Helluva time keeping temps down

Pigasus

New member
This my second attempt to smoke some meat and looking for some advice for the future.
It's difficult to keep my temps down below 300°f. Dropping em down to 225 is impossible for me.
I'm starting with a mostly full basket and old coffee can in the middle. I fire up my starter coals in a Weber chimney. Dump them into the coffee can and pull the can out.
I then set the nest into eds, cover it and let it reach 300° and close off the vents until I have only one hole in one bottom vent partially opened. I try to close off the top vent, but the holes aren't perfectly aligned so there is some leakage.
The nature of building your own smoker makes it virtually impossible to eliminate leakage... I have used an old lasagna tin to rectify that, for the most part.
I'm wondering if maybe I am starting out with too many coals in my chimney? Should I just be filling it half full as opposed to completely full? Maybe I'm missing something. Ugggh. I'm frustrated at this point.
 
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Rmuller612

New member
I have only completed a seasoning burn in mine (finished building last weekend), but I used a basket of unlit coals and 10 coals lit scattered on top.
 

BabelBBQ

New member
I had a similar problem when I first used my drum. I think the issue is the full chimney. When I switched to about 10-15 coals I no longer had the problem.

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Salmonsmoker

New member
You're also letting your drum temp. get too hot before shutting down the bottom vents. As Babel said, start with 10-12 lighted coals, put them on the edge of the basket. The temp. will climb slower and therefore easier to control. When my drum hits 200F I close the bottom vents down to one hole each. If it's warm out I may only have one open hole on the bottom vents. The temp. coasts up to 250F-265F and stays there. Also, if you're going to take the lid off to add food etc., close the bottom vents while doing so and then re-open after the lid is back on. That will help keep the temp. from spiking so much, and will settle down quicker. Once it gets too hot it takes a long time to cool back down.
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
salmon is spot on! THis is a fire and very hot charcoal it is not like a gas knob you can turn up and down instantly.... Getting to temp is like baking in a semi...you anticipate it and ease into the temp you camp slow a basket of red hot coals in less than 30-45 minutes....make small adjustments.
 

DjPorkchop

New member
And don't close the top vent except to shut down the smoker. That is for exhaust, not temp control. All your temps should be adjustable from the bottom vents which the BP EDS does very well.
 

Pigasus

New member
Okay folks. Thanks for your feedback. Way too much primed fuel. Yikes. And no closing the top vent until putting out the pit.... live and learn
 
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