WSM 22.5 Ran Hot


 
A

Aaron Black

New member
Hey all,

Thanks for all the good reading and info. It has made me a better cook! I have finally stepped into the dark side and got a WSM 22.5 after running Traegers for almost a decade (man am I old).

Did a test run last week with about 5lbs of K Blue. Got up to 200 and I closed all the bottom vents off to about 15% open. Held rock solid for over 2 hours and I went to bed.

Second run - outisde temp was about 90 degrees in the sun. Foiled water pan, 20lbs of K Blue, 6 chunks of apple, monitored with Stokerlog. Lit with 6 - 7 briquettes ontop of the 20lbs. I put about 5lbs of fat trimmings from a previous brisket on the lower grate. As the temp approached 200, I shut all the vents down to about 50% and top vent full open. As temp continued to climb and pass 250 (about 30 minutes) I shut down one vent completely and shut the other two lower vents down to about 15% open. Temp continued to climb - at about 275 (another 25 minutes), I shut all the lower vents down completely - top vent still wide open. Temp held steady (+/- 2F) for 35 minutes but no visible smoke. I got nervous that I was going to put the fire out and I opened 1 vent to about 10%. Temp increased immediately and then held at about 335 on the upper grate and 305 on the lower grate. Held at this temp for about 2 hours until I decied to put some moink balls on - I was hungry after all this hard work!

Lid opening dropped the temp and the recovery time was about 15 minutes each time and temp returned to 285 - 290 each time. After the moink balls were pulled the temp was about 250 so I opened all the lower vents to 50% open and it held for another 4 hours before it slowly nose dived. Total burn time for 20lbs was approaching 14 hours.

The problem is keeping the temp low. I'd like to use this at a comp in 2 weeks but I don't want to fast cook my brisket and butt. How do I keep the temp down around 200 - 225 F? If I completely close the vents on the bottom to keep the temp down - won't the fire go out? Any other ideas - besides buying a blower for my stoker - my wife is still not all giggly about the new WSM.
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Try using a heat sink like a clay saucer. Probably want to start closing the bottom vents at 175. Also what has worked for me is starting with the 3 bottom vents at 50% open only. Then once i get to about 175 I reduce them all to 25% open. Then when it gets to 200 I close one completely and gauge it from there. This is what has worked for me.
 
Hi Aaron....

The Minion method can be done in 2 ways...unlit charcoal on the bottom, and a few hot coals on top.....or, about 1/2 chimney of hot coals at the bottom, and cover them with unlit charcoal on top.

When I did this way the Minion method, with the unlit coals on top, the temps increased at a much slower pace. It takes much longer....about 15-20 minutes to reach 200 F, consequently it should be easier to control it at about 225F degrees.But as I see the outside temps are around 90F, which would require a minimum opening on the bottom vents, and don't be afraid to close them completely down if the temps increase. Even the top vent should be closed 50% or even more...60-70%, until you regain control of the burning proccess. Make no mistake....you are in control....not the cooker!

Once the temps start decreasing, and reach the desired temps....you should mark the openings on the vents slightly, so next time you don't have to do all the steps again...
 
The only effective heat sink is a water pan filled with water!
New WSM 's leak air & tend to run hot , for the first few cooks you may have to run water later on a foiled pan will work.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Foiled water pan, 20lbs of K Blue, 6 chunks of apple, monitored with Stokerlog. Lit with 6 - 7 briquettes ontop of the 20lbs. I put about 5lbs of fat trimmings from a previous brisket on the lower grate. As the temp approached 200, I shut all the vents down to about 50% and top vent full open. As temp continued to climb and pass 250 (about 30 minutes) </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Good start. The problem was only shutting down the lower vents to 50%, later compounded by not shutting down more when you saw the temps continue rising. By the time this was all past too many coals had been well lit so lower temps simply weren't very possible.

I see no reason to cook at 200-225. It's not like that's going to get you better brisket or butt. However, if that's your preference you will be far better off using a heat sink - I'd suggest water - especially if cooking in full sun. Frankly, I'd rethink cooking that low. I do for, say, bacon - mostly a bit lower - but temps of 240-260 are easier to target, especially because most WSMs seem to settle naturally there, with just a simple MM start and minimal messing with the vents after the initial restriction.

If not using water start closing the vents much sooner and more dramatically - like start closing 35-50? shy of your target temp. If using water start closing 25-35 shy of target. I've never seen a need to touch the lid vent at all.
 
All - thanks for the suggestions.

