Checking WSM, how often?


 
D

DavidD

TVWBB Super Fan
Just curious in terms of how low or high the maintenance is on these smokers in terms of being able to maintain the 225 temp. Do you need to check it hourly, every two hours or what? I live in a warm climate, florida, and wondered how often i need to keep an eye on the smoker if i was doing a single or double pork butt and wanted to maintain 225 to 250 throughout the cook on one load of coals.

thx, dave
 
Once the cooker is stablized, I am confortable leaving it alone for minimum of 8 hours before checking. If I trusted my experience a bit more I could let it go longer. Rarely have I had to fiddle with the WSM in order to complete a cook. Gotta love it.

Q'n, Golf'n & Grill'n....too many choices!
Gary
 
I live in Jacksonville once my cooker is loaded. I can leave it for 12 hours or over night. Most of the time I load it until it is time to check the meat I will peek just to see how pretty the meat is or show a friend or grab a taster or just smell the flavor. More checking because I want too not because you have too.

Every cooker may settle in at a different temp once you find that temp just let it cook.
 
I certainly wouldn't fill it up with food and go out for the day....... But once you get it dialed in, have sufficient fuel and as long as there are not any major weather changes you really shouldn't have to touch it during the cook. If you used Kingsford you may need to tap the sides or give a stir to drop some ash down, but that should be it.
 
Especially if you use the clay saucer mod (I now add sand for even better temp control) or some other instead of the water (which evaporates thereby losing thermal mass), I have no trouble maintaining rock stable temps for 4 hours on a third of a ring, 10+ on a full ring.
 
I've noticed that mine wills ettle in after about an hour at 240 or so, and stay there very steady. it isn't until I left the lid to mop or such that the temps suddenly climb to 300 and take FOREVER to come back down when the bottom vents are closed.

I've left mine for 4 hours no problem.

Jim
 
I'll chime in here. If you are not using water, and once everything stablizes. Cold meat, MM coals etc. You can leave it for longer than you think. Once the WSM settles in, and it's been holding steady for at least an hour, and you know there's more than enough fuel in there to finish the cook, I say 8+ hrs in my book. I mean heck, we go to bed and leave it that long unattened. Or at least I do, did. I use a Guru these days so, I leave it for 12+ hrs or more.
icon_wink.gif
 
First I'll start by saying I don't use water.

Yesterday morning I threw on a 15 pound pork shoulder at 11 am. Temp of 275, left for the day after an hour. Came home at 11 pm, restocked the coal, reduced temp to 225. Woke up at 8am to find that a rain storm had set in. The smoker is sheltered from wind but not rain. Ran outside to check and the temp was still 225, pork was also done and perfect.

Moral of the story even without the guru it is pretty darn consistent.

Clark
 
Gotta agree with at least 8 hours. I use the clay pot and this past weekend did 2 6.75 or so butts. Temp stabilized at about 230 in 45-60 minutes. Went to bed and about 6 hours later when I woke up it was at 223. Tapped the sides to drop ash and it went right back to 230 in no time.

And about the temp rising when the lid is raised... I'll close the vents for about 10 minutes before I need to raise the lid and bring the temp down some, do what I need to do then replace the lid and about 10 minutes later open the vent(s) back to where they were. Makes the temp spikes much more manageable.
 
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