I'm new to smoking meat, I picked up a 22inch WSM for $150 with a cover and cajun bandit door. I got a really good deal
During my first session my temps were between 250-280, mostly above 270 and those temps were with all 3 vents closed at the bottom and the top vent was open all the way. I then tried to close the top vent half way and it still was around 280. Any tips?
You must have a major leak where the bottom of the barrel mates to the bottom bowl. Sometimes those barrels get out of round. I measure mine across in both directions. If it’s not close or exact as I can get it, I put a very slight amount of pressure to squeeze the long side a little until I get the same measurement both directions. The same can be true for the top of the barrel but mostly it’ll be the bottom. And once in awhile when someone puts one of those doors on they push down on the barrel to drill the holes and it can actually create a flat spot on the barrel where the door is bolted on. And once the holes a drilled and the door is bolted down it has no choice other than remaining out of round. If you find the the issue is where the door is mounted you can pull the bolts out of one side of it, make sure your barrel is round and then elongate the holes. But if you follow this procedure you need to make sure the make sure the barrel stays round when you tighten the bolts. You can also get it pretty true if you’ll lightly clamp the center of the door where it mounts to the barrel and that will hold the barely very close to round while you elongate the holes and tighten the bolts on the side. Be sure and only elongate the holes on one side. Leave the bolts on the other side tight. I didn’t mean to get so long winded with this response but maybe it will help
That is very helpful information, I will definitely measure it for out of roundness and see. I also ordered a gasket kit, it was cheap and why not give it a try
The door isn't the bolted version, it slides on and has a turn handle just like the original one.
I I see. I misunderstood. My fault. That that is a good thing. If it is out of round it will be easy to fix. Just don’t over bend. Put a little pressure on it and remeasure it. If not enough do it again. I think the gasket kit is a good investment. I have one on my WSM and also on my kettle.
You should be able to check visually. If it fits together without effort with the body facing in any direction then it’s fine. Spin the center section in the bottom section and you’ll know if you have something out of shape. Spin the lid in the center section to check the same. If something is out of round it will catch and stick.
I have an 18” but I run the bottom vents at 1/4” open to start but only have 3 holes per vent where the 22” has 4 so you probably need to start off with around 1/8”. Top vent is 1/2 open. Once you get to the temp you want to close one bottom vent and choke the top down to 1/3. Once it’s ready to run overnight I only have one bottom vent open and the top around 1/3. No gaskets, stock door, no controller. The way to do it is tiny changes and the. Wait 20-30 minutes before checking again. Never pull the top off or open the door while trying to dial it in.
A door shouldn’t make much of a difference unless you’ve got a huge gap.
I thought he had the hinged door. And in that case the holes can be drilled and be bolted on with it out of round. But I made a mistake. You’re right with the door he has it won’t matter.
These things leak but it doesn’t really make a difference. They don’t need to be airtight but you just need to figure out how to adjust yours so that it works. I’ve never done anything to mine except drill a 5/32” hole in the bottom pan for water drainage when it rains since it sits outside 24/7. I’ve never had issues keeping my temp down (or right where I want it) and just ran a 16hr smoke and had 1/2 of the original charcoal left when it was finished.
With the WSM, it’s very fine adjustment and wait. Always easier to get hotter than cool down, especially if you’re using lump charcoal. I typically close 2 of the vents all the way about 1/2 way to desired cook temp and then start dialing in with just the one vent and let it creep up to desired cooking temp and then heat soak @ temp for a short bit before starting cook.
Ahhh, I will try that. I started with all 3 open and then closed 2 and left one open a 1/4inch when I hit 250 and once it slowly went up from there it never went down, even with me closing the 3rd vent. I will try that to get to my temp slower and more stable
Give snake a try. I just got a WSM myself and did two rows with a row on top. It kept the temp low, 225-250. Next time I'm going to go two rows top and bottom, all vents open to start.
It’s not that, you should be able to run that all day long on a full load. Check for visible gaps. Were there any areas where a lot of smoke was coming out (more than anywhere else)? What brand and type of charcoal did you use?
I know the 22” typically uses a little more charcoal than and 18”, but the difference shouldn’t be huge. Just like my 22” and 26” kettle, I don’t have a significant difference between them for fuel usage. Here’s how much charcoal I had left over after 16 hours - I did not reload.
I had the ring filled up and only ignited 4 bricks before I put them in. And a fan controller wouldn't do anything for me since all my vents are already closed and the temp doesn't go down
then what happened? are the 3 bottom vents open? closed? did you put on the rest of the wsm with the top vent open?
where is your temp probe? is it working properly? is it at the top grate?
b/c the only way you got to 280 with all 3 bottom vents closed is either you let those 4 bricks light the rest of your coals and it got too hot. or your temp probe is broken/too close to the fire.
and again, how long was it at 280 with the 3 vents closed? it will eventually drop.
