Closing vents to kill fire


 
J

Jay S

New member
Normally I would just let my 22.5" WSM burn itself out after a cook, but after a short and hot cook I had quite a bit of lump left so I decided to close it off and kill the fire.

It didn't work.

I'm thinking that either my WSM is not as airtight as it should be or the lump was just too hot and burned itself out before it had a chance to starve from lack of O2.

The lump was fully lit, and I still have the tabs on my vents which I noticed kept the vents open a sliver.

So basically, if I have a good chunk of lit lump left and running hot is it reasonable to expect the fire to die quickly enough to save most of the fuel?
 
You know I have the same problem when I use lump in my kettle grill.I know different rig but lump just does not shut down for me when its lit.So I too am interested to see the response to this question.
 
Just to be clear.... did you also close the top vent?? If not then that's your issue.

A few thoughts:

I have found on a couple high heat cooks that it does take some time for the fire to die down compared to a 250'ish cook.

Wind. Being on the Island ensures you have a LOT of wind... a steady breeze could get oxygen through all the cracks.

How much use has your WSM seen?? The more you cook the better the "grease seal" will help prevent leaks.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jay S:

So basically, if I have a good chunk of lit lump left and running hot is it reasonable to expect the fire to die quickly enough to save most of the fuel? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yes.. It usually takes about 1 to 1 1/2 Hrs before my WSM or the OTG becomes warm to the touch, after closing all vents on a HH using lump.( Depending on outside temps.)
HTH
Tim
 
I haven't timed it to see how long it takes, but I can shut the vents on a 250-degree fire (lump) and it will go out, leaving almost all of the lump for use the next time around. If yours continues to burn until all the lump is gone, then you must have an air leak somewhere. Even though the WSM is not completely air-tight, it should be tight enough to extinguish the fire.
 
My experience is the same as Larrys - even with a fair amount of wind/storm I've saved a bunch of lump. It's just part of my routine - I always put in a ton of lump and carry the unused over to the next cook.
 
Thanks all for the replies.

All vents were closed, including the top one. I've actually done more high heat than low and slow in my WSM, so perhaps I don't have the goo seal yet that a well seasoned smoker will have.

I'm planning a low heat this weekend so I'll try closing it off again.

Oh - The Island is a little windy but I'm well sheltered. It's also a BBQ desert here. Not one specialty store and I would be surprised if there's 10 WSMs in the whole province. It's been fun introducing my friends and family to real Q though.
 
Check your door and see if its sealing up to the body of the center section well. If not you can get it bent in easily. Optionally you might flip the center section over and be sure it is round, it bends easier than you'd think.
 
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