Expert: John Langenfelder - 5/21/2008

Question
John:

I've been a BBQ enthusiast for about 5 years.  I use a Klose smoker which I love for the thick steel and the strong welds.  However, I'm still having trouble maintaining adequate temperature, especailly for overnight pork shoulder smoking.  

Using lump coal, I can easily get the internal temperature over 300 right off the bat (say 30-40 minutes into the process).  Once I get it settled at around 250 (usually by closing the intake), I add on some soaked wood, and put on the meat.

Consistently, the temperature drops, after about 5-6 hours to about 150.  All too often, I can't get it back to 200.  I stoke the coals, I add more fuel, I open the intake, everything, but it never gets much above 160-170.

This usually results in pork which takes well over 12 hours to get over 150 internally, at which time I usually throw it in the oven to finish it off.  The flavor is still delicious, but I'd like to cut my cooking time down to a more widely recommended 6-8 hours (for a big shoulder) and avoid using the oven at all (which, despite my best efforts, often dries the meat somewhat).

Other details: I use a stainless coal box in my side-car (designed with an "S" shape for slower burning.  I've tried moving the smoker to a location away from our lake (I thought the breezes blowing off the lake were keeping my temperature down).

What's the best way to fix this problem?

Thanks,

Adam

Answer
Adam,

I would first stop using wet wood.  It adds no value and can reduce the heat until it dries out.  

Contact bbq guru (www.bbqguru.com).  They may have a solution for Klose.  They offer direct air injection systems that regulate the temperature in the cooker.

Is yours a side by side?  If so, then ash may be killing your fire. Try creating a system using chicken wire to allow the ash to drop while the coals remain hot.  How big of a firebox do you have?  Perhaps using a large log might help fan the fires.  Is there a Kloseforum?  Maybe they could help.

By lump coal,I assume you mean lump charcoal.