regulating temperature in cheap offset smokers
I recently acquired a cheaply made offset smoker, and-- ahead of the big event-- did a 'dry run' to get a feel for how it behaves. I think my biggest issue will be regulating temperature; the smoker is made out of thin-gauged metal that just doesn't have enough thermal mass to avoid quick swings out of my ideal zone.
I'm thinking about adding some thermal mass to the bottom of the cooking chamber... possibly rocks or man-made bricks. But obviously I don't want to add anything that will out-gas toxic gases when heated.
Am I on to a good idea here? And if so, what kinds of materials are recommended? I've seen 'refractory fire bricks', however I think the point of those is that they don't store much heat themselves, which means they aren't really helpful for my needs.
Best Answer
I like Ryan's idea because it adds moisture. The most common material I am aware of is 8?x8? unglazed quarry tiles. UN-GLAZED is important!!! You don't want to add chemicals to your smoke. I have been off-set smoking for many years and plan to line my home built smoker with food grade fire bricks. Expensive but last forever.
I just found this link (not affiliated in any way) that might be useful. http://www.traditionaloven.com/articles/84/firebricks-heavy-dense-fire-clay-bricks
Another trick is getting used to controlling the airflow in your smoker. What I recommend is start off leaving the chimney (or vents on top) wide open and then use the intake (lower vents) to control the amount of air that is allowed to enter. The wider the opening, the more air and the hotter the fire. If you can't lower the temp with the intake, then close the top vents. It takes a little practice but once you can regulate the heat, your good to go.
Remember, thin blue smoke is what you're after.
Welcome to the sometimes frustrating world of smoking food. Patience and persistence (plus a beer or two) will go a long way.
Gringo Dave (first reply)
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How do you control the temperature on an offset smoker?
Maintaining the Temperature in your offset meat smokerHow do you regulate the temperature in a smoker?
Use Smoker Air Vents In a grill or smoker, you regulate it by opening and closing dampers, chimney, lid, the intake damper vent, and exhaust vent. The chimney temperature should be around 225\xb0F, so to maintain it, you should adjust dampers and vents before you reach it.How do you keep a 225 on an offset smoker?
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More answers regarding regulating temperature in cheap offset smokers
Answer 2
One idea I just had: 2 heavy cast-iron skillets. (These will also be handy for keeping some water in the smoker, which is a common recommendation when cooking low-and-slow.)
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