shavings in smoker

[Ben Brewcat]

For those who use hamster-bedding-type shavings in their smokers, how do you use them: charcoal followed by shavings, light some shavings and add more, twigs crackling then shavings?

My smoker always burns way too fast... it sputters, I bellow the heck outta it to get it going again, and after 15 mins it's shot. I'm thinking the shavings might allow me to pack the thing "deeper" and not have to bellow as much.

[mwjohnson]

I use pine shavings almost exclusively...(I'm a woodworker)and they are always handy.The smell reminds me of the quick little pine twig fires we make to make tea when we go hiking.
I just throw a handfull in the smoker,and hit it with a propane torch,shake'em up,keep the torch on'em,throw in some more,and pump,keep going until you have enough shavings for your estimated use,my smoker will burn for 3-4 hr's full.
I stuff grass in the spout to put out,and use the left over stuff next time.
Be carefull not to tip the smoker upside down when driving bees down,I have had some embers come out onto the frames:eek:
Mark

[Frohnho]

I use pine shavings from the plainer or jointer. I roll them up in a sheet of news paper like a big cigar. Get a good hot fire going in bottom with small wood scraps and stuff the pine cigar on top. No problems with blowing shavings out the top even when tipped upside down and stays lit for hours.

[Ben Brewcat]

Hmmm... Cheech and Chong meet beekeeping! How tight do you compress the rolling, and how thick?

[PA Pete]

I use sawdust from a shipment of apple rootstock I got in the spring. I start it with a handfull of shredded paper. Put in the paper, light it, let it burn down to embers, then throw in the sawdust. Works real nice and burns for quite a while.

Thanks for the grass idea MW - I've been just letting it burn out - I'll try saving it next time.

-Pete

[honeyman46408]

"I stuff grass in the spout to put out,and use the left over stuff next time."

I am not a Wine drinker but I have friends save the corks to put in the smoker when I am finished with it :rolleyes:

[George Fergusson]

I burn just about anything and everything in my smoker. After mowing my apiary, I collected a few bags full of dried grass and stuff- that lasted a while. I've got a bunch of old baling string, that stinks but burns well. Throw in some pine needles, wood shavings (I run a chisel for a living these days), old burlap, pine cones, dry leaves, charcoal... I found a rotted stump near my apiary, that's always good for a handful of punky wood for the smoker.

The key seems to be to getting a good fire going in the bottom, then packing in sufficient tinder- whatever you got. Too loose and it burns too fast. It's hard to get it packed too tight. Cotton waste burns nicely, but really stinks. I prefer pine needles for pure aroma.

George-

[Tia]

I use smoker fuel in mine. It doesn't cost that much. I light it once and it stays lit all the time I'm working my hives and puts out just the right amount of smoke. When I'm done, I shove a cork in the smoker opening to douse the fire and it easily relights the next time I need it. The convenience is worth the minor cost.

[dickm]

Hi Folks,
I tried something new this year. I'll never be without them again. It's called Kwickstart. A bag of pellets 3/8 X 3 will last a long time. It takes all the fun out of struggling with a smoker but gets smoke going quickly.

http://www.mannlakeltd.com/catalog/page32.htm

Dickm

[Sourwood]

<<I am not a Wine drinker but I have friends save the corks to put in the smoker when I am finished with it >>

I also use a wine cork to plug the hole in the smoker to put it out. Works great!

[Ben Brewcat]

Well, tried the cedar shavings today and I'm hooked! A quick light to some paper, bellow to ignite some twigs and then stuffed; great smoke and stayed lit well. I think previously I had to little stuff in there and it just burned too fast. Here's the new queen that I was checking on: released fine, laying away (whew!)...
http://img221.imageshack.us/my.php?image=newqueen925050014fy.jpg

[BWrangler]

Hi Guys,

I've used everything from A to Z as smoker fuel but have settled on cedar shavings. A big bag cost $4 at Walmart.

