Where was it on our site that I saw talk about controlling temps across a COS offset smoker? adjusting exhaust and intakes ect?
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Is there an ECHO IN HERE? off set smoker...smoker...smoker..... -
No echo. Your loud and clear : )Comment
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Controlling Temp is 1st and Foremost about Fire Management. If you have a COS, it means you will have inconsistent temp's from one end of the smoker to the other, because it's leaking a ton of heat out from the door, or thin steel. Or, you may have trouble getting your fire the way you like because the airflow is not tuned as well in a COS compared to a higher end machine.
The size of your fire, and when using an offset, running a clean fire on a nice bed of coals is, in my view, the 1st thing to conquer.
That is why I'm a big proponent of tools like the Kindling Cracker: It allows you to get your wood down to the size you need to keep your fire going well for the cook you are doing at the moment. When I was getting started, I just bought wood and packed it into that small firebox. Then I wondered in frustration why I couldn't keep the cooker at temp, and the fire was hard to keep going.
Since then, I've become SUPER SENSITIVE to having the right size splits to keep the clean fire and pretty coals going, no matter what temp I want to run, even in a small cooker.
When running a small offset, full size splits are just too big. It's just about impossible to keep a good coal bed.
Other tricks about opening the vents or closing, are good things to play with while you are Mastering the Art of a Clean Fire in your smoker.
Cook on that bad boy and show us some pictures!!!Comment
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OK, there is another bit of info somewhere talking about moving the hot spots with the exhaust damper to the middle of the cook chamber. Maybe a little more about the physics of whats going on inside our cookers, not on page "1" Anyway did a cook today on my COS "with" new Lava Lock tuning plates made for the old country pecos and brazos ect. Here are some pics of the cook, and then dinner tonight with leftovers. Tuning plates helped but left me a bit disappointed, quite honestly.
Thanks Paul for your input! Making my own splits from oak cord wood with an ax and chop saw. It was cool this am and had a struggle keeping my temps together. Guess its another COS issue. They don't retain heat.
Thanks all around,
overeasyLast edited by overeasy; November 29, 2017, 09:33 PM.Comment
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Sorry if i missed something, but thought i had a legit question about how to control heat left to right in a COS thats not so obvious to the uninformed such as myself. Found the info and will move on from there.
ThanksComment
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overeasy its all good my friend. You and everyone here are still learning. "Run towards the light!" Nail that temp!Comment
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Pretty Cook!
On controlling temps left to right, my #2 suggestion (after running a clean, correct size fire) is to run with the exhaust completely open. It's maximum airflow of that heated air that will give you the best shot at having even temps (before using tools like tuning plates).
Can you give us a picture of your pit?
I've not used tuning plates, so I can only respond based on what I've heard others talk about regarding them..Comment
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Well, quite frankly, what I’ve found is that my COS is a temperamental beast and responds erractically to its surroundings, ambient temperature, and to any adjustments one makes to the fire box, adding and subtracting, or the cook chamber
placement and quantity. Flies farting nearby will also cause a ruckus in your cook as well.
All kidding aside, I think it is and always will be a challenge to cook on because of their design limitations, and so I’ll continue to fire it up and learn on the job as I go. Guess I’ll just have to eat more too...
hey, that’s a plus!Comment
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Pictures ForthcomingComment
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Still had a temperature differential of 35-50 degrees
after installation.Attached FilesComment
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I've been running everything wide open and working on temp control with fire size. adding new logs off to the side in firebox to preheat and help speedup initial combustion when added to fire. temp swings seem to have been moderated a bit by adding the tuning plates but haven't had the results claimed by some. As low as a 10 degree differential after their addition. Guess if it were easy you might not ever really learn what makes these things work for there would be no need to be curious, so learning on a COS is... a good thing? sure and not a big investment either.
Overall I'd say the product coming out of the cooks has been decent, just the process has been a little shaky. Thanks again for any advice you all may have!
overeasyComment
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Way to go!Originally posted by overeasy View Post
i forgot to mention the pre-heat logs on the off side of the firebox, that's a great technique!
Keep cooking!Comment
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