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New to Smoking and need some help.

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anglobeast

New member
Hello guys, been reading the forum for about a year now and built my BPS last fall but i've had some issues along the way.

The main problem I've had is temperature control. I cant seem to lock it in real good even after 10-12 cooks. I think this is do to the quality of the drum I built. I was a little sloppy in some of the holes I drilled and the lid is warped so it doesn't seal super well. I thought these would not be to much of a problem though it seems that the BPS and all UDS for that matter are simple and nature and these few problems would not cause the drum to go wacko like I've seen.

I do the minion lighting method and light it with about 8 Kingsford briquettes. I get the temp to about 180 before I close down my vents. It has gotten to the point where I close my vents completely and the temp still rises, slowly but definitely rising. If i open my lid at all to rearrange or mess with the food the air intake spikes and is impossible to lower. I've even closed the top vent completely and covered it trying to smother the fire. With no luck. I have resorted a couple times to pouring water on the coals to cool everything off and that seems to work but it feels extreme.

PLEASE HELP! Is this all because of my subpar drum building, do I need to get a new drum and try again?
 
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BabelBBQ

New member
The good news is the parts would work on a new drum if you need to go that route. First I would try sealing the intake with high temp food grade sealant. I had issues on my first few cooks and that made a big difference. Look on the forum here for a thread on the lower vents.
 
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Big Poppa

Administrator
well hard to diagnose exactly without seeing it....but the idea is to make the intake the absolute intake and the exhaust the ablsoute exhaust...with proper pit management you should only have to close the top when you want to put it out to save coals.
 
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anglobeast

New member
I'll try the high temp sealant first and see if that doesn't help. I did another cook today and was more successful using kingsford briq instead of the royal oak lump. I read somewhere that the lump burns hotter. The temp was holding at about 230 with a slight rise but that was still with the intakes fully closed. Then at the 2 hour mark when I went to check the butt temp shot up to 275. And shot up again to over 315 after my second check, and was very difficult to get it to lower. Hopefully the sealant helps. Is it possible air is getting in under the lid if it isn't sealing well on top?
 
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southga

New member
Loosely roll alum foil & place it around the lip of the drum. Press the lid down slowly but firmly. This will give you a temporary gasket to help seal leaks around the lid. If this solves your temp issues, you can apply food safe high temp silicone for long term fix.
 
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Salmonsmoker

New member
Anglo, re: the intakes Did you shape them to fit the curve of the barrel? A close fit and sealing with high temp. silicone(the red is food grade)found at your local auto parts store will help a lot. The vent slider also needs to match the curve of the intake base or draft will pull combustion air around it. That will make temp. control difficult. For re-curving the vents, roll the intake across a cylinder of smaller diameter with some pressure- I use a scuba tank or a Cornelius keg. You can look down it ( as you would a 2X4) to see if the curve is uniform. Match to your drum, seal and you're good to go.
 
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anglobeast

New member
Salmonsmoker said:
Anglo, re: the intakes Did you shape them to fit the curve of the barrel? A close fit and sealing with high temp. silicone(the red is food grade)found at your local auto parts store will help a lot. The vent slider also needs to match the curve of the intake base or draft will pull combustion air around it. That will make temp. control difficult. For re-curving the vents, roll the intake across a cylinder of smaller diameter with some pressure- I use a scuba tank or a Cornelius keg. You can look down it ( as you would a 2X4) to see if the curve is uniform. Match to your drum, seal and you're good to go.
Click to expand...

The vents seem to look pretty good but I'll make some adjustments and see if that helps I'm definitely getting the silicone to try and seal it real good. I'll try and curving the vent sliders too. Thanks for the advice!
 
DjPorkchop

DjPorkchop

New member
+1 on the red silicone sealant. That is what I used on mine as well as well as all the bolts in the drum no matter where they were. It is sealed up real nice like. And the foil method that was mentioned for the lid works a treat when needs be.
 
jimsbarbecue

jimsbarbecue

Moderator
Staff member
it is all about air! if the drum leaks you cannot control it ,if it does not leak then you control it. Do put the seal on the lower vent it makes a difference. try to slowly get to temp. It is easier to up the temp a little then to lower. I usually light the drum before any food prep and allow one hour to get to temp and stabilize. Which I know is a long time, but i do like to sneak up on the temps. Lids if tweaked can be reshaped to fit a little better before using some sort of seal. When you get the air controlled you will love the BPS Drum
 
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