Dry spot on butt...

[Ron_L]

I just foiled a butt that is cooking in my WSM. When I went to foil it, I noticed that there was a spot on the top that was dry looking. I have been spraying it, so I'm not sure why that spot was so dry. (There is a picture of the butt in my post in the "On the grill..." thread, and the dry area looks light brown in color.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...2&postcount=38

Here's what I'm wondering... The air temp got down to 33 degrees last night. The dry spot is roughly under the top vent on the WSM. Could the cold air temp have anything to do with the dry spot? Here's why I'm thinking that... On my Cookshack, when I cook in cold weather, moisture condenses at the top vent of the Cookshack, and drips back down onto the food, leaving a grey spot. To prevent this, I put a metal colandar over the vent hole, still allowing the smoke to vent out, but keeping warm air around the vent, so the condensation doesn't form as much. Could condensation form around the top vent of the WSM when it is cold outside?

[willkat98]

I'm no Bill Nye, but I would say yes and no. Condensation, as in just water, no. Condesation in the form of moisture with added smoke (or charcoal "air") would be blacker "soot" or brown creosote that then hardens up (and will flake off when dry).

My theory is year round weather. My theory adds that weather is not an issue, since (with a wind sheild) I am maintaining temps at the dome of 225*, and I suspect the outside "skin" of the WSM is not that much less in temperature. Since water boils off at 212*, condensation alone (water) cannot stay around.

I evidence this with the Bandera. Top of the chamber can be as little as 190. Soot, condesation, whatever will drip down on the food once in a while.

As far as dry spots on the WSM, I've gotten them in both the WSM and the Bandera.

All the time actually. Spray. forget something, open the door 4 minutes later, doesnt even look like you sprayed sometimes.

What I will do when I wrap, spray the crap out of it, but try and put that "dry" spot on the bottem, where you know it will sit in juice for hours (sometimes need to do this on large spares.

This all makes sense to me, but someone is gonna come back and say "squibble" and what I just wrote will seem silly

[Ron_L]

That makes sense... With the CS, the outside of the cooker is cool to the touch, so I can see where the hot humid air coming out would hit the cold outside air and then condense, and then the condensate would drip inside, but the WSM top is hot, so anything that does condense would eveportate...

OK... My head hurts...

I am just about to pull the pork, so I'll see how it looks. It did spray it and put that side down when I coolered it, so its probably OK.