I too have had difficulty in getting my digital Bradley smoker up to temperature, but my findings point more to user technique and the amount of food being smoked at one time than whether or not an extension cords was used or the heating element is insufficient. Not enough airflow for complete combustion. I bought one of those Brinkman offset cookers from Wally World recently. Please Help! The water will help absorb the heat and regulate the temperature. Smoker not getting hot enough # 191040 - 06/13/05 05:02 PM : Edit Reply Quote: Quick Reply Hey, My brother and I got the chance to break in my new smoker this weekend. Here is my problem. A raging hot fire that moves too fast to fully burn the fuel in your cooker. The problem I have is that the thing just will not get hot enough. Tip #1: Heating Your Smoker. So there wasn’t enough airflow going on to get the pellet grill up to a good searing temperature. Let the firebox door(s), smokestack and dampers open to help the fire grow. In answer to those struggling with getting their smoker up to temperature, here are some of my findings. If you're getting smoke from the loader and not the chimney, then maybe the chimney isn't open or there is something going on in the wood tray. In our experience, offset smokers are a common favorite among many smoking enthusiasts. It’s really not surprising given the tasty and flavorful meat that results after grilling with this smoker. Wood chips should only be soaked for 15-20 minutes. They deteriorate and get moist therefore don’t burn so well. I'm trying to smoke a whole pig in a rented indirect heat smoker. Depending on the size of the pan, your smoker, and the temperature, expect to refill it every 3 to 4 hours. Can't get smoker hot enough. One of the ones with a wood/charcoal box attached. It is going to take some time to get the truck up to speed. How to Increase the Temperature in an Offset Smoker. Too much fuel in your smoker. Firegrate in offset smoker or not? Have enough charcoal and smoke wood ready, then dive right in! There is a big difference in quality between the Expensive Offset Smokers (EOS) in the $800 and up range like Horizon or Lang, and the Cheapo Offset Smokers (COS) in the $400 and under range. However, once you get up to speed, it is even harder to slow down due to gravity, momentum, and the size of the truck. I've tried opening all the vents, even used a … If your smoker has plumes of white smoke billowing out of it, this is a sure indication of incomplete combustion. I built a fire in the fire box and all, but the meat in the main cooking chamber did not do too well. For years, these hunka-hunka smokers—a.k.a., offset barrel smokers, horizontal smokers, pipe smokers, or “stick-burners”—have dominated the competition barbecue circuit. Not generating enough or no smoke by: Anonymous . You’ll need a nice steady coal fire to get started, so don’t get stingy. A smoker’s firebox and vent system can be compared to a large truck with a small engine. Even wood chunks don't get soaked that long. Here are a few tips you can follow as you go through the process of cooking on your offset. I seasoned it and the whole nine. Your coals are not hot enough. It's a Luhr Jensen Little Chief, and we smoked about 10 pounds of Copper River Salmon. July 25, 2014. Unfortunately it's 15 degrees outside and I can't get the smoker over 150 degrees. In most cases, you'll want to use hot water, but if the smoker is getting too hot, switch to cold water. Water smokers, box, barrel, and pellet smokers do a fine job smoking meats and seafood.But nothing establishes your street cred as pit master who means business like an offset smoker. All BBQ smoked Low-N-Slow OR Hot-N-Fast goes here. Another reason for not getting up to temp, I discovered was when the fans got blocked, having discovered I didn’t clean the ash out of fire pot for about four or five cooks. 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