Yes, we definitely need more details. Type of fuel? Temp outside? How much lit fuel, how much unlit fuel? Vent positions?
I've done a couple of cooks on the WSM 18". I've filled the charcoal basket with unlit briquettes (like a donut, with a 5-6" hole in the middle), and then dumped 10-12 lit briquettes in the "hole". Look up the Minion method if you haven't heard of it. I start with all vents fully open. After 30 minutes it hits 150° C / 300° F easily, and then I can start dialing it down, typically by closing one of the bottom vents fully, and then reducing the top vent a bit.
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WSM 18.5 for Higher Temp Cooks
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Some details on how the WSM was set up would definitely help :-)
When I set my WSM 22 up to cook hot for a turkey, here’s what I do
1 full dragon chimney (80 briquettes) lit, dumped on 1 full unlit chimney in the charcoal ring
no water pan
gravy pan on the bottom grate to catch drippings, smoke, etc
turkey on the top grate
Start with all vents wide open, adjust them once WSM top grate is over 300F
The WSM 22 is going to be different from the WSM 18 because there is basically double the volume of space in the 22.Last edited by ecowper; November 7, 2021, 12:08 PM.
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I vote Pellet smoker. Have not done a turkey on my Traeger yet, so pictures would be nice also too.
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Not a problem in my pellet grill 😁
as @Dadof3Illinois said, "It could be so many different things…."
Keep trying, the fun of BBQ is learning and eating your way to success.
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This what I’m currently debating right now. I also have a pellet smoker. I did my one and only turkey 🦃 on my WSM 2 years ago on Thanksgiving. Turned out awesome. Naturally I didn’t write down any notes on what I did so here I am wondering just what the heck to do.
I do remember injecting the bird with a butter based liquid and using sage and some other spices on it. I also spatchcocked it.
The one thing I can’t remember is what I did with the water pan. When I have done chicken on the WSM I have always removed it, so I’m assuming I must’ve done the same with a turkey. If I did leave it in, it definitely would have been empty. I only use the minion method when starting the charcoal, and I probably use a full charcoal starters worth of charcoal to get it going. I also remember the weather wasn’t too bad either so that didn’t really come into affect. I’m still torn between using my WSM This year or using my pellet smoker. Also thinking of buying a Thermoworks Billows too.
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It could be so many different things….
Poor Fuel
Windy and cold outside
Poor air flow
Turkey was big and really cold
Just a thought but you could do a test run with the same fuel and same location and just see if you can get it up on temp without anything in it?
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WSM 18.5 for Higher Temp Cooks
So yesterday, I attempted to cook Meathead’s Ultimate Grilled Turkey recipe, but ended up punting and sticking the turkey in the oven. The problem? I COULDN’T GET THE SMOKER HOT ENOUGH. How do you get your WSM 18.5 to run in the 325-350 degree range for hotter cooks like this one?Tags: None
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