I've had my 18" wsm going on 6 years now. I had great success cooking butts and brisket, but lately, in the last 2 years or so, I'm struggling to get it up to temp. I use to have no problem running up to 250 degrees, and would often close the bottom vents 50% to control the heat. My charcoal would burn steady for 12-14 hours. I began struggling about 2 years ago, and decided Kingsford (Blue bag) had changed something in their charcoal, and that was the source of my problems. I've tried every charcoal I can get my hands on in lump and briquette. What I've discovered, is I like the flavor of lump better, but I still am struggling with the low temp issue. Yesterday I started a 2 butt cook at 6:00 pm. My wsm was running at 200 - 210 degrees. I figured as the cold meat warmed up, the smoker temp would rise. I checked it off and on till 11:00 pm, and the temp never went above 210. At 11:00 I lifted the top of the smoker off, and stoked the charcoal, giving it a big shot of air to fire up, and knowing the ash off. I had the top off for about 2-3 minutes, and I could see the charcoal get hotter. I put the top back on, and watched the temp till 1:00 am. It was still around 210. I went to bed. I woke up ay 6:00 am, and check on it. 150 degrees! Butts were at 120 degrees. There was still large pieces of lump charcoal in the cooker, either not burning or barely burning. My fuel for this cook was a mixture of Wicked good lump and briquette. When I use this same mixture on my kettle grill, it will yield temps well above 500 degrees. I have logged temperature and wind speed trying to figure out if it's weather related, and I can't make any connections. I'm to the point of giving up and buying a stoker. I haven't hardly BBQ'd anything in the last 6 months just because it's such a struggle. Can someone point me in the right direction and get my temps back up???
Low temperature problems on 18" WSM
- Thread starter Justin P.
- Start date
timothy
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
How's the thermo have you checked it lately?
Are you using water in the pan?
6 yrs your WSM is really seasoned and gunked up, maybe too well? I remember Bryan S sayin that his WSM was super air tite and he used an ATC to get higher temps.
If you are using the water try an empty foiled pan and see if that makes a diff.
Tim
Are you using water in the pan?
6 yrs your WSM is really seasoned and gunked up, maybe too well? I remember Bryan S sayin that his WSM was super air tite and he used an ATC to get higher temps.
If you are using the water try an empty foiled pan and see if that makes a diff.
Tim
Justin, what method are you using at startup? Are you packing the charcoal ring full with unlit and 15-35 lit on top ala the minion method or are you just dumping a chimney or two of lit onto the charcoal grate and assembling.
Something in your process is off.
I start every cook the same way. Full charcoal ring of Kingsford with about 10-15 lit on top if I'm aiming for 250-275 or 30-35 lit if I want to cook high heat. All vents wide open including the lid vent which is always 100% open. When I get within 25 degrees of my target temp, I shut down all lower vents to about 10% and let the cooker coast up to temp. Works every time.
Something in your process is off.
I start every cook the same way. Full charcoal ring of Kingsford with about 10-15 lit on top if I'm aiming for 250-275 or 30-35 lit if I want to cook high heat. All vents wide open including the lid vent which is always 100% open. When I get within 25 degrees of my target temp, I shut down all lower vents to about 10% and let the cooker coast up to temp. Works every time.
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
Justin, so you've been cooking on the bullet for several years now, but only in the last couple you've had problems keeping your fire going? Well, something's changed, so just figure out what it is. Right?
For instance, since you mentioned changing from Kbb, anything changed in how you store your charcoal?
All the charcoal/lump outside in my Performer bin is for grilling or lighting in the chimneys. Besides my Kbb stockpile in the shed for grilling and lighting, all my K Comp that I've been using for long wsm smokes is in the house.
No other ideas, here. I trust you've made sure your vents are clean/unobstructed that 50% is actually that and not much less.
Good luck with it. I'm sure someone will post that has a much better understanding of fire/temp control than both of us that'll be able to help you out. I say baloney, and I'll probably have an ATC one day. Murphy's law has a way of happening on overnight cooks. We probably will have another tropical depression during our annual Labor Day reunion bbq and briquettes will continue to make it past QC that shouldn't have. Guess you could reimburse yourself for the cost over time by using up leftover lump?
For instance, since you mentioned changing from Kbb, anything changed in how you store your charcoal?
All the charcoal/lump outside in my Performer bin is for grilling or lighting in the chimneys. Besides my Kbb stockpile in the shed for grilling and lighting, all my K Comp that I've been using for long wsm smokes is in the house.
No other ideas, here. I trust you've made sure your vents are clean/unobstructed that 50% is actually that and not much less.
Good luck with it. I'm sure someone will post that has a much better understanding of fire/temp control than both of us that'll be able to help you out. I say baloney, and I'll probably have an ATC one day. Murphy's law has a way of happening on overnight cooks. We probably will have another tropical depression during our annual Labor Day reunion bbq and briquettes will continue to make it past QC that shouldn't have. Guess you could reimburse yourself for the cost over time by using up leftover lump?
