Chimney damper position was wrong for 9 years

I ran my offset smoker with the damper half open every single cook since 2015, tasted fine so I never messed with it. Last weekend a buddy who competes in Kansas City looked at my smoke and said "your fire is choking, open it all the way and watch the thin blue line." After 3 briskets that came out way more tender and less bitter, why do pitmaster forums bury this basic setup step in the back of posts? Has anyone else kept a bad habit going for years just because results seemed okay?

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mason_murray6d ago

Nine years of choking your fire and you just called it "tasting fine," that's like saying you drove with the parking brake on and the ride felt okay. Welcome to the thin blue line club, the dues are just all those briskets you burned through the hard way.

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