Varying techniques of venting WSM during cooking


 
C

ColinS

New member
Hello all, I am new to the forum. I recently purchased a 14.5" WSM. For the most part I've read to maintain the 250F, have the bottom three vents open about the diameter of a pencil and then use the top vent to control the temperature in the +/- 20 range. Though I also read on this blog when cooking ribs using the "BRITU" method, to leave the bottom dampers closed for upwards of half the cook. I found this to extinguish my coal, then needing to give a good huff and puff to get it going again.

Can I please get some feedback if the standard method for cooking on this unit will always be the three bottom vents slighty open and the top one to regualte minute temps. What other circustances will I run into when this may change (not including cooking at higher temps when I will open bottom vents more)?:wsm22:

Thanks.
 
I leave the top vent wide open and use the bottom to control the heat on my 18.5. Heat rises so as it exits the top vent it pulls in fresh air though the bottom vents. So when you closed all the bottom vents it suffocated the coal.
 
Hi Colin, & welcome.

I'm a 14.5 user & I do what JBooker does.

The meat is already on the top grate, (with probes), lid on ready to put on the charcoal bowl.

A full charcoal ring of briquettes, using the tin-can Minion method. 10-12 fully lit briqs into the can, then lift the can out with a pair of water-pump pliers. Assemble the cooker.

Leave the top vent 100% open at all times.

Bottom vents.
(1). Leave them 100% open until you get to about 25/30 degrees of your intended cook temperature.
(2). Then I close each bottome vent on a matchstick & leave them at that setting. That way the cooker draws in air evenly around the briqs, and gives a more even burn throughout the charcoal ring. I always regulate the cooker temp with the lower vents if required.

The only time I close the top & bottom vents is when I've finished cooking & want to snuff out the fire.

This is my way of doing things & works every time for me when cooking between 225F/275F.

Others do it different, with same results. No right or wrong way, but it's what I do.
 
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Myself... I've always had problems controlling temps in any daisy wheel cooker when trying to adjust all 3 vents for low & slow. It can drive you crazy. Minion Method to start the charcoal/wood chunk mix. Catch the temps about 30* below desired & close 2 of them. Adjust as needed with the 3rd vent. Top vent is usually 100% open. Wait until you get thin blue smoke (TBS) or invisible smoke before adding meat to the cooker (can take about 50 - 75 minutes).

You really need a Maverick 732 (or equivalent) to monitor pit & meat temps.
 
ColinS said:
I also read on this blog when cooking ribs using the "BRITU" method, to leave the bottom dampers closed for upwards of half the cook. I found this to extinguish my coal, then needing to give a good huff and puff to get it going again.
Click to expand...
What you interpreted as "leave the bottom dampers closed for half the cook" is not part of the recipe...when I cooked those ribs that day, the only way I could get the cooker temp even close to 225*F was to close all 3 bottom vents.

In fact, the recipe says, "During the first three hours, adjust the bottom vents to maintain a cooker temperature of 225°F." So in your case, you should have opened the vents.

BRITU is an unusual recipe in that it seeks to start with charcoal that is fully lit and ashed over and smoke wood chunks placed on the fire 1 hour before you start cooking at a temperature of 225*F. That's not easy to do, because fully ashed over charcoal and burning wood chunks want to burn hotter than 225*F. That's why I had to keep those vents closed, to try to get to that temp, and you'll notice in the temperature table that I was never able to force the temp down to 225*F.

I think you'd be better off starting your cooker with the Minion Method as described by TonyUK.
 
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