I have a little hondo smoker with an off-set fire-box.
Two days ago I tried to smoke a brisket using only wood (pecan).
I never had to fire hotter than 225F. During the day I kept adding wood to
it. I started burning the wood in a chimney but did not wait for the fire to
be out . When I opened it up, the cover of the smoker was covered with
tar-like substance, the brisket had a strong taste to it, but was still
eatable and quite soft.
My question is what did I do wrong? Should I have used charcoal or
briquettes as a heat source and use the wood chunks for smoke?
Another question: what is the optimal time to smoke a brisket for just the
flavor.


Thanks
Ken

ken ullman wrote:

> I have a little hondo smoker with an off-set fire-box.
> Two days ago I tried to smoke a brisket using only wood (pecan).
> I never had to fire hotter than 225F. During the day I kept adding wood to
> it. I started burning the wood in a chimney but did not wait for the fire to
> be out . When I opened it up, the cover of the smoker was covered with
> tar-like substance, the brisket had a strong taste to it, but was still
> eatable and quite soft.
> My question is what did I do wrong? Should I have used charcoal or
> briquettes as a heat source and use the wood chunks for smoke?

Look for the word "creosote" in the FAQ and/or in GoogleGroups.

Dana

from dictionary.com
"It can cause severe neurological disturbances if inhaled in strong
concentrations."
yum
"Dana Myers" > wrote in message news:40b163a1$1@wobble...
> ken ullman wrote:
>
> > I have a little hondo smoker with an off-set fire-box.
> > Two days ago I tried to smoke a brisket using only wood (pecan).
> > I never had to fire hotter than 225F. During the day I kept adding wood
to
> > it. I started burning the wood in a chimney but did not wait for the
fire to
> > be out . When I opened it up, the cover of the smoker was covered with
> > tar-like substance, the brisket had a strong taste to it, but was still
> > eatable and quite soft.
> > My question is what did I do wrong? Should I have used charcoal or
> > briquettes as a heat source and use the wood chunks for smoke?
>
> Look for the word "creosote" in the FAQ and/or in GoogleGroups.
>
> Dana

On 23-May-2004, ken ullman > wrote:

> I have a little hondo smoker with an off-set fire-box.
> Two days ago I tried to smoke a brisket using only wood (pecan).
> I never had to fire hotter than 225F. During the day I kept adding wood to
> it. I started burning the wood in a chimney but did not wait for the fire
> to
> be out . When I opened it up, the cover of the smoker was covered with
> tar-like substance, the brisket had a strong taste to it, but was still
> eatable and quite soft.
> My question is what did I do wrong? Should I have used charcoal or
> briquettes as a heat source and use the wood chunks for smoke?
> Another question: what is the optimal time to smoke a brisket for just the
> flavor.
>
>
> Thanks
> Ken

Ken, it's hard to tell from your description just what happend to you. But,
my first impression is that you might have had the chimney damper closed
down some. Next thing is that you added wood without enough remaining
fire to burn off the pungent gasses. These are two keynotes to burning wood
in a BBQ pit. Leave the Chimney damper all the way open and always add
wood while you still have a significant bed of coals.

--
M&M ("When You're Over The Hill You Pick Up Speed")

"ken ullman" > wrote in message
> I have a little hondo smoker with an off-set fire-box.
> Two days ago I tried to smoke a brisket using only wood (pecan).
> I never had to fire hotter than 225F. Should I have used charcoal or
> briquettes as a heat source and use the wood chunks for smoke?
>

Perhaps your main problem is that you had the cover on the smoke stack
closed or partly closed. That causes the smoke to stay in the cooking
chamber and deposits soot, etc. Always keep the smoke stack cover open
when cooking and use the firebox damper and amount of wood to control your
temp.

Also, if the thermometer is in the upper part of the lid, the temp on your
grill will be less than the thermometer reads. In my case about 35
degrees less. That is because heat rises. You may want to use a second
thermometer briefly to compare the grille heat with the higher mounted lid
thermometer.

As for using charcoal in an offset smoker. I never would. I use only
well seasoned wood. Pecan is great and milder than mesquite. Use only
wood that has seasoned for at least one year. If your pecan was green,
that could be another source of your problem.

Hope this helps. Bob

"ken ullman" > wrote in message
. ..
> I have a little hondo smoker with an off-set fire-box.
> Two days ago I tried to smoke a brisket using only wood (pecan).
> I never had to fire hotter than 225F. During the day I kept adding wood to
> it. I started burning the wood in a chimney but did not wait for the fire
to
> be out . When I opened it up, the cover of the smoker was covered with
> tar-like substance, the brisket had a strong taste to it, but was still
> eatable and quite soft.


Three things com to mind:.

1) As already mentioned, you have to keep the exhaust damper open. Adjust
temp via amount of wood in the offset. It is best to not let the wood burn
cool so unlike using cc or lump, the input damper should play a lesser role
in temperature adjustments

2) Get the cooking chamber hot and temps stabilized before placing meat in
it.

3) You do not want to use sugar and tomato based sauces too early in the
cooking process if that is your fancy. Mop during the cooking an use the
sauce at the end.


HTH
-CAL