Warning: My offset smoker fire went out mid cook at a competition in Kansas City

I was 4 hours into a pork shoulder at the American Royal BBQ contest last September when I checked my firebox and realized the coals had nearly died. I had been using cheap lump charcoal and didn't bank the coals right before a wind shift. I scrambled to dump in fresh lit coals from my backup chimney and got the temp back up in 20 minutes. The pork still turned out decent but the bark wasn't as good as usual. Has anyone else had a fire go out during a comp and found a fix that works every time?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancym341mo ago

Did you have a wind break or anything set up around your pit? I mean, I've had fires struggle before but losing coals that fast seems like the wind was really hitting the firebox directly. idk, maybe it's just me but I always try to set my smoker up so the firebox side is blocked by my cooler or table, especially at windy comps like the Royal. What kind of charcoal were you using exactly? Some of that cheaper lump really burns uneven and can leave you with hot spots then dead spots.

davis.gavin1mo ago

Man I had my Yeti cooler acting as a wind block and the thing still got wrecked. Guess the wind gods just wanted to mess with my brisket that day.