WSM 22" < 225 Temps

Hello All. I am a sparerib fanatic. I want to keep the temps in my WSM 22 at 225 or below. I am on my second smoke right now and, as with my first smoke, the temp holds a steady 250-260. Lid thermo is calibrated as is the Nu-701 on top grate with 8-9 degree difference between lid and grate. I use MM w/25 coals, 2/3 full ring(Kingsford Reg.), foiled package of pecan chips, full water pan, and two rear vents closed w/ front wide open from start(end up running with all closed after first 30 min). 6 racks ST Louis added right after pan filled with water. THe cooker is tight fitting and the door is in upside down. It is 75+ degrees and the wind is 10mph, offshore, and steady.(Surf City USA after all) I'm thinking it's 1) Too many coals(25) in MM 2) Wind is always 8-10 after 11AM. SO after that data dump, what does the board think? BTW the first smoke came out a 7 out of 10(10 being virtually impossible). I firmly believe that under 225 is ONE of the secrets to great spares. How can I get my WSM 22 to run at 225 or under? Happy Fathers Day!

Buy a Guru, I live in Conn. on top of a Hill where you cannot even keep a gasser lit. That's what the board says.

Hi Jamie,

I don't have experience with a WSM 22, but I'd cut back on the number of lit coals.

You know they're either out smokin' or they got a party growin'

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Bill, no offense, but, how is an electronic nanny(GURU) going to lower my COOKING temp? My two existing thermos are calibrated and functioning. D.L., I believe you are correct about too many coals in MM to start. At 3 hrs 15 min with all vents closed I'm still at 245 lid and 236 top grate. Thanks for the feedback.

The outcome of sparerib smoke #2: The Temp finally dropped to 225 at around 3.5 hrs. Stayed windy all afternoon. Kept all vents closed. The ribs went 5hrs 15min and that was about 1/2 hour too long. Still they rendered out better, had a better smoke ring, than smoke #1.This batch inproved to a 8/10. Could have been a tad more moist. I believe it was the initial 3.5 hrs at 245-255 plus getting distracted and not pulling < 1/2 earlier. I know it is blasphemy to say but my highly modified ECB(with constant tending of course) was easier to keep at 225 or less.

Once you get the inside all gunked up with grease, it will be a little more air tight and you will also be able to hold the lower temps better.

One thing that I have found is if you over shoot the temp, it's hard to get back down. I always start with about 10 lit briquettes and start closing vents when temps get to 175-180 if I am targeting 225.

I don't know, I cook spares at 275-285 and they come out great every time in right about six hours - using 3-2-1 foiling. Sometimes my temps go up to 300 -- no worries. Time in foil varies according to what the meat is telling me. I don't think temps matter nearly as much as paying attention to the meat you are dealing with and how to tell when it's done.

I'm not trying to say my way is better or anything -- do what works for you. I just want to get across that in my opinion temps don't matter nearly so much as paying attention to the meat.

there is a lot of babying you have to do to keep really low temps witha wsm or any pit. most of it involves adding lit coals now and then rather then letting them catch on their own. that is more for hot smoking things like jerky.

dont get hung up on the actual temp a steady temp is more important than what it actually is running for most bbq applications. the most common mistake is over thinking the temperature in order to follow a time at temp recipe.

last week i cooked 200 pounds of brisket and around 60 chickens on my trailer smoker. i dont have a thermometer on it at all and have never used one on that pit. i couldnt begin to tell you what its temps were. the briskets and chicken turned out perfect. the key to good bbq is a steady temp while focusing on doneness rather than focusing on time at a given temp.

this is true of the wsm as well. what makes the wsm so good is its ability to hold a steady temp for extremely long periods of time.

my 22 holds around 260 according to its therm my 18 holds 240 according to a lid therm. both cook well. temp is irrelevent for the most part as long as it is between 225-300 or so.