Tips on Keeping Temps Down


 
R

RDean

TVWBB Member
Smoked a rack of baby racks and a couple beef chuck roast today. This is my 3rd smoke on my WSM 18.5 and everything has come out nicely. Up to this point I have just foiled the water pan and used no water, it doesn't seem like my unit has a major leakage issue or anything. Today, I had the smoker running for about eight hours and I maintained solid temps around 250 for a long while. Granted I took the lid off a couple times to wrap the ribs then unwrap and wrap the chick later but I had all three bottom vents completely closed (top vent 100% open) for the majority of the smoke and my grate thermometer was ranging in the 250-275 range and I couldn't get temps to come down at all. I think this temperature range is ok in general but i was wondering if this is normal? I would like to be able to bring the temperature down in a pinch. Does anyone choke back their top vent to bring down temps? My philosophy so far has been to keep the top vent wide open to promote nice air exchange. I would prefer to not add water to keep up the nice barkiness I have been able to attain. I am debating on whether adding a clay saucer and maybe some fire bricks may help at all?

I should note I light the smoker with a full charcoal basket using the minion method with fifteen light coals when I fired her up.

Any inputs/opinions are appreciated.
 
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On my first two test burns (no food.. just a burn) I learned how difficult it is to bring the temps back down once they go high. Far easier to start closing the vents earlier and then slowly creep up on target temps than it is to try to back it down much.
 
If your bottom vents are closed you won't ruin the meat if you close down the top vent to 1/2 open. When I was starting I learned to use few hot coals in the summer and closing the top vent for a 1/2 hour doesn't affect the taste of your meat. Also, the more you use it the more gunk builds up and that seals it better. It will get better.
 
MichaelM said:
On my first two test burns (no food.. just a burn) I learned how difficult it is to bring the temps back down once they go high. Far easier to start closing the vents earlier and then slowly creep up on target temps than it is to try to back it down much.
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For sure, if I continue to see the same trend i will crank the too vent back a little. I come from only experience with an electric smoker so I have already come to terms with the fact that the temperatures will swing a little more which is ok. Temperatures never got out control but just felt like I did not have alot of control to bring them down with the bottom vents completely closed. I would like to avoid adding any mods before I can really keep things under control (I am going to wire the charcoal grate to the bottom grate for sure though).
 
The 18.5 really smooths out after 10 to 12 greasy cooks. Mods I made to my older 18.5 were adding handles to the bottom grate, the charcoal grate, and center body. They're just to make things easier on my back. Mine sealed up nicely with time so you can expect a similar experience. Just keep enjoying the great food it produces.
 
While you can tweak you method and your cooker in various ways, the basic way to keep the WSM temp down is to use water (or some similar kind of heat sink). That is pretty much how it is designed.

It takes a huge amount of heat energy to keep 1-2 gallons of water boliing at 212 and eventually converted into steam. With a full water pan, it is really hard to get the temp up very high. It is like driving with your foot on the brake. Try taking (carefully) a hot water pan out of the cooker while it is running. The temp will go from 250 to 350 almost instantly.

Similarly, without water/heat sink it is hard to get the temp very low.
 
Jim C in Denver said:
... Similarly, without water/heat sink it is hard to get the temp very low.
Click to expand...

A quick guideline...
The number of lit coals partially determines the temperature range while the number of unlit coals partially determines for how long you can cook in the temperature range.
One can get the temperature much lower than one would normally expect. It's all in the number of lit coals...
 
The smoker tempersture is an equilibrium between heat generated, heat absorbed by contents and smoker, and heat lost to environment.

Reducing air flow, reduces heat generated, lowers temperature.

It actually has nothing to do with the number of coals that are lit.
That is somewhat of a Band-Aid . That reduces the effectiveness of the air flow, by reducing the surface area that's available for the oxidative reaction ie burning to occur. Due to the slow spread of the burning to new coals....it buffers the heat.... Makes it less sensitive to the airflow.

Regardless of the number of coal's that are lit or unlit, when oxygen is the limiting reactant....... It limits the heat possible. The burning rate of material reduces to match the rate of oxygen available, and it cools off.

I run mine down to 130 F smoking bacon, using temp controller.., with a damper...no water. there's enough leakage that to get under 150 I have to begin to pinch back the top vent 1/2 way.

If you cannot get your temperature down, the problem is 100% too much airflow.
it takes a surprisingly small crack to provide enough air to maintain 300 degrees with enough coals burning. Sometimes just a lid not being seated well can keep the temp high. The burning coals are like a pump, the more coals that are lit stronger draft it's pulling , the more air flows in through small cracks. The airflow setting that worked with less coals does not work with more coals to give you the same temperature, the temperature is higher.

Regardless it all comes down to air supply. Close it off tight enough and the fire goes out .... Totally.
 
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It sounds like you have an air leak. If all the bottom vents are completely closed the temperature should drop significantly.

