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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking.


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Old 03-24-2021, 11:49 AM   #1
Zeta09
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Join Date: 11-05-18
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Default Offset Smoker Temp "issues"

Alright...
I have a RD Special Marshall 20" Horizon Smoker
I have had it nearly 2 years now and some of you may say well then why would you post this?
I am just covering all my bases and making sure I am not missing anything.

I have smoked on it and had good product in general. I had seasoned it, tested it (compared probe temps to it's stock thermometers), cooked in it with decent results and am generally pleased with unit. Recently, however, I am wondering if I can not eek out a better results and as of late have had varying temps (I prolly did before but I am testing it more now to look at the cause of variations)
I have re-watched this and this as well as other vids speaking of maintaining a good fire.

I DO have the fundamentals down (IMHO) and I am a bit frustrated as to what I am getting with this unit.
I heat up 3/4 chimney briquettes, I start with a 3 log fire (12"-15" splits) I do NOT use the Firebox rack anymore and just keep the pile in the firebox.
get the temp up to usually 310F or so and then it can settle to 250-75F for most cases. I have recently used two probes (Thermoworks) to more accurately test the temps in middle and left end (opposite firebox) of the smoker.
I DO get decent temps but they have at times dropped or I barely get 10 mins before they precipitously fall

So of course I am sure most would then say that it's the oxygen to the fire and you would be correct but I cannot seem to find a happy medium. I have NEVER been able to close the Firebox door. Normally I have the door open roughly 2 inches and the intake fully open as the stock intake that they have created doesn't seem to give the fire enough O2 when it's closed. I used to put pile/logs in the end close to the cooking chamber and food but the temps then obviously are much higher closer and taper off at the opposite end (~30-40 degrees) Smokestack is 75% open btw (rarely mess with it as I haven't had to; perhaps I should?


When I have the logs/pile in the middle the temps are fairly even across the chamber. I have put the logs closest to the intake opening and attempted to close the door but then it seems much of the heat escapes or it takes half the log to actually ignite (these are hot logs mind you) and then they are half burnt once they burn

So I come to all of you looking for help as I am sure I am missing something.
I get a more consistent smoke and fairly decent chamber out of my giant weber kettle grill using the minion method and knowing it can make the slight adjustments to keep the temps @ 240-60 x 4-6 Hrs.
Since I DO have this dedicated smoker however, I would like to utilize it as well to it's full potential (as I'm sure you all would understand) and feel like I'm not reaching it..

I would:
A) Like to narrow down the best arrangement to get consistent temps
B) Eek out at least 40 mins per log set by establishing the best airflow to the Firebox

Let me know and Thanks
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Old 03-24-2021, 01:47 PM   #2
jkief
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Wish I could offer some advice, but I haven’t cooked on an offset before. I’m sure different brands have different ways to achieve great results, though. It sucks you’re frustrated with it and hope you get it figured out soon.
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Old 03-24-2021, 01:51 PM   #3
gtsum
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Default Offset Smoker Temp "issues"

That’s a small cooker with a small firebox. I’d use smaller splits and feed the fire more often..like every 25-30 minutes. Get a kindling cracker and try it...keep exhaust all the way open and door cracked too so it gets plenty of air. I adjust the temp with the size of the fire, not with intake and exhaust settings.


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Old 03-24-2021, 03:27 PM   #4
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Exhaust all the way open all the time!!! Don't let that coal bed get low. Maybe a water pan near the fire to suck up some of those BTUs when the flame ramps up. And temp swings with an offset is part of cooking on an offset. I've got a Lang so it cuts temp swings down a lot due to the reverse flow.
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Old 03-24-2021, 05:55 PM   #5
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I'd use the grate in the fire box. It's a smaller box, just add some expanded metal to keep the coals. I always preferred to use the door as an intake. Temps vary, it's a small offset....same reason why 40 minutes between feeding is gonna be hard
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Old 03-24-2021, 07:17 PM   #6
thedude9999
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I have a Horizon Classic 20 - which has a slightly smaller firebox than you do, but not by much. I always run with the door shut and sometimes the door vent partially closed. Exhaust is always wide open.

I think your problem is too much wood. I never add more than one split at a time. If you are putting in more, you will need more oxygen for them to burn, which is probably why you have to leave the door open.

As mentioned- it’s a small smoker. You can’t get long periods without adding splits. I add a small split every 20-30 minutes. You can add a larger single split to get 40+ minutes but you are going to be cooking on a much larger temperature swing as a result. It will spike a lot higher.

I always use the firebox grate. The coals falling through doesn’t matter. It’s an inch below the grate - the heat still ignites splits above.
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Old 03-25-2021, 08:48 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeta09 View Post
Alright...

B) Eek out at least 40 mins per log set by establishing the best airflow to the Firebox
That to me seems like a huge problem. Give up that goal and your temp swings will be reduced. Like others before me - use smaller splits. Control temp with fire size and not the intakes.
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Old 03-26-2021, 12:36 AM   #8
Zeta09
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gtsum
That’s a small cooker with a small firebox. I’d use smaller splits and feed the fire more often..like every 25-30 minutes.
Ya know I don't think of it as small but looking at the other offerings from many of the mfr and Co. I guess it is small; "tiny" really.....hmmm

Quote:
Originally Posted by smoke ninja
I'd use the grate in the fire box. It's a smaller box, just add some expanded metal to keep the coals....
Ok I am going to test again this weekend..."expanded metal" what's that?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Big N Hot
Maybe a water pan near the fire to suck up some of those BTUs when the flame ramps up. And temp swings with an offset is part of cooking on an offset.
Yeah I do use water pans on the tuning plate and I may start to mess with that plate more to see the variance if any.

