Will not go out


 
D

DavidW

New member
So, I may have overloaded the smoker with charcoal (the blue stuff) yesterday while smoking a turkey. I loaded it to the lip top of the ring and then some accidentally since the bowl was sitting on the pile.

After I took the turkey off, I closed the vents and walked away. Now it's 23 hours later and the smoker is still going fairly strong. I noticed it was above 100 at some point last night and now it's at 150. DANG!

That's kinda good to know if I want to do a lower temp smoke. However, here's the question, How the heck do I get it to go out if the vents are already closed? Do I just wait it out?
 
Was the charcoal all lit up front, or did you use Minion method? Also, how new is your WSM? They tend to get more airtight as they get used.

You also might need to take a look at the access door and make sure it is fitting tightly to the side of the WSM...sometimes the door needs to be bent a little to shape it to the contour of the smoker.

I have a 22.5" WSM and if I close my vents that baby is out in about 30 minutes.
 
Thanks. Yeah I did the minion method so I know that's part of it, but 24 hours later and still going strong is insane to me.

It's new, this was the second use and the first went for 12 hours so the fuel was quick to go out when I shut the vents.

I've opened the vents to get it to just burn through it now. I'll check and adjust the door but it seemed pretty tight during the actual cooking, I don't remember smoke coming out of it.

Thanks!
 
Wow, mine goes out pretty quickly too after closing all the vents. A silly question maybe but I assume you did close the top vent too? I just can't imagine 24 hrs and still going. Air has to be coming in from somewhere.
 
It's the door. It's got a slight curve to it on the sides. I just didn't notice it earlier. I'll fix it if it ever goes out and cools down.

Thanks for the tips!
 
Just wait it out. When I first got mine I did the exact same thing as you. I put some ribs on at noon for a rib-off at a friend's house. Went to my friends and many many beers later I returned home at 3:30 the next morning and the lid therm was still reading 235 - 15 hours AFTER I started my cook. Sometimes its like that.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Michael G. (Canada Mike):
I always go the opposite route. I take the lid off, remove the door, and let it burn its little heart out. Has the advantage of cleaning the grates. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Funny, I was thinking that this afternoon, but even with the lid off and everything open the coals just didn't have enough left to do any justice. It finally went out around 28 hours after I started it.
 
David,

If your smoker is fairly / brand-spankin' NEW - it will eventually seal-up better, once you get it through a few cooks, and it gets a chance to accumulate a little "seasoning" (crud) inside.

As others have said, check the fit of your door. You want a little "spring" in it, so that when you rotate the knob, there should be a little resistance, but the edges of the door should closely conform to the curvature of the middle section surface that it meets-up with.
(Doors sometimes need a little "massaging"...)

Is yours a bit out-of-round? (You can tell if you need to rotate the mid-section a bit, in order to get it to sit properly on the fire bowl.) If this is the case, be sure to have it properly rotated in this manner before you close-up the vents. The middle section should drop easily into the fire bowl / bottom. If you have to squeeze it in, there are probably some gaps that you cannot see, where the air gets in and air will cause continual combustion.

If everything seems to fit nice and tight, then just be patient, and wait for a little crud build-up; then, I'll bet that temperature control and snuff-out both become a lot more predicable.

Happy cooking!
 
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