smoking time, cart , wood advance & optimum cooking temp

[GABJR]

is there a rule of thumb as to how long to use the smoke generator when cooking ?
when starting the smoke generator , how many times do you push the wood advance ?
the instructions for seasoning says 3 times but later the book does not say 3 when cooking
also has anyone found a cart to set the smoker on ?
from reading the forum, is the optimum cooking temp 200 to 220 ?
i am a newbie with the dbs & appreciate any help

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

GABJR,

Welcome to the forum...

Most do not smoke beyond four hours. Some continue to use the heat of the generator to augment the heating element, others turn it off to save wear and tear on the puck advance motor.

If you advance pucks before the generator heater is up to temp, you will waste pucks. Most pre-heat the box/generator before starting a smoke. If you have everything up to temp, then you want to push pucks on to the generator element when you load your food (3). If not quite up to temp, push twice, and the next cycle will put a puck on the element.

As far as temperatures, it depends on what you are doing. Sausage is quite low in order to not render it. Pork butts on in the 200-210 range. Others here will weigh in with their favorite temps for their favorite foods.

I keep my beer at 36 degrees.....

Arcs_n_Sparks

[Wildcat]

Welcome aboard.  The answers to your questions are varible depending on conditions.  Some turn off the smoke generator after the smoking cycle.  I leave mine on the entire time for hot smoking.  Generally 4 to 5 hours of smoke is sufficient as far as wood puck usage if you will be cooking at least that long.  On some things, you may want less smoke.  When you are ready to start the actual smoking, load the hopper with the required pucks and press 3 times.  Wait until the advance motor stops after each press before pressing again.  Can't help on the cart.  I generally go with 200 - 210f box temp for pork, lamb,  and chicken.  I recommend the Maverick and Chez Bubba's metal and wood pucks as well. ;)

[West Coast Kansan]

is there a rule of thumb as to how long to use the smoke generator when cooking ?

No real rule of thumb, hour of smoke is enough on chicken, I use 4 hours on butts and something in between on PR and loins depending on size of the meat.  It is about your taste and what you like. <the other answer is I always leave my generator going just to add a steady source of heat >

when starting the smoke generator , how many times do you push the wood advance ?
the instructions for seasoning says 3 times but later the book does not say 3 when cooking

I have a digital unit that advances one puck as soon as you turn on the smoke generator. After I get my unit booted up and my food ready it is usually making smoke already and I just slide in the food. Otherwise I will look at the ramp and make sure a puck in on the element when I load the meat.

There is no end to  ??? on what the instructions say and fail to say.  My link to information is the forum..

also has anyone found a cart to set the smoker on ?

There is a post started now by burnt fork ken and a cart he made, in the same post is a cart example, Mr. Walleye has a cool set up and there are others, try searching on storage.

from reading the forum, is the optimum cooking temp 200 to 220 ?

With the DBS just set the temperature you want and monitor with a probe inside the tower otherwise you will be reading the temp of the back wall of the smoker. There is a lot of heat channeled up the back and the DBS is slow to update temp.  The good news is once you get used to the temp in your tower for various loads of meat the unit is repeatable time after time.  ...

Best temperature for cold beer is 40F.

Welcome and let us know how its going!

[Habanero Smoker]

Also, you should check out these articles.

http://susan.rminor.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26
http://susan.rminor.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=162

[Lefty_Smoker]

Yes, you have to hit the puck advance button three times in order to get a wood bisquette onto the hot plate.  If you haven't already, you might want to look into getting some of the aluminum pucks that will save you 2 wood bisquettes each time you smoke.  They are available from several sources such as myself, ebay, or Chez Bubba (another member here). 

For a cart, I just picked up a nice one from Lowes.  Three shelves that are fully adjustable, height-wise.  It has a removable wire basket that is great for storing thermometers and such, plus several hooks for tools, a pull/push handle, etc... all fully adjustable, put them where you want them.  It works great.  I keep the cart and smoker in my garage and then just wheel it outside to smoke something.  Depending on wind and/or rain, I wheel it onto the back patio or (covered) front porch.  It is very sturdy and the lockable casters are a big plus.