Bronco Damper Adjustments & Favorite Temps

[jgd922]

I have done some googling...I know, I know...and am confused...surprise!

Do you guys adjust both intake and exhaust dampers, or do you set the exhaust wide open and only adjust the intake?

Also, what are your and the Bronco's favorite lower temps for pork butt, ribs, & brisket and higher temps for chicken & turkey? How low can you cleanly run...I like to run 200F for salmon on my pellet grill.

Thanks!

[DTro]

Every fire burns at it’s own liking. I use both dampers at the same time in very small increments to control it.

[tstalafuse]

I personally find that a slightly more than 1 on both gives me a very steady 220-230 depending on wind and exterior temp. Having said that, adjusting the exhaust setting seems to changes things more than than the intake.

[Uncle Bob]

It seems a human trait to chase the ever illusive "silver bullet" solution.......we all seem to do it at one time or another. You will often see where someone will say "the only way to do___________is..............". The interwebs are full of them. One day on the FB group for the Bronco a guy made it clear to me why folks can be successful using either method you ask about. Folks with more experience running a fire in an offset mostly line up with the "leave the exhaust wide open and throttle with the intake." Folks who learned on a kamado or similar device have more success balancing the two, with some favoring one over the other. I learned fire management on a kamado so tweaking both works for me, an I agree that the exhaust seems to be better for fine tuning very small variances. I guess there's a third grouping; those who, for whatever reason end up not investing enough time/effort to find which works best for their style/skills.

[jgd922]

Your reply was very helpful for me to understand why there are such varied opinions on this topic...thank you.

[DTro]

jgd922-- Uncle Bob is on target...yet again. I tried leaving the exhaust wide open and it did not work for me while trying to maintain low and slow. It probably works, just didn't for me. Now, I leave both wide open until within 10-15 degrees of my intended temp and then close them down. Approximate values for both, less than 1 for 225ish, >2 for 250ish, >3 for 275ish.

[Potkettleblack]

Thanks for asking. This is the first time I've heard that the exhaust is the bigger adjustment.

Learn something new every day.

[Murdy]

I've only done about 5 cooks, so still refining my technique, but I've been adjusting both, and have had no problem getting it to hold steady between 235 and 240 degrees.

[Purc]

I agree with @ Murdy.I have done maybe 5 cooks as well on the Bronco and no issues holding 225 to 240 temps. Yesterday, I did 2 pork butts for 12 hours, no wrapping, and it held steady and with an almost full load of B&B briquettes and char logs mix. I used both vents around a 1 or so to hit the temps. I do that on the kettle as well. I really never paid that much attention to which I use the most, top or bottom. I will next time.

[jgd922]

One of the frequent claims that I see with running the exhaust wide open, is that it provides clean smoke.

Do those of you running with the exhaust and intake partially closed (especially if both are around 1) think that you are getting good clean smoke?

For what it is worth, when I did my first burn-in with a half basket of coals lit with a fire starter...30 min. coals looked good...closed lid...vents wide open...temp 200F+ in ~10 min...set intake to 1 and exhaust wide open...temp stayed about 225F for an hour and then dropped to 150F...opened intake to 4 and opened lid to restart fire. Ran with exhaust wide open and intake at 2 at ~275F for 3 hours.

[Uncle Bob]

I can only speak to lump and smoking chunks, not briquettes, but yeah, clean smoke with throttling both in and out is easy. Another added comment on "clean" smoke, some believe clean means absolutely nothing visible out the stack. A small amount of smoke is just fine, especially if it's not heavy white in color, in fact there are some who believe that smoke flavor on the meat is better if you can see some smoke in the exhaust as opposed to no smoke at all being a sign of weaker flavor.

[Panhead John]

When I’m doing long cooks on my Bronco, I always fill my basket with B & B briquettes and will add about 4 of their char logs into the mix. I like to start about 45 minutes to an hour before I put the meat on. I’ll use a tumbleweed set underneath a couple of coals on one side…with a hickory chunk nearby to catch fire. I’ll add 2 more wood chunks into the mix, to provide smoke for the duration of my cook. Leave intake vent wide open with the lid open.

Once I’ve got 3 or 4 coals going pretty good I’ll close the lid with both vents wide open. Usually takes about 15-20 minutes for it to reach my target temp, usually around 250*. Once I’m close to the target temp., I’ll close both dampers about 3/4 of the way. To finally answer your question I do use both of my vents to control temps. I found I usually always have the top vent more open than the bottom. At the very start of my cooks, I’ll sometimes have a little dirty smoke for a few minutes, but then it starts to clear up. I never worry about a little dirty smoke, it’s never had an effect on my food. If you’ve never used B & B before, give it a shot. It lasts longer than the Kingsford and a lot less smell when first lighting it. Now, the B & B does take a little longer to light than the Kingsford, so adjust your timing accordingly.

My longest cook on the Bronco was a prime packer brisket, 9 hours total using B & B briquettes. At the end of the cook I still had enough unlit coals for another 2 hours. It ran clean with some nice smoke, on and off, the whole time.

[jgd922]

Appreciate the details!