HELP !!! WSM Not Coming to Temp Right Now ???


 
J

James Harvey

TVWBB Pro
Hi All,

My WSM won't get past 205 on the lid gauge. I have 4 big racks of baby backs (2 top, 2 bottom)cooking with the following:

Using lump, full ring with 6 chunks of wood (4 embedded, 2 on top)
Minion method, 3/4 chimney to start (20 mins maybe)
Half pan with cold water to start
Bottom vents 100% open, top vent 100% open
Outside temp is around 60F, sunny and very little wind
Good smoke and aroma happening


This is my 2nd cook with the WSM and I've never seen it get past 220. I intentionally filled the ring and made sure the chimney was not overheated (but definitely VERY hot) to try and get a better temp on this cook. I'm stuck at 205 lid temp 2 hrs in, never higher. I can't figure out why I can't get more heat. Any HELP would be great.

Thanks,

James
 
Sounds like you've got everything good there, James, although, I believe the water isn't needed. Butt that's ok.
Be a little patient and it'll rise.
You want those bbs to slow cook anyway.
Go pop a brewtop
icon_biggrin.gif
 
Start with hot water. (You're heating the water; if you start with cold you're have to overcome that.) Get the start-up coals well-lit. When you dump the lit, assemble the cooker and load the meat in right away.

If you are using a 22" cooker, see what the temp at the vent says.

(Personally, I prefer cooking backs at 325-350.)
 
Thanks Jim, Kevin,

Brewtop has been popped. Still hanging in at 205 with good smoke and great smell. I figure, if it's hot enough to keep the wood smoking it's hot enough to cook the meat. I'm just going to let them go.......

Kevin - I have an 18" and I get the hot water but I figured, after 2+ hours the water would be a non issue. My hot coals were actually stacked so high that they hit the bottom of the pan when I started so I had to spread them some more.

James
 
How much wind do you have today James? In Monkton, it is a strong South wind today. If your cooker is in that, it will suck the heat right out of it, block the wind somehow may help.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by James Harvey:
My hot coals were actually stacked so high that they hit the bottom of the pan when I started so I had to spread them some more.

James </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

How long were you planning on cooking the ribs? What brand of lump are you using? How well packed was the ring? If the ring is really tightly packed maybe not enough airflow is getting through.

Normally I cook baby backs about 4-4.5 hours cooking at 240 lid. Two chimney's is usually plenty of fuel for that length of time. I've been using Royal Oak lump which seems to burn pretty hot (and fast). I usually have the opposite of your issue.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">after 2+ hours the water would be a non issue. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
The issue is how and what the lit needs to do at start-up.
 
Have you checked out the dome temp gauge? Check with another one.Something is wrong when you never seen it get past 220°
 
I would agree that you may be having some wind issues........if you're following the minion method to a tee with all vents wide open, you should easily climb to 300+. It sounds like you are if you're using a full ring of unlit and 3/4 chimney full of lit.

I usually let it climb to 225-250 and close the bottom vents to less than 10% open.......and it stays there all day.
 
I re-read your original post.........sounds like no wind.

I would check the accuracy of your lid thermometer..........it should definitely climb over 250 easily using the method you describe. You should definitely have to shut your bottom vents down to prevent it from climbing higher imho.
 
Start with lots of fully lit coals. It can take a very long time for the a small, not fully lit fire to expand. I have put in 10 "semi-ashed" coals, and had to wait almost 4 hours before the temp got up to 325 where I wanted it. Now I start with like 20 fully lit coals.

Lump is a whole different story. With just 3-4 large pieces you can have yourself a big fire very quickly.
 
Sorry All. Was away for a while. To answer a few questions:

1) I was using Royal Oak lump. Full ring, 3/4 chimney very hot but not burnt out
2) Temp rose to 250 on the lid gauge after almost 3 hours and stayed there
3) Temp also rose quickly after I opened the lid to check at the 4hr mark but quickly settled back to 250
3) After cooking the ribs for almost 6 hrs (probably 1 hr too long but I was worried about the 205 and they were very big and meaty)there was still probably 1/3 of a ring unlit
4) Very little wind all the way through

Ribs were a little overdone (top white meat a little dry and rib meat falling from the bone instead of separating nicely when bit) but had a great ring and smoky flavour. I didn't spray them at all and only sauced them before letting them sit in foil for 30 minutes to settle. I think 1 less hour on the WSM and a few sprays with apple juice would have made them perfect regardless of the (potentially) low temp. Next smoke I'm going to check the grate temp vs. the lid temp just to know where I am.

Next up - BEEF RIBS (in caps because it's a 3 bone roast and huge) !

James
 
If you're starting with cold water I'd go with a full chimney. You'll get up to temp a lot faster. And there's not that much charcoal in a chimney of RO lump (it's pretty light stuff).

I wouldn't worry too much about looking at the temps and guessing it'll be a long cook - ribs can surprise you, and the lid temp gauge is good enough to know you're in a reasonable cooking range but I wouldn't be making timing decisions based on it. Just start checking the earliest you think they could be done, and if they seem close check again in a half hour, and if not check again in an hour.
 
James, are you using a Weber chimney, or a grill pro from Crappy tire? The Weber are much larger than any of the other brands more commonly available in Ontario.
 
Been using my WSM 22 for a few months and I will say... getting hotter than 220deg was difficult. Not sure if yours is a new model or not, but dang, it has been hard, and I am not sure if something is different in the new models.

Now what I do, is I crack the lid. about an inch or less on 1 side. Leave this for 15 minutes or so, after adding the chimney of lit, and then things really get going.

You can close the lid and then leave it wide open once it reaches temp. Rarely do I shut down my vents now at all.

At first I thought it was environment that was causing the problems, but it happened over and over again. Finally I got a Second therm to confirm temps and they all agreed. A little bit of extra oxygen was all mine needed.

Hope this helps.
 
Dave - I use a Weber chimney. As an aside, the aluminum look is great but after 3 uses it has a burnt look on the outside that I like to think is a badge of use (realizing that most here have done hundreds more cooks).

Dan - I'm on the same page. I have the 2009 model and it seems that more air can bring the WSM up to temp quickly. My question is that many on here can get the temp up right away using the Minion method with a stocker so why does it take me longer? Next cook I'll use hot water in the pan and see how it goes. One step at a time.

I used to race muscle cars and learned early that tuning makes perfect. That's what makes every new cook so interesting. I'll play with fuel, air and time until all is good.

As we all know, like pizza, even a bad BBQ is pretty good.

Beef Ribs (full shorts) this weekend.

James
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by James Harvey:
My question is that many on here can get the temp up right away using the Minion method with a stocker so why does it take me longer?
James </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

20 minutes tops on my 22 WSM. 1/2 a chimney for 240 temps,full chimney for 350. Use lump for both temps.
 
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