I can cook the butts and brisky at 240 - 260 but at that point I might as well cook at 325 and fast cook them
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! I'll have to adjust my schedule a bit.

I will use the water pan until I see the higher temps are difficult to achieve and then swap back to the foiled pan.

The next cook will be at a comp where the night time temps are around 65 with no wind. Should be easier to maintain temp - I just want to get a little sleep which I can do now with the Traegers.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">240 - 260 but at that point I might as well cook at 325 and fast cook them </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Not really. Cooking at 240-260 is a very different cook from cooking at 325. The former is low/slow, the latter is not.
 
I aggre that if you wanna have a heat sink water is the only way. Water goes to boiling point not futher. If a clay saucer/pan with sand gets to 300 it will stay there no matter what.

And with water if you wanna lower the temp you can add cold water while its running.

I dont have any problem running my WSM in the low 200f without water. But i have to catch the temp on the way up. And often im going with all opend till 200f then close low vents to max 10% opend...And one of em often totaly shut.

Now the temp will climb really slow. And if you aim on 230 make another change when getting close. But often the temp/fire need some time to react. It was harder when the WSM was new but now its almost like an indoor oven.
 
A couple of things....

1) I am convinced that the WSM needs a few cooks to develop a film ( aka "gunk") that covers the inside of the unit, especially at the bottom vents, allowing a tighter air seal. So, I suggest further season of the unit before you go to a competition. I recommend pork shoulders for this seasoning. They are heavy, take a good long cooking time, give off plenty of moist, steamy vapors while cooking, and they are quite cheap and quite tasty.

2) I have always used water in the pan. Yes, it ultimately requires more charcoal, but it helps lock in to that 225 to 250 degree hold for hours and hours. It is possible to maintain that temp without the water, using previously mentioned items to increase the mass in the bowl using something instead of water... cast iron, clay saucer, sand, etc. But all of these are going to be trickier than water to control. Be prepared to alter your initial starting load of lit briquettes to adjust for external temp, wind patterns, desired cooking time, etc.

You could try a wet sand mixture in the bowl. I don't see how that could hurt anything.


What has your experience been like with the Traegers?

I took a long hard look at the Traegers last weekend with a traveling roadshow at my local Costco. I was pretty impressed. It seems so darn easy to use. It has a built in digital thermometer and computer control that simply adjusts the speed at which the bits of pellets get added to the burn chamber. They had the $1000 Traeger on sale for $800, and $20/20lb bags of pellets for 13.99. I was very tempted, but I resisted.

I really want a ceramic kamado/egg. I really want a Weber Ranch kettle. My wife wants a natural gas Weber. Now add in those pretty cool Traegers, and I have a tough decision to make. I only have the space and $$$ for 1 new grill.


I really want Weber to put out a weber Kamado. Are you listening guys? I am right here in your home town. Build me a Weber Ceramic!
 
Darrel,

I agree that it is NOT the best idea to run a new smoker up at a competition but unfortunately I don't have a choice. I will use water and hope for the best.

As for the Traeger - I own 2 x 075's and a COM 200. I got my first 075 almost 10 years ago and have used it for home and competition. I probably run about 1000lbs of meat though each 075 per year + who knows how much on the COM. My first unit had the three position switch and I upgraded to the digital controller about 2 years ago when I got my second 075. There has been lots of discussion on pellet forums about the various brands of pellet grills and you can do some research on your own but I have never had any issues with my Traegers and am very happy with them. I think it is worth the money. They only concern I would have is getting a reliable source for pellets. Costco is running Traeger using a road show. No guarantee how long they will carry pellets at that cost. Then you'll have to find another source or buy in bulk with a buddy local to you. These topics are also covered on pelletheads forums.
 
If you are going to use the new WSM in a comp soon, I'd suggest getting some greasy meat and long smoke it immediately, maybe even Crisco up the WSM vents beforehand. If you have 10 days to season it up, I'd do a few cooks in that time.



Can you point me to a good pellethead forum?

I didn't even know there were other brands of pellet grills. My biggest question is whether or not people use stove pellets through their pellet grills. I have easy access to 100% hardwood, low ash pellets that are intended to be used in a heat furnace. Safe enough for food prep/cooking? I'd like to read about it.
 
Darrel,

Heating pellets are NOT the same as cooking pellets. I think it has mostly to do with the binding agents used as well as the wood types used. I would look at the pelletheads.com forum. Lots of good stuff discussing all the different pellet grills and pellet fuel providers.
 
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