Butts on...Kingsford issues??


 
R

Ron F

TVWBB Fan
Hey all,

Been awhile since I've posted here. Hope everyone is eating well!

Haven't smoked anything in quite a long time until this morning. Put on 4 butts around 6:30am. Filled basket with unlit charcoal/smoke wood and then put on 32 lit briqs. I run the WSM at 225 to 250 with temps taken JUST BELOW the middle of the top grate.

2pm. Almost all fuel is burned already! What gives? I used brand new kingsford from Sams Club. I put more briqs on but man I just don't understand it. I've never had these issues. Also, I could only get her up to 215 or so when normally she'll go up to 270 easily. Vents were wide open! It's around 60* here in Michigan.

Wondering if I got a bad batch of coal?

Ron
 
Howdy Ron. Where ya been?

This is sounding like a therm issue or heatsink issue to me. Do you have another therm you can drop into the lid vent and compare the two? (Did you clean/test the current thrm before use?)

But: Are you using water? What temp was the water when added (hot, warm cold)? Were the butts straight from the fridge?

What are the current butt internals?
 
Using the brinkman pan, which was almost empty when I added more briqs. Water was very hot tap water and even a 1/2 gallon of boiled water. Butts did go on straight from fridge.

Current temps. Meat around 161-165. Temp below top grate at 228*. Lid vent temp is 275*.

It could be the therm though I've never had an issue with one of my therms yet. I will check it asap. I know the meat therm is right as I used my thermopen to double check.

Hmmmmmmmm...

ron
 
Okay. From what you're saying the problem (it seems to me) is one of therm placement. (Below the top grate isn't a great spot though it doesn't really matter as long as you get used to what the numbers look like vis-à-vis what's happening with cooking.) Your water use and internals seem to me to be consistant with 9+ hours of cooking at ~270 lid. 32 lit is a lot for a start-up, especially if they went in when still in their combustion upswing. With more coverage of the unlit by the lit, 32 is going to get more fuwel going sooner and, especially with K, fuel use will be more rapid.
 
Not sure if this is your issue, but in the past I have had an issue with the food dripping on the therm and lowering the temp reading. The temp is actually higher, but the drippings are affecting the therm. Just a thought.

Greg J
 
Be honest I never understood why everyone uses the lid vent for temps. I do understand that it really doesn't matter so long as you use whatever method consistently and you know your temps/cook times etc.

When it comes to BBQ'in low and slow you will see most all temps reccommended at 225* -250*. This temp range is internal. On my WSM, temps taken just above the bottom grate and at/below top grate are pretty close, usually within 25*. The lid vent temp runs around 50-70* higher, depending. When I first got my WSM and went by the lit temp my internal temps were hovering around 200*. A bit on the low side.

Really though, it's moot. I know everyone has there preferred method. They all work just fine.

FWIW, I burned thru the stuff I added and am getting ready right now to go add more. I can also bet I will burn thru the 21.6lb. bag before I am done. That's alot of coal.

Hmm. I just thought that even when I used to use the lid temp my cooks took longer(because internal WSM was really around 200*) but burned less fuel. Longer-slower-lower-temp-cook = less fuel-andstillgoodbbq. I have to xpearment now....

Thanks all for the advice..I will check my therms when the cook is done. Meat is now around 177.

Ron
 
I had that happen last summer using kingsford one time. I ended up buring up abouit 20 LBS. of it for one four butt cook. When the cook was finally done and I went to empty the ask two days later, the entire bottom of the WMS was FULL and packed to the ask grate with ash. After that cook I switched to lump and get about 75% less ash and use less then 1/2 the coals!

I have used Kindsford in the past though with fine results. My guess is a bad bag once and a while.
 
The reason why I use lid temps is because they are most consistent. By that I mean that there simply are not the variables present at the lid to cause problems with readings as are or might be present at, under or above the grate. Issues like a probe being dripped on, a probe too close to the edge of the grate, a probe too close too the meat, steam being channeled to or away from the probe by the placement of the meat below--all can have an affect on probe readings and the problem is that these variables can vary during the cook and, worse in some ways, from cook to cook. That makes relying on grate temps potentially iffy at best.

Lid readings don't really have these problems, imo. With only a couple exceptions, you only need to get used to two scenarios--with a pan of water (or sand/base) or with the pan empty--and, without the variables present to potentially alter readings, the lid reading is more reliable during the cook and from cook to cook. Find lid temps that work for you with what your cooking and what the actual grate temps are is immaterial.
 
So how do I finish these in the oven? Foil? getting late and still awhile to go so going to finish in the oven. Never did it so not sure what to do..

thanks
ron
 
Ron:

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is wind. The WSM cookers aren't very heavy so a strong wind even at 60 degrees will make a difference in how well the smoker holds tempture. Next time this happens it might help to close one of the bottom vents to attempt to slow the amount of air drawn through the smoker. Some times throwing an old coat or blanket over the top of the smoker helps hold the heat. My first thoughts are that there is nothing wrong with the charcoal, also the more charcoal you use the more ash will be produced.
 
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