Hi All,
So far I've done two long cooks using the Auber ATC and lump charcoal on my 22" WSM (did a few using Kingsford prior). The main reason of switching from briquettes to lump is sometimes the cooks took 14+hrs and ash buildup was a problem. So the best solution after research was to switch to lump which has significantly less ash generation, which I did. First cook was done using Royal Oak and second used Simple Life (Kroger brand).
Two new problems have arisen- wild temperature fluctuations and sudden temp drop. With both charcoals and ATC, the smoker will get to temp and maintain just fine for a few hours. Then all of a sudden temp will swing up 20-30F above set to 20-30F below set, then even out with swings ~20F and ~10F above/below before leveling off to maintenance temps. This seems to happen randomly as for the first cook this happened twice (~4hrs and ~6hrs into the cook) and on the second cook once (~5hrs in) without refilling or adjusting anything.
Also temp die off is sudden. In the second brisket cook I had the pit holding at 235F for about 6hrs (one temp fluctuation as described above occurred but evened out). No real issues. Then within 6 minutes, the pit temp dropped to 190F and would not raise. Fan output was 100% but no pit temp rise, just maintaining at 190F. After reloading the grate and letting it catch it went okay and the ATC did a good job maintaining at 235F, just surprised it dropped 45F in 6min and wouldn't come back up. Can't think of what happened in the WSM to cause that (shift in coals?)
Have any of yall encountered these issues? How'd yall solve them or is it just the cost of doing business with lump and an ATC? I like the less-ash problem, but the temp swings give me anxiety and I never had that issue with briquettes and the ATC.
Setup:
- 22" WSM
- Auber Instruments SYK-2615 with 10CFM fan
- Pit temp set at 235F
- Charcoal ring filled with unlit lump, topped with a chimney of fully lit lump
- Top vent fully open
- Only one bottom vent open (for the fan)
- No water in water bowl, just foiled for cleanup
So far I've done two long cooks using the Auber ATC and lump charcoal on my 22" WSM (did a few using Kingsford prior). The main reason of switching from briquettes to lump is sometimes the cooks took 14+hrs and ash buildup was a problem. So the best solution after research was to switch to lump which has significantly less ash generation, which I did. First cook was done using Royal Oak and second used Simple Life (Kroger brand).
Two new problems have arisen- wild temperature fluctuations and sudden temp drop. With both charcoals and ATC, the smoker will get to temp and maintain just fine for a few hours. Then all of a sudden temp will swing up 20-30F above set to 20-30F below set, then even out with swings ~20F and ~10F above/below before leveling off to maintenance temps. This seems to happen randomly as for the first cook this happened twice (~4hrs and ~6hrs into the cook) and on the second cook once (~5hrs in) without refilling or adjusting anything.
Also temp die off is sudden. In the second brisket cook I had the pit holding at 235F for about 6hrs (one temp fluctuation as described above occurred but evened out). No real issues. Then within 6 minutes, the pit temp dropped to 190F and would not raise. Fan output was 100% but no pit temp rise, just maintaining at 190F. After reloading the grate and letting it catch it went okay and the ATC did a good job maintaining at 235F, just surprised it dropped 45F in 6min and wouldn't come back up. Can't think of what happened in the WSM to cause that (shift in coals?)
Have any of yall encountered these issues? How'd yall solve them or is it just the cost of doing business with lump and an ATC? I like the less-ash problem, but the temp swings give me anxiety and I never had that issue with briquettes and the ATC.
Setup:
- 22" WSM
- Auber Instruments SYK-2615 with 10CFM fan
- Pit temp set at 235F
- Charcoal ring filled with unlit lump, topped with a chimney of fully lit lump
- Top vent fully open
- Only one bottom vent open (for the fan)
- No water in water bowl, just foiled for cleanup