I ran into this issue the last time I used my 14 WSM. I wasn't paying attention for 20 minutes and the temperature spiked to over 320. It had been steady at 240 but I stirred the coals. I closed the bottom vents 75% or more and closed the top over half and I got it back down to 235. About the same the temperature dropped I needed to foil my ribs.
After foiling the temp went back up to 300 again despite my efforts to bring it back down. I finally realized that some of the foil was pinching on the lid causing a leak. Once I realized the problem the temp dropped as expected.

I have also found that the water pan helps with the seal between the mid and lower section. Mine actually wobbles when water is not added.
 
Martin... Have you ever used the snake method in your WSM to smoke your bacon ? Simply put, it's a method to limit the number of lit coals so that you can run in a temperature RANGE. You still control the temperature within that range with combustion air, ie Vents.

You probably noticed that my post was in reply to the statement " Similarly, without water/heat sink it is hard to get the temp very low.".
 
" It actually has nothing to do with the number of coals that are lit." "It" depends on whether:
(1) you're talking about the temperature your WSM can reach or
(2) how easy it is for a beginner to control their temperature as it climbs.
When I was learning the WSM someone here suggested fewer lit and I still think that's a good place for beginners to start. That said, it probably doesn't apply to RDean's question. :(
 
RDean said:
Smoked a rack of baby racks and a couple beef chuck roast today. This is my 3rd smoke on my WSM 18.5 and everything has come out nicely. Up to this point I have just foiled the water pan and used no water, it doesn't seem like my unit has a major leakage issue or anything. Today, I had the smoker running for about eight hours and I maintained solid temps around 250 for a long while. Granted I took the lid off a couple times to wrap the ribs then unwrap and wrap the chick later but I had all three bottom vents completely closed (top vent 100% open) for the majority of the smoke and my grate thermometer was ranging in the 250-275 range and I couldn't get temps to come down at all. I think this temperature range is ok in general but i was wondering if this is normal? I would like to be able to bring the temperature down in a pinch. Does anyone choke back their top vent to bring down temps? My philosophy so far has been to keep the top vent wide open to promote nice air exchange. I would prefer to not add water to keep up the nice barkiness I have been able to attain. I am debating on whether adding a clay saucer and maybe some fire bricks may help at all?

I should note I light the smoker with a full charcoal basket using the minion method with fifteen light coals when I fired her up.

Any inputs/opinions are appreciated.
Click to expand...

I like 250-275. That;s where my 08 WSM likes to cruise, (empty foiled pan) and I gave up a long time ago trying to change it.
I tried a clay saucer but that can get problematic if you get a temp spike.
If I want lower temps, then yes use a heat sink and definately start with fewer coals. Adjust your vents on the way up, normally start choking them down 25-50 degs lower than target temp.
It was only your third smoke, so keep using it and you should get better temp control.

Tim
 
Thanks everyone for your responses. Based on everyone's responses it seems like the two most important things are to just keep smoking and build up a nice season on the cooker, and then to make sure everything is set and aligned right to ensure there are no major gaps.

I am thinking about doing another pork butt and some pork belly burnt ends this weekend, I'll keep you posted on the results.
 
The pork belly should help add to the seasoning for sure. Someone commented about seasonality, and lighting fewer coals to start up the smoker in the summer, which in my experience is pretty key because your WSM is going to loose heat to the environment depending on the ambient temp, wind, and god forbid rain. When it's less than < 70, I have to light my smoker off with a much larger number of lit coals, when it's high 80's or 90's, I can hit 225 with about 1/3 of a chimney of lit coals.

Generally speaking, if you light too many coals, it's pretty hard to get the temp down especially if you're running a dry pan. Lighting too may coals, then you hit your upper temp, you choke all the air, you open up the air vents just a little, too much, you over shoot again, and your adjusting vents every 25 minutes or so, and missing out on..... not sure what else. No baseball on TV right now, so who cares as long as you don't run out of your favorite beverage right?

I really don't think using the water pan will mess up your bark. There are lots of posts/info out there about water vs no water. Lots of folks want to spritz their meat to keep it moist right? I tend to run dry just because the wet clean up on on the patio is a messier to clean up vs. foiled dry pan. If you are going to control temps manually vs. using a temp control system for the foreseeable future, I would find a method for wet clean up that works for you. The water pan will definitely help.
 
JWorden said:
It sounds like you have an air leak. If all the bottom vents are completely closed the temperature should drop significantly.
Click to expand...

As expected, my door has a good amount of leakager. The lid had found its' way and now with some grease accumulating it seals well, other than where the temp probe comes out. I tied putting the probe through the top vent, but that's pretty awkward when you need to remove the lid.

I have decided I don't want to mod my WSM too much.. It's an EE 14.5 and chances are good I will step up to an 18.5 in short order, so I'll leave the 14.5 unmolested. That said, I do think the door gasket could be a good mod if it doesn't seal itself over time.

John K BBQ said:
The pork belly should help add to the seasoning for sure. Someone commented about seasonality, and lighting fewer coals to start up the smoker in the summer, which in my experience is pretty key because your WSM is going to loose heat to the environment depending on the ambient temp, wind, and god forbid rain. When it's less than < 70, I have to light my smoker off with a much larger number of lit coals, when it's high 80's or 90's, I can hit 225 with about 1/3 of a chimney of lit coals.
Click to expand...

