Lost control of my WSM


 
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Doug Walker

TVWBB Member
I have ribs the Smoker. I am shooting for a temp of 225 at the top grate and the temps have climbed to 250-260. I have tried everthing I can think of to keep them down. I added cold water to the pan, closed all the vents, turned the door away from the wind. I attemped to close the top vent for about ten minutes and had visions of bitter ribs dancing in my head, so I opened it back up. Any ideas? So far I have been able to get it stabalized at 243 (But since I have been making this post who knows).
 
Fear not, 240-250 will be just fine, might speed up cooking time. Is this your first cook on WSM? They tend to be hot the first time. I am not sure if this is because they are new or there are some air leaks. After todays smoke go to the Cleanup, Maintenance & Storage section of this web site. Might help.
 
Steve, This is actually my second smoke. I Cooked two Butts the first one. I was able to keep the temps down for that one with no hang-ups. I have turned the lid vents away from the breeze and that helped a little. I think my door is not sealed. I'll be picking up some 3M high temp. tape after this.

The messed up part is everytime I get the temps where I want them, I need to baste the ribs on the bottom rack... ARGGGG
 
Doug,

I don't think tape will be needed. Some leakage from the door is normal, might need to be reshaped a litte. Might be wind, smaller meat load, a whole lotta variables going on here. I really think if you look at Cleanup, Maintenance & Storage on this web site you can adjust your door and what ever else might need tweaking. Remember Q'n is for fun and good food. When in doubt, open another brew and relax.... all will be well /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif . The WSM is slow to change with vent changes and once it is at stable temp it will stay there for a while with little changes needed. Don't micro manage the temp by adjusting vents too often. Takes about 30 minutes or so to see change in temp. Good Luck! Keep us posted.
 
Doug,
You mentioned closing the top vent and were afraid of bitter ribs. If you closed the bottom vents and still can't get the temp to come down you can close the top vent all the way if you need to, it won't hurt. I've done it and Kevin Taylor says he does it. I've learned to pay attention to what he says, his advice is pretty much right on target.

Bob
 
Thanks for all the advice. I had alot going on with this cook. It's all a learning excercise. Some issues I had. The Door was not sealed. Nor was it set properly. It was off center and had a gap at the bottom left corner. The Door was facing the direction that the breeze was comming from. I had to turn it. The Top Grate was also catching some of the breeze. The probe also was touching the grate at times. So my readings may have been off for a bit. I then could not get the temps up. I had to light more coals and put them in. The most important thing learned.....I am not in a competition (nor am I qualified). The ribs still came out great. I can't wait till the next smoke where I can learn a little more. And of coarse enjoy another great meal.
 
Glad things turned out well Doug. Wind is one of the biggest evils with the WSM. Even with experience it can get tricky at times. If you have the time and inclination you may want to consider building a simple wind break. There is also a 'jacket' available for the WSM that some have been using with great success. Either way I'm glad your final result was a good experience!
 
Thanks Russ. Everything turned out great. I cooked up nine 2 pound slabs of ribs and grilled about 15 good sized Chicken Breast. I should have had plenty of food with the number of people at the house. There is barely any left overs. I would say that was a success. And everybody liked the BRITU's best.Who would have thunk it..
 
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