How Do You Guys Obtain....

[smokingmeats]

The clean burning fire or the blue smoke? If you have dirty smoke, what are you doing incorrectly?

 

[Ron_L]

Lots of things can contribute to a dirty fire, but wet wood or a lack of airflow are the most common.

 

[Rondale]

The advice that has help me the most, Was to build the smallest hot fire that will hold the temperature you want with your stack wide open. This has worked well for me and always makes thin blue smoke in my New Lone Star Grillz vertical upright smoker.

 

[Sweat'in Pig]

The clean burning fire or the blue smoke? If you have dirty smoke, what are you doing incorrectly?

Basically starting out with to much or to big a fire, then try to "choke" it down or cut way back on oxygen. The smoke smells bitter and will taste bitter... NOT GOOD

 

[1buckie]

Most any kind of cooker needs a small, hot fire for a clean smoke......like said above, good airflow, small hot fire & dry enough wood / charcoal is the ticket......

Only maybe cold smoking might be a little different.....

See Here:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=190049


Started out a little sluggish & I forwarded the coalsbto get a hotter burn.....see smoke in the first few pics.....that was after it got going.....
Ran 260~275 & came out fine.........

 

[Bacon]

All of the above AND patience.

 

[Jason TQ]

I let my Shirley pit run pretty much wide open so there is always good airflow and that is key. I actually just fired it up for some Sunday cooking. I start with a bed of lump then put on 2 or 3 sticks and hit it with the weed burner for about 1 minute. It really gets the nice bed of coals started the the sticks burning well. Love starting my fire with the weed burner because it is up to temp (300 degrees) in about a minute.

Here is what the fire looks like after the weed burner has done its job.

 

[Brontoburger]

Yup, what they said. Generally too much wood to too little fire. On my WSM I never pre-load wood with the charcoal before lighting. I've seen people do that, but when I tried it I had to pull wood out because I was rolling thick white smoke. I always get a small, hot fire going first, stabilize the temp, and then add one or two chunks of wood. If the smoke gets too thick I'll use a poker to pull the wood to the side and it always smooths out.

 

[Bludawg]

With out knowing what your cooking on and what your fire management procedures are and your desired cooking temp is compared to where the pit like to run it is a shot in the dark as to get you to Sweet Blue so if you pony up you might just on the right trail.

 

[smokingmeats]

With out knowing what your cooking on and what your fire management procedures are and your desired cooking temp is compared to where the pit like to run it is a shot in the dark as to get you to Sweet Blue so if you pony up you might just on the right trail.

Smoking on a WSM. Typically use the minion method with a half full or full chimney of lit coals. Depending on how long I need to cook for. After adding the lit coals to the unlit coals, I put 5-7 chunks of wood on top and let the WSM go. Usually have all vents closed except for the top one.

 

[Kyle Serlington]

Smoking on a WSM. Typically use the minion method with a half full or full chimney of lit coals. Depending on how long I need to cook for. After adding the lit coals to the unlit coals, I put 5-7 chunks of wood on top and let the WSM go. Usually have all vents closed except for the top one.

5 to 7 is way too much. on my WSM i let all the white smoke from the charcoal burn off after i dump the lit onto the unlit. then i put my meat on, and as soon as that's on i'll add 1 or 2 wood chunks to the fire and that gives me a good blue smoke. just keep checking up on it and when there's no smoke add another chunk or two

 

[smokingmeats]

5 to 7 is way too much. on my WSM i let all the white smoke from the charcoal burn off after i dump the lit onto the unlit. then i put my meat on, and as soon as that's on i'll add 1 or 2 wood chunks to the fire and that gives me a good blue smoke. just keep checking up on it and when there's no smoke add another chunk or two

Thank You, Noted. Any other tips brethren?

 

[Harbormaster]

I bury 3 fist sized chunks in the charcoal and have one sitting on top when I dump my lit chimney.

