Temp help - lonestar grillz

[jhblaze1]

So I was running the lonestar 24x40 for the purpose of seasoning today and finding it's just about impossible to keep the temp under 275-300.* The seasoning instructions say to run it 225-250 and that was basically impossible.

Leading up to that temp i had a nice hot fire going with very thin blue smoke and at times imperceptible smoke and i thought i was off to a great start. But then it kept climbing over 250 and up to 300 amd no matter what i couldn't get it back down to 250. Closing the intake didnt seem to do much.
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Even with the intake only open like half to 3/4 inch, it would just hold at 275+.* Closing the intake any further would dirty up the smoke and I even lost my fire briefly trying to bring the temps down.*

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After building a solid coal bed, I was adding one log at a time, every 45-55 mins or so, and preheating the next one on the far end of the firebox.* If I waited longer to add a split I'd lose my coal bed to ash down the grate, and if I added it sooner I'd be creeping up over 300.

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I'm using red oak, a half cord of which was dropped off today.* I'm wondering if this wood is just too dense and burns too hot.* That's all I can really think of.* "red oak" means different things in California.* I'm not sure if it's just common red oak or if it came from "coast live oak", commonly used in Santa Maria style bbq, and valued for being hot burning.* Maybe it's just too hot burning for an offset? But that seems strange.

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Any other ideas?

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I want to try cooking on this tomorrow so I think I will go to a local BBQ store and buy a few bags or boxes of their splits to see if that goes any better.* If my wood is the problem I can just repurpose it for the fire pit.

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Also wondering if maybe running an empty cooker with no meat to absorb the heat could be the reason.* Just seems like trying to cook at 225-250 would be just about impossible right now with the set of variable I have.*


Thanks

 

[Nuco59]

If you are wanting to hold a lower temp, maybe use a smaller fire, smaller splits- feeding a bit more often. You did not say what size splits you were using. Do some experimenting with different sizes to see what works best for your smoker.

I'm not sure that red oak burns any hotter than any other oak. I'd guess that most people in a particular region cook with the wood that's local.

You can certainly give it a shot -but the store bought wood will likely be kiln dried (too dry) and you might have even a harder time keeping a coal bed. Not to mention being pricey if you do a lot of cooking.

Good luck sir.

 

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

Mind you I'm on the east coast, but I also use red oak often and it definitely burns hotter and faster than white oak.

On an offset you'll control the temperature in your cook chamber with the size of the fire in the firebox. So if your temps are going too high you'll need do what @Nuco59 recommended and cut your wood splits in half, and likely you'll need to then split those down a bit. For a smaller sized offset like a 24x40 you'll want to be using pieces of wood which are about 8-10" long, and about the thickness of a Red Bull can.

This will require a bit more maintenance as your splits will burn up faster, but it will keep a clean burning fire, keep your coal bed alive, and it should allow you to keep your temps better controlled at your preferred cooking temp.

All of this being said you can season at 300° with no problems, and if after time you find your cooker just really "wants" to cook at 300°, then just go with it. I've had different offsets over the years and for the most part they really like to cook between 275-300°. I can absolutely force them to cook at 225-230° by using small and thin wood splits, but I make some fantastic BBQ in that 275-300° range.

Good luck and it's just going to require some time to get the hang of it.

 

[gtsum]

How big are your splits? Can you post up a picture? Off hand I’d say use smaller splits. If you don’t have one yet, highly recommend you pick up an xl kindling cracker. Easy to use and worth its weight in gold when burning sticks.


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[pjtexas1]

Very solid answers above. The Kindling Cracker is a must have. Get the XL. for now just split the splits in half with whatever you have. It'll make a huge difference.

That being said, 275-300 is my sweet spot. I'd be damn happy with a new cooker that worked like yours.

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[Mike Twangzer]

I think you may have gotten a lemon of a cooker .... I'll be right over to take it off your hands ... :-D

 

[Inthewoods]

Ya could use a water pan ta minimize spikes in temps till ya find where ya need ta be ta hold that target temp. I've lived on wood heat all my life and I can say that regardless of yer fire management skills some cookers have a sweet spot it likes ta run at....and ya can lose yer joy quickly fighting it vs learning ta cook in it.

-D

 

[Inthewoods]

And my above post is merely a summary of what's been said here...hundreds of times.
It's been said hundreds of times cause it's true..

-D

 

[jhblaze1]

Mind you I'm on the east coast, but I also use red oak often and it definitely burns hotter and faster than white oak.

