I think the amazing aspect is how quickly your fresh wood fired up. Well cured and selected for sure. The key advice is let the wood come to flame before restricting some of the air flow. Thank you Skoggit! Haters are gonna hate. Don't pay any mind to it.
James Williams Thanks for your input! I never really have a problem getting the wood started. Once it starts then I am in business. Thanks for watching! Take Care!
A few folks ask about where to get the data? I get good fry wood from Academy. There's a FEW local sources where I am to get A LOT pretty cheap but I've found it to be soo wet that it smokes and doesn't catch. Another tip, is to put a smaller pieces of wood on first. It'll catch quicker, then throw on your big piece. Adjusting the vents does work but if you're losing temp that burn may be on its last bits and will need more fuel.
@Dirtysouth101aoj, The only time I use charcoal is to start the fire. After that I use straight hickory wood for the duration of the smoke. If I feel the meat is getting to much smoke I will double wrap the meat in foil. When wrapped in foil the meat can't get any more smoke but will continue to cook. Hope this was of help to you! Take Care!
Hey, Thanks for the tips! And for everyone else, some people aren't blessed to spit word out as quick as others. Just the same, some are blessed with big mouths and little brains! Mouth shut mind open, let's keep this ole world turning!
Thank you Skoggit!! Good info for an amateur like me. Been cooking for many years on my New Braunfels smoker, but I am just now getting into wood and smoking (I used to live in an apartment, so that is why I never smoked). But now I BBQ once a week and are experimenting with wood, and smoking. So your videos are great for people like me who are learning this skill. BBQ is no picnic, but I am definitely a fan and do it for the enjoyment of cooking, plus everyone loves good BBQ. Thanks again. Gilbert
Quick and simple instructions. Have my smoker going right now with some wood waiting on it when the temp drops. Lol! Smoking some huge beef ribs. Thanks again for the tips!
This is A Great Lesson In Fire Mangament. Thank You So Much My Brother Skoggit. Have A Great Super Bowl Sunday. And Thank You For all The Corn Chips Cheers 🍻
I just got a junior charbroil offset and some cherry wood from a guy on Craigslist. He told me to spray water to stop flames, I ended up with a bitter tasting leg of lamb (was OK inside) I smoked the neighbors out ! Your method seems simple allow good flow of heat by having chimney vent open and control heat with dampers on firebox.Smoke doesn't have to be excessive-I will try again !
How's it going skoggit! Great videos, very helpful for me and my new offset smoker. Just have a question for you....what kind of wood would you recommend for smoking and what size wood chunks are best for smoking? Thanks
Would a brick or some old cast iron, placed inside help to maintain a temp.? & if so, where in the smoker would it be best placed. The smoker I have isnt of a heavy gauge steel.
I tell you a cooker which I really like is The Pit Barrel Cooker! No vents to open, no temp gauge to watch and cooks everything perfect every time! Since I got my Pit Barrel I haven't even used my offsets. Something you might want to check out! Take Care!
well done!!!! that will help anybody smoking on a offset smoker a lot of information!!! that Oklahoma Joe is a good one!!!! the thicker the metal the better it holds heat...I bought that charbroil off set .....way to thin. fire box to small. I have it away!!!! I should have made a BBQ grill out of it. well...I do good with my 50$ Weber... I always offset n smoke my meats on it. happy new year BRO!!
+Curtis fogleman Hey my friend, good to hear from you again! Saw your Christmas Video and really enjoyed it! You can't go wrong with a Weber, cooked on those several times! My next smoker is going to be a Pit Barrel Smoker! Getting it this spring! You take care of yourself, always a pleasure to hear from you!
Can't wait to see u burn it up!!! Show the newbies how to season it!!! YOU wouldn't believe how many people buy a new grill n don't ...SET IT UP RIGHT!!!! TY BUD
Just a real dude doing real stuff. Doesn't matter how simple, still better than a video from a pretentious BBQ snob who's clearly only in it for money.
