Danger Zone


 
K

Kevin (WI)

New member
I started two 7 lb butts in the WSM. One was on the top grate and the other on the bottom. I had a vent temp of 235 for 5 hours. During the 4th hour I decided to put my oven thermometer on the top grate. It read 210ish. I opened the vents a little to bring the vent temp up.

Did I have the meat in the danger zone too long and should I pitch it? I am concerned about the lower grate possibly being even cooler.
 
Thanks. I thought that the temp of the top grate would be higher than the vent and the bottom grate would have a higher temp than the top grate.

After I looked at other posts, it seems that people have different views on which is hotter. Some say the top vent and some say the grate.

What should I do next time?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Kevin (WI):


What should I do next time? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Pick one spot to monitor your temp, stop thinking too much and have fun!! Remember its only bbq!!
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Thanks for the link. I read quite a few of the strands. There is a lot. I was just concerned that if the top grate was 210ish the bottom might be under 200. At the 5 hour mark I ramped up the cooker and it has been hotter since then (255-260 vent temp).
 
Being under 200 really doesn't matter. Just prolongs the cook. As long as you cook it to a safe temperature that's really all that matters.Sous vide style cooks at temps around 140F for extended periods of time.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I was just concerned that if the top grate was 210ish the bottom might be under 200. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
As Bob notes it just prolongs the cook. Depending on the meat this is usually not a good idea. But this is because of finished quality reasons, not food safety.

With typical barbecued beef and pork the meat hits well past pasteurization temps.
 
Thank you for all your help. This was my first overnight smoke and it was a definite learning process. I pulled them both for dinner tonight and they were fabulous. I am going to think about the best way to measure temp in my smoker. I like using the vent but I will have to remember to account for the difference between vent temp and grate temp. I just hope that the difference is relatively consistent- like always cooler on the grate.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I like using the vent but I will have to remember to account for the difference between vent temp and grate temp. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
You don't, actually. I temp at the vent and never think about it further than that. No need to make it a big deal. Just get used to the one place.
 
Thanks for the information. I will just continue to temp at the vent and practice getting a feel for the smoker.

Does anyone have recommendations for vent thermometers?
 
I use this one most of the time. On the rare occasion I want to monitor remotely I use a Maverick ET73. I put the probe in a vent hole, the probe wire stays out of the cooker.
 
As noted above, low temps will result in a longer cooking time, but shouldn't be dangerous to your cook.

I use this thermometer in my WSM and OTG kettle too. Bend the spring steel clip a little and it will stay in a vent hole to measure dome temps while smoking. I have had two of them for three years and they work great. Still accurate in boiling water, so I continue to trust them. Bought mine @ Ace hardware for around $9.

Thanks to Kevin for the tip about only measuring one temp while cooking. I read this tip a few years ago, and measuring temps at the dome only has worked well for me.

Learning to control temps using only your vents and building the right sized fire will let you have long and mostly uninterrupted cooks on your WSM.
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Thank you both (Kevin and Jim) for the thermometer suggestions. I also want to thank everyone else who helped out. I learned a lot.
 
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