18.5" WSM and Royal Oak chunks

bo_gator · 12-29-2012, 07:07 PM

When aiming for a low and slow (225* F) Boston Butt or brisket cook on an 18.5" WSM using Royal Oak chunk charcoal, how much RO do you put on the charcoal grate and in the chimney starter

I have been having a hard time keeping RO under 300* F in the WSM, what am I doing wrong

PatAttack · 12-29-2012, 07:10 PM

How new is your WSM? If it is new, it will run hot the first few cooks. No need to worry.

Hot & Fast works just fine. Try Kingsford Blue first to see if that helps with temp control.

Lump does burn hotter.

sparky' · 12-29-2012, 07:22 PM

use water in the pan. it will help keep the temps down.

volfan411 · 12-29-2012, 07:22 PM

I use a mix of kingsford blue and RO lump. I am not sure what chimney starter you are using but I use a weber and fill it about 1/3 of the way full when starting my fire. I put a layer of kingsford on botton to prevent the small pieces of of RO from falling through into ash pan.

Mine seems to want to cruise in the 275-300 range so I would say 300 is normal.

Harbormaster · 12-29-2012, 07:32 PM

How much coal you put on the grate depends on how long you plan the cook to last.

When using lump, make sure you pack it in as tight as possible. It helps to limit air flow, thus increasing control over temp.

To get to your temps, I'd start with about a half a chimney of lit.

BobM · 12-29-2012, 08:25 PM

I always fill my charcoal ring to the top, with 4 or 5 fist sized chunks of wood mixed in the charcoal. I light it in 3 places with a high output propane torch and let it burn for a bit before putting it together. I then let it slowly come up to cooking temperature before I put the food on.

I do not use water, I use a foiled clay flower pot base in the foiled water pan. I have no problem running it low or high.

Bob

HankB · 12-29-2012, 10:50 PM

Excess heat usually means too much air is getting in. This is pretty normal on a new WSM. Something else to check is how even the joints are. There is often some out of round in the middle, bottom and lid sections. You can try to straighten them out or just rotate the sections until the gap at the joining looks the same all the way around (matching the out of round of the different parts.)

Also check that the door lies flat to the middle section.

I usually start with one bottom vent half open in warm weather or fully open in cold weather once I close up the smoker.

The other cause would be lighting too much charcoal to begin with.

MilitantSquatter · 12-29-2012, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HankB

Excess heat usually means too much air is getting in. This is pretty normal on a new WSM. Something else to check is how even the joints are. There is often some out of round in the middle, bottom and lid sections. You can try to straighten them out or just rotate the sections until the gap at the joining looks the same all the way around (matching the out of round of the different parts.)

Also check that the door lies flat to the middle section.

I usually start with one bottom vent half open in warm weather or fully open in cold weather once I close up the smoker.

The other cause would be lighting too much charcoal to begin with.

I totally agree on the airflow and not overlighting at the beginning.

J'ville Grill · 12-29-2012, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatAttack

How new is your WSM? If it is new, it will run hot the first few cooks. No need to worry.

Hot & Fast works just fine. Try Kingsford Blue first to see if that helps with temp control.

Lump does burn hotter.

Exactly, after a few cooks my 18.5 WSM is dialed in.

12-29-2012, 07:07 PM	#1
bo_gator On the road to being a farker Join Date: 06-11-12 Location: Waynesville, NC Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	18.5" WSM and Royal Oak chunks When aiming for a low and slow (225* F) Boston Butt or brisket cook on an 18.5" WSM using Royal Oak chunk charcoal, how much RO do you put on the charcoal grate and in the chimney starter I have been having a hard time keeping RO under 300* F in the WSM, what am I doing wrong

12-29-2012, 07:10 PM	#2
PatAttack is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 07-19-11 Location: Mt. Pleasant S.C. Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	How new is your WSM? If it is new, it will run hot the first few cooks. No need to worry. Hot & Fast works just fine. Try Kingsford Blue first to see if that helps with temp control. Lump does burn hotter. __________________ 18.5" WSM Weber SJS Maverick ET-732 Stealthy Fast Black Thermapen "You have never lived until you have almost died". "For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the protected will never know".-Unknown Vietnam Soldier

12-29-2012, 07:22 PM	#3
sparky' Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 04-30-11 Location: northern california Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	use water in the pan. it will help keep the temps down. __________________ Green Ghost - '74 weber kettle, Big Nasty - 22.5 WSM, Little Blackie - Mak 1 Star #69

12-29-2012, 07:22 PM	#4
volfan411 On the road to being a farker Join Date: 05-01-12 Location: Knoxville tn Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I use a mix of kingsford blue and RO lump. I am not sure what chimney starter you are using but I use a weber and fill it about 1/3 of the way full when starting my fire. I put a layer of kingsford on botton to prevent the small pieces of of RO from falling through into ash pan. Mine seems to want to cruise in the 275-300 range so I would say 300 is normal. __________________ OK Joe OS, WSM 18.5, OTS 22.5, BBQ Guru Digi 2, Vols Orange Thermapen

12-29-2012, 07:32 PM	#5
Harbormaster Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 07-14-06 Location: Wyocena, WI Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	How much coal you put on the grate depends on how long you plan the cook to last. When using lump, make sure you pack it in as tight as possible. It helps to limit air flow, thus increasing control over temp. To get to your temps, I'd start with about a half a chimney of lit. __________________ Clark My Boys: Joseph (EI); Andrew (EE); Daniel (EE) My Toys: 10 WSMs (B, C, DH, DA, EZ, DZ, EO, DU, DR, EE/DU mutt); Brinkman Cimmaron; Chuckwagon Cooker; 22.5" OTG (DT); Two 22.5" Bar-B-Kettles; One 18.5" Bar-B-Kettle; Smokey Joes (A, K); Genesis Silver C (DU); 3 WGAs (EZ, DE, N); 3 SJPs (DT, DU, DR). "For when democracy becomes tyranny, those of us with rifles still get to vote"

12-29-2012, 08:25 PM	#6
BobM is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 02-16-12 Location: Long Island, NY Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I always fill my charcoal ring to the top, with 4 or 5 fist sized chunks of wood mixed in the charcoal. I light it in 3 places with a high output propane torch and let it burn for a bit before putting it together. I then let it slowly come up to cooking temperature before I put the food on. I do not use water, I use a foiled clay flower pot base in the foiled water pan. I have no problem running it low or high. Bob __________________ "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin \| Weber 18 1/2" & 22 1/2" WSM, 22 1/2" & 26 3/4" OTG, Genesis S-330 \| \| BBQ Guru CyberQ WiFi \| Maverick ET-732 \|

12-29-2012, 10:50 PM	#7
HankB is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 01-16-12 Location: Winfield, IL Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Excess heat usually means too much air is getting in. This is pretty normal on a new WSM. Something else to check is how even the joints are. There is often some out of round in the middle, bottom and lid sections. You can try to straighten them out or just rotate the sections until the gap at the joining looks the same all the way around (matching the out of round of the different parts.) Also check that the door lies flat to the middle section. I usually start with one bottom vent half open in warm weather or fully open in cold weather once I close up the smoker. The other cause would be lighting too much charcoal to begin with.