Cooker Hot Spots

A-dub · 08-16-2011, 09:46 AM

Hey guys-

We are preparing for our first competition in September. I was curious as to how each of you have tested the hot spots on your smoker. Other than moving the meat around and seeing how it turns out, what are some good methods for checking this?

Would purchasing several oven thermometers and placing in different areas of the smoker be an effective method? I would think eventually these glass would get smoked out...

Thanks!

Fatback Joe · 08-16-2011, 09:52 AM

By the cheap canned biscuits and put them around your smoker and see which biscuits gets done first. It won't tell you the temps, but it will identify where your hot spots are for cheaper than buyinga bunch of thermos.

Rub · 08-16-2011, 09:56 AM

Simplest most effective method IMO...
Buy a few tubes of cheap, pop-open biscuits.
Get smoker up to temp.
Place raw biscuit dough on each corner, in the middle, etc of each rack.
After 15-20 minutes (or more) open it up and look at your biscuits. The darkest ones are your hot spots, lightest ones your cooler spots, etc. Easy visual indicator of what's happening in your smoker, top to bottom, side to side, temp wise.

TooSaucedToPork · 08-16-2011, 10:02 AM

Canned Biscuits or eggs in the shell. If you are careful you can stick a probe in the egg and it will give you a temp.

A-dub · 08-16-2011, 10:18 AM

Very interesting. I don't think I ever would have thought about that.

My particular smoker has a fire box underneath "the belly". It has a steel plate also that runs along most of the bottom underneath the grill grate (a little like a reverse flow but not really...). I am thinking that after the smoker heats up pretty good, that middle section is considerably hotter than the rest.

Westexbbq · 08-16-2011, 10:42 AM

The "biscuit" test is an age old indicator and very good technique; glad to see the posts above.

HB-BBQ · 08-16-2011, 03:25 PM

The biscuit method works great. They do taste like chit after taking on smoke...I tried one once but never will again. Another method is to use cheap hotdogs or wieners and see which ones pop first.

sullysQ · 08-16-2011, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fatback Joe

By the cheap canned biscuits and put them around your smoker and see which biscuits gets done first. It won't tell you the temps, but it will identify where your hot spots are for cheaper than buyinga bunch of thermos.

Along that line they are also quick indicator if any mods you make to your smoker worked and/or how much.

Pappy · 08-16-2011, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HB-BBQ

The biscuit method works great. They do taste like chit after taking on smoke...I tried one once but never will again. Another method is to use cheap hotdogs or wieners and see which ones pop first.

The dog that pops 1st may have more chicken lips in it.

NorthwestBBQ · 08-16-2011, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A-dub

Hey guys-

We are preparing for our first competition in September. I was curious as to how each of you have tested the hot spots on your smoker. Other than moving the meat around and seeing how it turns out, what are some good methods for checking this?

Would purchasing several oven thermometers and placing in different areas of the smoker be an effective method? I would think eventually these glass would get smoked out...

Thanks!

In your trailer smoker I would use the oven thermo idea. In your ECB, well, I wouldn't worry about it.

A-dub · 08-18-2011, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NorthwestBBQ

In your trailer smoker I would use the oven thermo idea. In your ECB, well, I wouldn't worry about it.

HA HA I don't lose any sleep over my ECB. I bring it along only for the sake of having something else - usually for some dogs or sausage!

Thanks for all the info.

08-16-2011, 09:46 AM	#1
A-dub Got Wood. Join Date: 08-03-11 Location: AL Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Cooker Hot Spots Hey guys- We are preparing for our first competition in September. I was curious as to how each of you have tested the hot spots on your smoker. Other than moving the meat around and seeing how it turns out, what are some good methods for checking this? Would purchasing several oven thermometers and placing in different areas of the smoker be an effective method? I would think eventually these glass would get smoked out... Thanks! __________________ Home-made 6 1/2 ft trailer smoker; WSM 22.5

08-16-2011, 09:52 AM	#2
Fatback Joe is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 01-07-08 Location: Hampden, MA Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	By the cheap canned biscuits and put them around your smoker and see which biscuits gets done first. It won't tell you the temps, but it will identify where your hot spots are for cheaper than buyinga bunch of thermos. __________________ FBJ WSM Medium Spicewine Stumps GF223 KCBS, NEBS Member

08-16-2011, 09:56 AM	#3
Rub is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 09-25-06 Location: Winter Haven, FL Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Simplest most effective method IMO... Buy a few tubes of cheap, pop-open biscuits. Get smoker up to temp. Place raw biscuit dough on each corner, in the middle, etc of each rack. After 15-20 minutes (or more) open it up and look at your biscuits. The darkest ones are your hot spots, lightest ones your cooler spots, etc. Easy visual indicator of what's happening in your smoker, top to bottom, side to side, temp wise. __________________ -Rub Swamp Boys “Give a man some BBQ and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to BBQ and you feed him for a lifetime.” --Swamp Boys Proverb Sponsored by Yoder Smokers, BBQR's Delight, 3 Eyz, Butcher BBQ, Grizzly Coolers, Wicked Q Gator Nation

08-16-2011, 10:02 AM	#4
TooSaucedToPork Take a breath! Join Date: 09-23-09 Location: Buffalo NY Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Canned Biscuits or eggs in the shell. If you are careful you can stick a probe in the egg and it will give you a temp. __________________ "We're a drinking team...with a BBQ problem" http://www.toosaucedtopork.com

08-16-2011, 10:18 AM	#5
A-dub Got Wood. Join Date: 08-03-11 Location: AL Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Very interesting. I don't think I ever would have thought about that. My particular smoker has a fire box underneath "the belly". It has a steel plate also that runs along most of the bottom underneath the grill grate (a little like a reverse flow but not really...). I am thinking that after the smoker heats up pretty good, that middle section is considerably hotter than the rest. __________________ Home-made 6 1/2 ft trailer smoker; WSM 22.5

08-16-2011, 10:42 AM	#6
Westexbbq Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 09-02-05 Location: Rockin' Lake Ronfarkoma, Hinterlands of BBQ . Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	The "biscuit" test is an age old indicator and very good technique; glad to see the posts above. __________________ Illuminated, circa 1967. KCBS CBJ-Texas Transplant. Texas Smokemaster offset, Well-cured NB Silver Smoker, Santa Fe grill (retired). glory bee gasser. Texas International Pop Festival, Labor Day 1969. IMBAS Certified. Just roll me up and smoke me when I die. Always remember, no matter where ya go, there you are. I wanna tell you 'bout Texas radio and the big beat. Someday, I hope to visit Penelope. Hondo Crouch, Famous Late Mayor of Lunkenbach, Texas who advocated a 'dillo diet: "You can eat nothing but armadillos for a month, but you will have to run down and catch all the armadillos you eat and it can really take the weight off!"

08-16-2011, 03:25 PM	#7
HB-BBQ is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 06-14-07 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	The biscuit method works great. They do taste like chit after taking on smoke...I tried one once but never will again. Another method is to use cheap hotdogs or wieners and see which ones pop first. __________________ Lang 36 custom, Backwoods Patio, Horizon Patriot, UDS by Norco, Spirit E-310

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