Gas Smoker Question

[pikestabber]

I just bought a propane smoker and am having trouble keeping it under 200 degrees F. Without adding a regulator, how can I get down to 150 degrees and keep it there for a couple hours? Dampers are doing all they can to help out, but I still can't keep the temp from spiking over 180-200 or so... Can I crack the door a bit? Other suggestions?

[spearchucker]

Why aren't you running a regulator on the propane?

[pikestabber]

My mistake, I do have a regulator. I meant a ball valve.

[spearchucker]

I think the regulator won't run correctly if you start choking it off with a ball valve. They are made to work at tank pressure. If you go lower you may get a lot of gas fumes.

[pikestabber]

Hmmm... Any suggestions for how to get the heat down while running at normal pressure?

[Ice Shack Baby]

Use a thermostat from a gas stove or water heater.

[KEN W]

I've said this before.....Gas/propane smokers all have trouble getting under 200 degrees.I make a lot of sausage,and I will never have a gas smoker.Any temps over 175 will render out the fat and make dry crumbly sausage.

Don't know where you got it....but if you want to smoke under 200 degrees.....return it and get an electric one.

[Redlantern]

http://s964.photobucket.com/albums/ae121/torgersonerik/?action=view&current=015.jpg

I used a ball valve for mine and it worked. Put the ball valve downstream (between the regulator and the burner) and you won't have problems with it effecting the regulator.

[bearslayer]

I had same problem when I switched from electric to gas. One thing I found too help, Put chip holder right on bottom. Instead of placing mine in the rack where it is designated to go, I put it right on the bottom over the burner, it covers a lot of the area for heat to get out, but still leaves some room for heat to escape.. I have had luck getting lower temps this way.

[MNHuntress]

Why not have two? I have elec. and I can't hold the temp up in the late fall early winter when there is still smoking to be done. But spring summer and early fall the elec. is great.

[Smoker]

If you put the ball valve like Redlantern said there will be no problem. I have a valve like ones on a sove on mine and have no problems geting it as low as 140.

[Agent Andy]

I have the same problem and when the temps outside get in the 40 to 50 degrees and higher I use charcoal and put my wood on the coals.When the fish has been smoked enough then turn on the gas to finish.

[Surface Tension]

Use a thermostat from a gas stove or water heater.

A t-stat is ideal with any gas or electric smoker.

The electric I'm using now I made and used a relay and t-stat that will get me 90-240 degrees.

If your using the t-stat you'll need a pilot light or e-ignition to go along with that. You'll also want to keep the flame selected to the lowest setting for the outside conditions.

If you had the flame set high that would give you short bursts of very hot flame every time the t-stat called for heat.

[thirdeye]

I'm going to attack this from another angle... Are you sure what the actual temp at the grate really is. What I'm getting at is that most cookers have a thermometer in the side or the lid, and it does measure temperature, but not always the temperature where the food is. It's possible you are cooking at a lower (or higher) temp that what your smokers thermometer is telling you.

I use ones called a cable thermometer, about $15 at WallyWorld. They have a metal braided cable (don't get the silicone coated cables) about 30" long with the probe on one end. The display is outside the oven or smoker. They are really made for sticking into the meat and monitoring it, but I use one just a couple of inches above the meat to let me know the real pit temp.

For a quick test you could use one of the $5 oven thermometers that just sit on the rack, fire up your smoker for 30 minutes and see how the grate temp compares to the smokers thermometer. Once you get the actual temps, you can go back to heat adjustment experiments.