ATC in cold temperatures


 
M

Mike Ament

New member
So a couple of weeks ago I was doing a couple of 17 lb. briskets in my 22.5" WSM using an Auber ATC. Cool day for Aridzona, only about 60° high for the day. Wanted to cook at 250° but could not get the WSM above about 225°-230°. Now that is my normal cook range, but I was experimenting, looking for shorter cook times. Swapped my 6.5 cfm blower for the 10 cfm, but that didn't help. Don't recall it being particularly windy, just cooler than normal.

Was thinking a blanket might help insulate the WSM, but then I got to thinking that the blower was blowing COLD air into the WSM, and insulating blanket probably would not help. Think I need to figure out a way to pre-heat the air going into the blower. Maybe lower the insulating blanket enough so the ATC is drawing air from around the base of the WSM. Or maybe a space heater by the blower.

Anybody got any thoughts?
 
Hi Mike,

Shouldn't have any issues, temperature wise.
Just a couple of thoughts... Where are you measuring temperature ? Where did you place the pit probe ? Too close to the 34 pounds of cold meat ?
 
Hi Bob:

Well, I put one brisket on each rack (52°) and the probe on the top rack at the edge of the grate. So is that a pilot's microphone on your head?
 
I bought a silicone cover for my 22 WSM. It works too much better. My cooking T does not fall under 260F (my usual cooking T is 250F).
I need a real cold weather touse the silicone cover
 
@Mike Had the same problem myself today, and came on looking for anyone else with this problem. I'm in Mid TN with 50° weather, gusting. I found that the Auber would run the temp down, if I set the temp below the measured point so the blower would not run, the grate temp would come backup and above the set point. Almost like it was blowing cold air over the probe. I'm also cooking brisket, and at the 12 hour mark of a 14lb brisket, have replenished with approximately 40 ashed over briquettes. I have placed around the 18.5 weber a reflective screen, approximately from the floor upto the bottom of the lid, but this did not stop the Auber from running the grate temp down, as like you I was hoping that the warmer air would not have such an effect.

Bryn
 
I noticed that the clip that holds the probe to the grate when inverted, so the probe faces down is more sensitive to the draft produced by the blower. When I turned the clip over and had the clip body between the heat and the probe the temp swings where not so bad.

Bryn
 
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