Maintaining Consistent Temperatures with an Offset Meat Smoker -

To maintain temperatures in an offset smoker you need to start off with a strong and good burning fire. How do you do that?

Steps to follow

Choose your method of starting the fire, whether it’s with charcoal or kindling. We recommend Mallee Root charcoal and our charcoal starter wand, which you can learn how to use here.

This image shows a charcoal fire starter wand and charcoal on the offset smoker — Charcoal Fire Starter Wand

This image shows a charcoal on the offset smoker — Charcoal in the offsetsmoker

Next, make sure the dampers (pinwheel dampers on the side of the firebox) and the smokestack flue are both open. Build a fire in your offset meat smoker, getting as much airflow and oxygen as possible so it can breathe and take light. If necessary, add more charcoal.

This image shows pin wheel dampers — Pin Wheel Dampers

This image shows a offset smoker — Offset meat smoker

Close the firebox door and watch the temperature rise once the fire has started and is going strong. Once you’ve reached the desired temperature (between 100 and 130 degrees Celsius), close some of the dampers to begin maintaining that temperature. This can be difficult at first, but you will gradually learn how much you need to adjust the dampers.

By this point, you should be able to detect a distinct heat coming from the flue. If you only see white smoke, adjust the dampers to get a clean fire going. You don’t want all that dirty smoke containing creosotes to flavor your meat.

Now that the grill is hot, it’s time to add some wood for some flavorful smoke. The type of flavour wood you use will depend on what you’re cooking. If you need help deciding which woods to use, see our previous post, How to Choose Smoking Wood for Your BBQ Smoker. Whatever wood you choose, MAKE SURE IT IS DRY AND SEASONED, as this will result in a much easier cook and cleaner smoke.

When you add wood to your offset meat smoker, you will notice the temperature rise, so adjust the dampers accordingly. You are now ready to add your meat.

This image shows an offset smoker — Offset Meat Smoker

Maintaining the Temperature in your offset meat smoker

Now that you’ve built a nice clean fire, half of the work is done for you, and it’ll be much easier to keep that desired temperature. Keep in mind that temperatures may fluctuate throughout the cooking process due to the unpredictable nature of fire. If you notice temperature fluctuations, you should do the following.

Open up the dampers to allow more airflow if the fire is going out
Add more fuel i.e. charcoal or wood
Use a Charcoal Starter Wand on the fan setting to blow in clean hot air to build the fire back up
Close off the dampers if the heat is running too high.

This image chunks of meat inside the smoker — Chunks of meat inside the offset smoker

This image shows a chunk of meat on the table and offset smoker at the back — Well done meat

This image shows a meat and an offset smoker at the back — Ready to serve

This image a meat and an offset smoker at the back — Delicious meat cooked in the offset smoker

This image shows three chunks of meat and an offset smoker — Three chunks of meat.

Handy Tips

If it’s windy, reposition the smoker so that the wind doesn’t affect the fire’s spikes. Protect your firebox.
When it’s hot outside, the temperatures can quickly rise, making it difficult to cook at a lower temperature.
If it’s raining, keep your fire source, such as wood, dry and push through it.
To measure the temperature of your grill and the internal temperature of your meat, use an electronic temperature monitoring device such as an Ez Temp.

Check out more delicious smoking recipes and How to guides
Want to take your barbecuing to the next level? Why not consider attending one of our BBQ Masterclasses It’s an action-packed day including all you can eat BBQ.