WSM Top Vent Closed?

Fo Sizzle My Nizzle

Fo Sizzle My Nizzle

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I haven't had much time to fire up any of the cookers in the last couple of months, but I finally got the chance to throw on a butt last night. I thought I had used the same procedure as usual. After letting it roll all night my temp started dropping this morning so I went out to adjust the bottom vents. No biggie. I get out there and my top vent is almost completely closed! My mind was racing trying to believe I had left the top vent almost completely closed the whole night. Last night after I got the meat on, my temp slowly crept up to 290ish before I adjusted vents to bring it back down to around 270. Could a WSM really get that high with only one bottom vent open? And is there anything I can do to save chitty acrid tasting meat? The IT is only at 155 right now so there is still some cooking time left. :cry:
 
Fo Sizzle My Nizzle said:
I haven't had much time to fire up any of the cookers in the last couple of months, but I finally got the chance to throw on a butt last night. I thought I had used the same procedure as usual. After letting it roll all night my temp started dropping this morning so I went out to adjust the bottom vents. No biggie. I get out there and my top vent is almost completely closed! My mind was racing trying to believe I had left the top vent almost completely closed the whole night. Last night after I got the meat on, my temp slowly crept up to 290ish before I adjusted vents to bring it back down to around 270. Could a WSM really get that high with only one bottom vent open? And is there anything I can do to save chitty acrid tasting meat? The IT is only at 155 right now so there is still some cooking time left. :cry:
Click to expand...

Hard to tell just how bad it maybe without tasting it, obviously it won't be the best...

Heck, if I had bad tasting acrid tasting meat, it would be the perfect opportunity to invite my Mother-In-Law over for diner... LOL

.
 
I've had over smoked meat that I would put in the crock pot, put in a inch or so of apple juice, let it cook down, it really mellows the taste and turns it into a good smoke flavor.

It might save your cut of meat, if it is acrid.
 
dport7 said:
I've had over smoked meat that I would put in the crock pot, put in a inch or so of apple juice, let it cook down, it really mellows the taste and turns it into a good smoke flavor.

It might save your cut of meat, if it is acrid.
Click to expand...
Acrid Means Creosote in my limited experience there is no coming back once it's tainted.
 
I just threw it in a pan, added some apple juice and foiled it over for the rest of the cook. Once its done I figured I'd taste the bark then. If its too much then I 'll trim the bark off (sad face), chop it, and sauce it. This is some bullchit!!!!!
 
Once you get so much hot coals in your basket/ring then you really have to choke back on air....like barely cracking it at all and let the fire settle back down. Patience young smoke hopper.

BTW butts do great at higher temps...i personally go medium heat 275. Oh leave your top vents wide open.
 
Just for the record, I usually have my top vent wide open. Like I usually do, when I was getting up to temp and waiting for clean smoke, I checked the smell of the smoke out my top vent by placing my hand over it. It smelled good when I put the meat on. So either I barely had it open from the get go or I shut it during the early morning hours when I stumbled out to adjust my lower vents. That's why I was curious if high temps 290-300 could be achieved in a wsm with the top vent shut.
 
If your fire is hot enough on the grate then you can easily get to 300+ on a WSM in my experience. Did you use Minion Method or dump a whole chimney etc of white hot coals? I've also had a bunch of clumped up wood chunks catch at the same time and send the fire and temps way up. Then there is the water pan and whether or not you used it etc. Tons of variables. Reminds me why I love my pellet poppers these days. :)
 
jasonjax said:
If your fire is hot enough on the grate then you can easily get to 300+ on a WSM in my experience. Did you use Minion Method or dump a whole chimney etc of white hot coals? I've also had a bunch of clumped up wood chunks catch at the same time and send the fire and temps way up. Then there is the water pan and whether or not you used it etc. Tons of variables. Reminds me why I love my pellet poppers these days. :)
Click to expand...

I've run 300+ more than once when doing chicken or kicking up temps on a brisket that's behind. But never with only one bottom vent open and the vent closed up top to boot. I use the minion method. I don't use water in the pan. I spread out and separate my wood chunks. I just wasn't sure how I could get such high temps with only one bottom vent open.
 
It's always better to start with minimal lit charcoal and let it grow to your desired temp vs lighting more initially.
 
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