Weber Smokey Mountain Temperature Rise

[LexB89]

Hi guy's,

I've got my baby back ribs on the go.

The temperature is running too high at 290F and got there quick.

I have all vents bar the top one closed.

I'm using the minion method.

I used 10 hot briquettes.

I think this is too many.

Can anyone confirm this or suggest other solutions?

 

[BGKYSmoker]

You have whats called a runaway temp. What size WSM?

If you use an old metal coffee can (both ends open) place the coals around it (leave can there entire cook)

Close down to half way on the bottom vent (S) Top 1/2. When temp starts to stabilize 225-250 then your in the zone. Temps start to drop oen up the vents some.

This worked good for me when i had the 22"

 

[mcokevin]

Is your water bowl empty? With water in the bowl getting my WSM to those temps is a very deliberate decision.

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

Is it windy where you are? If so try to set up some wood or something to block the smoker. Always keep the top vent open also! Use bottom vents to control the temp.

 

[sandyut]

I used a 14" WSM for years. I always kept the top vent open and controlled the temp by how open the bottom vents were.

I used the water pan at first, but eventually I just foiled it dry.

eventually i went to a partyq from BBQ Guru for temp control on it. much much easier.

 

[FFchampMT]

I'd suspect you had an 'overshoot' you didn't catch in time, I've been there many times. When I'm aiming for 250 I start throttling the air at 220. It takes about 20 minutes for the WSM to really register the change in oxygen. When it really gets up there to 290 it sometimes takes a 40 minutes to climb back down.
I'm an anti-spritzer because I get wild temp swings from opening the lid.
Don't fear - 40 minutes at 290 won't ruin anything, 4 hours at 290 won't either (maybe be a little more charred is all) ... You're cooking until the bones wiggle.
Last thing is the flavor wood - if it's under/in your coals you should be good, but if you put it on top they'll flare up and spike your temps.

 

[normanaj]

I used a 14" WSM for years. I always kept the top vent open and controlled the temp by how open the bottom vents were.

I used the water pan at first, but eventually I just foiled it dry.

Same here.

 

[LexB89]

I'm using the 22" WSM.

I use the water bowl.

Should I cook with it dry?

Did I use too many hot briquettes?

I had all the bottom vents closed, with just the top vent open.

 

[sandyut]

that was not too many coals for a minion method. I was always taught and followed to keep the top wide open and control the heat with the bottom vents. more closed = less air = less oxygen = less burn = less heat and v/v. thus if its running hot, close the bottom vents a bit or a bit more. it take a few for the temp to adjust.

Also - if there are air leaks they can also feed the fire with fresh oxygen to burn. I had this issue and sealed my side door and the lid - mostly because when windy and when trying to cool down the burn the leakage was too much.

these guys have seal kits. The lid hinge is KILLER GREAT too.

RE: water bowl - if you are new i would keep using it with water till you are pretty solid with it. then try dry. you will use less fuel with it dry, but it can spike temps easier. IMO

Before I found SMF i spent time here. its 100% WSM talk, advice, tips etc. But a ton of people on here have WSMs too.

 

[mcokevin]

I'm using the 22" WSM.

I use the water bowl.

Should I cook with it dry?

Did I use too many hot briquettes?

I had all the bottom vents closed, with just the top vent open.

10 hot briquettes doesn't seem like too many.

The WSM is a pretty simple smoker (that's the beauty of it), so the temps can only be caused by too much hot fuel. Since it sounds like you didn't add too much hot fuel at the start, the only other way it could climb that high is too much air feeding more combustion than you want to happen. Air can come in through a few places. Ideally, it's only the bottom vents. On the WSM if the smoker isn't sealed up properly it can come in through the door (especially if opened), through a gap between the base and the body of the smoker if it is not mated correctly (this is unlikely IMO), or the lid.

Also, do you have confidence in your thermometers? What are you using to measure temps? Don't go by the thermometer on the lid.

 

[LexB89]

It must be air flow then.

I bought a fibreboard 2 so I'm pretty confident with that.

Air could be coming in at the bottom of the smoker.

Would adding less briquettes at the start solve the problem?

I've found once you get the temperature too high, there isn't much I can do about it!

 

[sandyut]

I've found once you get the temperature too high, there isn't much I can do about it!

The temp should be controllable. Overshoots are common and can be quickly remedied by adjusting airflow.

<10 briquettes for a minion sounds like far too few. I used to use half a chimney or so...

 

[LexB89]

That's got me stumped then because all my bottom wants were closed.

 

[bill1]

even with all the "vents" closed, you have ~4 cu feet of air or ~1 cu ft of oxygen in there. As long as you have fuel, that's plenty of O2 to heat the remaining gas by the 70F you saw. Plus, burning up the oxygen in the trapped air creates a vacuum that works to suck in even more air--these are not vacuum-tight seals! If you really want tight temperature control, better get sensitive electronics and a control system that starts choking off air supply long before it "appears" to be a concern. But 70F extremes won't hurt your meal....you can still get great cooks with just manual control. Consider it part of the fun of this style cooker!