Smoke pot The Struggle is real

[Chuck in Charlotte]

I'm still with Fire Art , I think I've tried every way to build the fire, and either the fire goes out completely, or I get thick white smoke. I've even tried lighting the wood inside the smoke pot. I was certain that the 1 qt. was too large for the large BGE, but if it works for LA Pork Butt then that's not the issue. I'll admit, we cleaned out the garage two weeks ago and I got rid of the smoke pot so it would no longer silently mock me from the shelf.

Fire Art, would you be willing to try putting fake "legs" on the Lodge... using a few bolts sticking out the bottom maybe a half-inch? That might prove/disprove @Spinaker's theory about the holes getting blocked. I'll test the Camp Chef when I get it. It'll be like a papal election... white smoke, no winner... blue smoke, winner winner chicken dinner.

[LA Pork Butt]

Chuck in Charlotte elevation can’t be the issue for you. You have tried every way to build a fire. Can I assume you tried Spinaker Map Torch (I’ve use it with success, too) and my buried starter square? The more I wrestle with this the more I am now thinking it is the charcoal. I am assuming that the two of you use lump. Correct? If so what brand? I use Royal Oak.

[Chuck in Charlotte]

Thanks LA Pork Butt, I can't afford the mapp gas, I do use a propane torch, or cubes. I also use Royal Oak lump. Your photos all had medium-sized chunks, do you sort out the small pieces? I tried carefully building the fire with large pieces on bottom, etc. but that didn't seem to help. I've also let the Egg stabilize at 250 for 30 minutes before putting the SP on, that time the fire died.

[LA Pork Butt]

Chuck in Charlotte any cook over 6 hours I stack the large on the bottom, then the medium and then the small up to the bottom of the fire ring. I’ve never had a problem with Royal Oak, but Spinaker has, so try his suggested charcoal along with the other tips and see what happens. If that doesn’t work maybe an egg exorcism is called for.

[Spinaker]

Chuck in Charlotte I don't think the legs are a huge difference maker here. (Although they do help)

I still think your pots are not sealing well, or the charcoal you are using is not high quality enough. I know LA Pork Butt uses Royal Oak, but I have never had good luck with that stuff. That and Cowboy are the only lumps I have ever had issues with. The fire going out and/or smoldering being one of them. Personally, B&B is the way to go as far as lump goes.

I will set mine up tonight, with detailed pics. Maybe I am doing something that you are not and I am not realizing it.

[raven]

Chuck in Charlotte Academy sports carries the B&B lump in stock. I am not sure where you are in Charlotte however I know the store that I use which is near Concord Mills has always had it when I go in to get a bag. It runs about $15 for a 20 lb bag however looking at their website its down to $13

[Chuck in Charlotte]

Thanks raven, I'm near Matthews so I'll head down there and get some B&B.

[Spinaker]

Chuck in Charlotte I got too busy last night to get this done. But I will try to get it done sometime this week. (Harvest is upon us in MN and I help a friend haul grain to the elevators, so I am working a lot after my daytime, desk job, so time is tight.) As soon as I get the chance this week, I will throw it together.

[raven]

Fire Art I have an Akorn as well. I do think you have a fire issue either from the charcoal or the lack of oxygen. I tried to use the smoke pot once and I think I honestly over smoked the meat since I put in my normal amount of wood chunks plus hickory pellets. After that I just said I'll just go back to how I did it before. I know kamado's are suppose to be loaded up with lump and let them rip however I use the snake method around the outside edge. In your situation being in a lower oxygen environment up in the mountains this may help you since the center of the fire grate will be open and allow your fire to have better access to air instead of with the current dump it in style which may be starving your fire of oxygen. I have only cooked pork wibs and butts so far but i have never had to reload charcoal. I did take a hint from the sticky about building the lump pile. I put large pieces down first then I build it out and up another level with medium size pieces with the intention of making a little shelf for the chunks to sit on. Then I will lay out my chunks across the charcoal and then I will take the small pieces and load it up even more. This was the first method I started with and it works for me maybe it can help you with your fires going out. I have never had any bad smoke at least bad to me from this method. As the fire travels around the bowl it stays small but hot so I think that is why I don't have any issues. If all of this doesn't sound like it can help you then don't worry you won't hurt my feelings if you discard it. Hopefully my little experience with this smoker can help you.

