# The fire Management



## Martin Bang (Jun 22, 2018)

So i have done some runs in my offset smoker. I have a Landmann Tennesse 300 AN50 modell. abit heavyer steal then the normal 300 modell.

anyway, sry for bad english writing.

As i have tried many thing, Charcoal casket.. etc easy to hold the temp didn't like the test. When i do only wood burn i like it much bether, but i have as many other problems keeping a steady temp. For me living in High North of Norway, weather is a damn stuggel.  I manage to make some good ribs las weekend when it was good and warm outside. around 15 Celsius. "yeah summer in the north!"  i cooked them at 275F, but to do that i had to check the grill every single 5 min and keep the wood burning very vell, to not get white smoke. Yeah the rib tasted so good it was a good deal. But i have seen other ppl on youtube that only add  log every 30-45 min. I had to keep the vents Full open and the door. but if i didnt pay atetion it went up to 310+. when i then tried to close the vent i 1/4 it starts to produce white smoke.

For to day i am testing with no meat:  full chimney of lump charcoal fully lit. added 3 sticks and burn them abit down before i close the lit, to get a good coal bed, preheated for 20 min before everything was burnt up. i close the lit and when i reached around 280 i started to close the vent and tried to tune it to 250, the exhauste was fully open . when i was looking into the firebook the lump where almost burnt away. so i mange to keep the temp for 10 min around 250. then it started to drop down to 220 in 15 min. and it started to produce white smoke. so i guess i mange to keep the steady temp aroudn 250 +- 10 degrees max 10 min and a clean smoke

The wood is birch wood. dryed under roof for 2 1/2 year. and preheated the next log in firebox. the bark was also removed. PS: the ribs where done with birch wood.

i have som pciture of the smoker.  any help or tip would be nice.

I preheated the smoker around 30-40 min
I did not put any meat on.
*the smoker: Is this a good smoke?*







*the fire*





Catching fire






Closing vents:










Is this white smoke? its kinda of moist outside and i have a waterpan. 
	

		
			
		

		
	







Any help or tips would be nice. Yes i know stick buring is not a fire up and forget, but it had been nice to just have 20 min.

My guess is that mabe my logs are to small? the once in the picture i did just add and they ahve burnt for 20 min. so mabe i earlyer did split the logs 2 much. 

best regard Martin - norway


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## brent b (Jun 22, 2018)

Smoke looks pretty good to me  I like heavy smoke myself.  Offsets seem to be a bit temperamental in my opinion  always tending fire I have an offset and tend it constantly


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## Martin Bang (Jun 22, 2018)

brent b said:


> Smoke looks pretty good to me  I like heavy smoke myself.  Offsets seem to be a bit temperamental in my opinion  always tending fire I have an offset and tend it constantly



Yes i know. But i have to check it evry min. I think my problem is to make a good coalbed and dont be afraid about abot smoke. I like to smell it but dont see it. But to be able to do that i need to have firebox door open. So if i had i better coalbed it mey hels the heat longer and dont go up and down like crazy. Its no coalbed like in picture


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## dcecil (Jun 22, 2018)

I can tell you have studied this because you are doing all the right things.  Your outside temp is going to be the battle.  I agree with you about a bigger coal bed.  Get that fire going really good So you can get a nice thick coal bed.  During this process your steel will be absorbing heat as well which will help the cook stay more steady.   Here’s a pic of my firebox when I start my cooks and I continue to add to it to get a nice bed of coals before I start cooking


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## 73saint (Jun 22, 2018)

Your smoke looks good to me, and I think your English is pretty good too, so no worries!!

My dad has a similar offset and as I read your post, it reminds me of some of his issues. When he tries to burn only wood, he struggles with temp swings, especially in poor weather.  

But when he starts with a good charcoal bed, and add small splits and lumps he does much, much better.  I also made him a charcoal basket to keep the coal bed away from the ash build up.  That allows him to maintain steady temps for longer periods.