On an offset you'll control the temperature in your cook chamber with the size of the fire in the firebox. So if your temps are going too high you'll need do what @Nuco59 recommended and cut your wood splits in half, and likely you'll need to then split those down a bit. For a smaller sized offset like a 24x40 you'll want to be using pieces of wood which are about 8-10" long, and about the thickness of a Red Bull can.

This will require a bit more maintenance as your splits will burn up faster, but it will keep a clean burning fire, keep your coal bed alive, and it should allow you to keep your temps better controlled at your preferred cooking temp.

All of this being said you can season at 300° with no problems, and if after time you find your cooker just really "wants" to cook at 300°, then just go with it. I've had different offsets over the years and for the most part they really like to cook between 275-300°. I can absolutely force them to cook at 225-230° by using small and thin wood splits, but I make some fantastic BBQ in that 275-300° range.

Good luck and it's just going to require some time to get the hang of it.

Im using bigger than that but i was watching Grumpus anf Fat E who both have similar smokers but theirs are just bigger with the vertical and they are running similar sized logs. Maybe that extra vertical is just that much more space to heat and i am using logs that are too big.

 

[gtsum]

Those splits are on the large size for your size firebox imo


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[Inthewoods]

And the petroleum products in that sandle ain't going ta help matters...except with chicken.
J/k

-D

 

[ssv3]

You're splits are a little on the large size. Split them in half but you will feed the firebox more frequently. I have a 24x30 LSG vertical offset and my average temp is 275. Let her run where she runs happy IMHO. Trying to do 225-250 is a PITA and you will keep messing with the fire as opposed to just throwing a spit every 30 to 45 mins.

Again, you'll probably have a better chance running lower than 275 because my smoker is vertical and drafts a lot quicker.

my smoker fwiw

This is what I split down to and the size I'd recommend

 

[QB-Wan]

...If you don’t have one yet, highly recommend you pick up an xl kindling cracker. Easy to use and worth its weight in gold when burning sticks.

Wow! I've never heard of that before. Genius. I've been using a wedge and mallet. That looks so much better!

 

[jhblaze1]

Well a lot of my wood is mishapen and gnarly. A lot of it will be really hard to split so i ran out today and bought a chainsaw and cut 8 to 10 inch pieces.

Im about 1.5 hours into a rib cook and holding steady at 250

Looks like i was just using a bit too much fuel last night.

 

[robertm]

One thing I found helped was the fire management basket. It allows you to keep your coal bed compact and intense. Then you can run smaller slits and not worry as much about losing your bed. I’ve been really happy with the addition.

 

[txsmkmstr]

I'll echo pretty much all of the above. My splits are no bigger around than a beer can if possible and 9-10 inches in length. Of course, ambient temperature plays a roll too. Mine really likes to run at 250* -275* and it's work to make it cook lower. Of course, based on info from this forum 275* is the new 225* and my food is better for it.

Keep at it... you'll dial everything in soon enough. It's a great pit!!!!

 

[pjtexas1]

The last time I emailed Chris he was going to post a video on the 20" fire management. The pit is just too efficient for standard size splits.

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[jjrkegler]

I have a 24x48 LSG offset and it wants to run 270 and I use oak splits half the size pictured above. I’ve never felt the need to cook at a lower temp.

 

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

Well a lot of my wood is mishapen and gnarly. A lot of it will be really hard to split so i ran out today and bought a chainsaw and cut 8 to 10 inch pieces.

Im about 1.5 hours into a rib cook and holding steady at 250

Looks like i was just using a bit too much fuel last night.

This might come out the wrong way, but A LOT of people on this forum ask for advice, then refuse to follow that advice, and then they go on to bash a particular cooker or product. So I have very much respect for you for listening to the feedback given and taking whatever steps are necessary to fix the issue. I'm glad you were able to get your temps dialed in and I hope your LSG is all you want it to be.

Earlier you commented that others have a similar sized LSG, but they have a vertical. That vertical has about the same volume as your cook chamber, so yeah, it will take a good amount more wood to heat almost double the amount of space. Also there's conductive heat going to the vertical, so that will siphon off heat from the primary cook chamber.

I hope you can find a better wood supply in the future as that gnarly stuff is a pain all around. It cooks just fine but getting it down to size is always a pain the butt.

 

[Potatoe]

Same as others said, my lonestar uses splits at least half that diameter, a kinlin spitter from Amazon is the best accessory for this. . .also I found cracking the fire box door is better at dropping the pit temp vs closing the dampeners