WSM - low temperature - coals at front not lighting :(


 
A

ANewton

New member
Hi all, I am new to the WSM world, but have been using a Weber Kettle for many years. I have an 18" WSM that I have bought pre-loved. The previous owner has fitted gasket around the door and between the centre section and lid.

I have a problem with getting the WSM up to a good temperature I am unable to get the temperature past 200f / 95c without either opening the door, or wedging the lid open a 1/2 inch.

  • I use a good quality briquette in the minion method.
  • I centralise the coal ring on the bottom grate. And fill it with coals.
  • I dump 1/2 to 3/4 a chimney starter load of hot coals in the middle of the coals.
  • I fill the water pan with water 1/2 way. And I do ensure that the water pan is in the brackets, not touching the coals.
  • I have all of the bottom vents fully open, and the top vent fully open also.
  • There is nothing restricting the air flow into the WSM.
I am monitoring the temperature with an InkBird, and the temperature reading is kind of in line with the gauge in the lid of the WSM.

The strange thing I don’t understand is that the coals at the front of the smoker (around the aluminium door) never light. So it appears that all the heat is being generated from the coals at the middle towards the back (opposite the door).

I am confused as to why the coals at the front never light at all. I am thinking of buying a Cajun Bandit Stainless Steel door. As the thin door as standard appears to be the weak link in a very good smoker.

Has anyone ever come across this before? If so how was it resolved?

By the way, great website and fantastic community.
 
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This is odd. Sounds like your briquets have to be the problem. How old are they and what brand? Im my 18" WSM i only crack one bottom vent (1/8") open close the other 2 and have the top one open 100% and run around 225 to 250 in the summer. I know mine is not sealed as tight as your though. Im curious what the others will recommend. I will watch this thread and good luck to you you will figure this out.
 
Thanks JimZ. My main confusion is to why the coals at the front 1/3 of the coal ring/chamber never light. At the end of the cook, they still look new. It must be either coals or air flow. I have tried a number of brands and have the same issue. And there is nothing restricting air flow.
 
ANewton said:
Thanks JimZ. My main confusion is to why the coals at the front 1/3 of the coal ring/chamber never light. At the end of the cook, they still look new. It must be either coals or air flow. I have tried a number of brands and have the same issue. And there is nothing restricting air flow.
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That's just odd. Like I said waiting to hear what others think. I'm stumped now that you said you have tried other brands of charcoal with the same results.
 
It would help if you posted some pictures showing after you dumped the hot coals and then six hours later.
 
For me, I dump the hot coals in the middle and at the end of the cook, I might have a small ring of new charcoals at the perimeter of the ring.
 
Water spill or leakage? Pictures of the lower section? I doubt there is a hole but maybe when heated a pinhole appears. Unlikely but out there. Course that would mean the bowl is placed in the same orientation each time.
 
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Thanks guys, I will take pictures throughout my next cook. Water spillage could be an answer. Next cook will be with a dry water pan, see how I get on.
 
Sounds like maybe an air flow issue. Try running with one of your bottom vents directly underneath your door
 
My first two thoughts were, that's odd and could this WSM be too air tight?

When I put the lite coals in the center of the pile and if I did not use all the fuel before I completed the cook and shut down all the vents I will have some coals on the outside completely unused.

With you not being able to get above 200 really makes me think it is too air tight.

Before I started to take apart the work that has already been done, I would try going waterless or start with a larger minion method and use water to see if either of those options get you to where you want to be.

Last thought/idea is to spread you minion method coals over top of a bed of coals on not all in the center to see if that helps.

Good luck, that is just my brainstorming, I would only change one thing at a time to try to figure out what factors help and hurt the process.
 
You omit a key detail -- where are your vents located when this happens?

If you have two vents on the sides and one in the back, then no surprise that the front third would burn last. I set up with one vent in front right under the door. And run (during the first 8-10 hours) with just the front vent open. So my coals in the front are always burned first. My unburned is always in the back third located between the other two vents.

The unlit coals I think is just a consequence of the cooker running at a very low temp. If you are only running at a low temp, then you don't have that much fire going and you'll wind up with unburned fuel somewhere.

Being stuck at 200F with all vents open IS unusual. I'd try running with hot water, dry pan and/or no pan, full chimney lit poured on top of the unlit and see what temps you get. Also fiddle with where the vents are located versus the door.

Only other thought is that you may need to get the fire hotter before putting the food on. The cold food pulls the temp down.
 
Very good point, regarding the location of the 3 bottom vents in relation to the front door. One thing that has always been a constant for me is the location of the door to the vents. The reason for this is when I bought the used WSM it had the Cajun Bandit lid hinge fitted. The guy I bought it from suggested for stability, always have the hinge located directly over one of the legs - and as a result of doing this the bottom vents are always in the same location.
I feel really positive about this now. And will try moving things around, and as suggested, do 1 thing different at every trial burn or cook.

Thanks guys, for your help and advise. I was totally at a loss as to why this was happening. Its amazing support from this community. And shows what a group of like minded people can achieve.

I will update you all on my tests and findings.

Thanks again

Alan
 
Also consider where your top vent is located as a variable when sleuthing the unburned front coal mystery.

My typical set up is one lower vent open in the front and the top vent open in the back (so the thermometer is visible in the front). Front coals always burn first.
 
How about contacting the "Pre-Loved" former owner again to ascertain if he had the same problem. If not, most likely the problem is the charcoal.

Down here in Costa Rica there is very little, if any, "Pre-Loved" Weber Equipment for sale as my WSM 18" Classic was bought new in the year 2008 which has given me very little "problema".
 
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Depending on what you’re cooking, you might want to test using the snake method instead of the minion method and see if the snake burns all the way around.
 
Using no water in the pan is a great idea. I don't use water very often, but when I do, I generally preheat it as much as possible. Also, curious if we're talking about 1/2 to 3/4 of lit coals from the large weber chimney or the small chimney. 1/2 to 3/4 from the small chimney isn't much heat at all.

Ahh the weather. I see that Mr. Newton is from the UK, where the weather is a bit colder and more humid that most parts of the USA. Generally speaking, when the weather is cooler and damper, you'll need to light more charcoal to achieve the same cooking temperature vs when the weather is warmer and dryer.

In my opinion, it's better to err on the side of lighting more charcoal vs. less, in particular if your WSM is tight/well seasoned.
 
Richard Garcia said:
How about contacting the "Pre-Loved" former owner again to ascertain if he had the same problem. If not, most likely the problem is the charcoal.

Down here in Costa Rica there is very little, if any, "Pre-Loved" Weber Equipment for sale as my WSM 18" Classic was bought new in the year 2008 which has given me very little "problema".
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Richard,
I thought this too, I would reach out to him if it was me!
 
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