Huge spikes while seasoning

[dshannon]

Hi, while seasoning my number 2, I saw huge spikes in temperature. The maverick recorded temps of up to 325 degrees twice. This leaves me to believe both logs caught fire. This was using the hickory from smokin-it. Is this normal??

Also, where do you buy and how are we supposed to store the wood??

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[dshannon]

Also, is it normal for smoke to come out all around the door??

[old sarge]

I cannot speak to the spikes, but these smokers will overshoot the set temperature, then shut down and upon reaching a predetermined low point, the heating element will comeback on.  It is called temperature swing and is addressed in the FAQ section of the site.

As for wood, you can buy more wood from Smokin-it, or you can get wood from a variety of on line sources specializing in bbq wood. Many stores also sell wood for smoking in chunk form as well as chips.

For storage, mine resides outside under a covered patio in a cardboard box. Never had any problems. I have dried out wood in a warm oven if it appeared damp or clammy to the touch during our rainy season.  But otherwise, I don't worry too much about it.
I hope this helps and happy smoking.

[old sarge]

The smoke will seep out around the door.  This is normal as there is no gasket.  It is a compression fit. You will notice over time that smoke residue will build up and sort of seal off the leaks. 

[DivotMaker]

Don't panic...perfectly normal to see big temp swings with an empty smoker!  When there's nothing in there to absorb and retain the heat, the element kicks on and off a lot more.  I usually recommend leaving the temp probe out during seasoning.  When you have a meat load, and water pan, inside, it retains heat that's generated in the smoke box, and the temp swings get considerably less.  In my #1, I only see +/- 10-degree swings, and usually holds pretty close to the set temp.  When the smoker is empty, there's nothing but reflective, hard, stainless steel.  It doesn't really "absorb" the heat very well, so you see huge temp swings.  Also, I would guess your temp probe was low, close to the smoke box?  That might explain the high temps you saw.

Check it on your first smoke, with meat and a water pan, and I bet you'll see a big difference.

[Three Sons BBQ]

Good points.

My SI3 still seeps smoke through front door but I've only used it six times so far.

I will be anxious for the day this stops because it means I will have smoked a good amount of food.

[swthorpe]

The temp swings should be in the +/-10 to 15 degree range, so I would suggest keeping an eye on this when you start smoking meat.   As for smoke around the door, that should decrease over time...after nearly a year of smoking with my #2, I still see a little bit of smoke around the door within the first 30 minutes, but much less than the first month of operation.