Fed up with my smoker's temp swings during overnight cooks

I've been trying to get my overnight pork shoulder smokes right, but my homemade offset just won't hold steady. Last night, I woke up every two hours to check the fire, and it still dropped 50 degrees. I used oak and hickory, but the airflow is all messed up. My friends say to just buy a pellet grill, but I want to master the stick burner. It's like the smoker has a mind of its own. I spent weeks building this thing from an old propane tank. Now I'm thinking I might have to redo the firebox. Honestly, it's burning me out more than the wood.

2 comments

2 Comments

brown.olivia1d ago

Picture your smoker as a grumpy toddler who only sleeps in two hour chunks. You built a fire-breathing monster from a propane tank and now it's giving you temperature mood swings just to spite you. Maybe it wants you to redo the firebox so it can have a nicer bedroom. Honestly, just start negotiating with it before you shove more wood in.

james_allen242d ago

Built mine from an old oil tank. Fought those same swings for months. Waking up every two hours to a dead fire is the worst. My firebox door was the big problem, way too much air. Welded a sliding plate on the inside to control it better. Still not perfect but I can sleep four hours now. Stick with it, that first good overnight cook is worth the pain.