Please help - new offset w guru not getting up to temp!!

[Docstew27]

Hello all!! My brother in law just got an new smoker a couple weeks ago, it is an "Iron man 4" by west of memphis. http://westofmemphisbbq.com/products/ironman-4/
It is a hybrid job gas grill/offset smoker made of 3/16 steel plate. We had trouble getting up to temp the first two cooks and it still never got over 250. I modified it a little adding a guru w a single fan(the firebox is 18x14x13.5. So is the one fan enough even though thats what they told me to get?)
I raised the fire grate to 4 inches above floor in firebox and put blower for guru 1 inch below the fire grate as the guru people suggested. I also had a steel plate cut that is a little over 1/4 in to put in main chamber to make it reverse flow and hold some heat to even the temps... It works nice... I also but gasket around cooking chamber door but it is still leaking out of the many other shutters this thing has on it. I will try to take some pictures early tom morning.
We are cooking on it tom so i went to run it today to see how my new mods affected it and it has nice even temps according to 4 digital probes at grate level but the temp was maxed out after taking almost 2 hrs to get barely to 200!! I later took the guru off and left that hole open and opened the firebox shutter and after about 30 min it went up to 250. Does that mean the guru is not capable of giving it enough air bc the blower was running full blast the whole time on a full basket of lump charcoal. I can think of a hundred diff things it could be but dont know if they are enough to cause this problem. i.e.: is the steel on the firebox too thin and causing me to loose to much heat, is the opening from firebox to main chamber too small, do i have to use wood always to get the temps high enough? Am i loosing too much heat thru all the openings in the main chamber? These are just a few of the the possibilities ive come up with but im really hoping all your wise experienced guys can help me out to salvage my cook tomorrow!!! PLEASE!!!! Thanks

 

[saseekutz]

I don't know how guru's work with offsets but from my limited experience offsets are best tended to by hand.

 

[IamMadMan]

I have never used the Guru on an offset, but I have a large vertical smoker with a very large firebox. so my answer is based only on the vertical experience with a Guru.

Maybe as saseekutz stated above the offset may be best tended manually with hands on experience...



What size fan did you get? I would assume that for that size fire box you would need a 25cfm. Also look at the bottom of the fan where the air blows out, and make sure the adjustable restrictor is wide open and does not hinder the airflow.

I find that the guru works best when you manually get up to your cooking temperature and then turn on the Guru. My major concern would be with the leakage at all the points you have mentioned, it will burn a lot of fuel very quickly and the Guru may wind up to be like the old saying; "A dog chasing its own tail". Your cooker may consume fuel so quickly that the guru may not be able to keep up with it, I don't know...

As I stated I use the Guru on an insulated vertical and It gives me a 12 - 14 hour burn on an 8 lb bag of lump charcoal. Your offset is a completely different design and function.

 

[ButtBurner]

I would be running wood in it

that pic doesnt show much, lets see some pics of the inside, the firebox, etc

I would not use the guru either until you get a handle on using it without it

probably would not use it at all. Offsets work better without them for the most part.

they need a lot of air moving though them

 

[revkab]

That's kinda a little firebox. Maybe stoke it with a combination natural lump charcoal and wood. Lotsa wood. Try running it naked without the Guru and see how it performs. Ya might even need to crack the firebox door a bit to get more air.

 

[ajstrider]

I have several questions that will help me help you.

First, I hope you aren't falling for the fatal Guru trick of the fan damper. There is a built in sliding metal damper on the fan, it generally comes in the package shut. So unless you open the damper, not much air is really getting put into the pit. The 10cfm fan is more than enough for that smoker.

It is an offset, but are you using charcoal or sticks? I normally don't advise using a Guru with sticks. I suppose it should work if you are using charcoal. Assuming you are using charcoal, you are either not lighting enough charcoal in the beginning or not letting your fire grow enough before you start restricting the air to it.

You say you have made it reverse flow, but have you got the exhausts set up right to make it reverse flow?

The smoker should work without all the modifications you have made.

 

[Amigatec]

I have a Horizon 16" Classic with a QMaster Jr. I have found out if you close down the top damper to much it will not heat up. But it will heat up as much as you want it to. I believe the QMaster has a 10CFM fan.

 

[Mo-Dave]

I use a 10 cfm on a large Spicewine vertical and it works great, so on a cooker your size even a 5 should work, if they even make a 5 cfm. My concern that it being a dual cooker with the ability to cook with gas or other fuel types, is a gas grill needs to have a lot of open air space intake, usually on the bottom or sides, in order for the gas to burn properly. The Guru needs to have a fairly airtight environment, so unless it has air intakes on the cooking chamber its self that can be closed off completely the use of the gure may be pointless.

The fire box does seem a little small, no a lot small, so your best bet may be to use the gaser part of the grill to generate the real cooking heat, while only using the fire box for the smoke you want. This may make it a great smoker for doing cold smoke like cheese.

