Newbie question


 
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Dean V

TVWBB Pro
Ok, I got a new 22.5 WSM Saturday and through a 17 pound packer brisket on it for a overnight cook, my first ever. It went well and there are pictures and details posted in the photo gallery titled "pray for me". I used the tin can minion method for the charcoal and I had to close all of the bottom vents completely and the top vent was closed half way to maintain 250 degrees or so. The temp was in the 40's and it was windy.

Now its my understanding that you want the top vent fully open throughout for airflow over the meat but this was not possible while maintaining the temperature. Is this normal? Or will it run that much cooler after "tightening up" after a few cooks?

2nd question - I went through 20+ pounds of charcoal - normal?

Thanks, Dean
 
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Not sure if I'm doing it right or wrong, but I have never ran my cooks with the top vent wide open. I let my WSM get to temp then I start shutting vents down to maintain the temp. Congrats on the new WSM.
 
yeah , I hear lots of people say they will part close the top vent to control temp and ive done it too. cant see it being "wrong"....as for the charcoal consumption , it doesn't sound like a freakish amount of fuel for an overnighter in a big butt smoker....how many hours was it actually ?
 
Frank H said:
yeah , I hear lots of people say they will part close the top vent to control temp and ive done it too. cant see it being "wrong"....as for the charcoal consumption , it doesn't sound like a freakish amount of fuel for an overnighter in a big butt smoker....how many hours was it actually ?
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Thanks Frank. It was chugging along for 15 hours.
 
James Lake said:
Not sure if I'm doing it right or wrong, but I have never ran my cooks with the top vent wide open. I let my WSM get to temp then I start shutting vents down to maintain the temp. Congrats on the new WSM.
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Yeah, this is what I think as well.
 
Partially closing the top vent is just another way of controlling air flow, which in turn, controls the temp. However, the top vent stays wide open until after I have a clean burning fire.
What kind of charcoal? I normally use RO lump and use in the range of 10-12 pounds for that long of a cook.
 
Greg Powers said:
Partially closing the top vent is just another way of controlling air flow, which in turn, controls the temp. However, the top vent stays wide open until after I have a clean burning fire.
What kind of charcoal? I normally use RO lump and use in the range of 10-12 pounds for that long of a cook.
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It was kingsford original. Now you say that you leave the top vent wide open until you have a clean burning fire so if that results in temps way too high do you then wait for temps to come down before putting the food on after adjusting the top vent? Seems like this could be a considerable amount of time from when you get your fuel going until the food is added.
 
20 lbs in 15 hr seems about right for 250-275*. That is what I go through. As far as vents I leave my top vent wide open all the time. My thought is it helps pull draft as well as keep my smoke cleaner. I feel if my vent is not wide open the wood smoldering is possibly leaving deposits on my meat. I control and my temp from intakes.

I am now using a Guru so temp is less than an issue though.

I over shoot my desired temp by 25* then open lid to put meat on so I dont tank my temp....I use to put my meat right on but again the thought for me was while fire is getting going and wood starts burning no very clean smoke so dont want my food in it.
 
Dean V said:
It was kingsford original. Now you say that you leave the top vent wide open until you have a clean burning fire so if that results in temps way too high do you then wait for temps to come down before putting the food on after adjusting the top vent? Seems like this could be a considerable amount of time from when you get your fuel going until the food is added.
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I still close down bottom vents to keep from getting too much of an over shoot.
Much like stick burners will put logs on top of their firebox to pre-heat them, I think 'cold' charcoal puts off more smoke than 'warm' charcoal. After about 45 minutes or so, the unlit charcoal has warmed enough that it catches without putting off much smoke and I have almost nothing more than a heat signature coming from the top vent. That's when I feel comfortable closing it part way if needed. This is what works for me, it may or may not work for you. That's one of the joys of barbecue, there are lots of ways to do something.
As a side note, I do not like a heavy smoke flavor and that is part of why I do things this way.

EDIT: On the smoke I did yesterday I wasn't paying as close attention as I should have been and the WSM was at 325° when I put the meat on. I just closed down the lower vents some and let it ride. In short order it was back to 250°. I never closed the top vent on that cook, so it's just depending on how things are going if the top vent is open or partly closed.
 
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I always keep the top vent on my WSM wide open because (1) I read somewhere to do that and (2) I don't need to use it to keep my temps in the range I want.

Now when I want to go low and slow on my kettle, sometimes it is necessary to close the top vent some to keep temps down. I resisted until I saw my neighbor does it all the time on his kettles, and his stuff comes out great.
 
I tried to reply to your pm but it said your not allowed to receive any messages yet. Tried to post on your profile messages and can't do that either. You may want to ask Chris A about this or I think your post count needs to get higher???

Here you go.....
Good morning Dean,
The shrimp is ready when it turns pink. About 30-40 min.

Chicken marinade is not perfect but I'm working on it. It's very good in my opinon.

Juice of 5 oranges
Juice of 2 limes
1tbs of onion,garlic,coriander,cumin,lemon pepper,salt,

1tsp of cayenne powder.

2 tbs of oregano...smash with your fingers to make it into a powder

I marinaded for 3 hours but in the last hour 1 put 1/2 beer of corona.

The other half you drink.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Have a great New Year's Eve.
 
Tony R said:
I tried to reply to your pm but it said your not allowed to receive any messages yet. Tried to post on your profile messages and can't do that either. You may want to ask Chris A about this or I think your post count needs to get higher???

Here you go.....
Good morning Dean,
The shrimp is ready when it turns pink. About 30-40 min.

Chicken marinade is not perfect but I'm working on it. It's very good in my opinon.

Juice of 5 oranges
Juice of 2 limes
1tbs of onion,garlic,coriander,cumin,lemon pepper,salt,

1tsp of cayenne powder.

2 tbs of oregano...smash with your fingers to make it into a powder

I marinaded for 3 hours but in the last hour 1 put 1/2 beer of corona.

The other half you drink.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Have a great New Year's Eve.
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So after marinating you don't apply a dry rub/seasoning before grilling the chicken?

Thanks for your reply and I hope you and all the other members have a safe and prosperous New Year.
 
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