My WSMs must be magic because I don't see much white smoke out of mine. In fact, I rarely see smoke at all.

The white smoke may be due to the fuel you're burning. I only use Natural Briquettes or lump. Maybe that's why I don't see white smoke.

Another possibility is that if it's cool when you fire up your WSM, some of the white you see could be condensed water vapor, either from the water in your pan if you use it, or from the water that is a natural byproduct of hydrocarbon combustion.

 

[Bludawg]

The top vent is the exhaust a fire needs to breath it needs make up air or the fire will smolder until it snuffs out. Open the bottom in takes and give it some air let it settle in and cook where it settles in at with TBS don't choke it off to get to a certain temp.

 

[DetTigersFan]

The top vent is the exhaust a fire needs to breath it needs make up air or the fire will smolder until it snuffs out. Open the bottom in takes and give it some air let it settle in and cook where it settles in at with TBS don't choke it off to get to a certain temp.

I have a 22.5 WSM and I think this is the issue... You don't have enough airflow from your bottom vents which is choking your fire and your wood is smoldering more than likely. My WSM likes to run 275-300.

I use the minion method to start up my WSM and I use Kingsford Comp and some pretty good sized chunks of cherry and hickory. Once my chimney is roaring and white I dump those coals into the center of my unlit coals in the WSM. Then I set my wood chunks on top of my coals close enough to touch the white coals I poured in. Then I let it run with all the vents wide open until I get about 15 degrees away from my target temp and at that point I close all 3 bottom vents down to about 25% each, let my temp settle and my smoke thin out. Usually takes about 30 minutes for my smoke to thin out to where I want it from when I dump my coals and add my wood.

 

[mrjoe]

Things I noticed on my 22.5" WSM. I used to pre-soak the chips and then wrap in aluminum foil pouch. I found the wet wood and the foil gave off an acrid flavor. I also try to keep the top vent as close to completely open as possible, feel it lets the extra "exhaust" escape. I rather run a little hotter with the top vent open, then close it up and have it choke up. No there's no science to back that up, but I feel my fire runs cleaner with dry wood and an open vent...

 

[DetTigersFan]

Things I noticed on my 22.5" WSM. I used to pre-soak the chips and then wrap in aluminum foil pouch. I found the wet wood and the foil gave off an acrid flavor. I also try to keep the top vent as close to completely open as possible, feel it lets the extra "exhaust" escape. I rather run a little hotter with the top vent open, then close it up and have it choke up. No there's no science to back that up, but I feel my fire runs cleaner with dry wood and an open vent...

You should never soak your wood and always keep the exhaust vent wide open. :biggrin1:

 

[BBQ Bandit]

Simplified my starting method on my 22.5 WSM... with a plumber's torch directly pointing and lighting an area of coals in the loaded charcoal ring with the lid and center sections removed. Once a handful of briquttes are supporting a flame - reassemble the smoker and open all vents until desired temps are approaching. Close down 2 of the three intakes - then adjust temps with one vent.

 

[TXLX]

I'm slowly learning, I haven't nailed it yet.... But a lot further along than when I started. In my UDS, I pack the outside edges of my fire basket with lump and a few chunks. I light about half to 3/4 of a chimney of lump and set a large chunk of wood on top, let it flame up. Dump that into the middle of the fire basket and let the UDS run wide open until the smoke clears AND it smells like it's a BBQ fire. Then put the meat on and adjust as needed. Everyone has already said it, if there is enough airflow, a fire will eventually burn clean with some patience.

I can't recall a fire ever going from blue smoke to white after it's been going.... Unless I added cold fuel or had the lid off for a while.

 

[qnbiker]

In addition to airflow, preheated wood helps. In my WSM, if I use the minion method and bury the wood on the outside of the pan, it gradually heats as the fire gets closer, then burns and gives off blue smoke. My Performer/Smoke EZ setup uses the "snake" method but it's the same principle: I bury a large chunk every 4"-6" and never get white smoke.