Weber Summit - temp is running away


 
M

Mark Wein

New member
First I tried to address this to the right sub-group - I dont see any option to do that
I am smoking a pork butt today
it is cold and drizzly
I can not get the temp to anything below 250 and I did that by closing the bottom vent entirely
Here is how I got here:
I loaded up the summit with charcoal and wood chunks
Turned on the gas ignition for ten minutes
Turned it off and opened the rapid top vents
Put the bottom vent on smnoke
The summit overshot the temp up to 300
Closed the top vent to a slip
Then closed the bottom vent entirely

Temp is very very slowly dropping

what am I doing wrong?
thanks
 
Stop using the gas assist. Light an oiled paper towel or two under a few coals and start your fire that way. You literally need to light like 5-7 coals for a low and slow in the WSK.

I use a water pan when doing full briskets. My cook temps are 225-260° for 6 hours with this method.

Are you using your deflector plate? It’s needed for low and slow.

Personally, anything under 275° for low and slow is just fine. Low cooks just take longer with no real added benefit of being at /225°.

How much experience do you have in the WSK?

Top vent should be at around 1/3 and the bottom at smoke setting for low and slow.
 
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It is also harder to cool off the smoker rather than heat it up.
So cooling it off will take more time.....I know when I am done using it and shut it down it takes 4 times as long easily to cool off vs. the performer.

My E6 also settles in really good with wood hunks burning between 250 and 260 and does a wonderful job cooking low and slow at that temperature. once I hit the cook temp it will hover there and not change more than a couple degrees either way...very rock solid and steady for easily 8 hours.....
From what I read around here everyone's does similar but everyone's also has there own attitude....saying that some will actually like to hover at a 240 or a 260 for example....

Next time around try to watch the temp on the hood a bit closer to make it easier on yourself.
I keep my vents fully open to get it going and when I see it hit about 225 or so I dial everything back to where I think they should be for the next 8 to 10 hours and watch it still rise in temp slowly....sometimes even more closed than I think they should be as I do not want to over shoot the temps at all if i can avoid it.
My low and slow vent setup is bottom vent just a hair off off closed and the top vent closed about 20 is percent.

After that it takes usually 30 minutes or so to get the smoke clean and get that thin smoke I am looking for.
Aim for 250 like Brett said......this will make great food and not take 15 hours to cook a 8 pound butt at 225.

I have to do 2 butts here in the next few weeks coming up soon.

Sorry if i have spelling mistakes....my auto correct or spell check setup is right out to lunch. It thinks every word is wrong unless is acronyms or numbers....it looks like the pic below..screen shot. It has been like this for 6 months now and I have noticed spelling errors before.




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I have found that I have needed to go slightly left of the smoke setting on the summit to keep in the 225 to 250 range. Otherwise, I run 260 to 275. Normally just bump it slightly left of the smoke setting and top vent near closed.

I start just a few coals in a mini weber chimney and start in the back of the lower coal area. I think starting it slower is the key to not having it rocket past your desired settings (in my experience).

Water in your drip pan can help stabilize the temps as well.

I also don't worry too much if I run at 260 to 275. Food turns out fine.
 
I’ve had the summit since it came out. Today it was just running away from me.
I do use the diffuser plate.
I let it get too hot before closing/pushing down the upper vent
Thanks for all the advise
Todd K Wisc said:
I have found that I have needed to go slightly left of the smoke setting on the summit to keep in the 225 to 250 range. Otherwise, I run 260 to 275. Normally just bump it slightly left of the smoke setting and top vent near closed.

I start just a few coals in a mini weber chimney and start in the back of the lower coal area. I think starting it slower is the key to not having it rocket past your desired settings (in my experience).

Water in your drip pan can help stabilize the temps as well.

I also don't worry too much if I run at 260 to 275. Food turns out fine.
Click to expand...
thanks - I have never used a water filled pan
 
Mark Wein said:
I’ve had the summit since it came out. Today it was just running away from me.
I do use the diffuser plate.
I let it get too hot before closing/pushing down the upper vent
Thanks for all the advise

thanks - I have never used a water filled pan
Click to expand...
I set ceramic blocks on the diffuser plate and then the water pan / drip pan on there. Water doesn't boil off as fast. I have an 18" aluminum pizza pan that I use for drip / water. I wrap that in foil for easy cleanup. Keeps the WSK way cleaner.