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## 73saint (Jun 22, 2018)

And also, your never not going to get some white smoke.  Even when I have a good hot bed of coals and the splits ignite immediately, sometimes the smoke is thicker than others. My food never tastes acrid or bitter


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## brent b (Jun 22, 2018)

Martin Bang said:


> Yes i know. But i have to check it evry min. I think my problem is to make a good coalbed and dont be afraid about abot smoke. I like to smell it but dont see it. But to be able to do that i need to have firebox door open. So if i had i better coalbed it mey hels the heat longer and dont go up and down like crazy. Its no coalbed like in picture
> 
> View attachment 368210


Oh yeah I start with a full chimney. At least


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## JckDanls 07 (Jun 22, 2018)

Kinda wondering if your coalbed/fire aren't to big for that size smoker ...  If it were me I would try a smaller fire ... half a chimney and much smaller splits ... The size fire you are trying to keep/build will heat my 120 gallon smoker ...


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## Martin Bang (Jun 23, 2018)

JckDanls 07 said:


> Kinda wondering if your coalbed/fire aren't to big for that size smoker ...  If it were me I would try a smaller fire ... half a chimney and much smaller splits ... The size fire you are trying to keep/build will heat my 120 gallon smoker ...




Thnx for the advice. When it stops raining and the temp outside goes over 7 celsius(hehe) i will do a test with 1/2 chimney and splitt the alredy solitted in 2.

I have tested to solit it up more before. But then i used a full chimney of lit lump charcoal.
Istarted to think avout one thing. Mabe i have raised the fire to high above the vents in the firebox. Dont know i would have to trst to get them abit lower so they line up with the opening of the vents.

About smoke. What type of smoke would you say this is?
	

		
			
		

		
	







Alsow i will make me a new charcoal basket and try it with lumps. Last time i tried the minion method with briquetts the temp was ok. But the food tasted bad. Bitter and oversmoked. Even id i couldnt see the smoke.


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## SmokinAl (Jun 23, 2018)

I agree with Keith, start a smaller fire & get a good coal bed going, then add smaller splits.
Al


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## Martin Bang (Jun 23, 2018)

SmokinAl said:


> I agree with Keith, start a smaller fire & get a good coal bed going, then add smaller splits.
> Al




Tnx. I will give that a try. Is it easyer with a coalbasket to keep the coals? Btw the picture above is that in the range of white smoke?


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## SmokinAl (Jun 23, 2018)

The smoke in the photo is fine, but any thicker than that & it would be bad. 
When your burning wood you try to get just heat coming out of the stack, but in most cases some white smoke is acceptable & unavoidable. If your getting a lot of white smoke, just open the firebox door & let some air in. That will get the wood burning, instead of smoldering. When I add a split I usually leave the door open for a minute to get the wood burning good then shut the door.
Al


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## Martin Bang (Jun 23, 2018)

SmokinAl said:


> The smoke in the photo is fine, but any thicker than that & it would be bad.
> When your burning wood you try to get just heat coming out of the stack, but in most cases some white smoke is acceptable & unavoidable. If your getting a lot of white smoke, just open the firebox door & let some air in. That will get the wood burning, instead of smoldering. When I add a split I usually leave the door open for a minute to get the wood burning good then shut the door.
> Al


Thank you AL. 

I will try make half chimney and cut the logs in two or split them. I think also my problem is time. I as many other wants the pit to get hot fast.  Like give it the time and when you are starting to reach target temp then add a prheated log. Then i guess the tenp would be more steady sive the metal takes some of the heat 

I’ll post a update when i have tested. 
A picure of todays lovley westher in the nort of norway. no problem getting Wood.


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## Martin Bang (Jun 26, 2018)

have to thank all of you for got tips. They made things in the right path.

Agin. sry for bad English writing. 

Smaller fire is the best for my offset.

