fire spreading unevenly

[cmwr]

I just noticed something weird for the first time. I've got a 10-pound pork shoulder on the smoker and a basket full of lump charcoal with wood chunks mixed in. I have my bottom intake vent wide open while I'm getting everything settled in before I close it down to maintain a certain temperature. per my usual routine I pull the lid off several times to evacuate all the dirty smoke while the fire is still settling in. I just happened to notice as I looked through my intake vent that the lump on the bottom of my basket is glowing red and burning. I dumped about 1/2 of a chimney of briquettes right in the center of the top of my basket to start this. How in the heck did the fire already find its way to the bottom of my charcoal pile? I would have thought it would have slowly been burning from the top and wouldn't find its way to the bottom for hours?

[cmwr]

Edit.....after looking more closely the part of the basket that is glowing at the bottom is the part that's right next to the intake door. None of the rest of the basket is doing this so I guess I can assume that the fire followed the oxygen supply towards the bottom?

[ebijack]

Yep, that is how mine burns.
Then burns outwards from there.

[cmwr]

Yep, that is how mine burns.
Then burns outwards from there.




Well as long as it's normal I guess I never paid much attention before. I had another first happened to me a little bit ago that I've never seen in eight or nine years of using one of these barrel smokers. It back drafted on me. when the fire was still settling in and smoke was pouring out the bunghole it sucked all the smoke in and shot it straight out my intake in a big burst. then it started drafting back up out the chimney again. I have never witnessed that before. I was very careful to remove the lid not knowing if there was going to be an explosion or something LOL

[ebijack]

You sure the wind did not cause that?
Quite common. That is where a chimney helps.

[ModelMaker]

Barrel fart?
Ed

[cmwr]

You sure the wind did not cause that?
Quite common. That is where a chimney helps.


Perfectly calm morning with not one drop of wind. I had pulled the lid off to evacuate some of the dirty smoke then I put the lid back on and it started drafting like normal. then all of a sudden it sucked all of the exhaust back in the chimney and blew it out the intake in one big Puff. it was pretty awesome to say the least and I wish I could have caught that on video. It never did it again so there must have been a set of circumstances that happened that's not too common.