Regulating heat

[Smokin_glenn]

I'm smoking on a Weber Smokey Mountain seem to have problems regulating my heat. It seems like I'm constantly messing with my vents. How do you all keep your temperature is regulated when you are spritzing your ribs and such? I occasionally have to open my smoker for one reason or another and when I do it creates the temperature spike. How do I control this? Frustrating to me because I hear people constantly say they sit there smoker and leave it. There's no way to do an overnight smoke that is why I am constantly having to control the temperature

 

[gmc2003]

More information is needed.

How are you lighting the coals: Minion or just dumping a bunch of hot coals on top of unlit coals?
How many hot coals are you using to start 1, 10 15, 20 more?
Water in the pan or no water?
Which size WSM do you have 14, 18 or the 22?

I very seldom open my WSM once it's going, and I don't spritz. Never seen a reason to spritz. I also don't do overnighters with the WSM. To many variables involved that can go bad. However I can keep my WSMs temps steady all day long.

Chris

 

[JC in GB]

I'm smoking on a Weber Smokey Mountain seem to have problems regulating my heat. It seems like I'm constantly messing with my vents. How do you all keep your temperature is regulated when you are spritzing your ribs and such? I occasionally have to open my smoker for one reason or another and when I do it creates the temperature spike. How do I control this? Frustrating to me because I hear people constantly say they sit there smoker and leave it. There's no way to do an overnight smoke that is why I am constantly having to control the temperature

I use a PID controller on my charcoal fired smoker to control temp. The PID controls a fan to regulate airflow into the chamber. There are many options out there for controllers.

Some controllers are fancy with lots of bells and whistles which cost a pretty penny.

If you have the technical skills, you can craft your own controller for under $100.

I would be willing to help with locating parts and design if you want to go that route.

JC

 

[Smokin_glenn]

More information is needed.

How are you lighting the coals: Minion or just dumping a bunch of hot coals on top of unlit coals?
How many hot coals are you using to start 1, 10 15, 20 more?
Water in the pan or no water?
Which size WSM do you have 14, 18 or the 22?

I very seldom open my WSM once it's going, and I don't spritz. Never seen a reason to spritz. I also don't do overnighters with the WSM. To many variables involved that can go bad. However I can keep my WSMs temps steady all day long.

Chris

 

[Smokin_glenn]

Im pretty new so im experimenting. Usually i go with minion and use 10 to 15 lit coal in the middle depending on what im cooking and how long a cook. No water in the pan and i have the 18.5. If using 3 2 1 for ribs I have to open at least 3 times....1 to put the ribs on, 1once to wrap and once to unwrap and brush. All 3 cause a spike. Just trying to figure out how to keep it calmed down

 

[JC in GB]

Im pretty new so im experimenting. Usually i go with minion and use 10 to 15 lit coal in the middle depending on what im cooking and how long a cook. No water in the pan and i have the 18.5. If using 3 2 1 for ribs I have to open at least 3 times....1 to put the ribs on, 1once to wrap and once to unwrap and brush. All 3 cause a spike. Just trying to figure out how to keep it calmed down

Your issue is most likely due to airflow. My pit will drop in temp after I add the meat as well. If you want to get technical, do this experiment. Start the smoker and bring it up to temp. Put the meat in the smoker and note the temperature drop and time it takes to recover with vents full open. Next attempt, do the same but close 2 of the bottom vents and time the recovery. If the pit recovers all the way with only one vent open then you may have to do a third run with the one vent closed half way. At some point, you will not have enough air to recover the chamber temp. When you find this point, you can determine where you regulation point is for that cooker.

I hope this made a modicum of sense.

JC

 

[gmc2003]

Ok sorry, I thought you were spritzing the ribs. First I have the 22", but lighting and maintaining temp are basically the same. For any cook I always fill up the charcoal ring and bury a few chunks of wood at varying distances. Then I'll remove some of the charcoal from the middle of the ring down to the grate(about the size of a coffee can). Some people actually use a coffee can and then remove it after the lit coals are added. I'll add only about 8 lit coals in the hole. With all vents wide open. I'll let it go until I'm about 30* from my target temp, At which point I'll start closing down the bottom vents half way to start. Let it sit for 15 min. or so and see how it's settling in. Make any other vent adjustments as needed. Once your WSM is settled in(about a half an hour to an hour) I'll add the meat. Keep your top vent open to allow for airflow.

