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Guest
Guest
Hi,
I am a Newbie to WSM. I have had my cooker for about a month now. Everything coming off of it so far has been very good though I think can be improved when I get a little more experience and skill.
I only have 5 cooks under my belt and my cooker still seems to be running hot. I am thinking I am using too much lit charcoal at the beginning.
I am curious how much coal others are using for their cooks.
Here is some background.
Of my limited set of cooks, three were of the low and slow variety, two pairs of BB ribs on two separate occasions and one pork butt.
I use the Minon Method for the fire, burning Rancher charcoal. I use a full water pan.
Even with all three bottom vents closed, I had been using the top vent to regulate temp. After spending some time here, I found out that it should be left wide open as much as possible to minimize creosote build up (which I definitely tasted in my previous cooks, though it was not too bad).
Last night we were having BB ribs and I wanted to keep the top vent open the entire time. I did not count specifically the number of briquettes I used but I figure about 1/3 of a Weber chimney full of hot coals on a bed of fresh coals. I had fought temperate with my pork butt last week so I knew I wanted to start out these ribs with much less than a chimney’s worth of lit coal. It was also a warm day here in the San Jose area.
Suffice to say with all three bottom vents closed and top wide open, I could not get a steady temp below 250 at the grate. Outside temp was probably mid 80s and the WSM is in direct Sun. The temp quickly rose to the mid 240s and then went, more slowly yet confidently, past 250 on its way to its happy zone of about 275. I ended up closing down the top vent to 50% for about 90 min of the cook and removing about 20 lit coals from the fire. My cooking temp was north of 250 the entire time.
My ribs came out good though drier than the first pair I did about two weeks ago when I was using the top vent to keep temps at 250 or below. On the plus side, I could not taste any creosote.
Next time, I am going to try only using 10 or even less lit coals to start the fire, especially if the outside temp is warm again.
Does this sound like a good plan to hopefully keep temps lower or is there something else I should consider? Thanks
I am a Newbie to WSM. I have had my cooker for about a month now. Everything coming off of it so far has been very good though I think can be improved when I get a little more experience and skill.
I only have 5 cooks under my belt and my cooker still seems to be running hot. I am thinking I am using too much lit charcoal at the beginning.
I am curious how much coal others are using for their cooks.
Here is some background.
Of my limited set of cooks, three were of the low and slow variety, two pairs of BB ribs on two separate occasions and one pork butt.
I use the Minon Method for the fire, burning Rancher charcoal. I use a full water pan.
Even with all three bottom vents closed, I had been using the top vent to regulate temp. After spending some time here, I found out that it should be left wide open as much as possible to minimize creosote build up (which I definitely tasted in my previous cooks, though it was not too bad).
Last night we were having BB ribs and I wanted to keep the top vent open the entire time. I did not count specifically the number of briquettes I used but I figure about 1/3 of a Weber chimney full of hot coals on a bed of fresh coals. I had fought temperate with my pork butt last week so I knew I wanted to start out these ribs with much less than a chimney’s worth of lit coal. It was also a warm day here in the San Jose area.
Suffice to say with all three bottom vents closed and top wide open, I could not get a steady temp below 250 at the grate. Outside temp was probably mid 80s and the WSM is in direct Sun. The temp quickly rose to the mid 240s and then went, more slowly yet confidently, past 250 on its way to its happy zone of about 275. I ended up closing down the top vent to 50% for about 90 min of the cook and removing about 20 lit coals from the fire. My cooking temp was north of 250 the entire time.
My ribs came out good though drier than the first pair I did about two weeks ago when I was using the top vent to keep temps at 250 or below. On the plus side, I could not taste any creosote.
Next time, I am going to try only using 10 or even less lit coals to start the fire, especially if the outside temp is warm again.
Does this sound like a good plan to hopefully keep temps lower or is there something else I should consider? Thanks
