Old 18"- Can't Get Hot Enough


 
A

Adam E

New member
Hi folk, I've got an old 18" and I've been noticing that getting higher temps in difficult.

Right now, I've got ribs on. I filled the ring half way with Kingsford. Added a full starter full of hot charcoal and a couple of hunks of wood - oh, and about a half pan of water. It was okay for the first 2 hours and then the temp started to drop. The top vent is wide open and I finally opened the bottoms all the way. I'm trying to maintain 250°, but right now it's 237° and dropping.

There's still plenty of fuel left, but I added added a few hand fulls of charcoal a while ago (I know this will lower the temp a bit for a while). That was a half hour ago and now I'm as 235°.

I also have the felt stove sealer tape (the felt sorta stuff) around the sections to prevent leaks.

It's about 85°, partly sunny and not humid out right now.

Any ideas?
 
You probably need those leaks! You need to get more air into the cooker. Keep those bottom vents wide open and crack the lid slightly to promote more airflow. Monitor the temp so it doesn't get too high.
 
Offset the lid by about an inch or so. I used to do the flip door trick, but offset lid seemed to work the same to me. Also safer, I.E. door not falling off.
 
Doh!!! It seems that did it. Only a few minutes with the top cracked and I'm back up to 250°.

It's funny, I'm trying to remember why I added the stove seal in the first place. It had to be 7 or so years ago after my dog knocked it over hard and it got out-of-round. It started running way too hot.

Thanks!
 
Do away with the water pan!
The water will keep the temperature down.
If you take out the pan totally, it will act like an ugly drum smoker (I do this most of the time).
You can also put in the (lined) empty pan to prevent fat dripping on your fire
 
I've been annoyed by this too.... I've taken to smoking whole chickens and I 'want' to shoot for a hotter cook 325-350 --- but no matter how many coals are in there and lit, it seems to be self limited to 275-300 (with no water).... The temp will spike when I remove the lid for a few minutes up to ~330, but settles right back to 275-300. I'm thinking it has a lot to d with the smoker becoming REALLY well seasoned now - sealing the gaps. These temps are all measured with a probe stuck thru the gasket hole at bottom grate level --- the lid temp is usually 25 degrees lower - as we all know.

I've come to the conclusion that this is by design.... and I have seen in mentioned many times that an extra top vent is needed to get 'hot' cooks.... I'm not ready to start drilling into my unit. I feel no shame in resorting to finishing the chicken in the oven at 350 to render the fat out of the skin and make it crispy. I take great comfort in the knowledge that even with all the vents wide open that the temp will remain below 325.... I NEVER have to worry about a runaway. It was DEESIGNED for low and slow.

I need to fashion up some blocks to crack the lid to finish the chicken on the smoker.... or run the smoker without the water bowl or heat deflector/drip pan for some direct radiant heat.... This has been a recent revelation for me.
 
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I do hot and fast cooks in the 18" too and use a Weber chimney starter to prop the lid open. It's the perfect height and definitely won't fall in the smoker. Ditto with no water in the pan.
 
Good advice here.
Please try it out and if all else fails, go to lump charcoal. But I don't think it is necessary
 
To get your WSM hotter:

1. Use more lit charcoal.
2. Empty water pan.
3. No water pan (even better).
4. Crack door open.
5. Crack lid open.

As noted above, installing a second top vent is a nice mod to do if you find yourself wanting to do a lot of higher temp cooks (especially when seeking crispier poultry skin).

And for a temporary temp boost or to get some additional unlit fuel lit up faster, a leaf blower through the door or a bottom vent is always a fun way to get the coals cranked up!
 
I would just grab a piece of bark from a flower bed about half inch thick and stick it under the edge of the lid and that would do the trick.
 
Well --- I smoked up two more chickens last week... I tried everything to get the temps up over 300 - propping the lid open with a spatula - not enough - switched over to a piece of wood to get a nice 1" gap - and propping the door open ---- NOTHING seemed to make any difference - it just ran at 250-275.... I had a pretty decent load of coals in there and it was a nice breezy day --- so I'm really baffled why I can't get the 18" hotter.
 
Can you post some pictures of your setup next time? Where is your thermometer positioned?

Edit: in a prior post you said you put the probe through the side. Have you tried attaching it to the top grate? What does the lid thermometer read if you have one?
 
Captain Obvious checking in...

Jim, have you verified that your thermometer's accurate?

Most of the time I have trouble keeping my 18" from running hotter than I want.
 
Couple questions:

Water?
Water pan?
How much lit? Full chimney or more?

Did you follow Chris’s hot n fast recipe?

Did you try finishing the birds directly over the coals at the end by removing the mid section?
 
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