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-   -   Offset temp control question (https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=275311)

Potatoe 09-07-2019 07:59 PM

Offset temp control question
 
This might be a dumb question but. . . I'm kicking the idea of getting an offset (never cooked on one) and am looking into the jambo backyard when I came across the thread below. . they say that many pits have a desired running temp and to adjust your cook to the pits favored temp. . .my question: how true is this and couldn't I adjust my intake & exhaust or the size of my splits to get the desired temp? My main concern is I like cooking at 250-275 and don't won't to be forced to change. . .I'd want a $3k pit that's controllable. . .thanks

http://www.texasbbqforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=25007

SMOKE FREAK 09-07-2019 08:04 PM

To me each pit has it's own temp that it likes to run at depending mostly on air flow.


Many things can affect that from fuel to wind to leaks in the smoker etc...



That doesn't mean that any given smoker isn't controllable. Ya just need to learn what it likes and make adjustments accordingly.

marvda1 09-07-2019 08:11 PM

take a look at the rockin' w smokers backyard smoker.
http://www.rockinwsmokers.com/pit-details

pharp 09-07-2019 08:43 PM

I do not have a Jambo, but have several friends who do. You will be able to cook at whatever temp you want. He doesn't have those wait times because he sells smokers that just run however they want. I am going to put that same model on my next trailer.

m-fine 09-08-2019 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Potatoe (Post 4224341)
This might be a dumb question but. . . I'm kicking the idea of getting an offset (never cooked on one) and am looking into the jambo backyard when I came across the thread below. . they say that many pits have a desired running temp and to adjust your cook to the pits favored temp. . .my question: how true is this and couldn't I adjust my intake & exhaust or the size of my splits to get the desired temp? My main concern is I like cooking at 250-275 and don't won't to be forced to change. . .I'd want a $3k pit that's controllable. . .thanks

http://www.texasbbqforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=25007

Personally, I think people who say that have no idea how to run a pit. It is ludicrous. Most offsets have air controls on the intake and the exhaust and even without them, you have complete control of how you build and feed the fire. A pit user may stick in whatever logs he has and accept whatever airflow and temp that produces. A Pit Master will adjust the pit and the wood he feeds the fire and will be able to run the pit at whatever temperature HE wants. Be a Pit Master.

I can run my Lang at 200-225, 400-425, or anywhere in between. Heck, it will run at 550 if you want to (other than burn off why?) or well below 200 for cold smoke with a little extra effort.

sudsandswine 09-08-2019 07:31 AM

I dont think its as much a deal as "each pit has a certain temp it likes to run at" as it is about airflow and the size of fire that air can support, and some cookers have a bigger range of airflow capabilities. In my Shirley for example, I could run a smaller fire (by managing split size or coal bed) and close down the intake and exhaust a bit, it would be enough air to support a fire that size. Open up the intake and exhaust a bit, a higher volume of air moves through supporting a fire of that size. I have a temp range that *I* like to cook in, which requires a fire of a certain size and therefore a particular amount of air. So I think "sweet spots" are more dictated by how much control you have at the volume of air moving through a cooker. I would imagine that most well designed cookers have a decent amount of control over how much air they move.

txsmkmstr 09-08-2019 07:48 AM

Yup... Fire size is the key to temp control in an offset. The dampers are for minor tuning. Too many folks try to achieve that "add one split every 90 minute" unicorn and don't realize that small fires in a well designed pit are extremely efficient - yet they do take more effort to maintain.

With that said, most of the offsets I've owned had their temperature sweet spot in the exact range the OP wants. My advice would be to purchase an offset with a solid reputation for performance upfront rather than going cheap and getting frustrated.

SMOKE FREAK 09-08-2019 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sudsandswine (Post 4224448)
I dont think its as much a deal as "each pit has a certain temp it likes to run at" as it is about airflow and the size of fire that air can support, and some cookers have a bigger range of airflow capabilities. In my Shirley for example, I could run a smaller fire (by managing split size or coal bed) and close down the intake and exhaust a bit, it would be enough air to support a fire that size. Open up the intake and exhaust a bit, a higher volume of air moves through supporting a fire of that size. I have a temp range that *I* like to cook in, which requires a fire of a certain size and therefore a particular amount of air. So I think "sweet spots" are more dictated by how much control you have at the volume of air moving through a cooker. I would imagine that most well designed cookers have a decent amount of control over how much air they move.




That's what I was trying to say...
And each smoker is it's own situation. The fun is in trying to master that.

midwestmindz 09-08-2019 08:24 AM

I can run my Outlaw Patio Model at 250 all the way to 350 if I wanted to depends on your coal base and size of splits/fire etc. You can run these insulated offsets at about any temperature you desire.

I highly recommend the Outlaw Patio model.

https://outlawpatio.com/

sudsandswine 09-08-2019 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMOKE FREAK (Post 4224459)
That's what I was trying to say...
And each smoker is it's own situation. The fun is in trying to master that.

I wasnt meaning to quote you, just this "generally accepted truth" that seems to exist about a sweet spot :thumb:

patrickd26 09-08-2019 10:51 AM

Truly, you answered your own question within the question... "... adjust my intake & exhaust or the size of my splits to get the desired temp."

Yes! I like to keep my firebox door pretty much open and then feed only enough wood/lump to keep a clean fire at 250. Sometimes it's too clean and my food doesn't get the smoke flavor that I want! But, it still tastes so good...

JWFokker 09-08-2019 02:40 PM

Temperature should be mostly regulated by the size of the fire as long as there is sufficient intake airflow.

ssv3 09-08-2019 02:58 PM

You've got your answers. SMoke freak and sudsandswine are right on point. I'll only add that stick burners make the best BBQ period. You won't be disappointed. Just like anything in life the more you work for it the better the outcome.

ffemtreed 09-08-2019 03:59 PM

join masterclass and watch Aaron Franklin's segment. He spends a lot of time on how to tame an offset smoker. That alone is worth the cost for someone who is new to offset smokers.

smoke ninja 09-08-2019 06:07 PM

run the pit where it wants is advice for cookers that cant be throttled down to 225 and ones that lack the airflow to cook over 350. other than that cook how you like


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