Temp control on a WSM.

[TwoWheeler]

I'm still working on dialing temps in on my WSM and could use a little guidance. I start out with ALL the vents closed and then the temp drops off to 180-ish, I get paranoid about smothering it, open a few, it goes up to the 300 range, I shut a vent or two....later, rinse, repeat, until it finally stabilizes usually around 260.

I could do without the yo-yo effect. I'd like to be able to get it going and then stop watching the Maverick like an expectant father....and I'd like to get the temps a little lower.

One thing occurred to me the other day - maybe the temp is dropping off because I just put a big, refrigerator temperature mass in and I shouldn't be so paranoid about smothering the fire?

[richinlbrg]

Are you getting the WSM to temp before putting the meat on? If not, get it to the desired temp then add the meat.

Once I've put lit coals in the nest and put the lid on, I start by closing the lower vent to about 1/2 and close down the top vent to 1/4 to 1/2 and just make small adjustments with the top vent.

[TwoWheeler]

Are you getting the WSM to temp before putting the meat on?

Hmmm....maybe not, if I consider the chunk of cold meat, and the big bowl of cold water.

[_John_]

Welcome, what size do you have? I have the 22 and I light mine and leave the lid off for about 5 minutes then I put the lid on and have all vents open. Once I get to about the temp I want I leave the bottom vents about 1/3 open and the top all the way open, this gets me around 275. If I want 225 I think I have the top about half closed. Once temps have stabilized I add the meat. I usually get it going and put it all together then go in and do my rub and all that so it has had time to settle by the time i'm ready.
I have had bad weather though so yours may be a little different.

[JeffJ]

I have the 14.5. The method I've developed is as follows:
I fill the ring with charcoal and a wood chunk. I remove 10-12 coals from the ring and light them. I add boiling water and fill the bowl about 1/3 to 1/2. Bottom vents are 7/8 open and top vent is open all of the way. I put the meat in cold right after adding the water. The temps climb pretty quickly and usually stabilize in the 220-250 range. Once the water evaporates the temp will start to spike but I just close the top vent to 1/3 - 1/2 open and temps usually stabilize again in the desired range. The last three cooks I never lifted the lid and made no more than three tweaks to the top vent for the entire cook.

2 advantages with the water. First the steam helps apply the smoke to be meat. Second the water acts as a heat soak which enables the vents to be open which results in plenty of oxygen making your coals hot enough to prevent your wood from belching bad smoke. Keep in mind though that the WSM produces so much steam that bark won't set until the water Evaporates and the air in the chamber dries out a bit. This is why I only partially fill the bowl.

[DWCowles]

Welcome TwoWheeler

[Huskee]

Welcome to The Pit TwoWheeler! Great to have you here. I don't own a WSM myself, but as you can see there are many who do and can offer some great tips. Also, there's Meathead's article on the subject if you haven't already seen it.

Since this is your first post, please drop by our Introduce Yourself channel and give us a little bio when you get a minute, we all love meeting our new members; then check out our homework assignment post for new members, it contains a few how-tos and please-dos.

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Hope to hear & see more from you!

[TwoWheeler]

Also, there's Meathead's article on the subject

(Forehead smack) ....of course there is....

[richinlbrg]

Also check out Harry Soo's tutorial/seminar on getting the most out of your WSM. That had slipped my mind. Excellent work; I learned a TON!

[PaulstheRibList]

I haven't used a 14.5, and I'm thinking the temp swings will be greater on it than on the 22.5, which is what I use.

My guess is that you will need to know what vent settings get you to your desired temp, say 250, and when you put that large chunk of ice-cold meat, just open your vent a touch, and wait. The overcompensation makes it harder to find out what that sweet spot is on your cooker.

What helped me be more consistent is using the method I just described, AND taking good notes so I could remember what I did last weekend, rather than guessing again and again.

Now I've got some good "muscle memory" cooking on my wsm. I haven't used it in about 6 months, and I fired it up yesterday for some Pulled-Pork Experiments, and my initial vent setting was almost perfect to keep it at 250 for the whole cook. A couple of small adjustments, which I could have skipped and it would have still been alright.