+Joel Conrad Thanks! I do my videos to try to help people out which don't know how to cook or BBQ! I have been cooking, grilling and smoking meat since the 1970's! I like to share my knowledge with others! Thanks for watching and the comment! Take Care!
@dcriglerd, As for wood you can use any wood you like! I always use hickory I like the flavor the hickory gives! As for the size that's a personal preference! I myself use small logs or chunks about a foot in length! I have a video on my channel covering different wood, the flavor they put out & also what type of foods pair good with certain woods! The video might help you out! Thanks for watching! Take Care!
Hello iam currently smoking with my first smoker a cheapo brinkmann vertical from walmart it's done ok but has been a pain with various things. My next upgrade will be a decent yet cheap offset ..just watching your videos hopefully I can learn something...thanks Scott
I have a cheap Wal-Mart smoker. I think it might be a brinkman or something like it. Anyway, it's a vertical smoker with an offset firebox. I found that a few simple mods really helped me out. Sealing the seams with some high temp silicone and adding a gasket to your door and firebox door. Putting a layer of firebrick in both the bottom of the cook chamber and firebox also helped. I thought about maybe insulating it with concrete backer board but haven't. At any rate, it's been working for me for over 10 years.
commader620 I use only hickory wood. I do the entire smoke using hickory wood. I do however wrap my ribs for 2 hours in foil and also my brisket. My pork butts goes the whole smoke without any wrapping. The thing with meats is after 4 hours the meat will take as much smoke as it can. Hope this was helpful to you! If you have any other questions feel free to contact me anytime! Take Care!
Great Video Skoggit. I bought a used offset smoker. My friends want me to smoke 2 turkeys for their thanks giving dinner. How do I keep my fire going on the same temperature without having to keep adding wood?
skoggit, I just got an Oklahoma Joe's smoker/grill combo. I've been smoking a few years but very basic stuff. this is my first side fire box and I think I just roasted the piss out of my smoker. standing here as I type trying to keep the temp down. I did a charcoal/lump combo bcz I didn't know where to start. did I simply have too much charcoal? any tips or one of your video suggestions?
+Patrick Hall Hey Patrick, What I do is use the charcoal only to light the wood. To do this open all vents fully open. Then put a little charcoal in the firebox, light it and let it ash over. Once the coals ashes over then add a wood log allow it to catch fire. Then start adjusting the vents to obtain the temp needed to smoke the meat. You will have to add wood to the firebox as needed. Just open the firebox lid and put a log in. It will continue to hold the temp where you need it. Hope this helps you out! Any other questions feel free to contact me anytime! Take Care!
Hello Sir..Our question is can we use charcoal "only" in the firebox or is charcoal only used in the lodge section of the smoker. The reason for this question is because we may not always want to smoker our meat but we may want to grill small meats and veggies.
Elaina Turner The answer to your question is yes. I myself sometimes use only charcoal when I am say, roasting corn or grilling up some vegetables or meats that I don't want the smoke added to. I have done this several times when doing sausage and hot dogs. Just because you have a smoker doesn't mean you can't cook entirely with charcoal. Hope this was helpful to you. Take Care!
I would like to maintain my smoker temp. NOT using charcoal but those little wood chunks from Walmart aren't enough to do it. Where do you get your wood from?
Marine Recon I cut a lot of my wood and my friends know I use a offset smoker and they will call me when they have wood for me also. I'll smoke them some BBQ in return. it's a good trade off.
How much wood do you usually use when smoking something large, like a 20 lb brisket? I found myself adding significant amounts of wood because I was unable to keep the temperature in the smoker constant.
The use of wood really depends on the weather. If it is cold outside I will have to use a lot more wood than if it is hot. The smoker also has a lot to do with the use of wood. A cheap tin smoker will use more wood and the temp will be harder to control than a good sturdy steel smoker. Every smoker is different, once you figure out the smoker then you have it conquered. Hope this was helpful to you. Any other questions feel free to contact me anytime! Take Care!