Incas anyone else have the same problem, or trying to figure out how to get things right. i have taken some pictures and done some notes. I'll try to keep them as a list. I did not cook any meat.

First of all. If you trying to rush things up, an offset smoker is probably not the right choice for you. Things take time, and you need to let them take time. If you don't have time i recommend a pelltsmoker(leave and fort"almost").

*1. My Goal - PS: using Birch wood with no bark. They are at 18-21% moisture(good and dry)*
My goal was to burn stick in my offset and not charcoal with lumps. So after the tip, i started a test to see what type of size and shape dose my smoker burn best. I did a test where i looked for how dose it burn, how long dose it burn and dose it leave any coals to refill my coalbed?
The winner stick in marked RED - The bad Stick that didn't burn good is in charcoal chimney














*2. My coal bed issu*
I did as suggested above and filled a 1/2 chimney of lump charcoal(all natural). I waited to they where fully lit and dropped them in firebox. i then added 1/2 chimney of unlit. And why did i do that? because it was cold outside... and the smoker need to have time to heat up.I closed teh lite and the door and keept the vents fully open. When i started this test there was 8 Celsius outside/46F. I put some logs inside the firebox to preheat them. I think this is very important when cooking in cold weather. After 20-25 min i added some small preheated splits and started the making of the coalbed.














after a while the the temp started to rise. My digital and analog thermometer showed that the pit was 230F. So i used a tool to measure the heat of the steel. Guess what? the steel in the cookchamber was only 103F. This was the most import discovery for me. No i understand why my wood was burning so fast and the coal bed burnt up. The thermometer only shows heat from the fire and not from the steel. So i closed down the lit and closed the vent 50%. i waited 1h. at this point i don't care about how the smoke looks. The only goal is to get the CC heat up  while i maintain the fire and not adding to much wood. Let the time do the work.  The CC need to be at temp to be able to keep a steady temp in the cook. This was my turning point.
The CC was hot enough after 1h and 20-30 min.
*3. Target temp*
I told myself: i am going to run a test for 2h and coock at 225F. I know i will never be able to hold 225 on the point for 2h with this smoker. So i changed it to: im going to coock betwen 225-and 250F. After 2h im going to cook at 250- and 275F for another 2H. By doing so i manage to stress down.
I stared my testing on vents and what type of size splits. when i found the split that burned good on my coalbed and left a good coalbed i started to take time. I found out it held the temp pretty god at 237F with 1 stick.  i need to add 1 Stick every 20-25 min. I just added 1 preheated stick when the temp dropped below 220F. I manage to keep the temp for 2h hour with no problems no stress!. I found that by adding 2 stick i was able to hold the temp between 250-275. I also manage to find my sweet spot for the damper at the same time. And the smoke was never bad white.







By doing this i mange to replicate this cook the day after with no problems, no stress!



1. If it takes 2h to preheat your pit, let it use 2h.
2. Find the right size of logs
3. run some test and fail!

Hope this can help someone who have trouble to keep a steady temp.


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## Martin Bang (Jun 26, 2018)

SmokinAl said:


> The smoke in the photo is fine, but any thicker than that & it would be bad.
> When your burning wood you try to get just heat coming out of the stack, but in most cases some white smoke is acceptable & unavoidable. If your getting a lot of white smoke, just open the firebox door & let some air in. That will get the wood burning, instead of smoldering. When I add a split I usually leave the door open for a minute to get the wood burning good then shut the door.
> Al



got things working. my result is above. tnx;)


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## JckDanls 07 (Jun 26, 2018)

GREATTTT..  glad to hear things went better...  and it only gets better from here on out... good job

let me suggest this... at start up...  during this whole process do not worry anything about the temps...   try it next time without adding the second (unlit) chimney of lump....  instead build a crosshatch of splits (6) on top of the hot lump you just dumped in... leave FB (firebox) door open (1/2 way) while they burn down to coals...  closing FB door more and more as they burn down to coals... your CC will get HOT (above 350)...  when coals are ready to start adding your 1-2 splits at a time...close FB door and adjust vents... Now take your water hose and use a spray pattern and spray the whole inside of the CC and then close the door...  "STEAM" it (you will hear it)for about 5 min...  this will "clean" and "cool" at the same time ... Clean grates and start your cook...


