levi27123
Knows what a fatty is.
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2014
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- Clevelan...
Do you add wood when the temp drop 10 degrees then adjust the damper or when the temp is lower say 25 degrees ?
Do you add wood when the temp drop 10 degrees then adjust the damper or when the temp is lower say 25 degrees ?
Most pits of this type have three to four heat zones you can determine by observing some scattered biscuits. I believe it is a mistake most of the time to overload and have your meat cooking at different temps. Learn to use these heat zones to compliment your fire management. I am speaking of a large Lang 84. A small Bandera should only be used to cook maybe 15 lbs of product.
If your cooker has a really wide range of temps from end to end, you may have a draft issue going on. Good airflow is essential to heat distribution in an offset cooker, especially with a reverse flow type of setup.Most pits of this type have three to four heat zones you can determine by observing some scattered biscuits. I believe it is a mistake most of the time to overload and have your meat cooking at different temps. Learn to use these heat zones to compliment your fire management. I am speaking of a large Lang 84. A small Bandera should only be used to cook maybe 15 lbs of product.
I also was 225 to 250 guy and have decided my pit runs 250 to 300 with minimal monkeying so I've gone that way
Part of the fun and part of the sacrifice of an offset is the constant tinkering with the temp
If your cooker has a really wide range of temps from end to end, you may have a draft issue going on. Good airflow is essential to heat distribution in an offset cooker, especially with a reverse flow type of setup.
In a Lang 84 you have a proven design and plenty of thermal mass with a body of 1/4" steel, you should have pretty consistent and fairly even temps from end to end, so you may want to think about what could be interrupting your cooker's draft. Are you trying to use a charcoal basket or anything else that would obstruct airflow? Are your fires too big, forcing you to choke down too much on the intakes? Is your exhaust damper fully open?
Your Lang would probably benefit from the fire building method in my above post which emphasizes the establishment of a good, thick coal bed as the main heat source with less obstruction caused by a large load of burning wood, maximizing airflow and thoroughly heating the pit. Give it a shot next time and see if it makes a difference. :-D
Most pits of this type have three to four heat zones you can determine by observing some scattered biscuits. I believe it is a mistake most of the time to overload and have your meat cooking at different temps. Learn to use these heat zones to compliment your fire management. I am speaking of a large Lang 84. A small Bandera should only be used to cook maybe 15 lbs of product.
Ok! From your first post it just sounded like you were having many different temps throughout the pit which I thought was weird for a pit that's known for it's more even cooking temps. Of course it's natural for there to be a slightly higher temp closer to the firebox (especially in a typical offset with no tuning plates) and different pits with different designs definitely do have their quirks.:grin:I don't have any problems at all with the Lang. The hot spot on the lang is on the lower shelf next to the fire box. The coolest spot is on the upper shelf at he opposite end. On The Jambo the hotspot is next to the exhaust. Johnnie Trigg calls it his micro wave. The Bandera without tuning plates the hot spot is next to the fire box. Franklin has a video on placement of a Brisket in this small cooker.
I think that you would benefit from focusing on building your coal bed from the very beginning and allowing that to be your primary heat source. Learn to look at the coal bed as what truly heats the pit, while an occasionally added wood split is there to maintain it and provide smoke. Good airflow over a hot coal bed is what will give your offset consistent temps and you won't have to worry about wether your wood splits are flaming enough to heat the pit, which also gives you the advantage of being able to cook with your firebox door shut, so that instead of the cooker running at what ever temps it feels like doing that day you'll have more control over the pit's temps by simply adjusting your intake damper. Establish the coal bed, feed it a split every so often to maintain it and let the pit run itself!:wink:I have a cheap leaky chargriller... A cheap leaky offset will teach you alot about fire management. I probably do not know as alot on here but here is what works for me..
I run the air intake wide open.. I manage temp by the size of the fire.. I shoot for 250 most days but there are days it wants to run a little higher a little lower.. I try not to fight it..
Usually one split will keep me in the 240-260 range.. One thing I have noticed is when your split is about done your temp will spike a little like the log gets hotter before dying.. Once the temp starts coming down, I add another pre heated split on banked on the last one and poof its up in flames, temp stabilizes.
Today I am doing a couple butts on the COS.. Probably my last cook of the year and will turn to the akorn for the rest of the cool weather months..
Something I do from time to time including today when the temps ranged from 38 to 48 with no wind is use a "redneck auber" I have one of those small oscillating fans... There will be times you may be late to throw a split on and struggle to get the "poof" or times for whatever reason you struggle to keep heat.. Turn it on low and it can correct these issues.