How easy is it to hold a consistent temp?


 
J

Jogan Thomas

TVWBB Member
Evening,

I have just bought my WSM and have been doing a lot of reading since.

Most of the videos on youtube state it is really easy to maintain a steady a steady temp overnight, however from reading on here and other places it seems like it isn't so easy? and will hold for 4/5 hours?

Can anyone share their experiences?
 
Depends,, on how well your WSM is seasoned, what brand or type of charcoal your using and what your target temp is.
Welcome to the board and keep reading, studying. I did my homework and found my own way.:)
Tim
 
Welcome to the forum Jogan
Up here in the mountains of Arizona. the thin air and the almost constant swirling winds made a overnight cook impossible and daytime cooks a real challenge. My 18.5 WSM was a horror story constantly chasing temps. When it was still or very light winds it was great but that was so seldom I ended up selling it.
With that said I think the folks that have more stable environments they seem to not have to many problems holding temps.
 
timothy said:
Depends,, on how well your WSM is seasoned, what brand or type of charcoal your using and what your target temp is.
Welcome to the board and keep reading, studying. I did my homework and found my own way.:)
Tim
Click to expand...
It is brand new, however I have sealed the door today.

I have an area in the garden that can reduce wind significantly, using weber briquettes and target temp 225
 
Jogan Thomas said:
It is brand new, however I have sealed the door today.

I have an area in the garden that can reduce wind significantly, using weber briquettes and target temp 225
Click to expand...

Weber briqs are great, good stuff!
Don't get hung up trying to keep it at 225. Its new and should run hotter, so let it find it's sweet spot.
The more you use it the easier temps will dial in.

Tim
 
Agree with the prior advice. It takes time to dance with your new wsm partner and adjust air dampers a little at a time and monitor how your temp gauge responds.
 
What Tim said. Remember to make small adjustments with the vents and allow time for the changes to happen.
 
As Tim said, when first getting started don't get too fixated on certain temperatures, just let it find where it's going to go and then adjust and cook in a range from that point. I tend to look for trends rather than specific temperatures. Temp has been rising or falling within a range for the past 10-15 minutes then make adjustments accordingly. Don't sweat a heat spike or dip every once in a while especially on the long cooks, most things will be come out just fine despite these.

At the end of the day, make sure you keep it fun for you. For some, the fun starts to die off if you make it work by focusing on a specific temperature. Others enjoy the data logging, science, and challenge of maintaining a specific temperature. Others still prefer just letting an ATC do the work for them. Find what makes you enjoy the cook and run with it.
 
As long as you can keep the temp above 175 and below 275 for the first part of the cook, don't sweat it. That's pretty easy to do -- especially with a water pan that makes high temperatures close to impossible to attain. You are mostly just trying to knock out the first couple hundred miles on a long car drive.

So just let the WSM run while you get some sleep. Leave all the spritzing, wrapping, temp tinkering for the next day.

All I need to do that is a remote temp probe. So I can roll over at 3:30 am and see that the cooker hasn't gone out or burst into flames. If you want finer control than that (which I'm fine without) get an ATC.
 
Comes with much patience, experience, reading and contributing positive posts on this Forum. Also, I have several books that have helped me in getting some positive smoking results from my WSM "Classic" that I bought new in the year 2008. Also, can't count the amount of Posts on this Forum that have really helped me in using my WSM and Weber Grills which in the "early" years transforming my smoking/grilling experiences from a "Lot-Of-Work Feeling" to pure relaxation enjoyment.



Now, to be more specific to your question; as stated in some of the above posts, the more you use your WSM it will become more seasoned and as you are aware the WSM has three(3) bottom Daisy Wheels and one on the lid in which there are a many, many posts on this Forum on how one manipulates these "wheels" in order to control the temperature, i.e., begin bottom vents 1/2 open and top vent wide-open, begin with less charcoal, buy a BBQ Guru Blower, etc. Then there are other posts citing possible structure problems that a WSM may encounter as the years past by, i.e., out-of-round, lid not fitting right, etc.
 
