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Vertical Water Smoker Only Reaches 170 Degrees

by A Smoker Cooking Enthusiast

My not so hot smoker

My not so hot smoker

I've had a vertical water smoker for a couple years, have used it maybe 15 times. I start charcoal brisquets in chimney and poor them into pan when the tops have started to turn white. I put my wood chucks on top the charcoal, fill the bowl with hot water and seasonings, slide it into the bottom hanger and fill the 3 racks with meat and close the front door. Smoke is pouring out the top vent but the temperature never gets higher than 170. It takes a very long, long time for the meat to get done, many times I finish in oven. The meat tastes great, but I would really like to finish the cooking process in the smoker. What am I doing wrong!?

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Vertical Water Smoker Only Reaches 170 Degrees

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starstarstarstarstar 		THX
by: Debbie

Thank you very much for the suggestions, I especially like the grate over the tray, I'll be trying that out.
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starstarstarstarstar 		vertical water smoker fix
by: Anonymous

i have this same smoker and had the same problem. its the charcoal pans fault, it doesnt allow air to get to the coals and then fills up with ash. you can drill tons on holes (1/2 inch or so)in the pan which worked for me or you can use one of the cooking grates to pile the charcoal on and put the pan on the very bottom to catch the ash. the charcoal on the grate method works best. the temp then can be controlled by the vents.




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starstarstarstarstar 		Smoker Temperature
by: SmokerBill

Try restricting the airflow, both into and out of the smoker. Check the door and make sure it seals well all the way around. If you're actually filling it up with lots of meat, it will absorb a lot of the heat as it cooks, and will take a longer time to heat up and cook than it would if you smoked only a single brisket or a couple of chickens.

It might be that you need to use more charcoal, too. Try using more charcoal to find out if that helps increase the temperature.


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