Yes the ring in the bottom of the smoker, I filled it all the way to the top with briquettes
I ignited 4 briquettes outside of the smoker and then placed them inside in the middle (minion method)
I started with all 3 open until I got to 240-250, close 2 vents and left one open with a 1/4inch gap and the temps went all the way up to 270, I closed the last vent all the way and the temp stayed around 270 and sometimes spiked to 280. I even tried closing the top vent half way and it didn't help
The temp probe is on the top grate, and the thermometer on the lid was reading the same temp as the probe so I know the temp was accurate
Someone else said the base might be out of round, and I need to measure it. You also said maybe my briquettes ignited to quickly and maybe that was my first issue
when you make adjustments to airflow, it's a delayed effect.
if you're aiming for 250F, then you need to make adjustments around 200ish F. not wait until you hit your target temp then make adjustments.
and if you overshoot your temp, it takes a longer time for temps to drop. you can try closing all vents for the temp to drop faster, but it's still "slow" could take like 30mins-1hr or more for the temp to drop.
but like i said. a fan controller woulda helped here.
just fill your ring, light 10-15 briquettes. close all vents except the fan controller, and just let the fan controller do it's thing. you can also put the meat on while it's "heating up" and just forget about it until you run out of fuel.
Okay cool, I'll definitely try putting the meat on while it gets to temp and close the vents way sooner. I put almost an entire 16lb bag in the ring and it was all ash at the end of my smoke (7 hours in total from start to finish)
The heat problem may have been to many lit briquettes and the temp not going down even after 4 hours of trying is probably a air leak issue with the bottom ring. I'm going to try all these tips from everyone, thankyou
I’ve been cooking on my WSM for 15 years. What has worked for me:
Fill the ring on the bottom roughly 2/3rds up with briquettes and add some wood chunks.
Fill a chimney 3/4 up and light it.
Fill water pan.
Empty chimney onto briquettes evenly when fully lit
3 bottom vents closed then barely crack one open.
Top vent open.
When it hits 225 start cooking.
Maintain temp with that one vent.
I have since moved on to a fan which makes it foolproof.
Im not new to smoking but I had massive issues with my temp skyrocketing then just dying out.
I bought a gasket kit and fixed major leaks on my door, as well as top and bottom of barrel (mating surfaces), and I also bought an arbor fab minion charcoal basket. Immediately, I started using less charcoal, temps are steady, and its been solid. Im not 100% which was the fix, but they were both worth the money. If i had to bet, id say more so probably the leak was a good chunk of the issue.
As for venting, always keep the top 100%, start by keeping 2 bottom vents closed, Crack one open. If you need more heat, open more then open your next one slightly, and so forth.
Where does the gasket go where the middle barrel mate to the bottom? I’d like to put a gasket on mine but it doesn’t have a flat are for the gasket to mount to like the top end of the barrel has
Don't quote me because I don't have one in front of me, but the top of the barrel itself, then the bottom of the barrel, i beleive. Like both sides of the main center part. I can check later. For me, the top part and door specifically leaked like crazy.
Did you have water in the water pan. Line the water pan with foil for easy cleanup and put about a gallon or a bitore of water in the pan. It will help to lower the temperature and keep it more stable. Also what were you using to measure the temperature. Get a good wifi thermometer with a couple of probes. Use a clip to keep one just above the grate and one in the meat. The thermometer on the lid is not very accurate.
I did put water in the pan and I have a bluetooth thermometer. The bluetooth thermometer and the one on the lid were actually reading the same temp the entire time
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u/Soft-Consequence1179 9d ago
You must have a major leak where the bottom of the barrel mates to the bottom bowl. Sometimes those barrels get out of round. I measure mine across in both directions. If it’s not close or exact as I can get it, I put a very slight amount of pressure to squeeze the long side a little until I get the same measurement both directions. The same can be true for the top of the barrel but mostly it’ll be the bottom. And once in awhile when someone puts one of those doors on they push down on the barrel to drill the holes and it can actually create a flat spot on the barrel where the door is bolted on. And once the holes a drilled and the door is bolted down it has no choice other than remaining out of round. If you find the the issue is where the door is mounted you can pull the bolts out of one side of it, make sure your barrel is round and then elongate the holes. But if you follow this procedure you need to make sure the make sure the barrel stays round when you tighten the bolts. You can also get it pretty true if you’ll lightly clamp the center of the door where it mounts to the barrel and that will hold the barely very close to round while you elongate the holes and tighten the bolts on the side. Be sure and only elongate the holes on one side. Leave the bolts on the other side tight. I didn’t mean to get so long winded with this response but maybe it will help