Not enough heat

[Guest]

Hey guys, just purchased a new WSM and fired it up for the first time today but had trouble getting the heat up. I started w/ about 5 Lbs of charcoal(Kingsford) and let it ashe over but when I put the cooker together it seemed that there was not enough draft to keep the coals hot. I added approx. 5 lbs at two more different times and using a Polder stuck in a potato and the probe wire coming out under the lid I could not get the temp above 220(most of the time it stayed around 200) with the probe in the center of the bottom rack. I also had a probe with the same setup on the top rack kinda at the edge of the rack and the highest reading there was about 275 at the hotest point(most times around 240) I cookrd two chickens (the beer in the Butt recipe) and it took almost 5 hours to get the breast up to 165. By the end of the process I had about two thirds of a chamber full of coals.The thing is was when I was taking the meat off and cleaning up I noticed the coals caught back up and were glowing red in a few minutes, which leads me to believe that there is not enough air getting in the cooker. I had all vents wide open , tried adjusting and still could not get the temp up. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.Thanks

 

[Jim Minion]

Danny
I'm not sure why you wanted be at higher temps than you said you got. The cooker is designed to run at the temps you described.
Whole chickens will take 4 to 5 hours to cook.
WSM was working fine, if you want even higher pit temps then try using lump charcoal.
Good Chicken?
Jim

 

[Guest]

Thanks a million Jim for your reply, but is it normal for it to take that much charcoal, I don't think that if I had not added the extra coals I would have not got the temp up at all, and from what is posted on the VWB website it says the WSM is usaully hotter when it is new.I also have read about how guys have trouble holding the temp down. If my WSM gets any cooler when it ages than it was yesterday it won't be hot enough to cook. If I would have tried to get the chicken to 180 or 185 it would have took a lot longer. I have been smoke cooking for about a year now with a Klose wood burning pit and this WSM sure is a differnet animal.With the Klose I have trouble keeping the temp down. My Klose is a backyard model and I have it stationery under a shelter and in the summer it puts off to much heat under the shelter for comfort.Thought I would use the WSM to avoid heating up the whole shelter to do little smokimg. Also the WSM is mobile and if I can learn it may try a little competition cooking. BTW any you guys going to the NC State BBQ cookoff in Tyron, NC in a couple of weeks, Thanks agin ,Jim
Danny

 

[Jim Minion]

Danny
What kind of charcoal are you using?
I also have a Klose and it's fire size that makes the difference there.
I normally fill the charcoal ring when starting up the WSM and only add charcoal if it's a very long and windy cook. We did
brisket and butts, pulled them and did ribs and chicken and never added any charcoal (started at 8:30pm and finished at 3:30 pm the next day).
Jim

 

[Guest]

Jim,
Thanks again for your reply. I was using kingsford charcoal, the temp was about 84 outside;however, it was very windy and the cooker was sitting in the wind. Jim, how and where do you measure temp at on your WSM smoker. Its beginnig to sound like I just need to get some cooking time with this new baby under my belt.

 

[Chris Allingham]

Hi Danny, and welcome to the Bulletin Board!

In warm weather with no wind, I can cook a couple of chickens over 4-5 hours with just a large chimney full of Kingsford, about 5-6 lbs worth. Sounds to me like the wind was your problem. Give it a try again on a calm day, or put up a make-shift wind break and that should do the trick.

Good luck,
Chris

 

[Jim Minion]

Danny
As Chris said wind sounds like the problem.
I measure at the top of the dome and want the temp under any where from 225 to 265?
as a rule. When start getting over 275?
you can burn the sugar in the rubs.
Jim

 

[Guest]

Good afternoon Danny:

Welcome to the VWBB! When I first started using the WSM, I too experienced what you describe. At that time I was using maple charwood and found myself constantly opening the side door to keep the fire alive. After sharing my dilemma with the VWBB site members, I followed their advice by changing to Kingsford and switching to a lighting method known as the Minion Method. I am now getting the results I want on a very consistent basis. Using Jim's procedure, you'll find your next WSM learning experience to be how to control the amount of heat (using the vents at different settings and adjusting the number of briquettes to achieve your desired results). You can find a full description of the Minion Method at this site. Check it out and try it; I believe your problem will be solved.

John