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    Smoke Pot

    Hope that this is the right forum for these questions. Just read an article suggested by Spinaker on making a Smoke Pot out of a cast iron dutch oven and I'm intrigued. I have a LBGE and was thinking of trying this. Is there any increase in smoke flavor or some advantage in using this method instead of just placing my favorite combo of 1 chunk cherry plus 1 chunk pecan on top of the fire and letting it rip? Is the smoke flavor stronger based on how many pieces of wood are placed in the Smoke Pot? This seems to be a poor man's Karubecue and how does the flavor compare to a Karubecue? I'd love to hear from those that have tried this method and would you do it again? Thanks to all!

    The OmegaDog

    #2
    There's an old thread from a couple of years ago that talks about the concept of a CI smoke pot:

    Comment


    • OmegaDog12
      OmegaDog12 commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks MBMorgan. This thread answered all my questions!
      The OmegaDog

    #3
    All I can say is that I will eventually get around to trying this out, since I bought a small DO for the purpose, and do have a KBQ. Should be a good thing for those overnight cooks.

    Comment


      #4
      Opps, never mind...

      I thought ya was callin fer Volunteers.

      Totally My Bad.

      Comment


      • Troutman
        Troutman commented
        Editing a comment
        Yea same here got my papers ready

      • Idleratchet
        Idleratchet commented
        Editing a comment
        This thread subject was not what I thought. Bummer. Haha!

      • FireMan
        FireMan commented
        Editing a comment
        There was a time where my answer would have been: "OK"!

      #5
      The theory is that because the smoke exits the bottom and into the fire the impurities are burned out of the smoke before it rises to the meat.

      Comment


        #6
        I have used this method several times with my Lge BGE and a 1 qt cast iron pot with 3 1/8" holes in the bottom. It works just fine--no extra smoke--just clean blue smoke as stated in the thread posted above by MBMorgan.

        Comment


        • EdF
          EdF commented
          Editing a comment
          Cool!

        #7
        I have tried it many times on my large BGE with mixed results. When it works it works great and the smoke flavor is the best I've ever gotten. I'm sure it's operator error, but too frequently I start getting thin blue smoke, then it changes to roiling black and white trashy smoke. I've tried pre-lighting the wood chips and/or chunks, running it hotter, pressing it into the coals, pre-heating for an hour, using more or less wood, chips, chunks and pellets and still couldn't consistently make it work. It would all be worth the trouble if I could get consistent results, but I can't use it when cooking for guests because I don't want to ruin another entree. If you get it to work, let me know the secret.

        Comment


        • EdF
          EdF commented
          Editing a comment
          Interesting. Will keep an eye on it then!

        #8
        The advantage you get is that the smoke is clean, really clean. The concept is much like the KBQ; use the fire to clean the smoke before it hits the food. The flavor from the KBQ is in a league of its own, because you are simply burning wood, like a stick burner. Personally, I don't think anything is quite like that.

        However, the Smoke Pot improves the smoke that I get in my LBGE. As others have said,t he smoke is cleaner. A 3/4 qt Smoke Pot is all the bigger you really need to go. That is what I use, and it works great. Any larger in a LBGE and you can run into problems with the pot interfering with the fire. (In my experience anyway)

        I use mine every time I cook low and slow. It makes everything easy, get your fire going and the Egg soaked, then add the SP directly into the fire. If you are using wood chunks, there is an added plus, you get pure lump in the SP when you are finished! I save these chunks to run in my Lodge Sportsman's Grill. I love the small, uniform Lump size I get from the SP and it works great in a small grill like the Lodge Sportsman's Grill.

        Comment


          #9
          Originally posted by Chuck in Charlotte View Post
          I have tried it many times on my large BGE with mixed results. When it works it works great and the smoke flavor is the best I've ever gotten. I'm sure it's operator error, but too frequently I start getting thin blue smoke, then it changes to roiling black and white trashy smoke. I've tried pre-lighting the wood chips and/or chunks, running it hotter, pressing it into the coals, pre-heating for an hour, using more or less wood, chips, chunks and pellets and still couldn't consistently make it work. It would all be worth the trouble if I could get consistent results, but I can't use it when cooking for guests because I don't want to ruin another entree. If you get it to work, let me know the secret.
          Hmmmmmm....interesting.