Thanks for your reply. I bought two bags of apple wood chunks and ended up using both of them. It was a cold and windy day and I do not think I have the best smoker out there. The meat tasted really good and did not have an overwhelming smoke flavor. I was just wondering whether I was doing something wrong. Thank you for helping me on this.
No problem, glad I could be of help! If you have any other questions feel free to contact me anytime. I will get back with you as soon as I can! The weather will have an affect on the smoker. Glad to hear the meat came out good! Take Care!
Skoggit, someone told me that I shouldn't keep adding wood when the temp starts to drop. just add charcoal because you can over smoke the meat with a lot of wood; it this true?
I use hickory wood and never have had a problem! Once the fire is started I use wood from then on no charcoal! I know if doing a brisket and using mesquite, too much will give your meat a bitter taste. When I use mesquite wood, I usually wrap the meat in foil or butcher paper after about 4 hours of smoking. It really depends on what you are smoking and for how long and the wood you are using. If you have any doubts, after 4 hours of smoking just wrap in butcher paper. Butcher paper will not allow any more smoke to enter the meat and won't soften up the meat as tin foil will. I will be making a video soon on the use of butcher paper in the smoking process. Hope this helped you out! Any other questions feel free to contact me anytime! Take Care!
skoggit hi is it still ok though to use the charcoal after smoking the meat for about 4 hours?? I just got my Oklahoma joe and I've used it twice on a pork shoulder and I'm trying to use it more and understand on how to smoke better but that's always been a question is can I use wood and then go to charcoal and what are your thoughts about soaking some wood chips also do you got any tips on how to keep the grates nice and clean
All in preference sir. If smoking a brisket get a good coal started before you put meat on and add a couple small logs and put brisket on bare no foil. Smoke for about 4-6 hours with about 220-250 temperature(get a couple of good temperature gauges one for meat surface temp and the other for compartment temp.) during that 4-6 hours make sure and spray your meat with water from a spray bottle every 1 1/2 or so. After the 4-6 hours wrap the brisket real good in cooking paper or foil and let it continue to cook in smoker until you reach an internal temperature in your meat of 200-205. Take it off keep it wrapped and wrap it in a towel place in a cooler if you can and let it rest for a couple hours and you should have some kick butt brisket
By the way i always have trouble with my temperature getting too high. I'm using the char-griller Trio and I think it has too many air leaks. Any advice?
Dont worry about the smoke leaks. So many folks think you need to seal the cooker with fire rope. Or equil. I've been smoking for many years. It will work just fine. Simple concepts the side box vent controls the burn more air more open hotter fire . Open vent on top flute lets out the heat closed hold heat in meat chamber..
Hey Skog, I got my tempature right (225) but there is no smoke going or smoke that I can see. The Hickory chunks are burned black but the temp is at 225. IS this ok or add another small chunk of Hickory?
When the hickory chunks turns black and have quit smoking that means they have burned out. They will however still be hot. Just add more wood and you will start to see the smoke again. If the temp drops, open the vents, then just allow the wood to catch fire until it gets back up to temperature. Then close off the vents to maintain the proper heat. Hope this helped you out. Take Care!
I had to add wood all day to keep temp up to 225. I guess I need to start bigger IDK. I worked it all day, opening and closing, BUT the ribs turned out fine :) I just was constantly adding wood chips to get the temp up, open vents and then closing. Its a process, just glad the ribs turned out good. Thanks bud I appreciate you taking time to answer
What you might try next time is using some small wood logs, they will burn longer and you won't have to control the temp as much. Glad it worked out for you! Have any other questions feel free to ask! Take Care!
