Temp up/down and relaoding coals

[regatta240]

Hi All,

I am having challenges keeping a consistent temp.

I have the Weber 22 and an iGrill2 with a meat probe and grill probe. 

My challenge is that once I get to 225 I can't stop it.  I close down the lid vents and the temp drops to 225-230.  But it will usually not stay there more than an hour, then it plummets.  I stir the coals and it spikes.  Then the cycle repeats itself.  I try hard to not change the vents too often but it feels like I am always adjusting.  I don't touch the bottom vents at all - they are about 1/8 open and the only time I mess with it is when too much ash build up and use them to sweep it away and put them back 1/8 open again.  What am I doing wrong?

Also, if I am doing a long smoke I obviously run out of coals.  Putting new coals on top just creates a spike.  So barring the idea of basically starting over with a whole new set of coals and hot on top, how does one feed the fire so to speak?

Thanks is advance for the help

R

[ncsmoker]

regatta240 welcome to the Forum. Let's make sure we are on the same wave length here as we try to help you. First you have the Weber 22 1/2 Gold or Silver?. The iGrill2 is fine. Let us know which Weber you have I prefer the OTG.

Now as to the coals and temp control. Fill the SN completely full. This will take 70 - 80 briquettes. Take out 12 and light them to a white hot stage. Replace them in the SN. Once an hour stir the coals and push the white coals up against the black coals. At the 4 hour point flush the ashes from the bowl and sweep white coals to the center and add as many new coals as possible to the SN. I can usually get 20-30.

If you have questions please feel free to ask there are a lot of guys here on the Forum developing expertise on various cuts of pork and beef.

Tom

[regatta240]

Hi Tom -

Thanks for the quick reply. I have the 22.5 Inch Weber One-Touch Gold (OTG).

That is the method I have been using to start off the smoke, and I was under the assumption that once the original load of coals were burning the temp should maintain steady. During the 5 times I have used it I feel like I am "chasing" the temp to go higher or then go lower and can get it to zero in.

I will try to sweep lit coals to center when reloading coals. That may have been the issue with my spikes, add black coals on top of burning just lit them, they flamed up, etc.

Thanks for the tips...back to the kettle board.
Rob

[rangerone]

Hello Regatta240! In the beginning it is often tricky to get the temperature to do exactly what you want, but it should not take long for you to get into a groove where you barely have to think about it. Here are a few tips from my experience that may be helpful.

1. Do not try to get a temperature of 225F exactly. Shoot for a range of 225F to 250F. The temperatures will naturally fluctuate somewhat during your cook, so do not be concerned if it moves a bit one way or the other.
2. Make sure you keep water in the Smokenator pan. Every time I let the pan go dry, the temperature will start to climb rapidly. When I refill the pan I use boiling water out of my kettle. This helps to keep the temperatures more stable.
3. Follow NCSmoker's advice on how to start up your Smokenator. When I first start up, I make sure that water pan is full, and I leave the top and bottom vents open 100% until I get to about 210F -220F, at which point I close the bottom vents by about 50%. I have my bottom vent control marked for adjustments.
4. If the temperature stays to low, open the bottom vents a bit at a time. If the temperature goes too high, close the top vent a bit at a time. NEVER HAVE EITHER VENT COMPLETELY CLOSED. With water in the pan, you should not have to have the vents closed down more than 75% each.
5. Every hour top off the water pan and give the coals a gentle push to the centre. Top off the water more often if necessary, do not let it run dry.
6. At the point where you push the coals the to centre and you see completely empty space on both sides of the Smokenator, fill up both sides with more charcoal. This could be at the 2, 3, or 4 hour mark depending on your conditions (charcoal type, outdoor temperatures, how hot you run the kettle, etc.).
7. Sweep the ash whenever you add more charcoal.

Other things to look for that might have an influence:

1. Lump vs Briquets. Briquets will burn more evenly since they are all the same size and shape. Lump may give you more variations unless your sort your pieces.
2. Air Leaks. Controlling the air flow is key to controlling the temperatures. More air flow equals hotter temperatures. If the lid does not sit properly on the bowl (if it rocks back and forth or you see smoke leaking in large amounts) it will be more difficult to keep the temperature from rising.
3. Temperature Probe Wires. If you run your probe wires under the lid, read point 2. I did this once or twice and found that I could not stop my temperature from rising. Put the wires through the top vent, or do what I did and drill a small hole for the wires.
4. Lid Placement. Make sure the lid is sitting properly and that the vent is opposite to where you have the Smokenator.

Last, but not least, keep a log of what you do for every cook. Record what you are cooking (type of meat, weight, etc.), how your vents are set, what the outdoor conditions are, what temperatures you read for the grill and meat, and anything else you think is important. This is what I did for my first 10 - 15 cooks and it really helped me to get control of my cooker. I still use it when I am doing something for the first time. In the beginning, I recored my grill and meat temperatures every 10 - 20 minutes, and recorded every time I made a change to the vents, topped off the water, or added more charcoal. 

Well, if you read this far, congrats on putting up with my monologue. I hope there is some useful information hidden in the above.

Good luck, and please lets everyone know how things turn out. We all learn from each other's experiences.

[ncsmoker]

Rob, Allan mentions that he marks the opening on the bottom vents on the his Platinum. It is the same as our OTG. I have figured out the opening using the arm and the holes. With the arm on the right side of the hole 4 holes is fully open. 3 is 3/4, 2 is 1/2 and 1 is 1/4. I usually use 3 holes for most smokes and adjust the top vent to maintain the temp. I will open or close the bottom vent a little if I'm having a hard time with the top vent. Small adjustments with the bottom vent has more effect than a larger adjustment with the top vent.

Tom