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Post by madmonk28 on Jul 25, 2013 8:11:37 GMT -5
Hey all,
I've used my smokenator about 5 times now, and I'm getting ok, but not great results. First off, meat tends to be a little dry, not really bad, but just on the dry side. I have a 22.5 in Weber and I'm using a Maverick probe thermometer, so I'm pretty sure I'm getting an accurate read. I'm trying to keep the temp at the grill level at 220, but it will often drop below 200.
I'm really having trouble with the temp. I'm using Trader Joe's lump charcoal. It seems to take a really long time to get up to temp (like 30 min) and any time I open the lid the temp drops a lot and takes a good 15 min to come back up to temp.
A couple times during the smoking cycle, the temp just bottoms out and it takes a lot of work to get it back up. This last time, I actually put the ribs in the oven for about 40 min while I worked to get the temp stabilized.
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Post by ecripps on Jul 25, 2013 22:33:38 GMT -5
Lump coal can be hard to get up to temp and maintain the temps due to it not being uniform in shape and size. Try using Kingsford original in the blue bag as it is uniform in shape and tends to burn evenly. Make sure the coals are white hot when you put them in or you can have issues maintaining the temperature.
Ed
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Post by friardave on Jan 12, 2014 15:40:37 GMT -5
Hi, I am having temp issues too. Weber 22 and did a chicken 2wks ago that turned out great. I did not split it just left it whole. Next time split.
I'm doing a brisket right now. It seemed to reach the stall at 150 so I foiled it. Temps in the dome are around 320 or so. It seems to be using a bit more coal than I thought. And it's drinking more water than an alky would drink booze.
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Post by friardave on Jan 12, 2014 20:06:56 GMT -5
Hi, I am having temp issues too. Weber 22 and did a chicken 2wks ago that turned out great. I did not split it just left it whole. Next time split. I'm doing a brisket right now. It seemed to reach the stall at 150 so I foiled it. Temps in the dome are around 320 or so. It seems to be using a bit more coal than I thought. And it's drinking more water than an alky would drink booze. ok it's been in the cooler for 30 mins...hopefully magic will happen when i open it...either way...smoking is fun |
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Post by ncsmoker on Jan 13, 2014 19:18:11 GMT -5
Hi friardave, welcome to the group. Hope the brisket came out okay. Your dome temp is way to high it should be in the 230-240 degree range. I often use 250 degrees. At 320 your baking not smoking. Reduce the top vent opening. It is also the reason you are adding water so often. Don't know what size brisket you smoked but a 6lb flat should take 8hrs or more. I smoke the whole brisket 12 lbs or so and it takes 14 - 16 hrs or more. The stall will come as you found out at 150 and last an hour or more depending on the size of the brisket.
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Post by friardave on Jan 16, 2014 0:45:22 GMT -5
ncsmoker thanks for the reply and advice. This was my first time trying something like this. I'm not sure of the weight but I would estimate about 8 lbs. All I have right now for thermometers are a plain meat thermometer and a small $10 digital thermometer for checking dome temp. I guess I was using too much coal and wood. I started with about 15 hot coals and the area under the smokenator filled with coals and a couple chunks of wood. I was always afraid of the fire going away so I added coals as I thought I should. Next time I will be more prudent and maybe I will see a proper temp. I really never had the dome temp in the 250 range. I have a lot to learn.
Despite my lack of smoking skills I was happily surprised that the brisket turned out great. It was tender, flavorful and had a nice smoke ring. I am looking forward to the next time
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Post by ncsmoker on Jan 16, 2014 15:32:15 GMT -5
Glad the brisket came out well. Check page 8 in the manual for some more details on how to build the fire and handle the openings and the coals. Basically you want the bottom one all the way open and the top one 5/8" open to start. You then adjust the top to get the 230-240 degrees you want. Knock the ash off the coals and push them up against the black coals. You only add coals at the 4hr point when you clean out the ashes from the bottom of the grill. One chunk of wood will last about an hour. Wood chips don't work very well. With the moisture in the grill I keep adding wood for at least 6hrs or longer depending on the size of what I'm smoking. When I first started I kept a small note book of the settings and temps and weather conditions so I could get an idea of how to set the grill under various conditions. After awhile I knew the setting I needed and didn't keep notes any longer.
