Help - Temperature Spikes halfway during cook


 

RyanS_MN

TVWBB Fan
Does anyone have any advice for preventing temperature spikes halfway though a cook. Typically about 4 hours in I'll take stuff off to wrap. Up until removal the smoker will sit between 250-265 happy as can be, but as soon as I take the lid off to remove the meat, wrap it, and get it back on i'm dealing with temps up near 300. Do I need to just turn the dampers down until the meat is added? Is there some other trick? Minus this issue it's been rock solid but it's a pain when I have to babysit it for the 20 min after wrapping.
 
Well, IMO, that spike is not hurting anything. It just takes time for the WSM to recover from the burst of oxygen hitting the fire. Its not impacting your cook.

Those kind of temp swings on an offset stick burner happen during the entire cook. Just be patient and let it settle back in, then adjust , if needed.
 
Yes, mine likes to go thermonuclear when I take the lid off as well. I leave the lid off for as short of an amount of time as possible. Also I'll cut the lid to 3/4 to get it to settle down faster if it spikes and then open it back up when it drops.
 
Are you leaving the lid off while you wrap? That would be the culprit in my opinion. What Dustin and Tim said should help. Lift, remove, replace. Should not be off for more than a minute(unless there’s some sticking, which there usually is for me)
 
The key word is handles.
If you have them on your top grate or midsection it's easy to remove that part, then drop the lid on while your wrapping, basting etc.

Tim
 

 

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