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## Martin Bang (Jun 27, 2018)

JckDanls 07 said:


> GREATTTT..  glad to hear things went better...  and it only gets better from here on out... good job
> 
> let me suggest this... at start up...  during this whole process do not worry anything about the temps...   try it next time without adding the second (unlit) chimney of lump....  instead build a crosshatch of splits (6) on top of the hot lump you just dumped in... leave FB (firebox) door open (1/2 way) while they burn down to coals...  closing FB door more and more as they burn down to coals... your CC will get HOT (above 350)...  when coals are ready to start adding your 1-2 splits at a time...close FB door and adjust vents... Now take your water hose and use a spray pattern and spray the whole inside of the CC and then close the door...  "STEAM" it (you will hear it)for about 5 min...  this will "clean" and "cool" at the same time ... Clean grates and start your cook...



Thank you. I will try to do that instead of adding unlit coals. Maybe it goes  faster to get a the steel hot and good. The water hose was a good idea!.
As for to day its blowing 25-30 M/S so BBQ is out if the picture. I cant wait for good weather. Gonna do a test with some Ribs. Think the smoke on the last test was very nice.

Its so much more relaxing when you get things working.


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## red farr (Jun 27, 2018)

….get rid of the grate in the fire box you’ll never have a bed of burning coals with a grate…..close off the cook chamber opening to the firebox see if you can burn a fire , wood only….the fire should burn down to a bed of coals without the grate…if you can’t burn a fire down to coals , not enough air is getting in the firebox you have  poor combustion  that’s why you have that dirty white smoke….firebox needs work….fire has to burn independent of the cook chamber….after you fix the firebox understand there is a relationship between the size opening to the cook chamber from the firebox and the size of the smokestack…the smokestack is not to burn the fire but to pull the heat through the cook chamber and out…clean burning fire no smoke…the stack looks like it’s about 3” diameter and curved , curved is good , 3” may be to small , where you live you can have a smaller diameter stack and they work fine…colder air…I would fix the firebox first see how it draws , insulate the exhaust stack , wrap it with paper towels till you can’t feel any heat , the temp inside the stack should be very close to the cook chamber temp…go from there…
Good Luck
Red


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## Martin Bang (Jun 27, 2018)

red farr said:


> ….get rid of the grate in the fire box you’ll never have a bed of burning coals with a grate…..close off the cook chamber opening to the firebox see if you can burn a fire , wood only….the fire should burn down to a bed of coals without the grate…if you can’t burn a fire down to coals , not enough air is getting in the firebox you have  poor combustion  that’s why you have that dirty white smoke….firebox needs work….fire has to burn independent of the cook chamber….after you fix the firebox understand there is a relationship between the size opening to the cook chamber from the firebox and the size of the smokestack…the smokestack is not to burn the fire but to pull the heat through the cook chamber and out…clean burning fire no smoke…the stack looks like it’s about 3” diameter and curved , curved is good , 3” may be to small , where you live you can have a smaller diameter stack and they work fine…colder air…I would fix the firebox first see how it draws , insulate the exhaust stack , wrap it with paper towels till you can’t feel any heat , the temp inside the stack should be very close to the cook chamber temp…go from there…
> Good Luck
> Red



Tnx for the replay. I do a test with removing the grates and close the cc to test the firebox. The diameter of the stack is 3inches. And the opening from firebox to Cc is very large.  Have been thining about reduce the size. Its not so warm here so i rly dont know about the stack. Normaly when i cook around 275-300 i get no smoke. On the last picture in the post i replayed AL. Is that what you consider bad smoke?