          How many holes do you have drilled in the bottom? What size pot are you using in your BGE? Are you making sure the lid is secure on the SP after you add it to the fire? Are you placing the SP directly over the lit fire?

          I don't mean to ask so many questions, I just want to try to figure this out, because the SP has worked great for me.

          Comment


          • Chuck in Charlotte
            Chuck in Charlotte commented
            Editing a comment
            I appreciate it Spinaker, I'd answer all the question you have if you're willing to share your expertise. I have three 1/8" holes in the center ring of the 1 qt. Lodge cast iron smoke pot. I make a flour paste gasket to keep the lid air tight. I've mostly put the pot right on top the coals lit in the center. I'm thinking now the 1 qt. is too big, might try the 3/4 qt. or smaller.

          • EdF
            EdF commented
            Editing a comment
            Not sure I can reason as to why an extra 1/4 of a quart would make much difference. I do have the smaller one, but haven't drilled it out yet.

          #10
          Chuck in Charlotte
          Okay I took a few pictures of my set up, to see if we can get this figured out. You may be using too large of a pot, but I am not sure that that would be the issue. Although, it may slow the fire down enough to make the wood in the SP smolder, but that seems like a stretch.

          Here are some pictures of my SP. I use a Camp Chef 3/4 QT pot.
          Click image for larger version

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          I like this design for a few reasons:
          The underside of the lid has a ring around it that helps seal the SP. I don't think it is totally sealed, but I get totally carbonized lump at the end of the cook, so it must provide a sufficient seal on the pot. You can see this lip on the picture below.
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          (This is a mix of small chunks and chips)

          Also, the pot has legs on it. I really like this because it helps to create an air gap between the lump the the bottom of the pot. I know the lump is irregular at it can still touch the bottom of the pot, but I think it keeps the bottom of the pot from laying totally flat on a large chunk of lump.

          Finally, the size. This size is perfect for the LBGE. It is big enough for you to fit a few pieces of wood in, but it is still small enough so it does not hurt the fire as it burns.

          As for the holes in the bottom of the pot. I drilled several, as you can see in the photo below. I tried to make sure the whole bottom of the pot was pretty much covered in holes. I wanted to make sure the smoke had plenty of holes to escape through.
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          I would try it with this pot and don't use the flour gasket. In fact you should try a cook without it, on your existing SP. I have never used anything like that, I am not sure that it is necessary. ( I know it is not with the pot I have)

          It is good to hear that you are placing the pot directly on the fire, that is just what you want to do. I would also add that I like to nestle the pot into the fire. I place it on the hot fire, then I sort of twist it in to the fire. This allows it to sit firmly in the hot fire and it makes sure that any smoke leaving the SP, passes through the fire. Below is a picture of the SP after a 15-cook. (It is covered by lump but that had to have happened long after all the smoke was done. When I put it in the BGE. no lump is on the lid) You can see how little space the pot actually takes up in the fire bowl. However, you still get plenty of smoke.
          Click image for larger version

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          We will get this figured out!


          Comment


          • smarks112
            smarks112 commented
            Editing a comment
            Sorry for digging up an old thread - but quick question here... do you measure the amount of wood you put in this when cooking with it or just fill it up with wood chunks?

          • Spinaker
            Spinaker commented
            Editing a comment
            Nah, just fill it up and let it rip! smarks112

          • smarks112
            smarks112 commented
            Editing a comment
            Thanks Spinaker !!

          #11
          I’ve had the same results as you had except i seal the lid with aluminum foil. I had to pull the smoke pot during a cook because I had filled the pot full of chunks and top it off with pellets it was a terrible smoke so I quit using the pellets. I continue to use the smoke pot Hoping for better results but it’s hit and miss. I’m going to give it a couple more try’s if I don’t get better results I’m going quit using it

          Comment


            #12
            I've tried pellets and the smoke quality is not as good as chunks, IMHO. I use the same pot as Spinaker and use the same technique. It isn't KBQ smoke but nothing compares to that. However the smoke pot changed my Kamado life. 🤤😋🔥. I think your headed in the right direction to correct your issue. Good luck.