Interesting... but also kind of disappointing... I love outdoor cooking in the rain and cold. Would love to know more about how to manager temps in the 'off' season.

John K BBQ said:
I really don't think using the water pan will mess up your bark. There are lots of posts/info out there about water vs no water. Lots of folks want to spritz their meat to keep it moist right? I tend to run dry just because the wet clean up on on the patio is a messier to clean up vs. foiled dry pan. If you are going to control temps manually vs. using a temp control system for the foreseeable future, I would find a method for wet clean up that works for you. The water pan will definitely help.
Click to expand...

Well.. I had the water pan (which wasn't THAT bad to clean) and I spritz. I considered the water pan as the a heat sink and the spritzing as a flavor step. I can easily skip the spritzing.
 
MichaelM said:
As expected, my door has a good amount of leakager. The lid had found its' way and now with some grease accumulating it seals well, other than where the temp probe comes out. I tied putting the probe through the top vent, but that's pretty awkward when you need to remove the lid.

I have decided I don't want to mod my WSM too much.. It's an EE 14.5 and chances are good I will step up to an 18.5 in short order, so I'll leave the 14.5 unmolested. That said, I do think the door gasket could be a good mod if it doesn't seal itself over time.



Interesting... but also kind of disappointing... I love outdoor cooking in the rain and cold. Would love to know more about how to manager temps in the 'off' season.

Don't be scared to go for it in the rain and cold - it's just going to take more fuel. :giggle:


Well.. I had the water pan (which wasn't THAT bad to clean) and I spritz. I considered the water pan as the a heat sink and the spritzing as a flavor step. I can easily skip the spritzing.
Click to expand...
 
275*F is my preferred cooking temp for the last few years, so maybe you don't have a problem, RDean! But yes, you can dial back on the top vent if you've already got all the bottom vents closed. I've got a tight fitting 18.5" WSM and I've had occasions where I've just got too much hot fuel burning in the charcoal chamber, the sun comes over the house and the cooker is in direct sunlight, it's a warm day with no breeze, so there's no environmental conditions to help bring down the temp, and I've got all bottom vents closed and I'm still above 300*F. Gotta partially close that top vent...unless you're gonna open up the cooker and remove some fuel, which I've never done and wouldn't recommend.

I wouldn't go down the rat hole of clay saucers, fire bricks, sand, steel discs, etc. Use the KISS method. :D
 
Chris Allingham said:
275*F is my preferred cooking temp for the last few years, so maybe you don't have a problem, RDean! But yes, you can dial back on the top vent if you've already got all the bottom vents closed. I've got a tight fitting 18.5" WSM and I've had occasions where I've just got too much hot fuel burning in the charcoal chamber, the sun comes over the house and the cooker is in direct sunlight, it's a warm day with no breeze, so there's no environmental conditions to help bring down the temp, and I've got all bottom vents closed and I'm still above 300*F. Gotta partially close that top vent...unless you're gonna open up the cooker and remove some fuel, which I've never done and wouldn't recommend.

I wouldn't go down the rat hole of clay saucers, fire bricks, sand, steel discs, etc. Use the KISS method. :D
Click to expand...
Yeah, it was pretty toasty on Saturday and had the sun beating down on her so that was probably root cause. I like your tactics of keeping it simple and not overthinking it. If I have to going forward I'll crank back on that too vent a little. As time goes on I may look into gaskets and such to increase performance but it's not high on my priority list at the moment.
 
John K BBQ said:
The pork belly should help add to the seasoning for sure. Someone commented about seasonality, and lighting fewer coals to start up the smoker in the summer, which in my experience is pretty key because your WSM is going to loose heat to the environment depending on the ambient temp, wind, and god forbid rain. When it's less than < 70, I have to light my smoker off with a much larger number of lit coals, when it's high 80's or 90's, I can hit 225 with about 1/3 of a chimney of lit coals.

Generally speaking, if you light too many coals, it's pretty hard to get the temp down especially if you're running a dry pan. Lighting too may coals, then you hit your upper temp, you choke all the air, you open up the air vents just a little, too much, you over shoot again, and your adjusting vents every 25 minutes or so, and missing out on..... not sure what else. No baseball on TV right now, so who cares as long as you don't run out of your favorite beverage right?

I really don't think using the water pan will mess up your bark. There are lots of posts/info out there about water vs no water. Lots of folks want to spritz their meat to keep it moist right? I tend to run dry just because the wet clean up on on the patio is a messier to clean up vs. foiled dry pan. If you are going to control temps manually vs. using a temp control system for the foreseeable future, I would find a method for wet clean up that works for you. The water pan will definitely help.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this reply. I haven't smoked a butt in a couple of years. I remembered a good bit of the past cooking's, but the one brain fart I was having is the amount of coal to start with. Would you think a full chimney of unlit will do for an 8-9 hour cook? (WSM 18.5) Tomorrow will be 95°F, heat index at 101°F, smoker will be in the shade all day, I will be in the A/C.

Please forgive if this comes off as high-jacking.
 
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