temp difficulty with very much full WSM 18.5


 
L

Louis

TVWBB Fan
Hi Guys,

Yesterday i did a LOT of ribs in my 18.5 WSM. 13 racks of back ribs for a total of 32 pounds, i had a third grate and used two ribs racks lol !! as you can figure, there was no more place left.

i used water in the pan, maybe 2 liters
started with minion method, added maybe 40 lite briquets
outdoot temp was around 70 F

My problem, i wasn't able to reach 200F in the WSM .... all vents were fully open..

any of you had this problem ? this is the second time it happen when i put a lot of meat in the WSM ....

Sometimes i think the new water pan is just too big and i lack oxygen ... any idea ??
 
With that much meat and cold water, your WSM probably did struggle to get up to temp. You probably needed more lit coals to start. Also, add HOT water to the pan.

How did you get that much in the 18.5 WSM??? That sounds like a full load for the 22.5.

JJ
 
i started with boiling water and the meat was not that cold since it sat at least 45 min outside the fridge while prepping everything ....

i think i'll by one of those automated temp controller with a fan, i guess it's gonna help..

and also maybe put some lite coal UNDER the unlit ...
 
Weber makes a bigger wsm.
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Seriously, I always have more trouble getting up to temp with lots of meat, but I'd recommend using a larger smoker for a more basic reason. The ends of a slab are gonna get done before the middle as it is....even if NOT hanging over the outer heat zone of the rack. This is why I only cook half slabs unless rolling and skewering, and I don't end up with NEAR as many overcooked ribs as leftovers.
 
I use an Auber temp controller, and if you give it the wrong starting situation, it can struggle too to get to the right temp.

I did one smoke with my Auber and used too much lit charcoal. It just wouldn't drop below 240* (I was shooting for 225*). I left my top vents completely open; in future smokes I have closed them to 50% and had no problem.

The Auber is a no-frills PID controller with a grill-level probe, and a fan that needs no adapter for the WSM. It doesn't have wireless abilities; I use the Maverick wireless thermometer to monitor grill and food temp from my man-cave
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Check out the model for the WSM at http://www.auberins.com/index....4_27&products_id=170

Just a disclaimer...I have no affiliation with Auber, just a happy customer.

JJ
 
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