I was eeeking out 40 mins on the 3x12" splits I have been using and I guess I will have to keep it to 25-30 mins. The main difference this time I will test is to see the exhaust fully open and if that helps airflow efficiency and if I use smaller spilts will it allow the Intake door to be utilized as intended as well as will my fire be sustainable

I'll report my findings next week....
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Old 04-12-2021, 11:20 AM   #9
Zeta09
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So I tested again ~ 1 1/2 weeks ago.

"Settings" were top wide open, Coal grate inside, Wood placed fairly in the middle and Door slightly cracked (< 1 inch)
I was using and have 12"x 3" splits

I used 3/4 chimney of Charcoal and 3 dry non-heated logs to get to temp (~300F) and then it came down to 250-260F once burned down a bit.

I could maintain the fire for ~30 mins and then add one log to keep it generally there

Things I noticed:
-The grate in theory will keep the wood on a level where the Firebox door openings are level enough to keep the vents open and air flow through
-using two logs per change does give the burnout time a bit more range (~40 mins) but also naturally increased the temps
-there was less variation of heat in the box with foil pans with water on the cooking chamber (on the heat diffuser level) than over the actual fire in the Firebox
-using smaller pieces of wood (5x5") does allow better control for smaller variations of temps (10-15F) but still doesn't last long and essentially changing wood q 15 mins

I don't think I could close the Firebox door for my unit. When I do even with the vents wide open it doesn't seem to keep the air flow enough to maintain the fire x more than 10-15 mins tops


Thus my conclusion is:
This RD Marshall unit is still something I use and will use. I don't regret the RD Marshall purchase per se but I am pleasantly surprised that ANY container that can house fire/heat can be turned into a smoker. The Ranch Kettle grill that I have STILL will beat out some of these smokers since you can control the temp and infuse wood flavor for a longer period of time with less maintenance using the minion method.

My expectation was never to start it and leave it with the Marshall but I WAS hoping to have less checks through the process and potentially get longer burns on with my splits.

I have used both the Ranch Kettle and Marshall in combination at times since I'll start the Brisket on the Kettle and cook over night for the first 5-7 Hrs and then finish it on the Marshall if I have other things I want to smoke when I'm awake. The results have been good and realistically once things are wrapped it is essentially a fancy oven

Idk if there is any additional recs you all can f/u on but please by all means chime in if there is.....
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Old 04-12-2021, 12:39 PM   #10
SmoothBoarBBQ
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It sounds like it's your wood. If you can't close the firebox door without suffocating the fire then it's likely that your wood is too green (too high of a moisture content), and there's not enough oxygen or coal bed to keep the fire burning.

Horizon has a good reputation with tons of people using them...I highly doubt that everyone is using these smokers with the firebox door open.
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Old 04-12-2021, 04:21 PM   #11
thedude9999
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I keep my door closed on mine all the time, draws not problem
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Old 04-12-2021, 04:28 PM   #12
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I had issues with my old smoker... and yours is not cheap by any means!

I just got a used Lang 36 and life is much better now!
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Old 04-12-2021, 04:35 PM   #13
FireChief
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I have owned a 24" Horizon RD special for 10 years now. I think one of your problems is not using the fire grate. You're not running a raging fire. Its going to get smothered and smoldering. How level is the pit? Mine started to sink on the fire box side when I moved to North TX. It would not draft right. Put it on some pavers with almost 2 degree tilt towards the stack. You can check with a level, but you'll know its tilted if you spray water into the tube and it runs out the fire box. It also eliminated fat from seeping in there during the cook and smoking too much.

Although we like a well seasoned pit, too much build up can cause issues. I'm sure you have the sliding baffle plate. Those holes get plugged up with gunk easily. Make sure they are open, especially the smaller ones. Also, check the entrance to the stack. Surprising how much build up gets in there. I keep stack fully open at all times.

Having said all that.....I run that Horizon with the FB door fully open till I have zero smoke coming through the stack and then usually leave it open an inch or two the whole cook. I use mostly Mesquite and Oak. 2-3 small splits with 2 Weber chimneys 3/4 full with charcoal to start. Remember, mine is 24X48 pipe. This gets me up to 250F - 275F. I will add 1-2 small splits every 45 min or so and keep that side door open till it fully ignites each time. This keeps a nice thin, almost invisible plum going most of the time. I'll get smoky sometimes depending on conditions but come on, its a wood fire.

It's a bit more work than my WSM but I love the fire management and best of all the results. Keep at it, you'll figure it out. PM with any questions.




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Old 04-14-2021, 10:13 PM   #14
Zeta09
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Thx for the feedback guys.

I'm going to test one more time on Fri and then will be making some of that delicious Brisket

So I'll report back a final time to see what I came up with by some of the additional tips
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