Temperature control - WSM


 
R

Ron Price

New member
I am trying to find the best ways to control the temps in my new 18.5 WSM. I know the vents are critical in that they supply the oxygen and can control the temp. Lump vs briquette. I also know of the minion method but are there other tricks that might help me maintain good control of the temps in my WSM.

Thanks.
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Ron, great suggestions up there. It seems to be easier to hold the temps down before they get too high rather than lower them once they get too high. In other words when you are about 25-50 degress before your target temp, start closing the vents. Also remember that the smoker reacts slowly, not like a gas stove. It will take time for your closing or opening of the vents to effect the smoker temp. The WSM will keep a temp even if all vents are closed and a vent that is barely open is in some cases open too much, depending on other factors like fuel, wind, tightness of fit etc. When all else fails, have another coctail!!!!! Oh and HAVE FUN.

Mark
 
Ron, most of your temp control can be done using the vents. A couple of weeks ago I was cooking a 6-pound brisket with a target temp. in the 230-250 degree range. I normally use a 12.75" flower pot base in the water pan as a heat sink to help with temp control. I was kind of busy that morning and forgot to put it in before getting started (I had taken it out after my last cook). I ran for about 5 hours with all bottom vents 100% closed. At about the six hour mark I closed the top vent to about 80% open. My lid temperature never got above 250. After about 9 hrs the brisket was done - turned out great. I would not recommend cooking with an empty water pan (at least not until you've used it a few times.) I only share that story to let you know how easy it is to control temps in the WSM once you've done one or two cooks.
And, as Mark said, it's easier to bring your temp up than to bring it down.
 
Hey Ron. It has been my experience that once you cook on your WSM a few times, it will be seasoned and thus easier to control. I happen to use lump but I don't think it matters. The Minion Method and the WSM go together like peanut butter and jelly. It is the reason to buy a WSM (in my opinion). The important thing is to esablish a method of cooking that YOU like. Cook with the charcoal YOU are comfortable with. Some things I do are: I assemble and bring the cooker up to temp before I load it with meat. When I begin to close the vents, I close the two that are facing the oncoming wind. All fine tuning from there can be done with minor adjustments on the third vent. Read all you can on this forum and you will come up with a method for you. Good luck!
 
I recommend to all users "new" to smoking to do a test burn first with no meat ... or a pork butt.

This way you can concentrate on picking a target temp and stabilizing your WSM without worrying about actually cooking something.

Butt is bulletproof and darn hard to mess up. Even the wildest temp rollercoaster will still turn out decent pulled pork.
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My advise is to relax - really. Temp fluctuations of 50º won't hurt anything. Make small adjustments and patiently watch what happens. Changes take awhile to take effect. Pretty soon, you'll get to know your WSM and you'll know exactly how to get the temp you want. When I first started out, I could never get my temps to stabilize. They were either going up or down - never stable. Now I know that if I keep one vent about 1/2 open, my WSM will hold steady at just over 250º for hours.

Take your time, don't over analyze it, relax. And it is easier to control temps on the way up than to bring them back down. If all else fails, don't be afraid to shut the top vent for a short time to get run away temps back under control.
 
Ron,

Jerry makes two great points. First it is easier to catch the temp on the way up than bring it down. Second, just relax and play with it. After using the Brinkman you know what finished product you are looking for, just now you need to learn the fine tuning of the WSM. Its very easy and I am sure you have checked out this site and already have a great idea what you want/need to do.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mac McClure:
Here is a link to some data on fuel research. Do keep in mind that there might be some bias when comparing to the "House" brand.
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm
And here is the post from Thad that should help you out as a new owner.
http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/...80069052/m/326100786
But don't forget Ron, the more you use your WSM the easier it gets. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the great links Mac. I appreciate it.
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I used both lump and briquettes. I like the burn better with the briquettes. The lump seems to burn hotter and faster.
 
I broke in the new WSM this past weekend.

I ran it wide open with a Turkey using one lit chimney poured over one unlit chimney and the smoker ran between 310-355F for 3 hrs without touching it.

I was very pleased with the performance.
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