The guru should work on an offset just fine in most cases, again if it fairly airtight. Hope I am wrong and you get it up and going they way you want it.

I see it has two exhaust stacks, try closing one completely off to retain some of the heat, I am thinking the one furthest from the fire box. You may want to try, and get more than 4 inches from the bottom of the grate in the fire box, that would not take long to fill up with ash and choke you fire down, or you will need to clean it often during a cook.

Upon taking another look it does seem to have vents on the gas side that can be closed. I still would question how well they give it a sufficient airtight environment. These type tend to have a lot of leakage if not fitted really well.
Dave

 

[gtr]

I'd run it without the Guru and with all intake and exhaust vents all the way open. See what that gets you and take it from there. If you're using charcoal, lump will burn hotter than briqs. Hardwoods burn hotter than fruit woods if you're burning sticks.

 

[Bigr314]

I thought the reason people get offsets so they can tend the fire. That is what drew me to mine. I like the idea of splitting wood also. I am a little of an old school type. Good luck. Interested in the outcome.

 

[FatCoyote]

I only use offset smokers (though I am looking at my first cabinet as an add on) Based on the info you provided, I would remove the plate which u put in place to make it a "reverse flow". If your pit wasn't designed to be one, it likely does not draft properly. This will probably fix your air intake problems and increase your heat dramatically. As for the guru, I have them configured on mine and even with two fans I need it to be fully at temp before letting them take over. In short, the gurus are nice and if you have a heavy enough offset, which you know how to use really well, they will make life much easier. However, yours is not one of those, therefore it is probably best to burn wood or coal at a hotter temp and then only use the guru to keep stable. My best advice is to not use a guru until you know how to run your pit without one.

In summary, put the pit back in the default config as it was built, learn to run it with wood or coal (your choice) and don't worry too much about those leaks. Temperature does not dissipate that much from leaks but rather from environmental temperatures and wind. You have a very nice toy, which should deliver many years of enjoyment, just don't think about it too hard and run with it till you or the pit drops. I bet before you know it your pit makes you smile and your happy with the products it produces.

Good luck and if worse comes to worse you still have an oven in the house to finish up in; you food will taste wonderful and your guests will eat on time.

 

[bbqbull]

When I use my auburn controller on my Big Steel Keg I have to crank down my exhaust to just passed closed. Wondering if you have your exhaust was wide open or choked down?

 

[pwa]

I have to have my exhaust choked down 85% so like 15% open for the stoker to work on my small offset. If I open where I run it normal then the stoker just runs non stop. I'd start there it seems to be a common problem.

Clint

 

[realspaazz]

If you are just looking to get the temp up, you could always fire up one or more of the gas burners as a temp assist. Or, you could just smoke wherever the cooker likes to settle in for temp. My WSM likes to run at 240F at the grate in the configuration I like to use... so I tend to cook around 240F. I can push it hotter or cooler, but it is easier to let it ride where it seems comfortable.

 

[Mo-Dave]

I don't think its been mentioned, have you done test on your gauges? I know they are new but would not hurt to check with a boil test or against another gauge.
Dave

 

[Bludawg]

Hello all!! My brother in law just got an new smoker a couple weeks ago, it is an "Iron man 4" by west of memphis. http://westofmemphisbbq.com/products/ironman-4/
It is a hybrid job gas grill/offset smoker made of 3/16 steel plate. We had trouble getting up to temp the first two cooks and it still never got over 250. I modified it a little adding a guru w a single fan(the firebox is 18x14x13.5. So is the one fan enough even though thats what they told me to get?)
I raised the fire grate to 4 inches above floor in firebox and put blower for guru 1 inch below the fire grate as the guru people suggested. I also had a steel plate cut that is a little over 1/4 in to put in main chamber to make it reverse flow and hold some heat to even the temps... It works nice... I also but gasket around cooking chamber door but it is still leaking out of the many other shutters this thing has on it. I will try to take some pictures early tom morning.
We are cooking on it tom so i went to run it today to see how my new mods affected it and it has nice even temps according to 4 digital probes at grate level but the temp was maxed out after taking almost 2 hrs to get barely to 200!! I later took the guru off and left that hole open and opened the firebox shutter and after about 30 min it went up to 250. Does that mean the guru is not capable of giving it enough air bc the blower was running full blast the whole time on a full basket of lump charcoal. I can think of a hundred diff things it could be but dont know if they are enough to cause this problem. i.e.: is the steel on the firebox too thin and causing me to loose to much heat, is the opening from firebox to main chamber too small, do i have to use wood always to get the temps high enough? Am i loosing too much heat thru all the openings in the main chamber? These are just a few of the the possibilities ive come up with but im really hoping all your wise experienced guys can help me out to salvage my cook tomorrow!!! PLEASE!!!! Thanks

Off set pits are all about air flow and are designed to run on wood not charcoal. The Firebox on that pit is too small and the stacks are to short to get a good draft through the pit. Best bet use gas for the heat and plug a smoke pistol into the Firebox.