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Post by tgwilt on May 15, 2014 20:13:11 GMT -5
Hello Everyone,
Tom Gwilt here...I'm new to the board and the smokenator, although I have used an ECB smoker with mediocre results.
Tried my new smokenator tonight to cook a rack of baby backs. Had a heck of a time controlling the temp. Started by opening the intake vents 5/16th of an inch and the exhaust vents 3/16th. Temperature rose to 304 degrees, and nothing worked to lower it using the exhaust vent. I even closed it for about 30 minutes and the temp eventually stabilized at 240. I was using water in the pan and everything.
Finally ended up setting the intake vents at about 1/8 inch open and the exhaust vents about the same.
Am I doing something wrong here? I would really like to have it run at 225 or so. Using a Weber 22.5 Silver Kettle and the new smokenator. I think I'll try messing around with a couple of dry runs tomorrow. When I did the initial dry runs, things seemed to work well. Perhaps the weather? 62 degrees F and rain.
Thanks in advance,
Tom
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Post by ecripps on May 15, 2014 20:53:25 GMT -5
Hi Tom Check out the set up video www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep_35ytUcz0 It also sounds like your lid is leaking. You might want to try some clamps on the lid to see if that helps you control your temps. I'd also keep the lower vent fully open and control the temp with the upper vent. Ed |
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Post by ncsmoker on May 16, 2014 0:22:04 GMT -5
Hi Tom and welcome to the forum. Yes it takes some time to get used to using the SN. I live in the mountains of NC and can have a wind of 10-15 mph when I want to smoke. This means a constant adjustment to the bottom and top vents. With your Silver Weber it is even harder as you have 3 vents to adjust versus the Gold that I have. I had a Silver before this and had no problem smoking but it was a trial error before I got the Gold and the SN. When I used the Silver I closed down the two bottom vents to 1/8-1/4" and used the vent nearest the charcoal to control the heat. The top vent should be opposite the charcoal and the bottom vent you are controlling. It will take time and practice but the SN is a great tool. I smoke bacon, hams, brisket, pork butts, ribs and turkey with it.
As Ed suggested check for smoke coming out from around the lid. If so you will need the clamps he suggests. I had up to 8 on my old Silver before I got my new Gold.
Good luck and great barbequeing.
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Post by tgwilt on May 21, 2014 5:01:44 GMT -5
Thanks guys, I tried using some of the clips last time and it helped a bit. Probably should think about getting a gold Weber. Just don't have the available cash at this time as I'm saving for a Caribbean cruise in November (when the weather gets a little cold here  . I was able to smoke a pork shoulder recently and it had a nice bark and came out great! I sort of confused as amazingribs.com recommends using the bottom vent for temp control and the Smokenator forum tends to go for the opposite. I guess I'll have to just practice and see what works best here. Next thing will be smoked salmon. Mmmmmm. I'll keep posting on my trials to maintain a good temp. Once again, thanks for all the tips! Great forum. Tom |
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Post by ncsmoker on May 21, 2014 15:07:10 GMT -5
Tom the Cruise comes first.LOL Weber Gold can come later. Glad the Pork Shoulder came out great. My first grill back in the 70's was a Silver and I smoked a lot of good shoulders, ribs, chicken, etc. on it even before the SN. I had a banged up Gold that needed 8 clips to keep the lid tight, so don't be afraid to add some more. Don't worry to much about the discrepancies between amazingribs.com and this forum. Generally they are saying the same thing here they get the bottom vents settled in and adjust the top vent which is much easier. I'd rather adjust it than bend down to adjust the bottom vents.
Good luck with your adventures as you learn the SN and don't be afraid to ask questions.
Most of all have fun.
SN
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. I was able to smoke a pork shoulder recently and it had a nice bark and came out great!