Im having trouble gettin my Weber Smokey Mountain up to 225. It stalls at about 215. And this is at an outdoor temp of about 56 degrees. There is some wind, but my rig is protected from direct wind. It’s the out-of-the-box setup; I haven’t pimped it yet. Any ideas?
If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
What size WSM is it? 14/18/22? I've read that this can affect it. I assume you've cranked all vents wide open in an attempt to get the fire to heat up?
I have had this problem getting my 18.5 up at 325 in cool weather, but never at 225. Are you using a full water pan with hot water from the start? How are you getting the coals going? Fully lit chimney over unlit coals ala the Minion method?
It's the 22 size.
I start the fire with one full chimney dumped into a ring around the edge, and then light another chimney to dump in the middle (sorry, can't remember what that method is called!). I also start with a pan of water that I have boiled prior to placing it in the pan.
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I'd be suspicious of the charcoal ... like maybe it's slightly damp or perhaps poor quality. What brand are you using and how (and how long) has it been stored?
are you using a weber chimney? (thinking if your using a small chimney maybe not enough hot coals)
I have a wsm 22 and had that problem on 1 cook and I think its because I didn't have enough hot coals dumped into the middle of my ring, I have since used a full load in a weber chimney and let all get ashed over, and haven't had the problem since
also I usually use about 2 chimney full loads of unlit charcoal to form my ring for the soo donut method (modified minion method)
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Open the vents up and let it breathe. Make sure to allow time for minor adjustments. If the fire is running low, it is because it is not getting enough air.
Also, allow the charcoal that you are putting into the WSM to really get red hot. I like to give the chimney a good shake before I add the charcoal. This allows for the ash to fall off and those lit coals to rage.
The outside temps really have no effect, especially at the mid-50's. (Zero or below zero you can start to take that into account.)
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Something sure seems fishy to me. You shouldn't have the slightest trouble getting to 225 at all. Have you double checked your probe to make sure it's not the culprit?
I agree, something is wrong. First get rid of the water pan, second make sure you use a full bed of charcoal and start with your vents wide open. You should be pushing in the 300 range with that setup. Then back your vents down to desired. Also as mentioned check your thermo device.
Have you tried a couple different probes? Check your probe calibration in boiling water.
If you have a propane turkey fryer, use it to blast a charcoal load to assure it's ready to go. You can also use a sidewalk ice clearing propane torch - they're inexpensive from Harbor Freight (~ $ 25.00 - $ 35.00 depending on how it lights up).
Check to make sure your center ring is on properly. The second time I used my 14.5 it was dark outside and I had the same problem - I couldn't get it up over 200 and I could see that the fire was blazing hot. I was trying to make a grilled pot roast in it. The next morning when I went out I noticed that I must have inadvertently bumped the ring as it was sitting crooked. I was angry with myself but also relieved as I knew why the cook was such a failure.
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