Hot spots?

[Guest]

I've read many people talk of hot spots. Turn the meat, flip it over, end for end, etc.
As the WSM is such a compact essentially air tight cooker, how does it develop hot spots? It's so compact. If you had raging coals one one side and nothing on the other, I might understand. But with an even bed of coals?
I don't get it.

 

[Howard Barlow]

Bob,

I hear that as well, but that is in offsets mostly. I never touch the meat in my wsm until it is ready to pull.

Having said that...the two racks will have a different temp. The upper will be hotter even though the bottom rack is closer to the fire. Heat rises. Plus, the pan acts as a buffer to the bottom rack.

The upper area in the dome will be hotter than the top rack by a good bit.

Last night I was playing with my offset, a small Brinkman. I had a 10-15? difference from left to right, about 50? difference between the rack and 10" above it near the lid where I am thinking about putting a second rack.

All in all, I don't think there is a need to flip, flop, turn, or spritz anything in a wsm. At least that's my experience.

 

[Jim Minion]

If you flip end for end and up side down, if there were any difference in temps it will even them out. You also get hot air moving from the bottom up and it helps even that condition out.
Jim