tcaton
Knows what a fatty is.
My luck with quality smoke in my ceramic grill (Primo) varies - using chunks, sometimes one is near the fire and burns clean, sometimes it belches white smoke, and sometimes the fire just hasn't found a chunk yet. Chips may work better, but I have a much greater supply of chunks. Also, the vast majority of my cooks are short evening ones, where I roast a few veggies and reverse sear a steak over low heat, and then crank the heat at the end for the steak. This time window is too short to rely on establishing a clean fire using wood mixed into the charcoal.
So, applying what I recently learned about rocket stoves, I tried this experiment - place a wood chunk in the air intake, and torch it until lit. With the vent 20% open for my target ~300F, this creates a draft directly over the lit chunk which a) keeps it lit, and b) produces a fairly constant, *clean* and reasonable amount of smoke for 30-60 min. Just enough for a light kiss of smoke.
This is completely impractical for longer cooks, may not be smoky enough, and the PITA factor may be high. But it's an interesting tool to keep in the toolbox, might inspire some better ideas in the future. And if you are disappointed after reading this, reread the thread title
So, applying what I recently learned about rocket stoves, I tried this experiment - place a wood chunk in the air intake, and torch it until lit. With the vent 20% open for my target ~300F, this creates a draft directly over the lit chunk which a) keeps it lit, and b) produces a fairly constant, *clean* and reasonable amount of smoke for 30-60 min. Just enough for a light kiss of smoke.
This is completely impractical for longer cooks, may not be smoky enough, and the PITA factor may be high. But it's an interesting tool to keep in the toolbox, might inspire some better ideas in the future. And if you are disappointed after reading this, reread the thread title
