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10. TROUBLESHOOTING
Here are some suggestions for how to overcome common issues that arise when using your gas
smoker.
10.1 Temperature Fluctuations
Sometimes when you are smoking meat over long periods of time, you will encounter variations in
temperature. Small variations in temperature should be ignored.
Increased temperatures can occur for a few reasons. A flare up in the wood chip box can occur
if there is no water bowl placed above the wood chip box to stop meat fats from dripping into the
smouldering wood chips. It is very important to have a filled water bowl in the smoker to act as a
heat sink and keep the oven moist and temperatures stable.
Always use quality wood chips or pellets in small quantities (less is more) and place them directly
in the wood chip box (as the box is designed to facilitate the right amount of airflow). Avoid tea
tree, rosemary and other resinous or oily matter that could potentially cause unwanted flare-ups,
and never use treated wood as the chemicals used are usually poisonous.
If your smoker does begin to overheat, open the smoker door (lower or upper door where
applicable). Leave the door wide open for a few minutes to allow the heat escape (do not leave
unattended). After the smoker temperature has dropped, close the smoker door and adjust the
vents to maintain a stable target temperature.
Adding cold water to the water bowl will also help to rapidly decrease the temperature in the
cooking chamber.
To minimise cooking temperatures from falling, avoid opening your smoker door(s) unless it is
absolutely necessary. If you need to refill the water bowl, replenish wood chips or wrap meat in foil
for example, ensure you have everything ready prior to opening the door so that you can close the
door as quickly as possible. This ensures cooking temperatures return to where they were over a
shorter period of time.
Weather and wind conditions can also adversely impact oven temperatures. Prior to cooking,
make sure you place your smoker in a protected, safe and well ventilated position (never move
during the cooking process). This will help maintain relatively stable cooking temperatures.
IMPORTANT: Always use the water bowl, to ensure that fat doesn’t drip directly onto the wood chip
box and potentially catch fire.
10.2 Internal Temperature ‘Stall’
Your meat has been in the Hark gas smoker for hours but the internal temperature is no longer
rising. This phenomenon has been named 'the stall'. This can be attributed to meat sweating ie
moisture evaporates and then cools the meat. The ‘stall’ is typical with U.S. style BBQ smoking
and tends to happen when smoking tougher cuts of meat at low temperatures.
During the ‘stall’, tough collagen found inside secondary cuts of meat, are broken down over time
into luscious gelatin.