Hey Skog enjoyed the temp tips When i have trouble getting fire to recover i will add fuel and if time is an issue I will grab a hairdryer to stoke the firebox i use it on cool/high thanks for the info Devin Thomas Mutts and Butts BBQ Crew Prosper Texas
Hey Delvin I have also added fuel to the fire a time or two, or three. I never have used a hairdryer. Sound like a pretty cool idea as it will blow air into the firebox. Thanks for the tip. Will have to buy myself a cordless hairdryer. I thank you for the info. Tell everyone down there in Prosper, Texas O'l Skoggit says hi! Take Care!
hello. I think I'm having draft problems...I can find no videos on this. also no good forum post either.... my problem... I get a good bed coals put the wood in it lites good shut it both vents wide open..all is good nice smoke life is good. but the temp 350 after a little while so I cut it down on the Firebox half way my for will go out now the nasty smoke comes. I've Got a charcoal basket. also it's a river grille ranchers with a custom fire box. I sealed it up leaks are minimal. any thing will help. draft problems maybe the inlet to the cooker is to big idk.
What brand of smoker do you have? If it is a cheap one made of light weight tin, the temp will be almost impossible to control. If it's a really good smoker, then the problem lies in the air flow from the firebox to the chimney. What I do is run the chimney dampener completely open and make all the adjustments from the firebox vent. Sometimes I get that nasty white smoke when adjusting the temp from the firebox. When this happens I will open the cooking chamber lid for a few seconds and close it, then open it and close it. After doing this several times I have found the temp will drop in the cooking chamber and I will start to see the nice blue smoke coming out the chimney again. Weather also has a lot to do with temp control. Hope this was helpful. If I can be of any help be sure to contact me. Take Care!
It's the river grille rancher it's very well built nice And heavy about 1/4 inch steel thing weights like 350-400 pounds... The only thing I bought it off Craigslist the guy I got it from had someone make him a custom firebox he said he got it with no fire box... That's another story I never pressed...haha understand also I have made great que on it nice blue smoke the whole time just get discouraged when I have to mess with the fire all the time..I understand it's not set and forget just would like to not have to be out there every 20 minutes in a 5 hour cook..lol. Seems like also I watch people add 2 splits of wood and that will maintain for a hour.....if I add that much for sure I'll get the white smoke even after I leave the door open for 5 minutes the splits will take right off burning great I shut the lid get great smoke for a couple minutes then back to white...take a log off it stabilizes blue smoke all is good.... Kinda hard to explain. Thanks skoggit.
Sometimes the smoke is caused by the age of the wood and weather conditions will also cause it. I have had the same problem with the white smoke but it has never affected the taste of the BBQ. Check out a video on Pit Barrel Cooker. It's a set and forget as well as a Traiger Pellet Smoker! Hope this helps you out! Take Care!
+skoggit I'm gonna try and tuning plates. as for set and forget I have 2 kamodos which they are awesome.... with the offset it's about the maintaining the fire ect. I like that it's fun just sometimes gets annoying lol checking on it every 20 minutes because you can't add more than one log and it can't be too big. something I'll have to work on.
When the weather gets cold or wet the temp is hard to control on mine also. Have to check on it about every 45 minutes to an hour. I bought a Pit Barrel Cooker which I am going to be cooking on this Sunday! It's one of those set and forget types. Going to put it to the test. Hope you figure it out because it can drive a person crazy! Take Care!
my problem is keeping the temperature consistent. its constantly fluctuating between 190-300. I think part of the problem is the quality of the grill. I got a $99 brickman on sale and you get what you pay for. It just seems thin and flimsy...
+Ronny Braswell If the smoker is made of tin and flimsy you will have problems controlling the temp! Not much you can do with that! I have however turned out some excellent BBQ on a cheap smoker/grill! Something else, if it came with a temp gauge they are always off! Try putting a oven thermometer inside the smoker. It will give you an accurate reading! Hope this helps you out! Take Care!
