wood chunks burning not smoking

It is possible that the wood you are using is fairly new growth and not old. Also maybe too dry?  Too wet?  I can imagine your frustration with 50 years of experience and all of a sudden smoking went south.

When I smoke I get mostly ash and on occasion just charcoal is left. Initial smoke can be a little heavy for a minute or so but then settles down to a whispy sort of smoke.  Pretty lite, close to the thin blue smoke. What I have read on some other forums is to prevent this wrap the chunks in foil and leave just the top of the chunk exposed. This prevents combustion/flames and produces a lighter smoke. I have not tried that myself as I am OK with the food I smoke.

I have read that some folks with pellet smokers don't get the good smoke that a traditional stick burner produces. I don't know about that as I don't have one. What I will say is that where there is a good flame, there will be little smoke as the byproducts of combustion are burned up. When there is no flame, you have smoldering and a lot os smoke until you have nothing left but glowing coals.

I strip off any bark that is on my chunks before they go into the smoker; bark should not matter but I don't like it. I try to select chunks with a very tight, dense grain, where the cuts look more solid with little of the individual cells exposed. I found the denser the wood, the lighter the smoke.

I apologize for the sermon and pray you are not offended.  Below is a link which you may or may not have seen before. Neither case, I hope it helps you and maybe some other people.

David

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

I second Old Sarge's suggestion to try a foil boat. I had an 008 that always burned down to ash. Then I made a tray out of aluminum flashing that fit in the wood tray.  Put my wood in the tray and then now get good charcoal with great smoke.

Thanks for the replies. I'll definitely try the foil. David/oldsarge, you seem to have earned some respect from the Cookshack support staff. As typing is a slow process for me and I have numerous questions, would you be amenable to a phone call?

I'm wondering if my electric temperature control could be haywire. I usually start at +/- 140 degrees in the initial drying stage but it could be that the burner is actually too hot

Brad - I don't know if your controller is the IQ5 or not or if you even have the instructions manual.  The link below has the latest manual complete with wiring diagram. If you are handy with a multi-meter, you may want to check the circuits in the controller and look for a dead component. As you say, your controller could be haywire. The heating element will get to several hundred degrees during the startup procedure to get the wood going and such.  Once the cabinet temp is is reached per your set, it begins to cycle on and off, just like a home oven or a HVAC system. Sometimes a fix is simple and inexpensive and sometimes expensive. I hope the manual helps

https://www.cookshack.com/mm5/...5%202024%20Final.pdf

@blacckwolf posted:

I have a SM-160 smoker that is 12 years old.  I have kept it very busy smoking items for family and hunting crew and was very happy with it. Wordle Unlimited

Over the past year, the wood chunks have been igniting with a acrid smell that requires removal of wood to prevent ruining my product.  I have been in touch with Woodshack's support team and they have been very responsive but unable to pinpoint the issue.

Here are some of the things I've tried:

Is unit clean ?  yes, looks like new

Replace seal around door.  Done

Replace burner.  Done

Lower heat.  Tried

What I'm now left with is an expensive oven without smoking ability.

I am not a beginner. Have been smoking for 50 years but I'm baffled along with Cookshack support team.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

I recommend trying high quality wood chunks, soaked for 30 minutes, placed further from the heat initially.

I never soak my wood, wet wood just steams and doesn't smoke.

X2.

X3