[Fire Art]

I tried your snake method just a practice burn today and set the smoke pot on the lump the temp held 250 for 2 and a half hrs no problem smoke pot never got hot I pull it out of the fire and the wood inside was just warm put 3 chips on the fire instant whiskey smoke not blue but smoke. I will not even use the smoke Pot again unless I’m cooking a turkey or other 300 plus cooks

[raven]

Fire Art Sadly with the snake method the pot will not work since it has to be sitting on top of the fire. I do believe in your particular situation since you are high up in elevation that the reason you are having issues with the pot is because of the lower oxygen. What lump are you using?

[Spinaker]

Chuck in Charlotte @Fire Art
Okay, so I was able to set up my BGE or a smoke today. I am using the SP and I thought I would share with you all my procedure, in hopes that it might help a few of you that are having issues.

First, I start by packing the SP. I try to fit as much wood into the pot as possible. I always use chunks for my SP.

Also, I try to make sure that no pieces of wood are sticking out the top of the pot. This will prevent the wood from hindering the seal at the lid. Very important. You can see that even thought the pot is loaded, the lid is totally sealed down to the top of the pot. The great thing about the Camp Chef pot is the top of the pot has a small lip that goes into the lid. This helps create a very good seal.


Once I have the pot loaded and ready to go, it is time to start the fire. I make a small depression in the lump for the pot to fit in. As I mentioned before, I like to use the Benzomatic TS8000 TORCH. This torch burns VERY hot and is perfect for lighting a kamado. The gun is about $40 and the gas tanks are around 3 bucks. Once you have the gun, the cost is pretty low and the tanks last for a long, long time. I try to light the fire directly in the middle of the firebowl. Here you can see I am using B&B lump, which is always good to me and my BGE. I try to light the fire in a small circle, maybe 4 inches across. Then, once the fire is burning, I like to let it take and bring the BGE up to temp. Once it hits my target temp, I let it heat soak for at least a half hour.


This is where I nestle the smoke pot right into the fire. Give it a twist and get it down in the fire. (Note: it is important to note that I use a Kick Ash Basket in my kamado. This allows for great airflow to the fire. I leave about an inch or two of lit coals under the SP and the sides, about half way up the SP have hot coals around them.. This gives you very even heating of the SP.




Once you have the SP in the fire, put the guts back in the kamado and close the lid. I like to add my food right away and let it start cooking. Below is a picture after about 15 mins. It is breathing clean, thin-blue smoke. It is almost clear and hard to see in the picture. You may have some white smoke, initially, but this should dissipate pretty quickly.


I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any questions. I will try to help in any way that I can.

Thanks for reading!

Keep the Smoke Rollin'!!

Spinaker

[Fire Art]

Just got back week end trip cook a little cuchuckie tomorrow

[Chuck in Charlotte]

Thanks Spinaker, that's a lot of awesome detail. I've tried the Camp Chef a couple of times now, but I wouldn't say either time was routine. Friday it was raining hard, and I got a good bit of white smoke, but the fire stayed hot and the chicken was OK. Today, I tried it at 350 degrees and it worked pretty well. I can say, the legs on the Camp Chef make it easier to nestle the pot into the hot coals. With the Lodge it just spins in place without moving any of the coals aside. My bag of good lump is down to the rubble at the bottom of the bag. I need to get some B&B, and take the time to sit and watch the smoke development to be sure I've got it licked. But now I know how to build the fire better, and how to pack the SP, so I think I'm on the way to thin blue success. Thanks again for sharing your expertise.

[Spinaker]

My pleasure. Happy smoking!