos or I would post.

Try closing the firebox door and go from there.  It appears you get way too much air in the firebox and are just blowing away your heat

Double Yes to 

 pineywoods
 on more photos of firebox and fire basket


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## moonkmm80 (Jan 25, 2022)

pineywoods said:


> Most of us use some type of basket or rack to allow the ashes to fall down away from the fire otherwise it would choke out the fire. Can you get another picture of the firebox looking in from the open door and maybe the air intake on the firebox. In the pictures you've posted looking in the firebox it seems the fire is very far forward. Tell us how your doing your fire. How many splits do you start with how do you lite them how long do you let the fire burn before you put the meat in.
> What size is the firebox width and length? What size splits are you using how long and about how wide?


These posts just may have saved me from throwing away my smoker.  I’ve been smoking on an offset for the last 8 months and I can’t get a smoke flavor at all. I mean any smoke flavor. I run my exhaust wide open on every cook. Someone mentioned that the smoke may be running out the exhaust too quickly. Would this be a legitimate concern?  I’ve can control my fire manage or temps from 220-265 and I get thin blue smoke every time because I’m using great splits. Moisture level at 20% or below.   The only thing I haven’t tried is to close my exhaust most of the way. Can anyone help?


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## moonkmm80 (Jan 25, 2022)

yordan said:


> Based in Ireland
> Im using naturally seasoned oak, the wood is nice and dry.
> Added some pics also
> 
> ...


Did you ever figure out why you can’t get any smoke flavor?  I’m having same issue. I haven’t tried closing my exhaust halfway.


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