Reaching/Maintaining Proper Temperature (The Basics)

DennD said:

SouthernSquire..... I went back through the posts and saw that you are using a baffle..... under your cooking grates? There are lots of solutions for baffles from the right side of the cooking chamber near the SFB, to a ways under your cooking grates (or most of the way across) for better heat distribution. Some use holes in the baffle at intervals underneath the grates. The baffles people were using to even out cooking temps in their GG offset cookers is what inspired me to start experimenting with baffles in mine.

Click to expand...

Yes the baffels are under the cooking grates. It wasn't so much the temperature in the cooking chamber that concerned me as I was able to get it to 225 degrees and my food did cook on time (was actually "over cooked").

My concern was in my inability to maintain any consistency with the fire and hold the temperatures for long periods of time. I hate to admit it, but I was throwing wood chunks and briquettes into the fire box sporadically and without really know how much to add and when to add it. As a result my temperature was all over the place and most disturbingly I would fluctuate between clean smoke and heavy smoke.

Just no consistency...