Minion heat control

[Monty House]

I have a WSM 18.5. When doing a midnight brisket, I have typically used a full ring of unlit and about 20 lit to start the night. I've been having difficulty in getting my grill temp closer to my intended 220-230. A few questions (for which I've done no searching....I'm in the middle of a cook

):

1. Would a 3/4 unlit ring (vs. a full one) help lower temps?

2. Is choking it off via the top vent a reasonable short-term fix?

3. What's the best way to prevent wood flareups when refilling the water pan. My grate temp got to 330 after I left the side door open long enough to fill back up the pan--two pieces of wood erupted into flames.

 

[K Kruger]

1. No. But what temp are you hitting that you want to lower it to that?

2. Yes. But figure out the source of the problem first. If your temps are going higher than you want - and they'd need to be MUCH higher to bother with trying to get them down, imo - then the problem is what you're doing at or near the beginning of start-up, not the quantity of unlit.

3. Use much smaller pieces of wood. I cut a couple fist-sized into 5-6 pieces each, then use 5-10 pieces total.

 

[Monty House]

Kevin,

1. Over 260

2. Not sure I'll hit the nail on the head, but here are some choices I made at the get-go: a) Used 20 lit briquettes; b) filled pan with very hot tap water; c) let grate temp hit 230, then closed two windward (though, not windy last night) vents and cracked leeward vent no more than 25%.

3. Makes sense. Buying hatchet.

PS I also bought a 12" clay saucer today at HD (while also filling up on KB @ $7.97/40#). I'm looking forward to trying this heat stabilization approach.

 

[K Kruger]

1 Where are you located? 260 is fine, btw. Me, I only do low/slow butts. Briskets and ribs I do well over 300. But when I used to low/slow everything, I found the easiest thing to do was just to target general low/slow temps - 240, 250 260, 265 qualify in my book - and not to worry about some specific number.

Is brisket or butt somehow better cooked at 230 rather than 240 or 250? Not to me. Further, most cookers, depending on ambient conditions, tend to simply settle somewhere. As long as you're in range there is no need to chase some particular temp (and make yourself crazy).

2. Lit amount is fine unless you are in hot temps and direct sun. for that, use fewer. If you are targeting 230 (or whatever you target), start closing vents 35-50? shy of your target. Imo, it is better to close all vents and equal amount (say to 1/3 open). If wind is or might be an issue simply set up a windblock. (Worth doing anyway.) Temp rise should start slowing in 10 min or so, and the full effect of the vent closing should be realized in 20-30. If you watch it, you'll learn over a few cooks how to sense where the cooker is likely to land, temp-wise, based on the way the slowing rate-of-rise occurs.

3. Yeah, I am not a fan of 'fist-sized' chunks. Hatcheting smaller, I use much less wood than most cooks that don't - and the small size means flare-ups, if any, do not amount to much.

Personally, I prefer water as it is a more effective heat sink, imo. But try the saucer and see what you think. Many prefer it.