Temp question

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I'm new here and to smoking, so I am probably missing something obvious. I have not been able to get the temp to the 220-240 range at the top grill within the first hour and a half of starting it up. It usually goes straight up to over 300 and then comes down to 275 or so.

I use Kingsford charcoal and have thrown in a few (3 max) chunks of hickory. I let the charcoal sit in the chimney until all of it is gray. I spread them out evenly on the grate and keep all bottom vents closed. i've tried boiling water, warm water and tepid water. None seem to make a difference. The items smoked were ribs, a small turkey breast and tuna.

Any help or suggestions appreciated. I've read the tips and troubleshooting guides on this page. My smoker didn't come with a book at all.
 
If I understand your problem correctly, the temperature is shooting up above 300 right out of the blocks and it’s taking a long time to get it back down to your target.

It that’s the case, you’ve got too many hot coals burning and too much oxygen to feed them when you’re getting started.

Try filling the charcoal ring as you normally would (I assume you're filling the ring with fresh charcoal) and start half the number of coals in the chimney as you normally do. When they ash over, spread them around the ring, assemble the WSM, fill the pan with warm water and control the temperature as it comes up to your target temp with the lower vents. That should flatten out the spike you’re reporting.

Hope this helps. Let me know if I misunderstood the problem and we’ll try another solution.

Ken
 
I did not first put in unlit coals. Perhaps that caused the problem. Last night I was only making Tuna that needed 35 minutes of smoking. I used slightly more than a chimney full of charcoal and two chunks of wood. I guess I just need to get better at gauging how much coal to use.

Need I always use some unlit in with the already gray?
 
Scott, is it a WSM you bought? The reason I ask is that if you have another bullet type smoker and can't regulate the air flow, it would cause the symptoms you describe. Otherwise, I would use less charcoal in the chimney and make sure you don't have a big air leak somewhere. Look at the section about out of round on the web site. Also, I normally set the cook chamber down on the charcoal bowl and turn it a little. Mine seems to bind a little at a certain spot and seems to seal a little better. Also, cool or cold water would bring the temp down some.

A lot of people on this site only use the "Minion Method" of running the smoker, which is starting 10-15 bricks and then pouring them on unlit charcoal in the charcoal bowl. Keeps from getting the temps too high in the begining and leads to long burns. You should be able to use your method of starting the coal without a problem. My bet is on the air leak.
 
Now I understand! I was giving instructions for launching a long low and slow session. For the shorter cooks, the additional fresh coals aren’t necessary. You’re right about guessing at the right number of hot coals you’ll need for a much shorter cook. That will come with time and experience.

BTW – Did the two chunks of wood have enough time to give off enough smoke flavoring? If not, try using a handful of chips instead. With their smaller size, they should contribute more smoke to the party during that limited time.

Have fun and keep experimenting!
 
Scott,

I would agree that you're probably using too much charcoal for a small quantity of food. Try using less charcoal...or cook more food! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Regards,
Chris
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Scott Bonder:
[qb]My smoker didn't come with a book at all.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Scott, you can download a copy of the WSM owner's manual from the Web site on the Owner's Manual page.

Regards,
Chris
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Scott Bonder:
[qb]I'm new here and to smoking, so I am probably missing something obvious. I have not been able to get the temp to the 220-240 range at the top grill within the first hour and a half of starting it up. It usually goes straight up to over 300 and then comes down to 275 or so. [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>One other bit of advice. At least on my cooker, the vent settings don't work like a temperature control -- i.e. quarter vents equals 225 degrees, half vents equals 275 degrees, etc. Rather, the vent settings determine whether the temperature is RISING (from wherever it is), FALLING (from whereever it is), or STAYING the same.

For example, if I open up all the vents to start a cook and let the temperature hit 375 degrees, then setting one quarter bottom vents will tend to hold 375 degrees. But, if I start the cook and set the vents when the temperature reaches 250 degrees, then one quarter vents will tend to hold 250 degrees.

The key, then, is to get the temperature to rise up to where you want it, and then find a bottom vent setting that tends to stabilize. From there, you can make small vent adjustments if you need to slowing increase or decrease the temperature.

It is a LOT easier to sneak up on the desired temp from below rather than trying to tame a fire that is too hot. Also, the vents don't react instantaneously, so you need to anticipate a bit. For example, if I'm shooting for 225 degrees, I might go to my "stable" vent setting when the temps have reached 210 degrees on the way up, allowing for a little overshoot.

Finally, from keeping some grill logs, it seems that temperatures in the cooker tend to fluctuate a lot more in the first hour with temperature differences at various points in the cooker. They tend to stabilize after the first couple hours so that measuring anywhere in the cooker produces more or less the same temp. Cold meat may have something to do with that, or it may just be a simple matter of the thing reaching equilibrium.
 
It's a good thing you do not have the manual this site is better /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif When I got my WSM's a couple days ago I was able to achieve temp on very few coals (less than half a weber chimney and the temp stayed for hours as I burned them in, cooking achieves the same result. The other folks have all given you good advice. One thing to remember is new WSM's cook hotter until cooking deposits a film on the inside, or so the car mutts claim. 250 can be achieved with water in the pan and choking down on the bottom while leaving the top wide open. From the get go I used Brinkman Charcoal Pans for the water pans, 18" replacement fire grates to fill in the lower holes and a Polder in the top vent just like my hero /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif Jim Minion /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif

WSM's are cooking machines. I ran them side by side with my old gear at a competition today and the WSM's will be the main stay of my battle plan as I head into the next two qualifiers /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif 3rd in Chicken and Ribs, 4th Lamb and 10th in wings. Lack of sleep does not help scores. The only two things I will still use my Weber one touch for in competition is Lamb because the less time I cook it at grilling temps the better I do and Salmon so I don't stink up my smoker.
 
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