14.5 can't get temp up above 250


 
Jeff Padell

Jeff Padell

TVWBB Pro
Someone asked me how to get the temp on the 14.5 up above 250. The response below is what I sent him. My problem is the opposite, without water I can't get my 14.5 to run below 250!


What I do is to fill the charcoal ring full with a slight hump on the top, when I put the middle section back on to check the height it almost touched the water pan. I then take about 10 or 12 coals out of the center to make a depression, but there are usually a couple coals at the bottom still. I light them and I end up with about half of the lit one totally ashed and the other 5 about 1/3 or so ashed. I pour them into the depression and put my wood around it, usually about 3 small pieces.
I have the vents totally open and the temp climbs to 300 easily. Yesterday I was doing a pork loin and had trouble getting the temp below 280 on the lid thermometer, the bottom grate runs about 10-20 hotter than the lid thermometer. To get it down to 280 I had to close the back 2 vents about 8/10's and the front 2/3's and the top 1/2
Unless I use water I can't get the temp down. I keep thinking of starting far less coals to see if I can get it to run cooler!

I can get it hotter say 325 or so if I run straight lump

As I say I have trouble getting it down below 250. :wsm:
 
Jeff;
In my 14.5" I typically use a tin can minion start with 8 coals when I am doing a "lo' & slo'" cook. However, I cook at 275 degrees.

With the 14.5" and Mini-Joe, I don't start closing down until the target temperature is reached. It seems to work best that way with the two smaller units. However, with the 18.5" I have to "catch" the temperatures on the way up to keep from exceeding the target temp making it harder to get the temperature down. I just slightly alter my technique between the 18.5" and the two smaller units to get the same final results.

The other day, I did a high temperature cook on chicken with the 14.5". I left the water pan out, dumped a full Weber chimney of lit into the fire ring and immediately assembled the smoker. In almost NO time I had temperatures approaching 500 degrees! This was upper grate temperature. Talk about a "high temperature" cook!

At any rate, the longer I use these smokers, the more I am blown away with their versatility! The old saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt" does NOT apply to a WSM and THAT"S a FACT!:D

One of these years, I may get to call myself a Pitmaster, but in the meantime, the journey is WONDERFUL!:cool:

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Hello,
I am new in smoking. I have 14.5" and I have already tried several times to smoke.
In general, I can not reach such high temperatures 300 or 500.
I fill the charcoal ring half full and full but when I pit a smoker it holds 10-15 mins and then temperature goes down.
I have some general questions:

1. How to prepare charcoal ? When it is ready for long work?
2. Bottom vents open or closed- in the manual there are different advises...
3. Top vent open or closed?
4. When use water and when not?

May be there is kind of manual somewhere? I really cannot manage my cooking.
Please, advise?

Best,Alex
 
1. How to prepare charcoal ? When it is ready for long work? (charcoal should be lit with a chimney, they can be found at your local store for around 10-20 bucks. As for when it is ready, if you look at the charcoal in your chimney you should see no black but instead white ash charcoal.)
2. Bottom vents open or closed- in the manual there are different advises... (Depends all with where you live and your smoker, for me I keep 2 bottom vents open and one closed while the top sits at 3/4 way closed. However, my friend where he lives approx 2 miles away its all vents closed except 1 which is 3/4 closed and top vent open half way. It all depends on the air flow around your area.)
3. Top vent open or closed? (see response above)
4. When use water and when not? (Ultimately this is up to you, if you prefer hotter temps then dont use water, water is there to regulate the temp via steam and heat placement. When water is associated it takes more "heat" in order to gain a higher temp. Ever notice that your smoker is hotter until you put on 10lbs of meat? then it goes down 25 degrees. It is this same simple statement when you add water, it is another absorber of heat. If you are having issues maintaining a steady temp use water it will steady it down. If you are finding that your meat comes out dry during the low and slow process then use water. Ultimately you could not use water, I dont due to the water absorbing alot of the smoke from the wood and wasting it. Sometimes though after my meat reaches that 140 temp where smoke will no longer permeate the meat then I add water to ensure moistness. This however, is not always needed and can make for a painful cleanup process. Ultimately it is up to the pitmaster to decide after seeing their bbq results.

Hope this helps Alex
 
"To get it down to 280 I had to close the back 2 vents about 8/10's and the front 2/3's and the top 1/2"
I close all of the bottom vents (leaving the top fully open), before using the top vent for temperature control.

"I have the vents totally open and the temp climbs to 300 easily."
It's easier to control the temperatures on the way up than to bring the temperatures down. Start closing the vents before you reach your desired temperature (instead of after).
 
"I am new in smoking. I have 14.5" and I have already tried several times to smoke. In general, I can not reach such high temperatures 300 or 500."
Smoking and High Temperatures are contrasts. Generally smoking is in the 225-275 range (depending on what you are cooking). I could see a rib roast or chicken that you might want to add smoke to at 350, but other smoke items call for a low and slow method.

"I fill the charcoal ring half full and full but when I pit a smoker it holds 10-15 mins and then temperature goes down."
If you really want high temperatures, you need as many charcoal as possible already lit and vents fully open. If after closing it up, the temperatures go down, you can crack the door to add more air.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top