Thread I had that helped so much when I got the WSK. This is more for rookies but was so helpful.

Todd K Wisc

Thread 'Weber Summit Kamado - new owner questions / help needed'

I had an 18.5 WSM and 22" kettle that I purchased used. They've been great and I used my weber genesis gas grill so little I traded that to my brother-in-law for woodwork Anyway, I have been wanting to get an upgrade. I love the WSM, but it really is for low and slow only and hated the way the lid sit's inside the middle section versus over on the kettle so in drizzle or rain or snow, it made the ash clean-up a real pain and temps weren't as consistent..

Decided I wanted to get something else and considered a pellet grill (Weber or Recteq), but then thought about it and I am so set up...
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I find that a 1/2 size hotel pan ("commercial steam table pan") filled with water set on top of the deflector plate, with both the top and bottom vents almost shut, and only lighting a few coals to start as @Brett-EDH described, gets me a nice 225 F.

I try get started super early and let it come up to temperature very slowly to not overshoot.
 
From what I remember, according to the user manual for the WSK, you should run the gas assist for 5 minutes if the coals are on the lower grate. I think you are running the gas too long. I open bottom and top vent all the way, run gas starter for 5 minutes only, place in the diffuser, then shut down the vents gradually as the heat starts rising until you see the temps slowing down near your target temp.
 
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Michael Chen said:
I find that a 1/2 size hotel pan ("commercial steam table pan") filled with water set on top of the deflector plate, with both the top and bottom vents almost shut, and only lighting a few coals to start as @Brett-EDH described, gets me a nice 225 F.

I try get started super early and let it come up to temperature very slowly to not overshoot.
Click to expand...
link to that hotel pan? TY
 
Oh right, don’t forget the isolator balls of foil or another way to raise the water pan a little. Completely forgot about them. I’ve used little ceramic spacers from the Ceramic Grill store as well.

@Brett-EDH I just grab them from a local restaurant supply store, but this looks like the same pan (2 or 2.5” deep option):


Wrap the pan in foil for easier clean up!
 
And, as others have suggested, start small and ease up to your target pit temp. After some practice and a few cooks it will become second nature.

Another tip is to mark the lever when it transitions from the P portion of the inlet to the wider spot. I'll see if I can find a pic that shows what I mean.

Edit see this reply

Post in thread 'Help! Kamado Summit e6 heat control' https://tvwbb.com/threads/help-kamado-summit-e6-heat-control.96273/post-1116755
 
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Another thread with some tips

O

Thread 'Help! Kamado Summit e6 heat control'

Help! Best way to start the fire for a cook

Hi all,

Please could you share your expertise on the most effective method of starting the fire in anticipation for a low and slow cook. I’ve been a Weber kettle fan for a few years and finally decided to buy a Weber Kamado summit e6. I was very very excited to purchase this as a Kamado grill is something I’ve wanted for a long time but I could do with some pointers on how best to start my cooks.

I read ALOT about the bbq before purchasing and a lot of praise was heaped onto this grill for its ease of controlling temperature and how efficient...
 
Just a quick follow up
thanks for all the advice
UNFORTUNATELY for me, even tho it was only a 6 pound pork butt 10 hours of cooking did not get me to soft pull
as always I had to take it off so we could eat
I thought that a smaller pork butt would cook quicker than a larger one
however I was wrong!
 
Mark Wein said:
Just a quick follow up
thanks for all the advice
UNFORTUNATELY for me, even tho it was only a 6 pound pork butt 10 hours of cooking did not get me to soft pull
as always I had to take it off so we could eat
I thought that a smaller pork butt would cook quicker than a larger one
however I was wrong!
Click to expand...

I have a favourite way to make this not happen again!!!!!

All the butts I purchase seem to be no bigger than 8 pounds to start with.
I was cutting them in half and then preparing them like normal.....I also cut them into thirds at one point.
Doing any of the above directly lowers the time it takes to cook to the point where a paper/foil wrap is not required and it allows you to get more spice rub on the protien........lots more bark available when using this method.

You may never go back to the old way again!
 
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