I always have the opposite problem. Too much heat. I try closing off my vents most of the way, but I can never seem to keep it down to 140-160 for smoking. I don't have very good seal on smoke box, so I try to seal the gaps with foil. Helps a little, but still have to stand there and watch it for 5 hours!
steel beel If you are trying to maintain a temp of 140-160 try adding less fuel to the fire. Start off with a small amount and work up until you have the desired temp. At 140-160 you shouldn't have to have a very large fire. I know when I make beef jerky on the smoker I do it the way I described and I am able to maintain the temp at 150 and below. Give this a try and see how it works for you. Take Care!
skoggit Thanks to you, sir! I followed your advice. Instead of using a lot of charcoal, I used a small amount with apple wood chunks. I am now 1& 1/2 hours into my pork ribs and maintaining 150 degrees! Thanks again.
when smoking meat, you only need wood for about the first hour. More than that and the meat flavor will be overpowered. You should try adding a combination of hard wood charcoal add regular charcoal form a charcoal chimney. Using the minion method has worked for me. I have a Char-Griller Trio. I use a charcoal basket and used a flexible tubing on the inside and out side of the smoke stack.
Hey commader620, When I smoke meat I use charcoal to get the wood started. After that I use straight hickory wood for the rest of the smoke. I noticed you stated to use wood for the first hour or the meat would be overpowered. If someone doesn't like a lot of smoke flavor then I agree an hour is the way to go. I have used wood throughout all my smokes and never had a problem with the meat coming out bitter. In fact I have won 2 BBQ championships by doing it this way. I appreciate your feed back and tips. Take Care!
I cant seem to maintain 250° on my Oklahoma joe. Its just to hot. If I add wood it goes over 400° even if the damper is closed it seems as tho the damper makes no diffrence. Its eather 210° or close to 400°. With 60 peices of charcoal and 1 small peice of hickory it burnt the paint off the smoke box and was 475° that doesnt seem like that much fuel.
Sounds to me like you might have bought one of the cheap tin Oklahoma Joe's made these days by Charbroil. Had the same thing happen to a friend of mine which bought one. He could not control the heat. It could be due to the cooking chamber not having a good seal and air is coming into both the firebox as well as the cooking chamber. This is common with cheap bbq smokers. There is not much you can do but cut down on the fuel in the firebox. Good luck to you! Take Care!
skoggit ends up i was putting way to much charcoal and wood . I. Useing ur tips now controlling heat and smoke and its worki g out great. Thanks for the info great job.👍
+Bill Warmus Is the steel like tin and are there any leaks in the smoker, like around the door! This will cause you problems! You could also have too much wood in the firebox! There are several factors which will cause the temp to rise, including the outdoor temperature! Wish I could be of more help but without seeing your smoker it's hard to pinpoint the exact problem. Don't give up, once you get to know your smoker you will get better at it. Take Care!
My problem is that I can't seem to get the temperature to down where I want it, even when I close both my vents. My only thought is that I need to use less charcoal and wood to keep the coals from burning so hot. It was the first time I was using the sidebox though so I wasn't sure how much to use.
The temp is controlled from the vents. You could have got too much charcoal or wood in the smoker. I use the charcoal only to start the fire after that I use wood. One log at a time. Every smoker is different so you will just have to mess with it until you figure it out. Let me know how things go! Take Care!
Its definitely about the mix of lit to unlit charcoal to start, and therafter, how much wood to add. The first time I used it, I think I lit too many coals in my chimney - should probably have used 1/2 the amount, and the other half should have been unlit in the firebox to keep the fire going. I've also taken to soaking my wood chunks in water for 30 minutes or so prior to putting them on the fire. Helps give off more smoke and keeps it smouldering more rather than burning. Just takes some playing around with. But thanks for the advice!
After about 4 hours of smoking the meat it will take in as much smoke as it can take. I like my meat with a bold smoke flavor. If you want a less smoke flavor then smoke it for a shorter time. Hope this helps you out. Stay Safe & Take Care!
You seem to be using a small lug for smoking. I can only find wood chips here in montreal :(....is it different to use? I bet it will burn faster and need more attention
Julie Paillé The logs burn for a long time. I can get anywhere, according to the weather an hour to two hours burn time off one log. When using the wood chips you have to let those soak about an hour otherwise they will burn up and not produce smoke. With the logs and chunks there is no soaking required. I always make it a point to use logs. Thanks for watching! Tell everyone up there in Montreal O'l Skoggit says hi! Take Care!
