First Cook on WSM 18.5 for this noob.

[MikeT1]

With my first cook I tried 3 2 1 spare ribs. The end result was really good tad too long but better than my attempts last year on my kettle.

The cook went ok it was hotter then the 250 I was going for. The smoker seemed want run at 270-285 grate temp most of the time one big dive to 220 for about 45 minutes early one spike to 305 right after wrapping.

I had a full ring of Royal Oak lump. I started 1/2 chimney lump, 1 gallon hot water. I spread it over the ring Minion style with the vents 1/2 open. Within minutes the temp was 260 and rising closed two vents. Seemed settle on 255 for 15 minutes put ribs on temp dropped to 225 never recovered then dropped opened the vents again. Temp once it recovered to 240 started closing each vent a little bit and waiting. Most of time I end up with one or two vents barley open wind side vent closed whole time, lid vent full open whole time.

The weather was 40's pretty breezy. I was not bothered by the higher temps so much It seemed like I'd get a stable temp for about 30-45 minutes then I'd let spike and drop 15-20 degrees before adjusting the vents which were barley cracked. I did my best to shake and pack the lump in the ring first. I used lump the because I had have a lot on hand.

Is it normal for temps to yo yo so frequently while using lump charcoal?

Also checked my prob with ice and boiling water it's good. The dome temp was 30 degrees colder than the grate most of the time should't it be hotter then grate?

Any recommendations appreciated.

 

[MartinB]

With my first cook I tried 3 2 1 spare ribs. The end result was really good tad too long but better than my attempts last year on my kettle.

The cook went ok it was hotter then the 250 I was going for. The smoker seemed want run at 270-285 grate temp most of the time one big dive to 220 for about 45 minutes early one spike to 305 right after wrapping.

I had a full ring of Royal Oak lump. I started 1/2 chimney lump, 1 gallon hot water. I spread it over the ring Minion style with the vents 1/2 open. Within minutes the temp was 260 and rising closed two vents. Seemed settle on 255 for 15 minutes put ribs on temp dropped to 225 never recovered then dropped opened the vents again. Temp once it recovered to 240 started closing each vent a little bit and waiting. Most of time I end up with one or two vents barley open wind side vent closed whole time, lid vent full open whole time.

The weather was 40's pretty breezy. I was not bothered by the higher temps so much It seemed like I'd get a stable temp for about 30-45 minutes then I'd let spike and drop 15-20 degrees before adjusting the vents which were barley cracked. I did my best to shake and pack the lump in the ring first. I used lump the because I had have a lot on hand.

Is it normal for temps to yo yo so frequently while using lump charcoal?

Also checked my prob with ice and boiling water it's good. The dome temp was 30 degrees colder than the grate most of the time should't it be hotter then grate?

Any recommendations appreciated.

The dome temperature can be hotter or colder than the great it just depends on what you're doing and how much meat you have in there.

The good thing is at the temperature really doesn't matter that much. The more you cook, the more you find out that there's no reason to cook most things under 275 to 300. You get better bark and outside flavoring at higher temperatures. Quicker cooks too. So don't sweat the temperature being exact cuz it really doesn't matter.

I would leave the water out as well.

the vent openings and such depend a lot on how much coals you start with. there's a little bit of a learning curve for doing that and controlling it manually. You need a lot more to get 350 degrees then you do 250.

 

[MikeT1]

Thank you.

If a use lump again I will start with 3rd full chimney instead of a 1/2. More bothersome to me than the temp was the chase to keep it there. I could only make tiny adjustments because one vent was closed the other two barley cracked. temps would remain stable 45-50 minutes then I'd have to close another one it would stablize after 20 minutes then repeat 50 minutes later.

 

[RyanS_MN]

this is good to know. I was always told 225 but knew that was difficult so my first smoke i too was chasing 240-250 but it kept going 260-270ish. I'll just aim for 260 next time.

 

[Len Dennis]

Thank you.

If a use lump again I will start with 3rd full chimney instead of a 1/2. More bothersome to me than the temp was the chase to keep it there. I could only make tiny adjustments because one vent was closed the other two barley cracked. temps would remain stable 45-50 minutes then I'd have to close another one it would stablize after 20 minutes then repeat 50 minutes later.

That's a better idea BUT start with 12-15 lit ones not a third of the chimney. That way the temps will rise much more slowly giving you a bigger window to start shutting down the vents when nearing your target temps. Start closing them at about 25o below your target temp.

Add those lit ones about an hour before (ie: start your whole fire process about 1 hr 15 min you want to put your meat in).

~15 min to get those starter briqs going and ~60 min for the WSM to get up to temp . Your times may vary from this so be ready.

With too many lit, that closing "window of time" is much smaller and you'll usually overshoot. Fewer lit = bigger window.

 

[Lew Newby]

When it's "pretty breezy" that usually means you also get gusts. Sustained gust can stoke your coals and cause temp spikes. Just a thought.