newbie question

I havnt had much luck with Lump in my UDS I use KBB mostly but sometimes Stubbs. Lump burns Hotter n faster but needs more airflow than Briquets in my experiences.

My typical load before adding more KBB on Top:


I'll dump half chimney of lit on top ( I let lit ash over all grey first )
I run it 280-300* for everything. I but the bags of chunks at Walmart - I run Hickory mostly but it gives stronger taste - fruit woods are usually milder taste.

Run exhaust ( min 2" goatskin) full open for no bitter taste.

The question that would help people help you is
1. How far from the bottom are your air intakes?
2. Is your charcoal basket raised up from the bottom?
3. If it is then how high?
4. What is your exhaust setup?

If you could answer these questions and/or add pictures it would help us identify the problem.

Kingsford Blue Bag

Kelly Blue Book?

I always read KBB as Kingsford Blue Briquettes. To-may-to, to-mah-to.

What was the source of your cherry wood? If it wasn't seasoned for an appropriate length of time it will create more creosote for a longer time in your cooks. Most commercially purchased woods are pre-seasoned and the chunks are ready to use right out of the bag. But if your wood wasn't seasoned it may explain the bitter flavor, or if that oak piece left over collected moisture since the previous cook with it.

packerfannate said:

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Questions:

What can I do to get my temperatures up?

What was the outside temperatures when you were cooking at 225+? Colder outside temps wreak havoc on smokers.

Was it the briquettes that gave the meat a bitter flavor?

Depends on who made them. Were they Kingsford? Gas Station brand? Were they...gasp...matchlights? Did you wait 30-60 minutes for the temperature to stabilize before putting the meat on?

That leftover piece of wood might have been the culprit. I normally take my leftover wood chunks and use them for the fireplace.

Do briquettes burn hotter than lump charcoal?

In most cases, no. It's the other way around.

What do you recommend for fuel wood?

Unless you have a stick burner (or a fat wallet), the wood is for flavoring/smoke. Stay away from pine, cedar, and other conifer woods. Other than that, experiment.

Any advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Being the troubleshooter that I am, I have to ask what changed? It used to work fine, but now it's not. Something has changed. Maybe the thermo is shot, could be any number of things.

You need a bigger exhaust IMHO

SmittyJonz said:

Run exhaust ( min 2" goatskin) full open for no bitter taste.

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What is goatskin?

Your exhaust should be wide open. You control your temp. with the ball valve.

On every charcoal smoker I've ever used, I have at least as much exhaust as intake air and control the heat with the intake. If you're putting food on before you have a clean fire, or if the smoke is trapped because there's not enough exhaust, that could explain bitterness.

Can you post a pic of your UDS?

packerfannate said:

Temp when it worked at 225 was quite a bit warmer - end of summer - 80s - 90s

The briquettes I used were Kingsford - I did not wait 30 - 60 minutes before putting the meat on. More like 15 - 20. And the rack was packed with chicken drumsticks and thighs.

If you only use the wood for flavor, what do you use for heat?

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Charcoal, primarily. The wood will provide some heat (in order for the wood to produce smoke, it has to burn somewhat), and provide more heat than you want if there is too much air in the UDS.

N8Man has a link on how to load the fire basket. Mine is roughly 2/3 to 3/4 charcoal, with the rest in wood chunks.

Everyone also forgot to ask you if any of the charcoal/wood was wet or damp, or christened with "foreign" substances.

jeepsteve92xj said:

What is goatskin?

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I'm not sure. - I'll have to Ask my STUPID IPhone.....

OK, I think I may have this figured out, bear with me.

Your Lump was either cheap, wet, or most likely both.

You switched to a reliable fuel source and your temps were fine. I think that's the, pardon the pun, "smoking" gun.

There's really only a couple of variables here to determine to figure out your temp problem. Oxygen flow and fuel. Switch to straight up kingsford for a while. Its very consistent. Lump charcoal is unreliable as it varies greatly from batch to batch, brand to brand. Take the fuel variable out of the equation. Use kingsford, and make sure its dry. If you still have issues getting temps up, you don't have enough airflow.

You have 4 1" pipes, correct? Are there elbows in them? Those can restrict airflow. If you are still having problems, remove the elbows and try it again. a 3" exhaust is fine. Just keep it all the way open and adjust air with the intakes.

Now, on to the bitter taste. The wood you were using (the fresh, not the half burned) was it green or was it dried and well seasoned? You want dry, seasoned wood. Cherry is a great smoking wood, just make sure it isn't green, that could do it.

If the wood was dry, what did the smoke look like when you added your meat? Was it thick and white? You shouldn't add food until the smoke changes to a thin blue smoke. Smoking your food in thick white smoke will give your food a creosote taste (bitter) Let the drum settle in for 45 minutes or so before adding food. I usually just wait until she picks a temp and stays there. If you are fighting the drum and smothering a fire trying to reduce your temp, this will also cause thick smoke from poor combustion and can give your food a bitter taste. I hope this helps!

Have you taken a look inside your pipes? Maybe something got plugged in there and is restricting your airflow...