When adding or removing the meat it's essential to not to leave the lid open to long. Having a table next the WSM makes this easier. With an 18" WSM I would probably start off with 6 to 8 lit coals. My WSM likes to run in the 250 to 260* range, but I can maintain a higher or lower temp if needed. Some spiking and dropping of temp is normal and I wouldn't worry to much about it. If your smoking in the wind or even a breeze - chances are you'll have to completely close down the vent in the direction of the wind. Some days I'll have two vents completely closed, and other days I'll have them all partially open. It's dependent on the weather that day. Towards the end of a long cook you'll have to open the vents a little more as your charcoal is dying out. If this is confusing then let me know and I'll try to make it clearer.

Chris

 

[gmc2003]

I forgot to mention. When you initially add your meat to the smoker chances are you'll see a drop in temp. Don't worry about it to much. Your WSM should recover fairly quickly.

Chris

 

[JC in GB]

One more thought. Is there a gap between the charcoal door and the smoker body? That will add unwanted air as well.

JC

 

[jaxgatorz]

Back when I first started with my WSM ( I was young and still had hair). I was never patient enough to let a vent adjustment work. In other words, you when you open or close a vent, you have to be patient and let the adjustment happen... After 5 minutes I would make an adjustment to the adjustment and so on... Once I learned to wait at least 15 minutes and make smaller adjustments , the adjustments became much easier and more predictable... Of course now that I'm old and lazy, I use a Flame Boss controller. No more patience needed.

 

[noboundaries]

The OP'S loading method is fine. The full open bottom vents at the start can cause the problem because the excess air pushes the fire toward your target. It causes what I term a "fast fire." Fast fires are more difficult to control than a slow fire.

If you know your 225F, 250F, etc bottom vent settings, try setting them at the start instead of 30F prior to your desired temp. I go one step further to slow things down by keeping my bottom vents closed until the chamber stabilizes around 190-200F, then I set my bottom vents and let the chamber stabilize at my target. I'll load the meat quickly and not make any adjustments for the cold heat sink of meat I just added. The fire is still burning at my target as the cold meat absorbs available heat.

I overnight smoke all the time. I don't spritz. My WSM will cruise for 8-10 hours, sometimes 12-14, before ash buildup causes issues.

 

[gmc2003]

If you know your 225F, 250F, etc bottom vent settings, try setting them at the start instead of 30F prior to your desired temp.

I've tried this before and had the lit charcoal snuff itself out.

Chris

 

[noboundaries]

I've tried this before and had the lit charcoal snuff itself out.

Chris

Ruh-oh!

Mine must be leakier.

 

[Smokin_glenn]

Your issue is most likely due to airflow. My pit will drop in temp after I add the meat as well. If you want to get technical, do this experiment. Start the smoker and bring it up to temp. Put the meat in the smoker and note the temperature drop and time it takes to recover with vents full open. Next attempt, do the same but close 2 of the bottom vents and time the recovery. If the pit recovers all the way with only one vent open then you may have to do a third run with the one vent closed half way. At some point, you will not have enough air to recover the chamber temp. When you find this point, you can determine where you regulation point is for that cooker.

I hope this made a modicum of sense.

JC

The the temp will initially drop but then rise which is when I start messing with the vents. I should probably let it settle down at this point?

 

[JC in GB]

The the temp will initially drop but then rise which is when I start messing with the vents. I should probably let it settle down at this point?

Yes, as others have pointed out, temp swings and recovery in smokers can be a time consuming process. The WSM smokers are solid performers and they can be dialed in manually for great results.

Also, I am with the lazy technology crew here. I set up a fan and PID controller to regulate airflow through the smoker. Never have to play around with the vents.

JC