Help with WSM Temperature Control


 
W

Walt Haase

New member
I have a 18.5 inch WSM and have a difficult time controlling temperature. I want to hold 220 - 230 degrees, but usually I run 260 - 280 degrees at the cooking grate.

I use charcoal briquettes. I start with 1 - 2 chimneys unlit, topped with 1/2 chimney lit; Minion method. There is water in the pan, cold or hot, matter not. A few chunks of wood are burried in the unlit charcoal and a couple chunks on top of the hot coals.

The top vent is always 100% open. I start with the bottom vents 100% open, and rapidly bring them to 10 - 25% open.

What can I do to lower the temperature? Start with less unlit charcoal?

Thanks, Walt
 
I think maybe not start with the bottoms 100%, rather maybe only 1 open until it gets settled then get it shut down until the temp settles as well.

Depending on what you're cooking, you may not need the top open 100% either.

If it's running hot, you need to throttle the air intake back, and maybe try less lit charcoal.

How long of a cook are you starting off with that much charcoal for?
 
Start with less lit. If your trying for 220 close your vents down to 1/4 when you hit 190-200 if the temp is still rising fast cut them down a bit more.It's easier to bring the temp up than it is to bring it down. Make small adjustments and wait 30min for them to take affect before adjusting again or you'll be chasing temperatures all day.

Once your used to it you'll know exactly where to set your vents and won't have to do much except adapt to different types of charcoal and weather conditions.

If you're having trouble keeping it below 260 you probably have some air leakage issues which is normal for a new WSB. Once you build up crud it seals itself up a bit.
 
At what temp to you start cutting back on the lower vents? Also, don't bother burying any chuncks in the coals...two to three decent sized chuncks on the edge of the charcoal ring placed on the top of the charcoal should be enough...finally if you are only putting 1-2 chimneys of unlit, then just add 10 - 15 lit and spread around on top of the charcoal.
 
I got my 18.5" in May and had the same problem on my first few cooks. I've read here to always keep the top vent open and control temp with the bottom. I was using too many hot coals, letting my temp get too close to target, and I wasn't closing the lower vents enough as the temp approached target. Now I have a soot build up, use fewer hot coals, and close the lower vents sooner. I'm starting to learn how to do this and you will too.
wsmsmile8gm.gif
 
Like Bob said earlier, start with less lit briquettes. I use 15 or so lit (looks tiny in the chimney) and can keep temps around 225 to 240 for hours on end. Vent settings as noted by Bob.

Have a great one.
 
Dont be afraid to shut one bottom vent completely and @ 190. Then the others like you said 20% opend. If she climbs fast up to 215. Shut the 2 vents 5-10% more. If it runns to hot then kill another vent. I had all 3 vents closed when my wsm was new just to hold the low temps. But keep the top opend.
 
I agree with Bob - start with less lit. I typically start with 20 lit coals. I actually count out 20 exactly and I only use whole coals...any little chunks go in the ring of unlit.
 
It really feels hit or miss to me on this one. I've got a new WSM 22.5 and have used it 2x. The first time I had 30 lit over about 1/2 full unlit. I did not wait for the temp to rise before I put 2 BIG racks of ribs on it. It took over 1 hour to get to 200 and I had trouble pushing it over 200 all day. My second smoke was about 5 lbs of chicken. I used about 3/4 chimney lit over combination of chunk and briquettes and got it up to 250 but never higher. I am considering doing ribs again this weekend and may try a whole chimney of lit over 3/4 full unlit and see where it gets me. Seems we all have different outcomes and stories.
 
Success! I smoked two 10-pound pork butts yesterday; they came out great. I started with 1 1/2 chimneys unlit charcoal and 10 lit charcoals. It was slow to come up to temperature, but once there I was able to hold and adjust quite well. The bottom vents averaged 25% open each. I had to adjust when the 95* sun was baking on it and when I added charcoal after the sun went down. Thanks for all of your advice.
Walt
 
Anything that lets excess air into the smoker will make temperature control difficult.

Another thing to do is rotate the middle section in the bottom section until the gap looks uniform all of the way around. You are matching slight out of round on the two parts to get the best seal. You can also carefully bending the aluminum door for the best fit.

I have added a bead of high temperature silicone to the bottom edge of my middle section and it seems to help seal.

DSC_1315-PP.JPG


If I am smoking on a windy day, I try to situate the smoker out of the wind or lean a piece of metal (pole barn siding) against it to reduce air infiltration.
 
I used to be hesitant to completely shut down all three of my bottom vents....alas, no more. With the Minion on a big cook (i.e., full ring of unlit topped by 20 lit), I'll open the bottoms to 100% then close completely at 180 at the grill. Seems to settle down in the 210-225 range. (I've found that even 25% or less will allow temps to approach 240-260 at the grill....too high for this buckaroo.)

What others have said re: top vent: 100% open.
 
Yup....less lit to start and start dialing it in early. It might take a little longer to come up to temp, but it's easier than trying to get the temps down.
 
Originally posted by Monty House:
I used to be hesitant to completely shut down all three of my bottom vents....alas, no more. With the Minion on a big cook (i.e., full ring of unlit topped by 20 lit), I'll open the bottoms to 100% then close completely at 180 at the grill. Seems to settle down in the 210-225 range. (I've found that even 25% or less will allow temps to approach 240-260 at the grill....too high for this buckaroo.)
Click to expand...
IMO that's a sign that more air is getting in besides form the bottom vent. Ultimately it is the control of air that controls the temperature. Starting with fewer lit coals will slow the rate of rise, but eventually enough coals will light that air will be the determining factor.

If you are happy with the control you get when all vents are closed, then you need do no more. I found that on a windy day, I would not be able to reduce temperature even with all bottom vents closed. That's why I added the extra seal pictured above. That reduced air infiltration sufficiently to return control to the bottom vents.
 
^^^AMEN.^^^What Hank said^^^is so true^^^.
icon_smile.gif


We gotta remember that these cookers are made out of sheet metal, and some are tight as a drum, while some leak like a sieve. Subsequently, vent settings and how much charcoal one needs to start a cook is gonna vary, cooker to cooker, and cook to cook, as in different conditions and amounts of meat. The universal principle though is to anticipate rising temps and make appropriate vent changes, instead of chasing temps since charcoal is relatively slow to respond to vent changes. However, applying that concept depends on how much meat you're smoking. For example, I've done big over-night cooks on my 18.5" with all vents completely open for most of the night, believe it or not. In these cooks where I'm cooking a lot of meat, the problem is when I don't let the cooker get a little OVER my target temp before putting the meat on. 30+ lbs. of pork butt or brisket will definately put a damper on things.
icon_wink.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top