Smoke pot The Struggle is real

[Fire Art]

Here is what "I THINK I KNOW" with a huge disclaimer. I bought a 1gt lodge cast iron pot drilled 3 1/8th holes in the bottom filled it with wood chunks and pellets it was a chicken running grill at 350 had to stop pull grates remove SP smoke was thick and nasty. smoke pouring out of lid. Next cook chuck roast cooker 225 ish meat had a very light smoke taste opened up SP wood in side was barely change color. dinner was delicious but disappointed with SP. Next cook chicken 350 ish just wood chunks, smoke thick smoke leaking Through lid very little out bottom holes. Wood change to charcoal. So I started Us the foil gasket under lid. Low and slow cooks wood Would barely turn Color hot fast cooks thick and bad smoke. From new advice from The legend of this form I took my SP and drilled a bunch of new holes. I cook a pizza and after cook I filled up SP full of wood and pellets and put foil gasket on SP. stuck in Grill it started smoking with in minutes nice smoke all smoke going out bottom 🤓 But Fire Was warp 10. Excited about last nights short rib cook I wanted to cook Wib low and slow. Got cooker to temp put SP on top of hot coals brought back to temp put on Wibs 🤓 1 hr into cook no smoke😳 turn cooker 250 no smoke 270 very little smoke. Turn up to 300 ish perfect blue smoke finished cook Wibs delicious. Morning out to inspect SP opened up and wood was turn dark brown. I have a stuffed pork loin cook I wanted to cook low and slow but I’m going to cook at 275 till internal 145 instead we will see I know food will be great. Here is what I think My next low and slow cook I will start my fire taking great measures in a very small hot fire right under the Smoke Pot And will go from there.

[Chuck in Charlotte]

Love the title, and glad to hear I'm not the only one having trouble getting it dialed in. Do let us know how the pork loin cook goes. I'm thinking the Lodge just has bad smoke mojo, and the Camp Chef is going to be the magic bullet.

[Spinaker]

Give it a go man. I think it might work for you. If you get one, I will tell you EXACTLY what I do. (Not that I have some secret that I am hiding about the SP) Then we should be able to get this working for you.

[RonB]

Well, my first thought was not in some states, DC, and Canada...

[LA Pork Butt]

I have three different size smoker pots with three or four holes in the bottom. The wood always carbonized over a cook of at last 2 hours at 225. I suspect 350 burns the wood too fast so smoke comes out of the lid. Below are my pics from a 3 hr cook at 225 dome temp. I had light smoke during the cook. The bottom photo shows how far down it was into the fire. The top photo shows the carbonized wood.

[RonB]

Spinaker will have a heart attack when he sees CI in that shape...

[Spinaker]

LOL, Which is why I only use cheap, Chinese-made cast iron (Camp Chef) for my SP's. I couldn't disrespect American cast iron like that. RonB

[LA Pork Butt]

My three smoke Pits. The large is a one quart. I choose the size based on the length of the cook time. A work for the 350 might be let it run at 250 until you see smoke. Then put your meat on until you no longer see smoke and then run it up to 350.

[Spinaker]

Fire Art Just curious, and maybe you have already mentioned this, but have you tried using the SP without the foil? Judging by the picture above, the SP is not sealing well. It should be totally black carbon when you are done.

LA Pork Butt Are you using foil to try to seal your SPs?

[Spinaker]

Good to know. I think it probably seals better without it, but I wanted to hear what you do. Thanks! LA Pork Butt

[Fire Art]

Yep trying to seal lid

[Spinaker]

I would try it without the foil. I would make sure the lid sits as flat as possible. Fire Art

[Fire Art]

After tonight’s cook the wood in smoke pot still didn’t smoke and cook ran at 300 for a hr and half. Started smoking right at the end of cook that’s when and that when I could smell the whiskey staves

[Spinaker]

It should smoke even if you are at 225 F.

[Fire Art]

I have one more thing I’m going to try it will work or no moor smoke pot

[Attjack]

Foil works for me. I also put a little wood in with the lump. I always end up with lump in the foil.

[Fire Art]

Spinaker I’ll try no gasket next week end and move the pot to in front of fire a little bit it looks like the fire burnt way from pot

[Spinaker]

Put the pot directly over the fire and nestle it in so that the pot sits firmly in the fire.

[hogdog6]

I set mine right in the middle of the fire and it always smokes even on low slow 225 cooks. I'm intrigued with the issue your having but I know once figured out the smoke flavor will amaze you. Definitely don't give up on it. 🔥

[Spinaker]

Me too, I put mine right in the middle of fire.

[LA Pork Butt]

I get dome temp up to 225 with a small intense fire in the center. Then I put the smoke pot on that fire and rotate it back and forth until it sets down flat and is nestled into the fire a little. It always produces smoke and carbonized the wood. You and Spinaker have many more holes in the bottom than I do and they appear slightly larger than mine. I would think that would produce heavier smoke since there is more fire and heat to enter the smoke pot.

[Fire Art]

The problem is most times is no smoke till the very end of the cook I had 3 holes till Saturday and they R 1/8th of a inch I’m generally a quick study and trouble shooter but this one is kicking my tail

[Spinaker]

LA Pork Butt This is what I do as well. I put the SP right in the middle of the fire, nestle it in and it is good to go. I get excellent smoke every time I use it. That is why I am curious why Fire Art is having such problems.

[Fire Art]

Spinaker I’m wondering if my problem is elevation 6200 ft I’m leaning this way. Fire is not small and hot but smoldering over a larger area. I start each fire with Webber cube bring to temp add smoke n pot defuser plate and grates I have had the fire go out at 250 and setting.the smoke pot on the fire

[LA Pork Butt]

Other than pressing the smoke pot down into the fire and nestling it into the fire, I don’t Know what else to suggest. Perhaps elevation is an issue. I use a starter square buried 3/4 of the way vertically in the center of the charcoal. I light the two exposed ends with the bottom vent wide open and the lid up. I let it burn that way for about 20 minutes. Then I close the lid and bring the dome up to 225. When I open the dome there is a glowing fire burning deep in the charcoal. That’s when I nestle the smoke pot into the fire. I think Weber cubes work better for starting a chimney because of howrhey burn. You might try creating a dimple in the center of the charcoal and piling small charcoal around the sides of the cube and lighting the top of the cube. When you light a chimney of charcoal does it smolder also? Are you using lump charcoal?

[Spinaker]

Spinaker I’m wondering if my problem is elevation 6200 ft I’m leaning this way. Fire is not small and hot but smoldering over a larger area. I start each fire with Webber cube bring to temp add smoke n pot defuser plate and grates I have had the fire go out at 250 and setting.the smoke pot on the fire

Elevation might be a factor, but I am not sure. To start my fires, I use a TS800 MAPP torch. I find that these work much better than a paraffin cube. However, I know a lot of people, including LA Pork Butt , uses a cube. The torch creates at small yet very hot fire. If your fire is smoldering over a large area, you are creating dirty smoke that is impacting the flavor of the food. It may also cause the smoke pot to smolder.

(Just a tip: You should heat soak your kamado with the diffuser in place.)