Last edited:
Yes, my WSM 14 has taken time learning, but it holds temps with Weber Briquettes for over 10 hours with very little fusing. I started with a Brinkmann smoker and the WSM is over the moon easier to control and maintain temps. Take the advice of others don't freak out about temps like others have shared anything between 225 to 290 no worries. I would start out with water in the water pan and try to keep it low but with it being new if it wants to run a little higher let it. Have fun and good luck.
 
Anything between 240-280 is all the same.
No reason to stress

that said, with the heater meter keeping the temperature within one degree or even half a degree for hours at a time is not unusual. And plus or minus 5 degrees over a 12-hour cook is pretty normal. It's not necessary though. It can help you be consistent with cook times. (in an ideal world that is in reality every piece of meat is different) And it gives you the confidence to sleep all night knowing that your brisket pork butt is in good hands. Maybe waking you up when it's time to wrap it.
 
Michael Richards said:
Yes, my WSM 14 has taken time learning, but it holds temps with Weber Briquettes for over 10 hours with very little fusing. I started with a Brinkmann smoker and the WSM is over the moon easier to control and maintain temps. Take the advice of others don't freak out about temps like others have shared anything between 225 to 290 no worries. I would start out with water in the water pan and try to keep it low but with it being new if it wants to run a little higher let it. Have fun and good luck.
Click to expand...

Very little fussing?

I have no problem holding a temp, but unfortunately it is way north of 300F. Once the WSM gets rolling it max's out and there is nothing I can do get the temps back down. Last night it climbed to 350-plus withing twenty minutes of firing up even though I cranked the vents down as I approached 200F. It just keeps going. I went for over six hours last night and never got below 300F, even with all the vents closed in 'choke mode'.

Frustrating and discouraging would both be major understatements.
 
Michael, you may be dealing with an out of round middle section or a door that's out of shape. Do you notice an excessive amount of smoke coming from anywhere
 
Lee.. I don't see excess smoke coming from anywhere once things settle in. the door does look to be able to benefit from a gasket. That all said, you're correct that it is slightly out of round. It's obvious when I place the middle section on the charcoal bowl.

Tell me more please. How does this impact performance? And, what can I do to remedy it? If I try to tweak the middle section am I at risk of cracking the ceramic?
 
Checked my WSM and see there is quite a bit of smoke coming from where the cord for the thermometer sits between the top and middle section. A fair bit from around the door. Nothing from the union of middle to lower section.

Assuming these leaks would work in the same manner as opening a vent.. more air in, more heat generated..
 
Yup
There's no way of fire will burn without fuel and for charcoal oxygen is the fuel.
You got some massive leaks going on to not be able to get under 300

And just a poor fitting lid will do this also.
lighting a lot of coals can get temo up there and make it draft stronger so that it is harder to get down than lighting less coals
 
MichaelM said:
Checked my WSM and see there is quite a bit of smoke coming from where the cord for the thermometer sits between the top and middle section. A fair bit from around the door. Nothing from the union of middle to lower section.

Assuming these leaks would work in the same manner as opening a vent.. more air in, more heat generated..
Click to expand...

You are correct, in that it's like opening a vent allows more air in. You generally will not see that air.
 
So first cook on the WSM today, it has been on since 12.30pm and still holding temp at 10.10pm, there has been small fluctuations but it really is a amazing bit of kit.

Cooked a 1.5kg lump of rib eye at 225 for 1.30 mins and seared on the master touch, was unbelievable
 
Michael,
I just posted
Jogan Thomas said:
So first cook on the WSM today, it has been on since 12.30pm and still holding temp at 10.10pm, there has been small fluctuations but it really is a amazing bit of kit.

Cooked a 1.5kg lump of rib eye at 225 for 1.30 mins and seared on the master touch, was unbelievable
Click to expand...
Joan,
Was the beef the only cook today and now you are just letting the WSM run to see how she processed? I did that with my first attempt at ribs. Or do you have some other meats on it now?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top