I put a little paper in the smokers bottom. Get a small fire going and then add a small amount of shavings. Once the shavings are burning well, fill the smoker up with additional shavings and tamp them down with a hive tool.

For additional burn time, mix in some pellet stove fuel. Just be sure that a layer of cedar shavings tops it off or some hot pellets might come out of the smoker when the fuel burns down.

I like the cedar shavings. They are easy to light. Smolder well. And they don't have much thermal
mass or produce a lot of hot coals that are difficult to extinguish when the job is done.

Regards
Dennis

[Sundance]

A empty 12 gauge shotgun shell with the plastic trimed off makes a fine plug to put out the smoker.

[Brett]

I've read that the sumac buds burn well. I've collected a bunch and am drying them out. Anyone find these good to use?

[Michael Bush]

Dried sumac berries work fine. So do pine needles. A lot of small dry sticks works too. I still like burlap the best.

[Dan Williamson]

I bought a square bale of hay for $3.50 last fall and I used it this spring/summer/fall. I just kept it outta the weather so it stayed dry. Works great, easy to start, and cheap. I still have some left. Of course if you don't have a pickup to get it home it would make a mess in the car.

Dan

[Michael Bush]

I haven't tried hay. There are piles of it in my car on the floor. smile.gif

[power napper]

Just get a super big garbage bag to put the hay in when you transport it. If it is a huge bale use two bags.

[Ben Brewcat]

Anyone tried shreds from a paper shredder? We must shred a skillion sheets a day at the office...

[George Fergusson]

Seeing as how I've got to smell the smoke too, I might as well enjoy it. I prefer stuff like grass, leaves, pine needles, pine cones, etc- the smoke conjures up memories of camp fires and bright spring days raking the yard and burning leaves. I've never tried cedar but I will at my earliest convenience. While burlap and baling twine burn well and smoke like there's no tommorow, they really STINK. I've used up mine- I miss the convenience, but not the stench.

I've got a bushel basket of dried garlic tops I'm going to use. Should be interesting. It's also way past time to head to the coast to pick up some lobsters... I think I'll take my smoker and try out some dried seaweed. It might make burlap smell like incense.. I'll bring home a few bags if it works.

George-

[Ben Brewcat]

I don't even play a chemist on TV, but I wonder about the salt. Remember those neat colors when flame seperated the salt into its constituent ions in chemistry class? The bees might be less enthusiastic; I have no idea if it would be harmful.

[Ben Brewcat]

Oh and thanks for the reminder that until teleportation is perfected we'll never have fresh seafood living in the landlocked middle of a huge continent <sigh> :D .

[George Fergusson]

That would be the orange sodium flame. Dunno Ben. I'll try it gingerly until I see what happens. Frankly, I'm not optimistic.. burning seaweed.. I'll let everyone know!

And you CAN get lobsters, shipped anywhere in the country, if you're willing to pay enough.. I can buy them off the dock for around $3.75 a pound.. I hope! It's tourist food, and most of them go home after Labor Day.

George-

[Lew Best]

$3.75 a pound! Wish I was closer & I'd bee paying you a visit! Fuel would push it up to bout $375.00 a pound tho probably. :( :(

Lew

[iddee]

LEW, you're not that far from LA. and MS. There are plenty of lobster there, cheap. They may be small, and the cajuns may call them crawfish, but they look like lobsters to me. :D

[Lew Best]

hey iddee

I like crawfish but kinda hard to eat. Lotsa head compared to tail meat & most claws real small. Lobster far superior; particularly fresh!

Lew

[George Fergusson]

. . o O ( what have I started? )

Lew, splurge a little- redlobster.com sells 1.25 pound lobsters for $16 plus shipping.

Since this thread is about smoker fuels, I should point out the you DO NOT want to use lobster shells in your smoker. I accidentally left a pot of lobster shells cooking on the stove one day... when I got home a few hours later, the house was full of smoke and the stench was enough to gag a maggot. We had to air the place out and it was 2 days before we could stand to sleep in the house again. Oops.

George-