WSM tems can't regulate


 
PeterD

PeterD

TVWBB Super Fan
Hi guys,
First time I've ever seen this, but my temps are completely out of control this afternoon. Meat went on at 2:45 and temps held for about 15 minutes then just started to rocket out of control. I have a Stoker connected to one set of vents and the other two vents are closed, the top vent is only open about 1/2 way (seems to work for the Stoker).

I started out with no water in the pan, thinking the stoker would keep the temps in-range but then it became obvious it was worthless today and filled the water pan with cold water. Yet temps are right back up, now well over 300. I have almost NO air getting to the fire, the door's closed, bottom vents closed...and up and goes. This is completely defying imagination and all previous experience with the WSM.

Any ideas on why this is happening or what I can do? We'd planned a 7:30 to 8:00pm supper and the food's almost ready now some 3 hours early. Wife is NOT happy and I'm borderline furious.
 
Peter, curious. Has anything changed in your set up since last cook? Did you clean your cooker? Is the wind blowing? What happens if you close all intake vents and close exhaust vent 50%? There has to be an air leak.
What meat are you cooking? Can you hold it and reheat for dinner? Don't panic or get furious, tell the wife you planned it this way, have a beer!!!!

Mark

Mark
 
Nope, nothing changed at all. I didn't clean it, there's no wind and just a light drizzle and it's not really all that hot. All intake vents are closed (two by themselves and the one used by the Stoker blower is covered with the motor's interface). I'm a little hesitant to close down the top vent any more than half-way at this point.

I'm doing two racks of not-so-baby backs using the SYD rub and process, except I'd planned on doing them at 225. I've got 'em in foil at the moment and temps are lower now that I've had the lid off for about 10 minutes, but it's creeping back up. If I have to, I'll just continue to open the top ever 20 minutes for a brief few seconds to try and get the temps down.

I took the food probe out of the larger rack and laid it directly on the grate and it's tracking the pit probe within a couple of degrees, so it's not an instrumentation error either.

I'm never a fan of holding ribs for too long in foil; I like crisp bark and neither of us like 'em falling off the bone--it took me years to train her properly in this matter
icon_smile.gif
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I noticed the door is slightly pulled out from the side of the smoker, but not really enough to change the draught (I'm talking maybe 1/16th of an inch more on one side than on the other) but I think that's too small to make a major difference.

All I can think of is going without water in the pan started some kind of a chain reaction. I've heard folks not using water and thought I'd try it but obviously on this cooker that can't be done if one wishes 225 and not 300.
 
Peter, I never use water in my WSMs. I do use a ceramic saucer for a heat sink tho. You are absolutely right about the higher heat initially being harder to bring down. I have on occasion had to take wood or larger lump coal out thru the door to lower heat, if closing the vents doesn't work. I agree with you that holding ribs is not so good in foil. You could put them in a plastic bag and then on ice to fast chill. Hold them cold until 15-20 min before service and then back on a hot grill.
Good thing there is always a next time!!!

Mark
 
I learned a long time ago how hard it is to bring high temps down. I do a Minion start, assemble the cooker and monitor the temps via the Stoker interface. I like 225 as my cooking temp and when the grate-temps hit about 210 or 215 on goes the cold meat, straight from the fridge. This will often drop the grate temp a little but the blower brings it back up pretty quick. Things usually settle down shortly thereafter but today they just simply didn't.

I held to the SYD method, giving them about an hour in foil, painted on the sauce and let it set for 30 minutes then served. Total cook time was 5 hours and 8 minutes and the result was the best-tasting ribs I've ever eaten -- and for me that's saying something. I cut up the second slab and it will get food-savered tonight for two meals later this week. Not ideal, but still somewhat yummy a few days later.

But with all said and done, I still want to know why and how my temps went so horribly out of control.
 
Maybe go back to how the WSM was made to operate. Remove the stoker, open the top vent fully, and if you want lower temps, use water in the pan and regulate with the bottom vents.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by PeterD:
All I can think of is going without water in the pan started some kind of a chain reaction. I've heard folks not using water and thought I'd try it but obviously on this cooker that can't be done if one wishes 225 and not 300. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

This could have been your problem. There is an adjustment going from water to non-water.

Did you use the Minion? If so, how much fuel did you use in your chimney?

My experience: I use 12-14 briquets in my chimney for Minion for a cook in the 255-265 range, dry pan. Allows you to bring temps up slowly. High heat cooks (350) I may use 1/2 chimney. If you stack your chimney fuel in the center of the Minion, temps go up slower. The more you spread out the chimney fuel on the Minion, the faster the temps go up.

Based on what info you posted, this could have been your issue.
 
Nope, I did basically what you suggested. I use the coffee-can Minion start with about 10-15 coals in the centre and a few more around the top to get the smoke wood going as quickly as possible (since with ribs, I only have about 40 minutes for them to absorb the smoky flavour before they hit the 125 degree range).

I put the fridge-cold ribs on at 210 and that should have moderated temps for a bit, too, but the WSM just kept shooting for the stars.
 
If you are using an ATC system like a Stoker or Guru you should not need (or use) a heat sink at all. (Start with less lit, btw, and spread them out.)

Out-of-control temps (higher or lower) usually indicate a problem with the ATC - like its intake draft opening or its temp probe - or there is combustion on something large (like wood chunks) that the ATC is, of course, unable to control.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I only have about 40 minutes for them to absorb the smoky flavour before they hit the 125 degree range </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Untrue.

First, despite what you have no doubt repeatedly read on line and in books, meat does not 'absorb' smoke in typical barbecue. Adsorption is at play, not absorption. Smoke particulates adhere to the meat. This will continue as long as smoke is present. Meat temp is utterly immaterial. It has only to do with smoke ring development. Smoke rings have nothing to do with smoke flavor.
 
I have a Guru and have found that, particularly in warm weather, I have to cut down the amperature of the intake opening on the Guru fan/adapter to about 1/4 or maybe 1/2, otherwise, despite having the other vents closed, there still is enough air getting to the coals, without the fan even blowing, to bump the temps above the temperature where I like to cook.

When using the ATC, I have learned also to start out with less lit, and give the cooker more time to get up to temp before I plan on putting the meat on.

You may be in a position of needing to remove some lit to cut down on the amount of heat being generated.

Hope this helps........

Pat
 
My 2c:

Had the 18" going/meat in at 9a.m. Temps at 221 for 2 hours.

All of a sudden, the alarm goes off 2hr later at 11a.m.-->temps had dropped to 199o . ***??

Opened up the side door and gave the coals a bit of a stir (not much cuz of ash).

15min later, back to 221.

I'm guessing here that the ash layer really caused an airflow blockage resulting in less burn. I'm using the ring on the grate but I guess just not enough air could get in around the sides. Vents at the time were at 50%.

I can't see any other reason. Still plenty of briquettes available at the time. Ash had just been cleaned out of the bottom so no blockage of the vents.

My suggestion to you: uneven air flow may be a reason.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I have a Guru and have found that, particularly in warm weather </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
That was my experience. (I have a Guru as well. Got it a few years ago, used it a few times, never since.) I used about 5 to start.

[I wouldn't wait to load the meat. Put the meat in the cooker when the lit goes on, ATC or not.]
 
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