BBQ Guru help - test run won't hold temps under 285F


 
Milan Bartolec

Milan Bartolec

New member
Just set up my CyberQ wifi. Cook temp 250F. No food probes.
WSM 22.5". full charcoal load - Wicked Good lump. All weber dampers closed. Heat tape over damper holes where BBQ guru fan plugged in. Guru damper 50%. Minion method.

It's been running for 5 hours and I can't seem to get the temp to come down. makes me think my WSM is leaky. Any common areas to check?

I looked at other damper holes and a few have maybe a hair opening where the metal tabs sit on the inside. Lid on good. Don't see any gaps/not out of round where the middle meets the bottom. I see some openings in the bottom of the door in the corners, but if I throw some wood in, i only get smoke out of the top vent - which is always wide open.
 
I don't own a ATC but I'm sure you read that a new WSM will run hot.. more-so if doing a test run on a empty cooker.
Add some meat as it acts as a heat sink initially and things might change.:wsm:

Tim
 
i had wondered about the lack of mass when the smoker is empty. I do have 14" terra-cotta tray in there.
I noticed when I installed the deflector plate that it does not sit flush on the inside of the weber, wouldn't think that would make a difference as the entry point for the air is still through the damper. But I folded up some foil and tightened it in there just in case.
Loaded up with new lump. ATC hooked up. Temp at 169F on its way to 250F (I hope).
Got 3 racks of baby backs going on when it settles in.

GO HAWKS!
 
I would ditch the clay saucer if using an ATC. If you had a hard time keeping the temps below 285 for 5 hrs than the clay saucer didn't help any.
They can only absorb so much heat as a sink, once they heat up they start releasing energy and IME that's anything over 250deg.

Tim
 
I was thinking the same thing, but this morning I had much better results. After 200f the fan started ramping down and it steadied around 250. Put the ribs on, and some green onion brats. Temp steady between 245 and 250 now.
I' thinking that when loosened the deflector plate/attachment deal to put in the foil to close that gap, I did a better job of hand tightening it from the actual adapter instead of the screw on the deflector plate.

Whew!
 
you can always control with the top vent too. I notice on windy days. I keep the Viper Blower 50% and my top vent about 50% (all other vents closed) and it will stay on target better. We live with a open field in the backyard and we get pretty bad wind. (one of these days I'll build a stone wall to cubby off my cooking area)
 
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