Controling the smoke

[Socrates]

Ok, So I have my smoker set up and I have been playing with it. No meat yet, I just want to get a feel for controlling the heat before I toast a piece of meat unnecessarily. (The gods of smoking frown on burnt meat). Any comments from the smoking community would be greatly appreciated before I commit a mortal sin to a pork shoulder.

I am smoking with my new Char-Griller Smoking Pro (with side fire box) and I have the following observations.

1. Temperature control is largely a matter of small adjustments. It takes 15 to 30 minutes for any adjustment to be fully realized in the smoke chamber's temperature.

2. Flue adjustments are as important as fire box vent adjustments. In fact, the temperature is less sensitive to flue adjustment and therefore is the preferred "tweak" for small temperature changes.

3. You have to watch it like a hawk.

Things I would change about the Smoking Pro if I was in charge of the world:

1. A longer flue pipe.

2. A thermostatically-controlled damper in the flue; I think this would even out the temperature changes a little.

3. A vent control between the fire box and the smoking chamber. This along with a separate flue pipe on the fire box would allow better control over the temperature.

Am I being too much of an engineer here? Actually, a bimetallic spring controlled damper on the flue pipe (s) would not be hard to build. Something to ponder in the wee small hours of the morning.

Questions:

1. I am unsure about the quantity of wood to put in the fire box. Is it better to add small amouts of wood frequently, or larger amounts less often?

Socrates

[Nick]

1.  Temperature control is largely a matter of small adjustments. It takes 15 to 30 minutes for any adjustment to be fully realized in the smoke chamber's temperature.

2.    Flue adjustments are as important as fire box vent adjustments. In fact, the temperature is less sensitive to flue adjustment and therefore is the preferred "tweak" for small temperature changes.

3.    You have to watch it like a hawk.

Things I would change about the Smoking Pro if I was in charge of the world:

1.  A longer flue pipe.

2.  A thermostatically-controlled damper in the flue; I think this would even out the temperature changes a little.

3.  A vent control between the fire box and the smoking chamber.  This along with a separate flue pipe on the fire box would allow better control over the temperature.

All good observations. I don't do much smoking (Klink has to get in here), but I have been designing and building wood-fired heaters since 1975.

The most interesting change (to me) you propose is, "2. A thermostatically-controlled damper in the flue; I think this would even out the temperature changes a little." Take that and go beyond to electrically connecting that to a servo driven firebox air intake and it could be interesting - though if it worked right it would take all the "fun" out of having to constantly watch things.

Don't know as a vent control between the fire box and smoker would do much.

Have to wait to see what Klink thinks.

[jmcgrath]

Cook with the exhaust flue wide open. Control temperature with the firebox inlet. Don't worry about minor temperature variations. Shoot for 225F at the cooking grate. Lid thermometors run 25 to 50 degrees higher. Temperature cycles of +- 25 are normal. Don't sweat them and don't try to micromanage temperature. You will only drive yourself crazy. Use less wood rather than more. Avoid mesquite. Apple and oak are nice. Pecan is fine. Straight hickory can be harsh, but works OK as a suplement to milder woods.

When the shoulder bone can be jiggled, the meat is done. Figure about 8 hours or 200 internal, but those are only guidelines.

Lump charcoal is preferable to briquettes. Use a charcoal chimney rather than lighter fluid.

After 3 or 4 hours, smoke flavoring ceases. Save yourself some money and stop adding wood at that point. I repeat, go easy on the wood. A couple of fist sized chunks of wood every hour for the first few hours is all you need.

Many people cook with the fat cap up. I trim it off entirely. Start thinking about how you will sauce your meat. I prefer Eastern North Calolina style, vinegar and hot pepper flakes with a dash of sugar.

Jim

[Dave the Cook]

After 3 or 4 hours, smoke flavoring ceases.  Save yourself some money and stop adding wood at that point.  I repeat, go easy on the wood.  A couple of fist sized chunks of wood every hour for the first few hours is all you need.

More precisely, smoke flavoring ceases when the surface temperature of the meat reaches 140F. Therefore, you can boost the smoke flavor (although you increase overall cooking time) by putting your butt on the grate directly from the icebox. (Thanks to CathyL, Goddess, for the tip.)

All good advice, so far. And you've got a nice unit there. (I have one, too, as does the Colonel.)

[fifi]

This cracks me up. At lunch with the guys at work a few days ago, we got into a discussion about BBQ. I was telling them what I had learned here, temperature control, etc. A few of the guys are control systems engineers and they immediately started designing a control system that opened and closed vents, monitored the meat interior temperature, graphed the "temperature stall", various alarm systems for high temp, low temp, end of the stall... you get the idea. Much scribbling on napkins ensued. For the next couple of days, I would get questions about desireable temps, allowable ranges and on and on.

I just love engineers. They are so cute.

[Socrates]

I just love engineers. They are so cute.

I am one of those engineers too! But, you'll have to ask Xanthippe if I am cute.

Tell you engineer buddies that the trick in not designing a control system that uses microprocessors, but to design a system that requires no electricity at all! That's what my little mind is working on.

Socrates.

[Xanthippe]

I just love engineers. They are so cute.

