Kalamazoo K-SMOKE-42-R-PW, Use And Care Manual

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Cooking in Your Smoker
Typical Smoking Temperature:
Whether you are smoking ribs, pulled pork, salmon fillets or a whole brisket, you cannot go wrong with a
pit temperature of 225°F. Higher temperatures can decrease the smoking time, but 225°F is a tried and true
barbecue standard.
Typical Pre-heat Time:
On a summer day, the pit computer will read 225°F within about 30 minutes of lighting the unit. However, we
recommend preheating the pit for a full hour to allow the temperatures of the various pieces of metal inside
the pit to stabilize.
Controlling the Temperature:
If smoking at 225°F, slide the blower damper closed between 25% and 50% once the pit computer indicates
the pit has reached the desired temperature. This will restrict the air and keep the temperature from rising
above the target. This might not be needed for higher smoking temperatures. When the pit is running steady
at the desired temperature, you want the blower to be active occasionally, but not constantly. Check the pit
computer instructions to understand the blower operation.
How to Use Water when Smoking (Optional):
Water is not necessary in the Kalamazoo Smoker Cabinet. Smoked meats will turn out moist and tender
without any need for a water pan. However, if you would like to use water in the smoker, you have three
options for doing so:
ƒ
Partially fill the grease pan with water.
ƒ
Place a pan of water in the grease pan.
ƒ
Place a pan of water on top of the flat portion of the heat diffuser.
When to Add Wood:
Dry hardwood chunks should be added to the ash pan about 10 minutes before food is loaded into the pit.
After that, chunks should be added every 30 to 60 minutes. Foods that cook for a shorter period of time, such
as baby back ribs, will benefit from replacing the wood chunks every 30 minutes. Foods that cook for longer
times, such as brisket, do not need such frequent replenishment. Every hour is often enough.
The duration of smoke derived from freshly-loaded wood chunks will depend on the operating temperature
of the pit, the kind of wood and size of chunks, and how much hot coals might already be in the ash pan.
Whenever possible to do safely, we recommend emptying the ash pan every time fresh wood chunks are
added. Remember, we want the wood to smolder, not burn, so bigger wood chunks are better then smaller
wood chunks.