Hey guys, I'm just wondering where I should start my troubleshooting on my 18.5" WSM. I've done 2 cooks on it since I bought it used - the previous owner had it for several years and it appeared to generally be pretty well seasoned. The 2 cooks that I have done were pepper stout beef, and a small pork roast yesterday. When I initially put the smoker together after dumping the hot coals, I can see small amounts of smoke leaking around the door (very faint) and moreso around the lid/middle section. I also see a bit coming out around the thermometer. Once the charcoal settles in, all of this leaking smoke stops, except a very little bit around the bottom of the lid every now and then. It holds temperature incredibly well (at least compared to my 22.5" weber kettle I'm used to using for all of my smoking) and I barely have to touch the dampers throughout the cook. I noticed that several of the tabs on the lower dampers are bent flat, but the actual dampers appear to be snug to the bowl, although they do spin fairly freely. When I shut it down after the cook, however, the remaining charcoal keeps burning until it is all gone. Any thoughts/recommendations on what to try to find and stop the air leaks?
Not able to stop fire after cook...
- Thread starter steveD
- Start date
Try putting a couple fresh chunks of wood on the coals when your done smoking. That way you will have fresh smoke to see if the leaks are still occurring after you remove the lid and door. Chances are your wood is all burnt up when you remove the food and you don't see where its leaking. It probably seals up during the cook but you break that seal when you take the food off.
My 18.5" WSM leaks like a sieve and the bottom vents are trashed, but I can still shut it down and save the unused charcoal.
Makes me wonder what brand of charcoal you are using?
Tim
Kingsford blue bag.
I checked it last night after work, and I actually have a fair amount of charcoal left on the grate. I'm wondering if I maybe just didn't quite put the lid on right or something the first time which lead to it leaking and continuing to burn up all the fuel.
timothy
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Jerry N.
TVWBB Emerald Member
That makes sense. Given that you were holding temp well during your cook, it seemed odd that you wouldn't be able to shut it down. When I had that problem, I hardly had one vent open and I couldn't hold temp (temp kept increasing). It sounds like you're okay, but if not, the usual culprit is the door. Do a few more cooks/tests before you do anything. No point in messing up a good thing.