Keep cooking and have big fun!

[JeffJ]

I haven't used a 14.5, and I'm thinking the temp swings will be greater on it than on the 22.5, which is what I use.

I haven't used a 22.5 but I can tell you that controlling temps in the 14.5 is really easy. It may not look like much but that little thing is a great cooker.

[IanN]

Two Wheeler, I have the 14.5. Still consider myself a complete newbie but the method I stumbled on and is working for me is pretty much what JeffJ says (which is good to hear)

Put boiling water in the bowl, and experiment with hitting the desired the initial temp by controlling - in my case it was reducing - the amount of lit fuel used. That way you're in the ballpark straight away, rather than fighting and fiddling with the vents to bring the temp down (and then back up again, etc etc etc)

You'll probably also get a longer burn before needing any refill into the bargain, due to not having "spent" so much fuel right at the start, which is a bonus if it's a long cook

I'm going to try Jeff's "10-12" lit coals next time out. That's quite a bit less than I'd started to settle on (usually half to two thirds of a chimney) so sounds like I've still got a lot of room for manouevre

[richinlbrg]

I use more initial charcoal. I do NOT put the meat on until the smoke turns thin blue. The early smoke is a heavier white as the coals and wood light, and that smoke is acrid tasting. Remember, a lot of the smoke flavor hits early in the smoke, unless you spray the meat during the smoke.

When the smoke turns to the thin blue, I close down the top vent to get my temp into the desired range.

Use the top vent, not the bottom on the WSM! The reason has to do with the "Venturi Effect". If you close down the lower vents and leave the exhaust vent open, you accelerate the air at the intake vents and basically accelerate the air over the coals and this will actually INCREASE your temp.

[smokinfatties]

TwoWheeler i use a stoker unit which fixes everything however i have had the same types of issues when i first got mine. Is your wsm new or does it have plenty of grease etc. on it to keep it sealed?

I bought a WSM after taking Harry Soo's class and while his "soo's donut" method works well once the WSM is all seasoned and sealed, i had issues with the temp spiking up. I found that meathead's "fuse" method worked the best on my WSM in its early days for keeping low temperatures consistently. For what it's worth, i never put water in the bowl, but that's apparently supposed to help regulate temperatures. Others have put Sand in the bowl. Harry Soo's theory is that leaving the water out helps the bark/crust form quicker then he recommends introducing moisture once the bark sets by spraying it every half hour or so (although this may not help with your temperature spike issue.

One recommendation would be to pick up the WSM door modification that cajun bandit sells, it helps get a tighter seal and better regulates temperature.

[Spinaker]

Most important thing you can do to help regulate temps is the gasket kit and replace that cheap door that weber puts on the WSM. I have a friend that got a WSM this summer. It's changed the whole game for him. His temps are steady as can be now. And he's as green as they come when its comes to BBQ. Link below.

http://www.bbqgaskets.com/catalog_4.html

[JeffJ]

TwoWheeler For what it's worth, i never put water in the bowl, but that's apparently supposed to help regulate temperatures. Others have put Sand in the bowl. Harry Soo's theory is that leaving the water out helps the bark/crust form quicker then he recommends introducing moisture once the bark sets by spraying it every half hour or so (although this may not help with your temperature spike issue.

I've developed the 'reverse Soo'. I start with boiling water (only about 1/3 full) because it allows me to have all of my vents mostly open and a properly breathing fire will produce blue smoke. Then when the water evaporates and temps begin to climb I close the top vent to about 1/3 open and now that the chamber is drier the meat will develop bark (I call this the reverse because I start with moisture first and then let bark develop later when it's drier - Soo develops bark first and then spritzes). I never have to lift the lid during the cook and usually make just the one top vent adjustment and that's it.

The problem with this is steam pours out of the vent thus you can't check the color of the smoke so a sniff test is required - if it smells sweet (think of someone smoking a pipe and the smell it creates) then you've got the right smoke. In my experience I've found that the good smoke starts pretty much immediately (as long as the vents are mostly open) so I put the meat in right away and have gotten great results. I have visually confirmed this when adding wood to my kettle - if the coals are good and hot it will pump out blue smoke right away.