New Cookshack owner from the UK - issues with dirty smoke

Not a pellet smoker expert but I suspect the venting is not sufficient. Are you using wood chunks/chips in addition to pellets??

No just used wood pellets on the first run and wood chips on the second. Pellets were recommended to use in the smoke box by the official UK distributor for Cookshack when I spoke to them on the phone and also as outlined on their official faq

https://www.americanbbq.co.uk/...ial-smoker-oven.html

Nice looking Cookshack!  I don't use pellets in the 066/ just wood chunks and or the odd branch from a tree.  Love the flavor.  Not sure what you mean by dirty smoke. I get a little heavy smoke, whiteish/grey at the outset but 10 to 20 minutes in it thins out.  I suspect it has as much to do with the wood variety, whether it is the denser heart wood from the center or less dense wood from the outer portion of the branch.  My chunks weigh 2 - 3 ounces each.

Thanks for that - I decided to try and smoke at 250F with a 4oz chunk of hickory in the smoke box. Within 20 mins it started producing thick white smoke and the wood looked burnt. Am I doing something wrong? Wait for the white smoke to clear/keep the door open when putting the smoke box in?

I generally get nothing but ash after a smoke; once in a while a lump of charcoal. White smoke for me is typical for a little while.  But it thins out.  I am sending a link that explains smoke.  From your photos, it looks like you did not let the smoker run its course till there was no smoke.  I suggest doing so with an empty smoker or with a dummy load of damp sand in a loaf pan to simulate a load of meat.  See how long you get smoke  and see if it changes over time.  Will also attach photos of what I get about 10 minutes into a smoke and the results on a butt and a brisket (smoked separately).

https://amazingribs.com/more-t...e-of-wood-and-smoke/

Just to clarify 1 photo: I trim the excess fat on briskets, smoke fat side down and the trimmings are laid across the lean side.  As for smoke, you can try raising your wood up off the bottom of the wood box just a little and that reduces the wood temp a tad. Also, wrapping the wood in foil and leaving the top open has been tried by folks on another site who claim it works to produce a lighter smoke. Keep at it and enjoy.

Thanks - thats very helpful - i guess the same applies with using woodchips? I will try the foil trick. Do you put the wood in at the beginning when starting the smoker or once it reaches temp?

Wood, meat both go in at same time.  Then I start the smoker. I do not preheat. I don't use chips but I reckon you can do the same with chips.

It seems to me that using wood chips or pellets would be like starting over with every new one to ignite.  I'd stay with wood chunks until I got it worked out as oldsarge has suggested.

The instructions say to use wood chunks and suggest up to 6 oz. (170.097 grams).  The CooShack SM160 owners manual can be found here:  Cookshack Smoker Manual .  From my reading of this manual, there is a door switch on your unit, and this switch should turn your unit off when the door is open.  This is a safety feature, so leaving the door open will not help.  That being said, I do use pellets and wood chips in my SMO66 when I want to get a good smoke on meat that I am not going to have in the smoker very long.  I do tri-tip with a reverse sear, so it is only in the smoker long enough to get to 110F degrees internal temp.  Something tells me that there might be a disruption in the air flow.  Did you line the bottom of the smoker with aluminum foil?  There is a drain/vent hole in the bottom of your smoker.  You need to make sure that the foil is opened up over this drain/vent hole, and that this hole is approximately the size of the drain/vent hole.  How long are you letting your smoker run?  The heat in the smoker will have an effect on how the smoker draws.  Remember hot air rises, and opening and closing the door has a big impact on the temperature in your smoker.  I would read the section in the owners manual about seasoning your smoker.  put 2 oz. of wood chunks in the box, close the door and set the temp for 225F degrees.  Let the smoker run like this for 4 hours.  Take some notes on how long it takes for the smoker to come up to temp, how long it takes for the white smoke to clear and go to a thin bluish color.  You can contact Cookshack without having to call them.  Go to this page, and fill out the form.  They will email you back:  Cookshack, Inc.: Contact Us .