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## red farr (Jun 27, 2018)

…leave the back door fully open when you test…closing the rear door cuts off the air supply the fire starts to go out and you get smoke…the only reason to check the firebox is to burn wood…if you use charcoal you don’t need a lot of air , charcoal will smolder with very little air , wood is a different story…
Red


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## Martin Bang (Jun 27, 2018)

red farr said:


> …leave the back door fully open when you test…closing the rear door cuts off the air supply the fire starts to go out and you get smoke…the only reason to check the firebox is to burn wood…if you use charcoal you don’t need a lot of air , charcoal will smolder with very little air , wood is a different story…
> Red


I will do a test. the back door you mean the where the vents are? rear door? only  have the one where the vents are and the top lit of firebox. beside vent on stack.


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## red farr (Jun 27, 2018)

…yes the door not the vent just open the door all the way , the top door should be closed…if in doing the test with the rear door fully open and the cook chamber closed off…..let the fire burn so you can see what happens…..you’re looking for a glowing bed of embers at the conclusion of the test , if the fire goes out or starts to smoke before you reach the bed of embers you need more air in the firebox…you can then crack the top door open and hold it open with a pencil or twig or something giving  the fire more air…it should reignite…you’re giving it more air cause the fire is going out...not enough air is getting in the back door….firebox needs work…
Red


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## Hank R (Jun 27, 2018)

This is very interesting I never knew that there is a science to burn wood. learned lots and need to to learn a lot more ..


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## red farr (Jun 27, 2018)

...it’s simple Hank…if you burn a fire  you need lots of oxygen…lacking oxygen/air the fire goes to smoking , then out…to keep the fire burning you need air lots of air…
Red


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## Hank R (Jun 27, 2018)

It all sounds easy but never done that wood fire.  Maybe in a few years I will try.


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## red farr (Jun 27, 2018)

....you're in for a real treat Hank...the way BBQ tastes over wood and over charcoal....
Red


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## Martin Bang (Jun 28, 2018)

red farr said:


> ....you're in for a real treat Hank...the way BBQ tastes over wood and over charcoal....
> Red



Oki so i did a test with no grates. Did go greate until i added a log. I got a nice coalbed. Preheated a log and added it kept the firebox door open util it cathed good on fire(2 min). Closed the door kept the vent fully open but the smoke never cleared. It was light smoke but not as i wanted at some points the smoke cleared and then it did go back to a steady not whie but very thin white smoke. I did a test with a chiken leg just to see what that smoke did to meat. Yeah was abit oversmoked. Very heavy smoketaste. I did install a heat reflector so mabe it didn’t get enough draft to the stack or the stack is to small. It just seam to be at the point where it is buring but not enough. Even if i open the door it still came that very thin white smoke.  Also i did test feldons calculator that suggested my stack need a high of 25 inches when it has a diameter of 3 inches. Mine is only 20 inches


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## JckDanls 07 (Jun 28, 2018)

looks just right to me... Don't fret a lot over the color of the smoke...  Is there any other hardwood available besides the birch wood your using ??


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## red farr (Jun 28, 2018)

….better , much better Martin do it again this time leave the rear door fully open while the fire is burning , do not close the rear door…when you close the rear door you cut off the air flow to the fire….first the fire  goes to smoke then goes out, just let the fire burn with the rear door fully open…..with the rear door closed you have enough air flow from the vent to keep the fire smoldering , white smoke…but not enough air flow to keep the fire burning…if you leave the rear door fully open you will have enough air flow to keep the fire burning we hope… if you can not burn a fire with the rear door fully open and the cook chamber closed off …the fire box needs work….when the logs catch fire and the fire looks good leave the rear door open…

…we are not trying to cook food…..we are only trying to see if the firebox in your smoker will burn a fire with the rear door fully open and the opening to the cook chamber closed off from the firebox…

