Help! 5am temperature spike!


 
C

Cesar

TVWBB Fan
I was doing my first all nighter and everything was going great. finally started the 20 pieces of charcoal and put them on the unlit ones at around 12:20. by 12:45 I was able to put the meat on. after about an hour temperature stayed steady at around 230. Well I put 4 chunks of wood on top and had buried 2 small pieces. Well at 5a.m. my thermometer started beeping because the temperature was over 250. So i ran out and closed all vents. Only had 1 vent barely open and another about 1/4 open. But the tempurature keeped on climbing and FAST.

I had already filled up the water pan about 2 hours before so it wasnt empty but I filled it up with cold water hoping it would go down. Nothing. It would climb 20* in about a minute. So Im getting worried so started to lift the top to let some heat escape. still nothing. would climb up to 270 before I would lift it up again. So now I'm taking out charcoals. Took about 20-30 out. Still climbing. It got to the point to where it was 260 with the lid off. Wouldn't get lower then about 250-255 with the lid off. Finally decided to close all vents even the top one and try and suffocate the charcoals. Well it climbed to 187 and stayed steady and FINALLY started dropping. Its dropping slowly but at least its dropping.

Anyone know why this would happen? Could it have been the small wood chunks I buried?

Thanks for your help.
 
Guess I should have read this earlier.

temperature control
"Some Temperature Spikes Are Normal
The breakdown of charcoal briquettes can play a part in sudden temperature spikes. As ash builds up and then falls away from the briquettes, new material for combustion is exposed and the temperature rises, sometimes rapidly. Also, smoke wood chunks may catch fire when the cooker is opened, due to the introduction of air into the cooker. These are normal conditions that cannot be controlled, but such spikes will usually subside within 15-30 minutes."
 
Yes. Patience is a key (and a virtue!) with barbecue. 'Spikes' are rarely a big deal as any meat can easily handle temps rising--even to 325, though that is rare. They settle soon enough.

Removing the lid raises the potential for the temps to climb higher. Though you see an immediate drop when the lid is replaced (because you have, in fact, let out the heat), you've just offered the fuel near perfect airflow for the time the lid was off and this can fan the flames, so to speak.

In the future, set your alarm higher so you won't be bothered by an errant alarm. I cook butts, e.g., at ~275 grate temp. I set the alarm for 325.

Yes, it could have been the small chunks, especially if they were particularly dry.
 
I get a little sad when I see a new owner go through what you just did. Freaking out at 5am is no way to enjoy BBQ. Remember, this is a laid back hobby. As Kevin indicated, you never hit a temp that you should have even been worried about. And as others have said, your working the situation just added more air to the fire and made things worse. I can't even imagine what it must be like to pull hot coals out of the pit. Hell, I don't even like to refuel (put new coals in) let alone take any lit ones out.

Next time calm down. Do two things. 1) Check your water (like you did). 2) Close the vents. You really didn't have a problem that closing your bottom vents about half the way more than they already were wouldn't have fixed. And then wait 15 to 30 min. and see what happens. In a bad case, close all the bottom vents. In a worst case, close the top vent for a short time until the temp comes down. By six o'clock, you'd have been back to sleep. One of the hardest things is to not peak (either the lid or the access door). It only fans the flame.
 
Ahh, Jerry, remember the good old days of being a new member?
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bruce Bissonnette:
Ahh, Jerry, remember the good old days of being a new member?
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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Nope - I read this board so much before I actually did a cook, I've never really had any problems. (thank you all) The biggest problem I had is that my wsm would tend to not be stable. Now it's rock steady, but in the early days, it use to either be increasing in temp or decreasing. That was a PITA, but it just meant I didn't get much sleep. I never pulled coals out of the pit. I've shut the top vent a couple of times, but that's about it. Probably the most frustrating thing was getting my ET-73 to work.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jerry N.:
Nope - I read this board so much before I actually did a cook, I've never really had any problems. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What sucks the most is I felt so confident I had read all the tips and what to do and what not to do. When I read that "again" this morning I felt dumb. I think I read all the tips before I had even received my wsm. But so far so good. Have the brisket wrapped in foil in a cooler and just waiting for the guests to arrive. I sure did smell good when I took it off. Looking forward to cutting it.

We have hotdogs just in case
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Thanks again everyone, Lessoned Learned.
 
Cesar,

"Let us know how it went, how did it slice, taste ,your guests feedback, etc". Did you end up making your own sauce or did you pick up a store bought?
 
sorry if this doesn't look right using my phone to post... internet went down yesterday and hasn't come up( damn cable company) anyhow I didn't get a chance to make sauce. I was going to try the no. 5 sauce some one posted but needed the drippings. when I unwrapped the brisket and started cutting it people started eating it. I didn't even remembee to take out the kfc original bbq sauce till half of the guests had already eaten. but it was great. I can post a pic of the leftovers tomorrow when I get to work. it wasn't as tender as I had hoped but it was still good. am really glad I didn't need to fire up that grill for hotdogs. : )
 
For what it's worth, I remain convinced that the leaky side doors on these units cause the temp spikes. Ever since I taped mine up, the vents seem to control the temps just fine.

The door seems superfluous anyway; you probably don't need to add charcoal or wood more than once every 8-12 hours. It only tempts folks to check a fire that doesn't need checking (and I have the burnt BBQ to prove it!).
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mike A.:
The door seems superfluous anyway;... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The side door is essential for sliding in/out fatties and other treats that are cooking on the bottom grate
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pete Z:
The side door is essential for sliding in/out fatties and other treats that are cooking on the bottom grate
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That's a great idea. I never thought about taking meat out of there. I really like treats. We call them scooby snacks.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cesar:

What sucks the most is I felt so confident I had read all the tips and what to do and what not to do. When I read that "again" this morning I felt dumb. I think I read all the tips before I had even received my wsm.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Don't worry about it. I kinda laughed when I read your post but not at you but at the memories of my first cooks. I had done many multi course meals for large numbers of friends before but on my first couple of smokes I remember actually sweating over getting the rub ingredients just so.

Now I laugh at myself for getting that worked up over it. Relax, enjoy, suck down a beer or dozen and everything will be OK. I still learn from each smoke and all that goes into my next one.

For the record, I don't get nervous measuring out rub mixes any longer.
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Cheers!
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Very good story here. I remember panicking over the smallest of things in the beginning and now realize that was not necessary.

With each cook we all get better and help each other really well. And yes my main goal is now to have fun and enjoy relaxing and cooking and I feel pretty confident that my meats will turn out OK. Although I do get somewhat nervous cooking something new I haven't done before. A few months ago I done the meatloaf from here and caught myself watching temps, etc. more closely and finally did go sit down and relax and the meatloaf turned out great.

Randy
 
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