Yoder Smokers Community Forum

I have a brand new Cheyenne smoker but am having trouble maintaining a constant temperature. I'm new to BBQing and would appreciate any help that I can get. When adding coals, should they be cold or heated in a chimney? Should I leave the firebox vent open half way as well as the chimney vent or just adjust the firebox vent. Any help would be appreciated.

good info here for a start:

viewtopic.php?f=49&t=132

I personally only use lump char coal to start the fire, once it gets good and hot I use the wood for fuel. I adjust the damper to get the correct temperature and leave the chimney open, I add wood when the damper has to be half open to maintain temp.
I enjoy sitting outside and watching my Wichita do its thing. Right or wrong this works for me. This forum is a great tool for everything from A to Z. YouTube has some good info too.

I have the Wichita. I heat up a chimney full of lump pour it in firebox and add two or three hickory splits. I let that burn for awhile, then closes the firebox lid with vent wide open. The important thing is to let the steel heat up. The process takes about an hour,then I put the food on And close vent halfway. Be sure to let the smoker heat up..patience grasshopper. It takes a few smokes to learn how to deal with temperature, and outside air temperature will have an impact.

This has been my first post asking for help on how to enjoy my Cheyenne smoker. Thanx for the tips Thumper, Mike YS and Paulthewall. Your good info should get me started. Love being a part of the Yoder family. Thanx again.

With the smaller size of the Cheyenne, it seems to be more prone to temp fluctuations than the bigger models. I had a cheyenne for 2 years and recently upgraded to the Kingman.

With the Cheyenne and all smokers, a big piece is experience, the more cooks you have on it, the more you'll figure out how to run a smooth fire.

1) Do you have the heat mgmt plate? I didn't have one for the first year, but had one for the 2nd year. It does help even out the temp a bit, but it really helps lower the temp right next to the fire box, so you can use more of that space during cooks.

2) Don't waste a ton of energy trying to stay within 5-10 degrees, it will drive you crazy. I would shoot for 275, but would swing from 250 - 290 depending on outside conditions, how far along into the cook it is, etc and really if it was in between 265 - 285ish, that was fine with me.

3) I would start with a chimney full of lit lump charcoal, and a couple 8-10 inch splits of wood, wait for the temp to come up, then add a split every 45 mins or so, depending on how fast your burning thru it. Also depending on where you keep your coals, I would try and keep a split or two inside the firebox outside of the coal/fire area, so when it was time to put one on, it was already super heated (a little tough to do with the smaller firebox, but doable.

4) I would also add a handful or two of fresh lump every hour or two, just to help keep the coal base going.

Everyone has there own techniques, and the more cooks you have, the more you'll figure out what works best for you. When Is started, I would read tons of different ways to do this and that, I would just take it all in and come up with what works for me.

Thanx, kcphilaflyer. I don't have the heat mgmt plate; but, you've given me some great advice. I guess experience is the teacher. Like you, I've read a bunch and viewed many videos...I'll take a little from this and a little from that, and gain some experience with the smoker. Thanx again for your help.

beachbum44 wrote:Thanx, kcphilaflyer. I don't have the heat mgmt plate; but, you've given me some great advice. I guess experience is the teacher. Like you, I've read a bunch and viewed many videos...I'll take a little from this and a little from that, and gain some experience with the smoker. Thanx again for your help.

just recently got the plate for my outfit...
absolutely without question made things better,,, more even,,,
and gained added grill space that was much too hot before...
had to stop buying meat for 3-4 weeks to save for it but,,,
its A BEAST AND WELL WORTH THE INVESTMENT!!!
purchased from

all things BBQ

Thumperrr,
Thanx for the tip on the plate. I'm glad to hear that you like it. I may have to look into getting one once I get the hang of smoking.

So how has your smoking been going? You have a knack for using the Cheyenne yet? I just bought one, so I am starting into the learning curve that you are going through.

It's getting better. Like everyone says it just takes a little getting used to. The tips I've received have been very helpful. Each smoker is different...so, just keep experimenting and listen to the advice of others in this forum.