Question ?    Why do you close the rear door ??
Red


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## JckDanls 07 (Jun 28, 2018)

red farr said:


> ….better , much better Martin do it again this time leave the rear door fully open while the fire is burning , do not close the rear door…when you close the rear door you cut off the air flow to the fire….first the fire  goes to smoke then goes out, just let the fire burn with the rear door fully open…..with the rear door closed you have enough air flow from the vent to keep the fire smoldering , white smoke…but not enough air flow to keep the fire burning…if you leave the rear door fully open you will have enough air flow to keep the burning we hope… if you can not burn a fire with the rear door fully open and the cook chamber closed off …the fire box needs work….when the logs catch fire and the fire looks good leave the rear door open…
> 
> …we are not trying to cook food…..we are only trying to see if the firebox in your smoker will burn a fire with the rear door fully open and the opening to the cook chamber closed off from the firebox…
> 
> ...




Now I'M confused ...


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## Martin Bang (Jun 29, 2018)

red farr said:


> ….better , much better Martin do it again this time leave the rear door fully open while the fire is burning , do not close the rear door…when you close the rear door you cut off the air flow to the fire….first the fire  goes to smoke then goes out, just let the fire burn with the rear door fully open…..with the rear door closed you have enough air flow from the vent to keep the fire smoldering , white smoke…but not enough air flow to keep the fire burning…if you leave the rear door fully open you will have enough air flow to keep the fire burning we hope… if you can not burn a fire with the rear door fully open and the cook chamber closed off …the fire box needs work….when the logs catch fire and the fire looks good leave the rear door open…
> 
> …we are not trying to cook food…..we are only trying to see if the firebox in your smoker will burn a fire with the rear door fully open and the opening to the cook chamber closed off from the firebox…
> 
> ...


Tnx. yeah i manage to burn i fire when i closed of the CC and had the firebox door open. Not a greate fire but ok. was some wind.  I have no idea why id did close the rear door. I just wanna see what happend when i open the the CC block. I just tested to see what happend to the fire if i closed the rear door and open the vent fully. Did npt go good. but it kind of went rly good when i had it open. think i need to do another test.

If the firebox cant burn i fire whit the the CC closed of. what dose this mean and what needs to be done? Just want to mention about the firebox door. the vent are triangle and some inches above it is a small hole. Would it be a idea to make that hole bigger so i get better draft in the future?


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## red farr (Jun 29, 2018)

…it means you need to have more air flow to the fire..
…yes you can make the hole larger in the future but don’t cut any metal NOW/YET……when the wind is blowing it’s very hard to maintain temps….you can turn or reposition the smoker so the wind is not blowing into the firebox or build something to shield the firebox from the wind…if you have to keep the rear door open to burn the fire the wind will be a problem

…first..burn the fire rear door open CC closed off…if the fire starts going out or not burning well with the rear door fully open , open the lid on the top a little , more air to fire , see if the fire starts to burn better…if the fire burns better with the top lid opened a little you are not getting enough air flow to the fire when the top lid is closed and the rear door fully open……

Video
https://video.klru.tv/video/bbq-franklin-episode-5-fire-smoke/

http://www.pbs.org/food/features/bbq-with-franklin-season-1-episode-5-fire-smoke/


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## Martin Bang (Jun 30, 2018)

Hi.

There was no problem having a good fire when i closed of the CC and left the firebox door wide open. Didnt make smoke even. So good was the fire. So i am leaning about th fact that the firebox dosent get air when i close the door. And this make the firebox get a backdraft so the wood it smoldering.


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## Martin Bang (Jun 30, 2018)

red farr said:


> …it means you need to have more air flow to the fire..
> …yes you can make the hole larger in the future but don’t cut any metal NOW/YET……when the wind is blowing it’s very hard to maintain temps….you can turn or reposition the smoker so the wind is not blowing into the firebox or build something to shield the firebox from the wind…if you have to keep the rear door open to burn the fire the wind will be a problem
> 
> …first..burn the fire rear door open CC closed off…if the fire starts going out or not burning well with the rear door fully open , open the lid on the top a little , more air to fire , see if the fire starts to burn better…if the fire burns better with the top lid opened a little you are not getting enough air flow to the fire when the top lid is closed and the rear door fully open……
> ...


