On Sunday, I smoked a 12# Turkey with 4 oz of hickory in my 009. About 1 1/2 hours into the cook, the explosions started coming, two in fact. Juices were spewed out all over my deck and I was rather frustrated. I know I've read about other owners with the same problem and basically gathered that is was a normal occurrence and should be written off. I really couldn't ignore the bangs because they were quite loud and decided I had to get some more information. I called CS Monday morning and talked to tech support and was basically told again not to worry and the cause may have been wood that was a little wet or the fact that I was doing a Turkey and the heat wasn't as quickly absorbed as is the case in other meats. Then I was told that I should only use 2 oz's of wood to also help eliminate the problem. I can't believe that they expect a person to only use that small amount of wood no matter what is being cooked. If I'm doing a brisket that will take 15 hours, how can 2 oz's of wood possibly be adequate? I feel kind of uneasy about this situation and would appreciate resurrecting this subject again and gathering some more thoughts on it. I hope I don't have to worry about this happening every time I cook. It would be a little embarrasing to have some friends over and have to explain why the smoker is banging. By the way, the Turkey came out great after a 12 hour cook and an internal temp of 169 degrees.
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