Temp and damper setting log

[yakima]

Mentors,
Getting acquainted with new orange Bronco. What damper settings seem to work for various temps, like 225 and 350?
Per Uncle Bob, used RTV 650 on flange between drum halves and did 2 stage burn in. Smoked a whole chicken on the hanger gizzie with 3 pronged lower holder. Outstanding. Salted, buttermilk marinade per Samin Nosrat, pepper, 350 to 165. Breast extraordinarily moist. Spurted juices when stabbed with thermopen. Hung it butt down, nice and crispy lower part, and fairly crispy on upper.

Now am compiling temp/damper log. Damper pointers were loose on the flat sided shaft, peened them solid.
Looks like 2 in, 0.5 out may be about right for 225. Max temp, both dampers full open, about 535. Using cheap Mexican mesquite lump from a local chicken joint for log development. Used Royal Oak for chicken.

I have not experienced the temp stability which I see so often referenced. Am using a Fluke thermometer, with K type probes. Ambient hung down in center, grate clip on installed temp probe.

My impression is that this rig has more thermal mass, due to weight, than its competitors. As with Green Egg, spend time getting it heat soaked, then more responsive to reducing temp.

These are 2 Punch cigar trial runs. I should be pruning in the yard.

Comments/observations, please.
Phil
Yakima, WA

[Allon]

Like this one?

I get 225°F almost exactly at 1.5 on both vents. I don't often use temps over that unless searing. It is a smoker after all.
Bringing the intake vent to 2 - 2.5 gets me about 325°F when smoking poultry and such...

I purchased the accessory extra grate for $19.95 and doubled my grill area. Makes a nice spot for a drip\water pan too...

[Uncle Bob]

I don't keep a log of precise settings vs temp, but as a general comment I'd say I set my dampers the opposite, more open on the exhaust than the intake no matter which temp range I'm working for. The second comment is that the concept of temperature stability may be open to interpretation. Some folks, unrealistically to my thinking, attempt to hold a singular temperature reading. More realistic folk can accept a range up to 20 over and under target temperature; as long as it cycles within whatever the acceptable range that's stable/reliable.

When using lump rather than briquettes there's a greater chance of fluctuation because the irregular shape leaves bigger gaps for the fire to travel accross as it progresses. I mitigate this in part by giving the fuel bin a shake to settle the chunks when loading it. Seems to tighten up the pile, and for longer cooks it slightly increases the amount of fuel load.

[Oak Smoke]

The oven in our kitchen has a broader temp swing than 20 F. It was an eye opener when I checked it. So I don’t worry about some temp swing on my smoker.

[tstalafuse]

My one and only attempt at using lump was not something I would call easy, which I think as Uncle Bob states was due to the irregular size creating an irregular burn. Since then, I mostly just use B&B oak briquettes and "stable" temps are much easier to achieve.

While I don't data log, wind is a much larger factor in keeping stable temps than anything else (damper settings/outside temp/humidity/sunny/cloudy) when burning briquettes. On a relatively calm day, I can keep the temp +/- 5 degrees of what I want for hours regardless of the other factors. On a day when it is "windy", that range can be as much as +/- 15-20 degrees. On really windy days, I just don't cook because we will be under a red flag warning for fire danger.

[Panhead John]

I’m also not a fan of lump charcoal and haven’t used it in years. Uncle Bob and Oak Smoke are right about minor temperature fluctuations. Don’t worry about it. Anything around + - 20* either way is perfectly acceptable, though my Bronco is generally more stable than that. I’m curious though, what are your temperature swings you’re referring to? If you haven’t tried it yet, I also highly recommend using B & B Oak Charcoal Briquettes. They work great, gives me long burn times and is very stable, temp wise. Also, as mentioned, almost any kitchen oven is going to have temperature fluctuations of at least 25* or more, never ruined any cooks for me. As far as vent settings, I find that the lower vent is about 1/4 open and the top vent is about 1/3 to 1/2 open for me. Once I reach about 250* I’ll use the lower vent to make most of any adjustments if needed. I try to leave the top vent about 1/2 open for the duration of my cook.

[yakima]

Thank you gents. Yes, same unit as Allon. I don't see temp swings; more a slow decline, esp at lower temps. Will move to B&B briquettes.

[yakima]

Panhead John, no Academy stores in Washington state. Unless you send your Gulfstream up with some, Ace is the place.

[tstalafuse]

yakima, My initial cook or two I was experiencing the same thing. At the time, I was lighting just one side of the basket so the fire would slowly spread across the basket. As best as I could determine, even though my cook temp was on target, the fat renderings were soaking the unlit charcoal that made it much harder for the briquettes to ignite. The solution for me was to put a pan underneath on the second cook grate to catch drippings or initially add hot coals across the whole basket.

[tstalafuse]

For hotter faster cooks like a chicken, I prefer to spread hot coals across the whole basket. For long low and slow cooks, I prefer the catch pan with some water, lighting at one edge, and spreading the smoking wood on top and across the unlit coals.