There was no problem having a good fire when i closed of the CC and left the firebox door wide open. Didnt make smoke even. So good was the fire. So i am leaning about th fact that the firebox dosent get air when i close the door. And this make the firebox get a backdraft so the wood it smoldering.


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## red farr (Jun 30, 2018)

…it takes lots of air to burn a fire….you see that it’s better to have to much air than not enough , keep the door open….
Red


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## daveomak (Jun 30, 2018)

Generally speaking, a firebox should have 2 air inlets...  One to control the air to the fire, for heat control....  A second to move the heat from the firebox to the cook chamber...  
The second inlet should be directly across from the FB/CC opening..  That air inlet also adds fresh oxygen to help burn off the creosote from a smoldering pile of wood...  
May I suggest you add 2 each 25mm openings at the top of door like pictured below...  They should not need any adjustment...  leave them open...  ALSO, leave the exhaust stack damper wide open....  

Something similar to what's pictured below.....





	

		
			
		

		
	
..


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## Martin Bang (Jun 30, 2018)

daveomak said:


> Generally speaking, a firebox should have 2 air inlets...  One to control the air to the fire, for heat control....  A second to move the heat from the firebox to the cook chamber...
> The second inlet should be directly across from the FB/CC opening..  That air inlet also adds fresh oxygen to help burn off the creosote from a smoldering pile of wood...
> May I suggest you add 2 each 25mm openings at the top of door like pictured below...  They should not need any adjustment...  leave them open...  ALSO, leave the exhaust stack damper wide open....
> 
> ...


Hi.

That has been what i was thinking. The hole that is ther know iss only 1 inch in diameter and if i close the vent by 60% the hole is closed. So i mabe need to get a butterfly vent. Because i obly need to cut it out. The damper is a full size.  So will be a easy fix.


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## daveomak (Jun 30, 2018)

It appears the door to the FB does not seal up air tight...    That can be a problem for heat management also...  Make your modifications and see what happens...


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## Martin Bang (Jun 30, 2018)

daveomak said:


> It appears the door to the FB does not seal up air tight...    That can be a problem for heat management also...  Make your modifications and see what happens...


Thnx. Tomorrow if i get the time i will make a vent just in line of th cc.


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## daveomak (Jun 30, 2018)

Let us know if it improves stuff....


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## Martin Bang (Jul 1, 2018)

daveomak said:


> Let us know if it improves stuff....


Hi. 

I manage to make hole. Just a small one. Just to check. It was bether. But i think the hole is to small.  I made just a temporary hole whit a vent. Butni needed ti put a stuck in the lit to get it buring right. So the issu is air. Tomorrow i will get some parts and fix a larger hole with a nice looking vent. The good thing id. It burns so damn clean. And i only need to add 1 stick every 45 min. And holding temp very very good. So i am on the right track.


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## Martin Bang (Jul 1, 2018)

daveomak said:


> Let us know if it improves stuff....


Hi. 

I manage to make hole. Just a small one. Just to check. It was bether. But i think the hole is to small.  I made just a temporary hole whit a vent. Butni needed ti put a stuck in the lit to get it buring right. So the issu is air. Tomorrow i will get some parts and fix a larger hole with a nice looking vent. The good thing id. It burns so damn clean. And i only need to add 1 stick every 45 min. And holding temp very very good. So i am on the right track.


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## daveomak (Jul 2, 2018)




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## Hank R (Jul 2, 2018)

Martin sounds like you are making good head way with this, soon you will be a master at fire management. I have learned lots from following this thread.  Seems to me that Red and Dave are very good at fire control and are a great help for us new guys, even I do not have a wood burner but interested in it.