Vincent Carrocci
TVWBB Super Fan
Justin, in addition to a few of the other questions asked here, I would like to add this one: "What is the position of your lid damper?"
If you are running it in anything but the wide open position, you could be choking the cooker down and not allowing it to properly draw air in through the lower dampers. (I am making the assumption that you are not using a forced draft system like a Stoker since you didn't mention one in your post.)
Also, I like that you are running a mix of both lump and briquettes as that should go a long way to eliminate the uneven kind of burn patterns you can get using straight lump due to the random size of the charcoal itself.
Attaining and sustaining 250°F in a WSM should be easy so I agree that something in the mix is out of whack. Have you tried doing a test burn on straight briquettes? In fact, doing a test burn and then altering things like the water pan contents, (i.e., water in, dry, clay pot, foil balls, etc.), during the test might point you in the right direction.
Good luck finding your solution!
If you are running it in anything but the wide open position, you could be choking the cooker down and not allowing it to properly draw air in through the lower dampers. (I am making the assumption that you are not using a forced draft system like a Stoker since you didn't mention one in your post.)
Also, I like that you are running a mix of both lump and briquettes as that should go a long way to eliminate the uneven kind of burn patterns you can get using straight lump due to the random size of the charcoal itself.
Attaining and sustaining 250°F in a WSM should be easy so I agree that something in the mix is out of whack. Have you tried doing a test burn on straight briquettes? In fact, doing a test burn and then altering things like the water pan contents, (i.e., water in, dry, clay pot, foil balls, etc.), during the test might point you in the right direction.
Good luck finding your solution!
First question, since it was not clear to me:
How are you measuring your temperature?
Second troubleshooting question: What happens if you do a cook with every vent (top 1 and bottom 3) wide open, and a full chimney of lit fuel placed on top of a filled charcoal ring?
If the answer to question one is an accurate measuring technique, the answer to question two should be a DARN HOT FIRE.
How are you measuring your temperature?
Second troubleshooting question: What happens if you do a cook with every vent (top 1 and bottom 3) wide open, and a full chimney of lit fuel placed on top of a filled charcoal ring?
If the answer to question one is an accurate measuring technique, the answer to question two should be a DARN HOT FIRE.
Vincent Carrocci
TVWBB Super Fan
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gerd Hilkemeyer:
First question...
Second question... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
You forgot the third question:
"What does the interior of the center section smell like?"
(Heh, heh, heh...)
First question...
Second question... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
You forgot the third question:
"What does the interior of the center section smell like?"
(Heh, heh, heh...)
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
Justin, someone already raised this, and it's a good question. Have you been measuring temp the same way, and have you checked your therms accuracy lately?
One other thing that came to mind is regarding the meat amount that you cook. I've noticed that cooking two grates worth of meat with a dry pan will get me about the same temps as only cooking meat on the top grate, but with water in the pan. Stands to reason since meat, which is mostly water, on the bottom rack of the cooker is a heat sink for top rack meat.
One other thing that came to mind is regarding the meat amount that you cook. I've noticed that cooking two grates worth of meat with a dry pan will get me about the same temps as only cooking meat on the top grate, but with water in the pan. Stands to reason since meat, which is mostly water, on the bottom rack of the cooker is a heat sink for top rack meat.
This may too obvious of a solution, but I struggled with it for a while. I have the 18.5" and discovered that I was putting too much meat in the smoker, which constricts the airflow. I usually try to smoke as much as possible when firing up the WSM.
The solution for me was to start with top lid cracked until the temps reached around just over 250ish, then it will settle between 225 and 250. Just something else to consider.
The solution for me was to start with top lid cracked until the temps reached around just over 250ish, then it will settle between 225 and 250. Just something else to consider.
Sheldon Koehler
TVWBB Super Fan
WOW. I thought it was just me. I posted a new thread a few minutes ago and then found this one. I am having the exact same issue, but I have changed nothing. My opinion is Kingsford changed their Blue as that is what I use. The Comp burns too fast for me as I like 12 hours at about 230-245. Things start out good for the first 6 hours or so, then I have to start opening up the bottom vents. By 8 hours they are wide open and the temp is still dropping.
Sheldon Koehler
TVWBB Super Fan
I use a Maverick ET-732 in combination with the one on the WSM lid. I also have a Thermapen to make sure the meat is where I want it.
Matt Falk
TVWBB Member
Hmm. I've been having low temp issues too. Nothing's really changed except that I buy charcoal as I need it instead of being stocked up like some members. I'm going to try Stubbs or Royal Oak and see if it makes any difference. Maybe Kingsford really did change their formula...