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Anyone have a trick to bring temps down?


 
Bill S.

Bill S.

TVWBB Pro
Wasn't paying attention this morning after I put my flat in. I let the temp get too high (about 240-250) before I shut my vents. I usually close them between 200-220 after which it will crawl up to 250 and pretty much stay there. I'm running around 270 now. I tried adding cold water, it dropped for a while, just from removing the lid I imagine, then was at 270 again in 10 or so minutes. Any suggestions?
 
Close the vents some more, and the temp should start dropping in a couple of minutes.

Is the wind an issue today?
 
I pretty much always run with them at 0% which is where they are now. I keep them that way until it starts to drop then I start nudging one vent open as needed to keep the temp up. Still running around 270 but dropping a touch. So I should be o.k. Just built a state of the art wind screen yesterday actually.....lol.

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If worst comes to worst, grab some tongs and remove some coal from the cooker. If you have a kettle, just place the hot coals in there. Not ideal, I know, but it will work in a pinch.
 
I had that happen. Close all vents, including the top for 1-2 minutes, then reopen top vent only. That should choke the fire back a bit, without oversmoking the meat. You should see a temp difference in a few minutes. Good luck.
 
Opening the lid drops the temps as heat escapes, but it also bathes the coals is fresh air... so it can cause the heat to creep up higher than before once the lid is on.

I think you have to adjust the air with the lid closed to get control. Make moves at 10 to 15 minute intervals to allow for the lag in response.

(As a process control engineer, it would be interesting for me to learn what the tuning constants are in the automated temperature controllers... to get a feel for what they've determined the deadtime and time constants for changes in airflow are.)
 
Also, just thought of this... if you are using non-water as your heat sink (sand, saucer...) it is going to take longer to get temps down because your sink has to cool down as well.

This may be reason for using water.

If you get too hot with water, the sink is still at 212F. If you get too hot with a dry sink, the sink is as hot as the high temp, and has to cool down. So you are out of temperature control for longer.

So go up slow and be careful not to get too hot with a dry sink.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tony C.:
if i'm within 25º or my target temp(usually 250º) i'm happy. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I pretty much a stickler for 250. Part of my OCD I guess...lol. Temp has dropped to 250....good to go.
 
Crazy day......Just had to give it a good stir. Couldn't get it above 230...lol. Fired it up at 7:00am, don't think I've ever had to stir this soon. Wind is really making a difference. I can watch the temp drop as the cold wind blows over the windscreen. This going to be a first, going to have to add coals. I believe it's the first time since I've had my WSM (about 6 years) that I've had to do that. Go figure.
 
if temps still climb with all bottom vents closed 100% then you may want to check to see if your middle sits in the bottom right, you may be drawing air. The other thing to check is if any of the bottom vents are loose and don't seal the vent holes. one of my bottom vents is loose enough that I can slip folded pieces of foil between it and the bowl which helps to seal it off.

I can never get this wsm to hold a temp (its better with the loose vent sealed) so I've relegated it to HH cooks, and use my second wsm for normal stuff.
 
It's not climbing, I just had to add more fuel...lol. Burned just about the whole original ring full. Added about half chimney of lit. My WSM is usually real stable with the temps. Just with the wind/cold temp outside and the screw up at the beginning, I just got out of wack today.
 
Yeah, that cold breeze can play rollercoaster with the temps. I'll fight it tonight too. Doing a pork butt and Angus brisket for tomorrow.
 
The flat I did today is Angus. That's all my market sells. 3.99 a pound. They gave it to me for 3.79 because I bought it untrimmed.......Actually ended up removing the screen and opening up the vents full to get the temp up. Just took the flat out. Letting it rest until the onion rings are done in about 20 minutes or so.
 
Brisket n' onion ring sammies, a little something different
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. The sweetness of the onion takes a bit of the initial bite off the heat. Give it a try. They hit the spot after being out in the cold all day.
 
I'd say you would been better off to START the cook with water in the pan. In the time that you take to add water to the pan, that charcoal can really start to burn. It will come down, but it takes a good bit of time.

This is why I suggest you should've started with water in the pan:

You want lower temps in less than ideal weather conditions, and you only mention the one brisket flat. I can only assume it was by itself, and if that's the case, that's not much pit moisture to start off with.

I don't have a problem with cooking with a dry pan. I do it quite often, but that's when I want to cook hot, OR I have a lot of meat on the cooker. In other words, the meat itself is a heat sink.
 
I don't know if it would have helped you or not, but I did a cook last Saturday night in <30 degree temps and with about a 10 mph wind and I used a BBQ Guru Smoking Jacket for the first time. It was the most stable cook, temperature wise, I've ever had and the additional insulation over the outside of the WSM really cut down on fuel consumption. The jacket is long enough that it drops below the level of the bottom vents, which maybe cuts some of the effect of the wind.

We've got some more cold temperatures forecast for this week - maybe I'll have a chance to give it another spin.

Pat
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bill S.:
I did start with water in the pan. Just added the cold water as some had already evaporated. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, there ya go. I was thinking that you wouldn't be adding water so early in the cook if you started off with a full pan.

About the only thing you can do to keep temps under control is to not let them get away in the first place. (Yes, I'm just as guilty!) Start off slow and be patient. This is THE drawback to cooking with the Minion method on a charcoal smoker. You just can't do much other than to simply wait it out after closing the bottom vents if temps get away from you. The windbreak is certainly a good idea, but I think topping off the water just allows more oxygen to the coals in the time needed to do so, even if the water is cold. That's been my experience, at least. Try getting a new large water pan or the Brinkman charcoal pan. They are a good bit larger and you shouldn't need to add any water during a brisket flat cook. You could take the unit apart and remove a good bit of coals as someone suggested, but we do need to remember that this should be done with the utmost care with a water pan.

Better luck next time!
Dave
 
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