Why do you think I married one??!? Yes, Socrates is indeed cute.

And his "little mind" is endlessly fascinating to me; we really don't think alike at all.

Opposites attract . . .

[Stone]

Sounds like a job for fuzzy logic.

[Socrates]

Sounds like a job for fuzzy logic.

Nope! This is strictly an analog problem.

Soc.

[guajolote]

I'm an engineer too.

Dude, how many beers did you have? That is the "key". You need to reach the "semi-stupor" point where the temperature doesn't matter and you are really enjoying yourself. If you get to this point the pork/brisket will rock.

[fifi]

Stone... Do you mean fuzzy logic as in how my ridiculously overpriced but absolutely marvelous fuzzy logic rice cooker works but I am not at all sure that I understand except that it detects a temperature rise and then does something else?

Or are you just being a smartass?

(My rice cooker has a retractable cord. Can we work that in?)

edit: correct run-on sentence... nah, never mind.

Edited June 30, 2003 by fifi (log)

[col klink]

I'll reply more tomorrow as I just got back from a 7 hour drive from Canada.

At first I was going to say you just wasted decent smoking wood trying to figure out how it works, but you're supposed to run it for a while to burn off all of the nasty chemicals they use to preserve the steel during transit.

Congrats on your purchase. Being an engineer myself I know where you're coming from but you're overanalyzing the situation. Learning how to run it with a deft hand and knowing when you can let things go is to know the joying of smoking meat so don't go about designing an analog system to control behavior. Then your meat won't have any love. Just keep your exhaust flue completely open and just use the firebox flue to do all of the control, you don't need anything else. You'll find a balance of how much wood to use with each type of wood.

So when you're smoking for the first time, relax. Drink a couple of beers, shoot the sh*t and just wait for the goodness. And don't worry, it's incredibly hard to ruin a pork shoulder. It can handle swings of 100 degrees and still be better than any pork you can get commercially. Just start mopping it (every half hour) after an hour and a half to two hours with a sauce of your chosing that contains some type of oil. Let your imagination run wild but not wild enough that you'd add sugar, it'll burn and prematurely turn the pork black and make a crust, stopping any additional flavors from coming in.

edit: Batgrrrl and I found the awlful stench in our house when we came home, it wasn't spoiled milk, it was a dead mouse. A puffy deady mouse with lots of stink. I know this because I was the one who put the dead mouse in the garbage bag because Batgrrrl can stand a *live* mouse, but a dead one she can't. For once I don't think it was *my* cat who did this. But we can't prove anything can we, because we weren't here for the last couple of days were we? Just like Tootsie Pops, the world may never know.

[Socrates]

Being an engineer myself I know where you're coming from but you're overanalyzing the situation.

How many engineers are there around here?

Love the SIG. Smite them and smite the vegans mightly.

[MatthewB]

How many engineers are there around here?

We should probably emulate the "who's a chef & who's a cook" thread and start a "who's an engineer & who's a technician" thread.

[fresco]

'We should probably emulate the "who's a chef & who's a cook" thread and start a "who's an engineer & who's a technician" thread.'

Would that be the "eGullet Who's What" or the "Who are you calling a technician" thread?

[MatthewB]

'We should probably emulate the "who's a chef & who's a cook" thread and start a "who's an engineer & who's a technician" thread.'

Would that be the "eGullet Who's What" or the "Who are you calling a technician" thread?

The latter should be good.

Post that "new thread," fresco.

[Stone]

Stone... Do you mean fuzzy logic as in how my ridiculously overpriced but absolutely marvelous fuzzy logic rice cooker works but I am not at all sure that I understand except that it detects a temperature rise and then does something else?

Or are you just being a smartass?

(My rice cooker has a retractable cord. Can we work that in?)

edit: correct run-on sentence... nah, never mind.

I was kind of serious, kind of joking. I read a book about fuzzy logic and found it pretty interesting. Seems perfect for this kind of system. However, I've sinced learned that most engineers have a violent reaction to fuzzy logic and think it's about as worthwhile as creationism.

[fresco]

"Post that "new thread," fresco"

I would, but for one technicality--I'm no technician. (hell, I can barely type.)

[jhlurie]

'We should probably emulate the "who's a chef & who's a cook" thread and start a "who's an engineer & who's a technician" thread.'

Would that be the "eGullet Who's What" or the "Who are you calling a technician" thread?

Oh, I suppose you could use Jason's Bio thread, since its already started on the "geek" end of the equation! Just specify "science geek", "computer geek", etc. and procede from there.

Edited June 30, 2003 by jhlurie (log)

[hollywood]

Dude, how many beers did you have? That is the "key". You need to reach the "semi-stupor" point where the temperature doesn't matter and you are really enjoying yourself. If you get to this point the pork/brisket will rock.

Excellent advice and good analysis of the art of smoking.

[CathyL]

So when you're smoking for the first time, relax. Drink a couple of beers, shoot the sh*t and just wait for the goodness. And don't worry, it's incredibly hard to ruin a pork shoulder. It can handle swings of 100 degrees and still be better than any pork you can get commercially.

The master speaks.

The hardest lesson to learn, for me, was that temperature swings don't matter much when you're smoking something for hours.