Maintaining temperature

[skorepeo]

How long can I expect to maintain temperature before having to add another log. an hour 2 or 3?

[klflowers]

What kind of pit?

[skorepeo]

Lang. I have had a cheap offset smoker and had to feed it every hour. I am looking at higher end stuff to find what the average is to see if they are worth it.

[epope011]

If we are talking Lang Smokers here as I suspect - for me it's 30-45min. I have a 48" patio.

[mrteddyprincess]

I responded in the other post but wanted to say this is my experience with the 48" patio Lang as well. :-)

[Steve B]

Didn’t you just ask this question?

Ahh I see you put this in the Lang category.

My answer is still the same. 👍

[Dewesq55]

Not more than an hour, likely less.

[Mr. Bones]

Havin a much higher quality offset will offer some advantages, especial longevity, an stability-wise, as well as temp distribution, to some degree, but th frequency of time intervals fer fire tendin will be roughly ~ same same...

Be sure to source out some fancy wood fer yer new Lang, Brother!

P.S. Yes. They are Worth It.

[MTurney]

I love my Lang but I don’t seem to get as much time as others if I want to keep a good clean fire. First of all full logs don’t do so well IMO even though Lang advertises they can be used. They take much longer to fully combust and can put out grey smoke during that process. I use quarter splits and have to add one every 20-30 minutes depending on weather, wind etc if I want to stay at 250. Maybe every now and then I can get 45 but it’s rare. Just my two cents

[mrteddyprincess]

Responding here to tell you my experience with the Lang and fires. I only speak for me here. For maintaining constant temps, the coal bed is important. I start out by putting a layer of lump charcoal in the firebox and lighting that (I use lighter fluid and others don't like that idea). I let the lump go almost all red before adding two wood splits. This whole process starts about an hour before I want the meat to go on. Yes, the smoke is not clean at first, but it will become clean.

[mrteddyprincess]

Then as the cook goes on, I try to maintain about the same size of the coal bed throughout the cook. When I put on new splits, if the coal bed is hot enough, I avoid having any long periods of white smoke. The splits take off quickly, and I don't have an issue with dirty smoke. I think my process is why I like to smoke between 275 and 350 F. It's because that's where I get the cleanest looking smoke on the Lang :-)

[epope011]

I love my Lang but I don’t seem to get as much time as others if I want to keep a good clean fire. First of all full logs don’t do so well IMO even though Lang advertises they can be used. They take much longer to fully combust and can put out grey smoke during that process. I use quarter splits and have to add one every 20-30 minutes depending on weather, wind etc if I want to stay at 250. Maybe every now and then I can get 45 but it’s rare. Just my two cents

Have you tried Fire Bricks? I just ordered 12 of them to fully cover the base of my 48" patio, will remove the grate. People have said the heat efficiency and stability are far higher with the bricks.

[Huskee]

I use quarter- or eighth-splits and about 10-12" long once the coal bed is set and the cook's under way. I get about 30-40 minutes in good sunny weather before the temp dips with oak or apple sticks and a pinch less, maybe 20-30, with ash sticks. But to be honest I've never timed it, just casual glances at the clock. The secret to proper stickburner operation is don't load up the firebox with fuel and cut your intake vents back hoping to get more time, always feed it a little at a time. You need a good small HOT fire so whether you're using a cheap offset or expensive, you will need to fire tend, there's no way around it when using wood if you want good food when it's all done.

[Mr. Bones]

Yassuh, Brother!

Preach It!

[mrteddyprincess]

Good advice, definitely. I never touch the intake vents. Build the fire to the temp you want to cook at.

[Dewesq55]

On my COS, when burning sticks, the moment The Fireboard shows the temp start to drop (usually about 20 minutes), I run (don't walk) to add a thin split. If it drops more than a few tenths before getting fed, it takes a long time to recover. If the split is too thick, the temp spikes too high. But that's due to lack of thermal mass in my cookers, I believe.

[bbqLuv]

I don't have that issue with my pellet grill.

[Mr. Bones]

Lol reckon not

[mrteddyprincess]

My good buddy has a pellet grill and I wish I had one too, but I tease him about me sneaking over there and shutting off the main breaker at his house in the middle of a cook when he's not looking :-)

[TripleB]

I have a Jambo, but I would think it's about the same when adding splits. I get 30-45 min/split.

For maintaining temp, I would recommend (and I'm probably preaching to the choir here) keeping your wood warm/hot. Place a few spilts inside the cook chamber or off to the side in the firebox. Warm wood catches faster than cold wood and you'll get your smoker back up to temp faster and also good clean smoke. Fire is all about the flash point.

[Huskee]

On the note of TripleB's post above, I like to pre-burn my wood. I will burn up a dozen or more pieces, just light a fire a day or a week before smoke day and burn them as you normally would. Pull them out when they're maybe half burnt, all black and crackly. Stifle them somehow. Store them in a metal trash can or something (I use an old upright smoker with the vents all sealed). Them babies light up mighty quick and make for some smooth fire tending on smoke day. On smoke day I preheat my smoker with with 4 or so fresh sticks and do the same with the ones I use there, pull 'em out and save 'em until the meat's on.

[JakeT]

Pre-burned wood is simply a must.