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Clean Fire

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    Clean Fire

    Hello all....hope everyone is staying safe. I'm breaking in my first stick burner. When I get the initial fire going, it's easy to wait until the smoke gets clean/thin to put the meat on. My question is, when adding a splint hours into the cook, it still has to go through the initial burning stages before it puts out clean smoke. During that time, that grey dirty smoke is hitting the meat. Any tips/tricks for this?

    #2
    I always tried to heat up at least the very next log prior to adding it to the fire. My firebox was big enough to lay it just out of reach of the flames. Then it would burn instantly upon being added to the fire. This makes managing the temperature a little easier as well.

    There used to be this one guy who was really passionate about pre-burning his wood.
    Last edited by Steve R.; March 25, 2020, 01:12 PM.

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      #3
      Jus keep feedin it splits, it'll be otay.

      What kinda cooker are ya runnin? Whatcha cookin up?

      We'uns'd sure love to see some pics!!!! </hint>

      Comment


      • MTurney
        MTurney commented
        Editing a comment
        Haha probably overthinking it. Have some center cut beef ribs...basically the only thing left at the store! Breaking in a Lang 36” hybrid

      #4
      I have A LOT to learn about finding a balance between keeping a clean fire and maintaining temp control, but we’re coming along
      Attached Files

      Comment


      • Ahumadora
        Ahumadora commented
        Editing a comment
        They look fine to me..As Steve R said. Toss the next split into the corner of the firebox to ppreheat before adding to the fire. Have your exhaust wide oen and try to maintain temp by the amount of wood you add. (more air passing equals cleaner smoke).

      #5
      I’d eat that!!

      Comment


      • Mr. Bones
        Mr. Bones commented
        Editing a comment
        Me too!!!!

      #6
      So I’m starting to think I’m using too big of splits. These are pretty big so they take a long time to start burning clean so if I open everything up to get it going faster it spikes the temp. Will probably try chopping them in half next time

      Comment


      • Dewesq55
        Dewesq55 commented
        Editing a comment
        Try resplitting them. Make them skinnier.

      • EdF
        EdF commented
        Editing a comment
        KindlingCracker is your friend. Do an internet search. Get the large.

      #7
      I took a three day BBQ class with Myron Mixon in GA and took a picture of the wood he used as I was interested in what he considered the best size. As you can see he splits them pretty small. Maybe 1" to 1.5" on a side. I'm new to stick burning, too, and so far I've used the wood as it comes from the tree guy but plan to try some smaller wood like shown here.
      Click image for larger version  Name:	IMG_0421.JPEG Views:	0 Size:	759.6 KB ID:	820363
      Last edited by rwhfly; March 25, 2020, 03:24 PM.

      Comment


      • MTurney
        MTurney commented
        Editing a comment
        Very helpful, thanks so much! Yea those are much smaller than I would’ve thought. I guess you’d have to feed the fire pretty often with those. What kind of stick burner do you have?

      • rwhfly
        rwhfly commented
        Editing a comment
        I've got an M1 from M Grills. I agree on size seeming small. My plan is to split the sticks I get in half which would be somewhat larger than pictured and see about that. In my limited experience, if you are smoking hot (say 350 ish) the large size works but if you want a smaller fire to smoke cooler (~225 ish) they don't work as well. I am thinking the smaller sticks might be better for that. I'll try ~2 to 3" inch split sticks this weekend.

      #8
      When I want a clean fire, I wash it in a very mild detergent, but don't wash it too long or the colors will fade.

      Comment


      • Mr. Bones
        Mr. Bones commented
        Editing a comment
        ROFL!!!
        Do ya Pre-soak???

      • RonB
        RonB commented
        Editing a comment
        Mr. Bones - only mesquite...

      #9
      I think some of us are going a bit stir crazy from this quarantine. Hilarious guys!

      Comment


      • Mr. Bones
        Mr. Bones commented
        Editing a comment
        Naw, crazy is a pre-existin condition, in my case; only recently talked to BCBS Customer Service, an they assured me of that fact bein a matter of record...

      #10
      Here's s pic of an all woid cook I did where I kept the smoker temp in the 250-275 range the whole time. This is the size splits I used - 1 at a time. I had to feed often, but temps were good.
      Click image for larger version  Name:	IMG_20191020_135131.jpg Views:	3 Size:	5.13 MB ID:	820446
      Last edited by Dewesq55; March 25, 2020, 07:13 PM.

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