How long to come to temp?

[smibri]

Hi all - fairly new to the smokenator. Just wondering how long i can expect to wait for the Smokenator to come up to heat on a normal spring/summer warm day?

Thanks in advance

smibri

[ecripps]

In San Jose when its over 80 it takes me about 15 min from when I put the starter coals in the Smokenator. I spend about 15-20 minutes getting the starter coals white hot. To speed up the time you can wait to add water until the Smokenator is up to temp and the meat is on the grill.

Ed

[ncsmoker]

Agree with ecripps. You don't want to try to speed it up by opening the bottom controls or you'll lose control. Just stay with the settings suggested and you'll ba fine.

[smibri]

Thanks to both of you for your help!

smibri

[smibri]

Getting the smokenator up to temp is still causing nightmares for me! I smoked a small piece of pork butt (2.5 lb) the other day, and it took over 45 minutes to get up to 210 degrees at the grate! I've noticed in other posts that ecripps recommends leaving the bottom vents fully open and controlling things with the top vents. I'm going to try this next time, as the waiting time is really a pain.

snibri

[kenny]

I have done dry runs the past two nights, outside temps about 40F. 48 unlit briquettes each time. Both starts bottom vents full open, top one half open. First night 12 lit coals. At 30 minutes 216 degrees. Got impatient opened top vent fully. Temp shot up, but hard to get back down. Second night 18 lit 48 unlit. 68 minutes to hit 225 degrees. I had no problem regulating for 3 more hours by closing bottom vent 1/3. How do I get to cooking temp quicker? More lit coals at start?

[ecripps]

I add the coals white hot. Keep the vents fully open. Don't add water into the pan until you temp is at 215 or so. I also don't use binder clips unless I can't keep the temp below 250 at the dome. Being 40 out, you may need to use more starter coals. Give that a try and let me know how it goes.

Ed

[ncsmoker]

Hi Kenny welcome to the group. The bottom vents are normally kept wide open and the top vent is used to control the temp. As the outside temperature drops the top vent needs to be opened more. At 40 degrees you may need to keep it open 2/3 to 3/4 open. In the summer only an 1/8" You will just need to experiment. I am down in the mountains of NC and getting ready to smoke this years bacon. Don't know what the weather will be,forecasts show 19 with snow showers middle of next week.

As Ed says above don't add water till you get up to temp. I like to get to a temp of 250 before adding it. 250 is 220-230 at the rack which is the perfect temp for me. Also once you add the water you may drop down and may want to open the top vent a little. I also don't use the little pan that comes with the SN. I use a larger loaf pan and set it half over the opening and the rest over the unlit charcoal. This keeps me from checking it so often.

[kenny]

I too use a loaf pan. Temps I am reporting are at the grate, not going by the dome thermometer. Also, I am adding boiling water. A cook yesterday at 62 degrees had grate temp at 225 in half hour. First actual time with food. Still not great success, but learning each time. Temp got too low before reaching 3 hours. Added unlit coals but it was too late. Had to finish in the oven. I stirred the coals and added water every hour. Smoked meatloaf is pretty darn good. I will keep following the forum and learning by doing.

[ncsmoker]

Hey Kenny how are things going now that you're a month down the road. One thing I thought of as I read your last post is don't stir the coals to much. You just want to knock off the excessive ash that has built up and keep them up to them next to the new coals. Just finished my bacon at 190 hood and took it out at 140 meat temp. Great stuff. Coals lasted over 7 hours. Smoked a 12lb turkey at Thanksgiving for 4 hours and it came out great. Let me know if your still having problems. Will try to trouble shoot with you.

[kenny]

Happy New Year. I am progressing each cook. Have done ribs and butt. I may still be messing with the thing too much. The standard bread loaf pan of water seems to last one to one and a half hours. Temps go crazy when it boils dry, so I am adding water every hour. But also knocking the coals around and refilling with unlit briquettes. I generally have to fudge the vents a bit with each addition. I might try adding water hourly, but adding coal every two hours, or something like that. Thanks for keeping up with me.

[ncsmoker]

Kenny can you give those temps. A loaf pan should last more than an hour of smoking. Are you keeping the bottom vent fully open and only using the top vent to adjust the temp. I start this out at recommended 5/16" and shut it down or open it up as weather dictates. Do not add coals every hour only add coals if you are going to have a long cook session and then add them when you clean the ashes out at the 4 hour point. Also only knock the ash off the white coals gently. Do not mix in new coals. You can push the white coals up against the black coals but that is all you need to do, no mixing, no adding. Yes do this hourly. I always add warm water to the water pan. When you add coals at the 4 hour point after knocking off the ash and emptying the bottom of loose ash add new coals through the circle holes and use stirrer to direct them and fill the smokenator.

Happy New Year

[kenny]

I use a Maverick to control grate temp. For pork and beef, 225. Water pan is not empty at one hour, but less than half, so could not make 2 hours between checks. I have been vigorously stirring coals hourly and add unlit coals on top not mixing the in. Smoking a meatloaf right now. I will check water at 90 minutes and gently stir coals. I won't add any until it really looks low. I expect this one to be done in 4 or 5 hours so may not have to add any. I got 65 coals in to start lighting 12 of those. I would not say I am having trouble keeping temps in BBQ range but it seems very fiddly. I am working towards more autopilot and less peeking under the lid.

[ncsmoker]

That sounds good Kenny. Just knock all the loose ashes off the burning coals every hour and make sure they are up against the new coals. Also review page 8 of the manual to refresh your memory on how best to work the SN. Page 7 is good also.

[kenny]

I can't find the manual. Know of an online pdf version? Meatloaf smoke went well. Got grate temp to settle in at 228. Did not lift lid until 90 minutes. Added boiling water and gently stirred coals. At 3 hour mark meat temp was about 5 degrees from finish. I removed water pan, stirred coals gently, and slathered bbq sauce over the loaf. Temps began going up quickly without the water. At 270 degrees shut vent way down. Meat was done 30 minutes later. If you have never tried smoked meatloaf, you should.