            Comment


              #13
              On a side note I talked to a BGE rep who puts on cooking demonstrations on the Egg. He says he puts his wood under the fire grate and let’s it smolder up through the fire. That fits the theory of the smoke pot. Has anyone tried it. I may give it a try on some fibs. I guess it is possible to put a layer of chunks on the fire grate. That should produce similar results. Any experimenters out there?

              Comment


              • OmegaDog12
                OmegaDog12 commented
                Editing a comment
                Going to try this instead of the Smoke Pot this weekend on some chicken (cause it's cheap!) and some pork belly burnt ends. Will let you know how it turns out!
                The Omega Dog

              #14
              I made a smoke pot from a 1 quart Lodge dutch oven for my KJ classic. I drilled 5-1/16 in holes, one in the center and the other 4 spaced 90 deg. apart around the ring on the bottom. I had some really ugly smoke before I made the pot, it has made a big difference in the kind of smoke and the flavors I get. To be honest until the smoke pot I had never gotten thin blue smoke. I’ve tried chunks, pellets and a mixture of the two in the pot. With pellets alone I don’t get the great smoke, but I get a lot of smoke. What works best for me is to use chunks and fill the voids with some pellets. I do set it in the middle of the fire and have no trouble getting up to temp or temp control. The only other thing I see I need to do is saw the handle off the lid, with a full load of lump for a long cook it pushes up on my heat deflectors.

              Comment


                #15
                Spinaker thanks a ton, this whole discussion is fantastic. So here are pics of my experiences. LA Pork Butt I did try putting a large chunk under the firebox, but the bark caught fire and burned away in about 20 seconds, then the rest of the chunk turned to coal in less than 5 minutes. I decided that even if the smoke was clean, it didn't last long enough to be practical.
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                Here are the holes in my smoke pot. Seeing how many holes Spinaker has tells me that the number of holes is probably not critical.

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                Another pic of the nasty smoke that I frequently get, including one on a cook that I didn't use the flour gasket, you can see how much smoke was not going out the bottom.

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                This last pic is the holy grail, some thin blue smoke from a great sp experience.

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                From Spinaker's description and pics, I'm going to make a guess at what is making the difference. I've had several fires go out after putting the sp in place even with the vents opened wide, which tells me there is an airflow issue. The Camp Chef is smaller, and deeper which means it has a smaller bottom, a larger lip and feet. I'm guessing my 1 qt. Lodge's larger size, combined with the flat bottom, no feet and larger size is enough to cause airflow problems in the large BGE.

                My last experiment was wrapping individual chunks in foil, poking a few holes in one side and putting that side down on the fire. That works pretty well, but on a long cook the foil melts away and I'm afraid it may be vaporizing and adding aluminum particles to my food. But I know that miniature smoke pots work.

                I'm going to order the Camp Chef and give it a go. Anyone draws any other conclusions?

                Comment


                • LA Pork Butt
                  LA Pork Butt commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Chuck in Charlotte was your experiment with chunks below the grate with the bottom gate wide open or cracked 1/4” for a 225 fire? I do believe when we get bad smoke with the pot it is the result of smoke escaping the lid.

                • Chuck in Charlotte
                  Chuck in Charlotte commented
                  Editing a comment
                  LA Pork Butt when I out the chunk below the grate I had the bottom vent open about an inch for a 350-degree cook. I also have the Fishbones bottom grate so I probably get more heat on the floor.

                • Spinaker
                  Spinaker commented
                  Editing a comment
                  As I mentioned above, I think the legs help to keep the lump from totally covering the bottom of the SP. If you have smoke coming out of the lid, something is not right and you are not cleaning the smoke properly. I do think the small lip under the lid on the Camp Chef does help it seal better. Fire Art

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