Trouble Controlling Temps on first cook with Wicked Good WW


 
W

Wade Grace

New member
This is probably a blend of a BBQ'ing question, and also an automatic temp control forum question.

Friday night, I started a seemingly normal 2 butt all night cook on my fully seasoned 18.5 WSM. I have all bottom vents shut, and an old school (now) E-Temp Pitminder by BBQ Guru. The only variable was using Wicked Good Weekend Warrior lump, instead of blue bag Kingsford. I read on here several folks that recommended still doing the minion method, with the only concern being how to get the lump lit (since Wicked seems hard to light). But I have a Weber Performer with a propane torch built in, and put a few larger pieces in there and fired it up- no problem.

Here IS the problem. The temps steadily climbed and climbed and climbed- topping out at 285 after 3 hours before finally settling in the high 260's when I went to bed. That was after baffling down the BBQ guru to almost "closed"; the fan never came on to stoke the pit; and I had the top vent backed down to pretty much closed. I realize that I get some air to the coals just by the door being old and not sealed perfectly-- but still.

Any thoughts on why it was like a runaway freight train?

The butts turned out great though, so maybe I'm concerned about nothing- -just more curious than anything.

Thanks!
 
Off the top of my head. Lump can burn hotter than kingsford briquettes. I'd suspect that the amount of coals you lit to start the minion were too many. Try cutting the # of coals in 1/2 for the minion start and see how that does.
 
I’m a long way from being an expert but I use Wicked Good quite a bit. It burns hotter than most but also burns a little longer than most chunk. The other issue with it is the size. I have a hatchet handy to break down the larger chunks. You may wish to check that out before your next time out.
 
No lump will 'burn hotter' if the air is properly restricted. A typical door - just bent to conform well, not sealed - is fine.

If the fan never came on a draft was established somehow. The fan never came on? Or it didn't come on again after you changed Guru vent and lid vent?
 
Great idea on breaking up the bigger pieces. Some of them were huge!

Kevin- I think my door is conformed well enough, and I had the 2 non-Guru vents closed. I kept closing the Guru vent and the top lid vent to prevent the draft that you mentioned was happening. Yes, the fan didn't start kicking on until the next morning (like hour 13 or 14) when the temps started to drop back into the 215 to 225 range. So, I don't think it was an issue of the E-temp being incorrect.

My only suspicion is that the adapter onto the kettle was really loose (I noticed when I cleaned it out yesterday). I'm wondering if that was letting in enough air to get a draft going?

That raises another question though. Does anyone know how to re-calibrate the E-temp and also the Maverick therms?
 
I have used Wicked Good for years - both lump and briq with great results. IMHO, the "lump burns hotter than briq" is old wives tale. It is all about vent control, no matter the charcoal, you can peg the temps where you want them. Open too much - hot, close too much cool. As I have said in the past, fans are not for me. I prefer to manage my smokes with plain, old vent control. Different strokes for different folks and I respect your use of a fan. To me, the fans give a false sense of security - you never know if it is the fan or you. With vent control, you know it is you. Although I am relatively new to the WSM, I have been smoking meats for 10 years or so and have always used the vents to control temps. BTW - the WSM out of the box is a no brainer for temp control. One fine smoker.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">IMHO, the "lump burns hotter than briq" is old wives tale. It is all about vent control, no matter the charcoal, you can peg the temps where you want them. Open too much - hot, close too much cool. As I have said in the past, fans are not for me. I prefer to manage my smokes with plain, old vent control. Different strokes for different folks and I respect your use of a fan. To me, the fans give a false sense of security - you never know if it is the fan or you. With vent control, you know it is you. Although I am relatively new to the WSM, I have been smoking meats for 10 years or so and have always used the vents to control temps. BTW - the WSM out of the box is a no brainer for temp control. One fine smoker. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Very well put! Don't blame the "cooker" or the fuel!
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Glenn,

Thanks for your reply. Guess I am kind of an old fashioned guy. Give me a smoker, some wood, some charcoal, some time, and some patience and I can make you champ quality barbecue. The satisfaction of doing it the "old time" way is very nice!!!
 
There is a wealth of answers to this question on this sight. Lump doesn't burn hotter, but it is not a consistently sized product and it is harder to get it to burn consistently. There are a number of techniques you can use to make lump more predictable. I found that sorting the lump and leaving out pieces that would pass through a 1/2" screen helped. Also, hand packing the charcoal ring (tightly) helped. There seems to be a point in a lump cook when it settles down and burns nicely (usually, not always). I found that lump usually requires more attention than briquettes. Good luck.
 
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