Correlation between amount of fuel and temperature control


 
S

Scott in SoCal

TVWBB Member
I "tried" to smoke a brisket yesterday in my WSM 18.5". It was a warm Southern California day. I dumped a load of Stubbs Natural Briquettes into the WSM along with eight pieces of apple and hickory (four of each type of wood), and added about a full chimney of lit briquettes.

I had a VERY difficult time controlling the pit temp, and rarely did the temps drop below 275*, even with the vent adjusted. At times (after opening the lid to test the bark), the temp shot up to well over 300*. I'm wondering whether I should have used less fuel to try to keep the temp below 250*.

I'm a newbie at this, and I'd sure appreciate some help.

Thanks, fellow smokers!
 
If your cooker is new you may want to season it or do some cooks to get some carbonized grease (aka "gunk") built up. After about 10 cooks it becomes very intuitive to control the heat.

I may even go so far as recommend the book LOW and SLOW by Gary Wiviot. Though not everyone's cup of tea, he takes you thru lessons ...each one building upon the other...and in the end you'll end up a pretty good idea of how your cooker works. Once you get the hang of it you'll not have the issues you are having now.

I normally start a minion fire with 1/2 to 1/3 chimney of lit over the unlit. Unless you like heavy smoke, I would also recommend not using so much wood. Maybe a 2 - 4 chunks total.
 
My WSM has always run hot compared to a friend's WSM. His will maintain a constant 225 all day long, mine simply won't. It wants to settle between 240-250. I am sure it has to do with the way the parts seal or don't seal together.

In your case, I think you started it a little too hot with a full load of bit coals. I use the Minion method for everything I smoke low and slow. The only time I use more lit coals is when using the WSM like an oven for temps like 325 for turkeys.
 
In that a fully closed down WSM will extinguish the coals, I would suggest that its possible to run it at just about any temp IF you can control air incursion. I think the seasoning and goo'ing things up helps but also check your door fit for gaps. I find that with the standard 1/4 chimney minion on top of a ring of fuel.....combined with catching temps on the way up enables you to land just about anywhere.

I am a proponent of using all vents on the bottom at the same level so that you have even air flow. I let mine get to 225 then close to half on all of them (top always open). Some fuel brands will slowly get to 250 and stop, others run hotter and I have to close to 3/4 closed to hold in the 250 range.
 
Hi Scott, I think for sure you started with way too many coals and by the sound of it maybe a little more wood than necessary too. It's all fuel for the fire. There's just too much heat in a full chimney of lit coals not to take you way above your target. With that much happening down there, lifting the lid will only aid the burn with more air. As Timothy says read up on the minion method.
Good luck
 
So I thought I'd give it another try today. If at first you don't succeed...

I started with fewer coals in the WSM, and only about 20 in the chimney. I used the Minion method. All of the vents - top and bottom - are CLOSED, and after 30 minutes the temp is still 310°! Huh?

I did notice pretty good smoke leakage from around the lid, especially at the probe cables. (Grommets are on order!)

I haven't put the meat in yet. Will that make a difference?

Thanks for your help guys!
 
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Put the meat on, closed all of the vents and after an hour the temp dropped to 274°. My theory on keeping the vents closed is that because there's leakage elsewhere, the fuel is still getting enough oxygen. If it continues to drop, I'll start by cracking the top vent and then the others as necessary.
 
Too many lit. (For low/slow I start with 12-15 lit, tops.)

Leakage at the lid is rarely an issue. Leakage where the middle section meats the bottom section can be. That said, WSMs were not designed to be airtight.
 
I would not leave the dome vent closed you need to vent the smoke otherwise it will affect the meat making the smoke more bitter. Close the bottom vents and leave the top open or at least half way. If you do that any leakage around the dome will diminish if not disappear. If I read your post correctly your temps dropped partly because the meat acted as a heat sink. What are you using, water, dry pan, no pan, saucer? That will make a difference too.
 
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I agree with the others about closing the top vent when cooking. The smoke should kiss the meat on the way by. Think of it as a potent spice: a little goes a long way.

If you have a dremel grommets are not necesary: just cut a small slit in the top of the mid section enough for the cables.
 
the other option is to remove one of the bolts that holds the grate support, drill a bit larger and use a section of threaded tube and nuts from a lighting store. A 1 3/4 to 1" section allows passage of the curved probes.
 
I appreciate everyone's responses. VERY helpful. As to some of the comments...

I had the top vent closed only for an hour. Once the temp started to drop, I opened it halfway. When the temp got into the desired range, I opened it fully.

I'm using a dry foiled pan for the first time (previously only with water).

Over the last few hours, the temp has been ranging from 235° - 250°. It's amazing how much closing or opening one vent even just a little impacts the temp. I've been experimenting and trying to keep the temp between 235° and 245°. Not an easy task! Clearly it's best to make small vent adjustments and then wait.

Thanks again for your help!
 
You'll get the hang of it. Pretty soon you'll be able to anticipate where you'll need the vents to be for a certain temp range, enjoy the time with family and friends, and let the goodness happen. 235 - 250* is a great range - let it rise and fall and you'll be well rewarded. You might want to get some heat mass into the pan - either water or a clay saucer to help control temps.
 
I've never used a dry pan before, but since some people recommend it, I thought I'd give it a try. The temp is much more "twitchy" with a dry pan, that's for sure. I think next time I'll try a foiled 14" clay saucer. Hopefully the temp will be more forgiving with the saucer.
 
Way too many lit coals. I would go with 10 or so lit chimney coals using Minion Method and let the WSM get to within 25 or so degrees of the target temp and shut the vents down at least 50 percent maybe down to 25 percent. It's easier to get the temp back up that it is to bring it down, especially in warm weather.
 
To close the loop on this...The end result was really good. Good bark and smoke ring. Tasty and tender. My fiance deemed it "restaurant quality." When I asked her if she was comparing it to Wood Ranch (which I think is lousy), she said, I "no...I'm comparing it to one of those divey barbecue joints you like!"

This was only the second brisket I've attempted to smoke, so hearing it called "restaurant quality" was a HUGE compliment. I still have lots to learn, but today was a big confidence builder.

Thanks for your help everyone!
 
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SCOTT....You may adjust the lower vents to control temps, but unless you have an emergency, best to leave the top vent totally open if there is food in the smoker.:cool:
 
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