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## Martin Bang (Jul 4, 2018)

Hank R said:


> Martin sounds like you are making good head way with this, soon you will be a master at fire management. I have learned lots from following this thread.  Seems to me that Red and Dave are very good at fire control and are a great help for us new guys, even I do not have a wood burner but interested in it.


yes! i have indeed learn alot. I have drilled some more holes, but haven't had the chance to test it. Will make a vent for it and see if the hole is big enough to bring oxygen. If that works as planned, i will be able to control the temp with lower vents and the oxygen and draw with upper. its just takes some time to fine tune it. 

One option is to open the top lit to the firebox and it burns so clean. but you then get alot of heat going out the lid. So hope my plan works:D i will post a update when i have run some tests. 

Tnx all!


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## Martin Bang (Jul 6, 2018)

Hi All, 

I did yesterday run a test! it was successful! i got from the manufacturer of the smoker a baffler plates white holes fra small to large. so i did 3-4 mods.

1. Drilled 2 extra holes in the firebox and sealed it bether. It dont looks pretty but i am making a awesome vent, so it looks better.  
2. Installed the baffelplate, i got this for free from the manufacturer. Great service at landmann!!
3. Feldons calculator said my chimney was to short. so i did make a extender out of Aluminium foil. just to check. i then contacted a local welder. he made me a extender that i can easy take on and off. so my chimney is 26.7 inces. 

The chimney mod i just wanted to test. it gave me better draft, its not a MUSt but can be great if there is windy.
Drilled to holes extra 50.6 MM, this makes a HUGE difference. Now my fire get plenty of air and not smoldering. 
The baffelplate made my CC hold temp better and from end to end it was 10 degrees different. Just over the firebox opening it was hotter, that's ok. And i dont think it can be avoided. 

I started with 1 full chimney of lump charcoal. Lit them up and added 2 normal sizes logs. it vent up to 290-300F. I was planning to run my test at 240-260 range, with target temp 250. When it burn down to coals(YES IT DID burn down to real coals!!!). I added one preheated log and open the vent to the FB fully, did not need to open the door. all the white smoke came out the to drilled holes and the clear ninja smoke came out the chimney, this can be a drawft problem since the chimney is 6 inches short. But i just added my chimney extender and the pulling of the fire started, i added the extender when the log was burning good. easy fix, everytime i add a log take of the extender for 5 min:). I did not have 1 min of white smoke out of the chimney. the airflow and oxygen was so good in the firebox. after 5 min i closed the vent 1/2 added the extender, and it held held target temp for around 50 min, after 1 h 17 min it dropped down to 230F. then i added a new log!. t

Im rdy to COOK! have to thnx you all for the help and tip!.what a easy fix, to go from a good BBQ smoker to a Super Smoker!. The picture below is when i am holding 250F at the point.


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## daveomak (Jul 6, 2018)

I'm glad you found success with the modifications...


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## Martin Bang (Jul 9, 2018)

I can it mods was a 100% success! No white smoke, just sweet good smoke taste on food.
It was so relaxing. trhow a new log every 45 min. didn't need to think about bad smoke. was drank a few beer and enjoying the whole coocktime!

I cooked some ribs and sausage with Birchwood(no bark). They where amazing. so tender and moist. perfect balanced. ! 
here is a picture at 2H mark. had a small taste bite at the right just to check how the smoke was.






Tnx agin!... And CASE CLOSED:D


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## daveomak (Jul 9, 2018)

The grub looks like it's clean smoke cooked...  No black creosote...   I can see they would taste delicious...  
Glad the member here could help you make great smoked meats...    Dave


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## Hank R (Jul 9, 2018)

Hi Martin, glad you got it smoking right . I have learned a lot just following this thread.  Myself did not realize what it took for it all to work out.  Now if I remember it for when I get a stick burner????


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