Cookie Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Here I am on a Friday night waiting for guests to arrive. Cold beverage in hand and I've been playing with the dampers on my new 21". I'm using KK extruded for heat and peach wood for smoke (ribs). Temp floating around 240F. When I added two good size peach chunks, I got the billowy white smoke we don't want. Then I started playing with the dampers. The beauty of this new dual damper is you can go with a really small opening on the bottom. This allowed me to open up the top a full two turns and I'm still hovering around at 240. When I did this, the smoke really started streaming and went from white to light, but still looked a little dirty. Now I'm barely seeing any smoke and wondering if im really running that clean holy grail smoke, or if my chunks have burned up altogether. I'm not willing to open the lid as I'm on a timeline, but look forward to checking the basket when finished to see if my peach chunks are still burning. Will report back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 If you look in the manual, Dennis shows that very thing. Bottom closed, top open, more smoke, and vice versa. Robert 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted June 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 You've seen a manual with the new dual damper or you mean the one for the single bottom damper? Can you send me a pic? With the single bottom damper, even a small crack open is a small crack open in 3 places and a lot more than what you can do with the new one. Please share if you have a diagram for the new one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Would a peach pre-burn be a consideration in geting below/above bad smoke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 You've seen a manual with the new dual damper or you mean the one for the single bottom damper? Can you send me a pic? With the single bottom damper, even a small crack open is a small crack open in 3 places and a lot more than what you can do with the new one. Please share if you have a diagram for the new one? You're correct, I haven't seen a diagram on the dual set up, but I think the principal is the same. I believe that as long as you can maintain your desired temp, closed bottom, open top, less smoke. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted June 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Agree, but figuring out the balance is going to take some time....I have a feeling I burned my chunks up in a hurry, but was trying to get to blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 My stove top smoker uses 1-2 T wood chips just larger than saw dust. Smoke taste is great. Just a thought. It uses no where near the amount of wood we do. Wood is just put on metal that sits on the heat source. In a short time it puts out the smoke that more than flavors product. Wood is about size of normal medicine capsule. I think smoke is a product surface thing. Works for me. You might consider playing in this area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Agree, but figuring out the balance is going to take some time....I have a feeling I burned my chunks up in a hurry, but was trying to get to blue. I bet you didn't. I can't remember a time that my chunks burned completely in my kk. I use roughly 2-4 3" chunks, and I put them on the hot spot in the coals about 30 minutes before I plan to add my protiens. The air flow is so low that it doesn't allow a conventional fire with flames and the wood burns similarly to the coal, a slow smolder. Robert 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstr8 Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 ^ similar experience and method here; however at least 50% of the time, and 100% for low and slow, I use my MSR lidded pot for the smoking wood chunks. Sometimes, especially for the low-slow sessions I'll use a chimney just for the smoking wood chunks to more quickly get the acrid white smoke burned off, then the chunks go into the pot atop the already lit coals & heat soaked KK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 dstr8 - Would some type clamp top pot with holes work for this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Wonder if Dennis can design some type of chute unit for adding smoke wood? Or maybe some type of unit to fit the bottom side hole and blow smoke in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 The Dutch Oven smoke pot detailed by Syzgies does a wonderful job of producing thin blue over a long period of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstr8 Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 dstr8 - Would some type clamp top pot with holes work for this? Exactly. I got the idea from someone else on our KK forum a couple years ago...apologies to that person for me not remembering who to credit! Drilled 3 holes in the top...then lid side goes down into the lump coals. Seems to work very well and although the cast iron dutch oven with flour paste seal-off probably works better...the MSR pot is better for my somewhat lazy ways This: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 dstr8 - Boy have I missed out. Never heard of MSR so did not pick up on your 1st post. Who said old dogs can't learn new tricks. Found on web $15 and no work on my part. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstr8 Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 ^ They're (MSR), as you probably know now , a mfg focussed on back packing gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 dstr8 - whatever gets the job done works just fine, right?! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 dstr8 - whatever gets the job done works just fine, right?! +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted June 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 I've got the smoke pot (dutch oven with the hole), have done it, but never get enough smoke flavor for my liking. What I'm trying to do is replicate what an offset smoker can do...really clean / blue smoke with wood added to a small hot fire, keeping a low overall pit temp. I added these chunks tonight to the hot spot that had been going for weover an hour and the pit temp was already at 240F. I let them burn for about 40 minutes before throwing on the ribs, and I played with the dampers after closing the lid. Two full turns open on top with one of the smallest holes on bottom was all I used to get a rapid stream of fairly clean smoke flowing out of the top. However, it didn't last all that long, so it either went to the really clean stage or I torched them..won't know till tomorrow when I have a peak. I pulled the ribs and shut it down tonight to save any left over fuel. I actually wanted my chunks to ignite (not smolder) as my understanding is that is that is how you get the true clean / blue smoke. If it smolders, you are going to get some of that white smoke. The trick is to get them to ignite without burning up too quick. I do like the pre-burn ideas...that could be the ticket. Will let you all know tomorrow if there are any remnants of those peach chunks left in the basket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 How about Practice runs now with no product in the unit? Maybe mix wood in where there is no fire to be later. Some where there is fire. Some of different sizes in both places. Why wait? Komono Kamado will - if you will. Wishing you well going from the known to the unknown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted June 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2015 So there were two carbonized pieces of peach left in the basket this AM.....about 1/3 their original size. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
