Puzzling smoke today


 
T

Todd NC

TVWBB Pro
My wife wanted some baby backs today and I was happy to oblige since I took the day off. Started with a ring full off Kingsford blue and about 18 or so lit briquettes using the tin can method. Smoke provided by oak. No variation from my last rib cook except I didn't use any water. I struggled with the temps the whole time today. The dome thermometer went to 300 or so fairly early in the cook and I couldn't get it down even with all lower vents closed. Stuck my other temp probe through a lime (all I had at the moment) to get a backup reading on the temps at the grate. It read about 280 or so and it and the dome toyed with each other throughout the cook but hovered around 280 - 300 most of the cook. Never could get my temps where I wanted. I figured what the heck and rode it out. Ribs were much darker than I wanted but I sauced them and held them in the oven for about 45 minutes or so. They turned out Better than I expected and the family was pleased (that's what matters). Still not sure what happened with the temp control. Not any wind to speak of. Oh we'll, we all have full bellies and I'll try with water again next time to see what happens. Can't expect them all to go smoothly.

Hope everyone has a great Grillfest 2013 weekend.
 
Differing from your usual method of cooking with water in the pan will make a difference and require modifications to your process. I dont use water and I start with no more then 10-12 briquettes. At what temp did you start to close down the vents? This will happen much quicker when not using water.
 
Without using the water as you had in the past you are losing all that mass that you had to heat up in the past. That being said I never use water in the pan and also start with about 10 lit coals. I start with all but one vent shut off and that one only open 1/2.
 
I wondered if I should have started with fewer lit this time. I started closing down the vents when I was just shy of 200. I closed the vent on the wind side all the way and had the other two less than or about 1/4. I'll shut them down earlier next time. We learn by our mistakes. Thanks for the info on how you guys handle temps with no water in the pan.
 
Todd I have found that a heat mass of some kind helps slow down the upward charge. I use a half bowl of sand and it has worked well for me and a lot easier than water.
The first half hour to forty-five minutes is the most critical for me. I watch how fast it is rising, got to where I can gauge it now. Two ways seem to work for me.
1. Leave the middle section off for ten minutes or so and let the coals in the center settle in and start the rest. Then put the middle on and shut down all three lower vents to 1/3, I do this when I want a faster higher heat cook, 275-325
2. Have the middle section on and shut down all three lower vents to 1/3. I use this for slower low heat cooks 225-275.
I pay close attention to how fast it is coming up. If I want a low and slow I shut down the prevailing breeze vent completely if it is rising fast and watch how it responds. If it keeps rising fast ten minutes later I shut down another vent and watch. Usually she slows down a lot then. With Stubbs I am usually good now to adjust as I go to get the temp I want. With Lump I can now usually control it to somewhere around 275 or higher if I want.
What I have found is you need to start adjusting around 150-180 or you will have problems slowing it down, if she is a runaway train and pulling past 250 when you start trying to control it you are looking at 300 + temps for an hour or so before she will settle down.
Dome vent facing away from the prevailing breeze, no matter how slight, bottom vent facing that breeze closed down completely.
 
Oh and I forgot, if you are doing a low and slow the small coffee can size int the middle with 12-14 lit coals is perfect, any more and you are going to ignite across the top fast and set all your smoke wood ablaze. In other words temp spike and fast spread of burn instead of a fire spreading out from the middle out.
 
Thanks for all of the feedback. It sounds like I just didn't react soon enough this time and probably used too many lit too start with. I'll take this as a learning experience and put the lessons learned to use on the next smoke. Thanks, guys, for offering your experiences. I'm going to use that heat sink suggestion next time, too.
 
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