British BBQ Society Forums

I'm just wondering - what's the best way to regulate temperature when grilling and smoking?

I've got an offset smoker which has a vent on the side - I'm assuming if I open the vent the temperature will rise? Is that the best way to do this? I've been told that keeping the temp at 150F and cooking for longer is the best way forward so I want to make sure I can get the temp to 150F - and more importantly keep it there!

On the grilling side of things what's the best way to control the temp - especially when cooking up a variety of meats - chicken, pork, beef and fish? Since these meats need various temperatures, is there a certain way/method to cook these things all at once?

I'm using a landman kentucky smoker if that helps


Thanks guys!

I've got an offset as well, best thing to do is to kepp the vent/firebox door always open to varying degrees to ensure a good clean burn. 150F seems low, do you mean 150 Celsius? I try and run my smoker between 260F to 280F for long cooks, anything up to 14-16 hours.

Hello Chap,
If your landmann looks like Preston the dog from Wallace and gromit then it is similar to the Tennessee I used to own.

Open the lid on the chimney fully to get an air based draw through and then adjust the openness of the door on the firebox to regulate temp. As mentioned earlier most folk smoke larger joints between 225 and 270 degress farenheight so would aim for this temp.

If grilling then best to go for a 2 or 3 zone fire, this is where you have a portion of the grill with coals piled up and a portion without, this means you can position your fare where it needs to be, sear the steak ofer the hottest pile of coals you have, snags and burgers over a thin layer of coals but with an no coal area for you to escape to should you have a flare up.

Would suggest an good session in front of you tube, Stephen reiklands BBQ university is well worth a watch to get yourself started and then the BBQ pit boys if you want to drool over American cuts, there is literally hundred of hours of footage out there and you can even find folk who are using the same kit as you and pass on tips.

Cheers
Tiny