22.5" and DigiQ II Temp Problem

I have been sucessully using an 18" WSM with a DigQ II w/10 cfm Pit Viper for years. Recently got a 22.5" WSM and ordered an adapter for it. I noticed that the instructions for the adapter only mentioned taping the three holes adjacent to the adapter. Having always taped the other bottom vents on the 18", I taped the other vents on the 22.5" as well. Yesterday I put two butts (17 lbs. total) on the bottom grate and six slabs of BB ribs on the top grate. Installed an 18" clay saucer in the empty water bowl and foiled it. Began with a full ring of KBB, left a bowl shaped void in the center, and dumped about a half chimney of lit into the void. Set the DigiQ II at 250 with the temp probe on the top grate, and the lid vent fully open. Temp got to around 210 and hovered there for at least two hours. Getting frustrated, I lit about a half a chimney of lump and put in there after stirring the coals with a stick. Temp eased up to 250, then shortly fell back down to around 210. Threw some more unlit lump on top of the lit, and of course, then the temp shot way over 250 and stayed. Started with the Pit Viper damper full open and after the temp hovered at 210, different positions on it didn't seem to affect much. My guess is I "air starved" the WSM, yet my Kingsford seemed to burn up rather fast, so I'm at a loss. Bytheway, outside temp here was around 96, humidity very high, but my KBB was on a shelf and the bag clothe pinned shut. Any help would be appreciated. Must have done something wrong, but I'm not liking this 22.5" so much thus far!

I asked Bob for you what happened and here is what he told me. Hope this gets you on the right track.

He put the meat on the cooker before he brought the cooker up to temperature. Also, He put a ton of cold meat on the cooker and it takes time for temp to recover after putting all that meat on a cooker that isn't that large. If I were cooking all that on a WSM, I would set the control for 275. Bring the cooker up to temp. then put the meat on. Once the cooker starts coming back up you could rest the control for 250.

Thanks for your interest and reply, Dale. I have never had to get the temp up before adding meat with the 18" WSM, so I might have learned something. The meat was not room temperature when put on the smoker, but wasn't right out of the freezer or fridge either. I will try his method next time. I honestly did not think that much meat would be a challenge for a 22.5" WSM or I wouldn't have bought the darn thing! Thanks again.

Your welcome Tom like you my 22 is so different to operate in some ways. It will hold a lot of meat and take quite a bit more fuel to offset the heat sink. But I remember how cool it was to cook 40 plus pounds at one time.Ha!

I think your meat temperature was fine they claim it helps promote the smoke ring. At least that's what I do anyway right or wrong. That's what fun about the WSM everybody does it a different way and the food comes out great.

I have a digi Q II and a 22.5 and I run at 275 no problem, but I always bring any of my cookers up to temp before adding meat. I always run top wide open too. I use Stubbs and not kingford though and don't use water just a foiled water pan

I have a DigiQ with pit viper but drilled a hole for the fan adapter. I don't foil tape the bottom vent holes, just keep them closed. I foil the water bowl and don't use water or a clay pot. I fill the charcoal chamber and start with 8-10 lit. I have put four to six large pork butts on right out of the frig many times without issues. The only time I have had issues with temps I believe was false readings from the pit probe being too close to a pork butt with a WSM fully loaded with meat right out of the refrigerator. It sounds like you have plenty of experience so I'm probably telling you things you already know. You did a lot of things in reaction to your temps so it's going to be hard to figure out what helped and what hindered. I find with the DigiQ, patience, and a nice cold beer, everything will work itself out if I leave it alone

BBQ Guru thinks that maybe my pit probe is bad, so I had them send me a new one. I found it interesting that when I asked if I should check the probe with boiling water, he told me that might not prove anything. Apparently if the probe wire is bad, it can act up (short) once the smoker temps get up and would not do so unless the wire is hot, which does make sense. BBQ Guru did not address the taped vent holes either, so I guess it is acceptable to tape them. Will see what happens next time around. Built in lid thermometer seemed to agree with the pit temp on the DigiQ, though. I might take the clay saucer out and try your method, Terry. Maybe I wrongly thought the 22.5" would behave like the 18" and the larger saucer is just too much.

I used a clay saucer originally but after it cracked I never got another one. I just foil the water pan and let the DigiQ do all the work. Hopefully the probe was the issue and you get it sorted out. Don't give up on the larger WSM yet. Let us know what happens