New WSM first smoke

[Ady]

This is a big step up for me, I've struggled for about a year with a £30 e-bay smoker and finally got myself the real deal. I'm going to start off easy tomorrow with some ribs and chicken wings, wish me luck!

[bencops]

Good luck, youll love it!

[KamadoSimon]

Good luck! Are you using water or a clay plant saucer in the water tray? Also, did you check the thermometer for accuracy?

Simon

[Ady]

I'm using water and no I didn't check the thermometer, how would I do that?

I'm having problems getting upto temp at the moment, seems to be hovering around 185, all the lower vent are fully open and the top vent, closed. Am I doing something wrong?

[Ady]

I thought a little more info might be helpful.. I'm using heat beads (about 3/4 of a chimney to start it) and the minion method. Maybe I haven't used enough fuel to start with?

[KamadoSimon]

Open up the top vent(s) - all vents fully open will mean highest temperature.

Catch the temp on the way up to your target temperature and then close off the top vent gradually - make small adjustments & check again a few minutes after. You may also need to shut off the bottom vents to maintain your chosen temperature.

Before you cook next time, take the temp gauge off the unit, and test (carefully!) in boiling water - it should read 100C / 212F. If it doesn't you know what you need to compensate by when reading the temp.

Guys that own these, can you adjust the temperature gauge on them?

A couple of the gents on here have moved to using a clay saucer on WSMs rather than water because the aim is:

a) to diffuse the heat as it rises
b) retain & stabilize heat so fluctuations in the coals do not fluctuate as much by the time it reaches the food.

Clay saucers appear to do this better than water & don't need topping up on long cooks

[Ady]

Thanks for the advice, I hope my gauge is off because I cant get it above the 180 mark. I've just put a few racks on but might try checking that thermometer before I go any further. Maybe when the water gets hot the temp will pick up?

[KamadoSimon]

Try taking the lid & water bowl out - this'll improve the air flow, allow the fuel to get lit more & enable you to hit higher temperatures.

I struggle to get my Kamado up to temperature if I light & immediately place the heat deflector (water bowl in your case) unless I am using a blower to force air into the bottom. Sounds like you might be having a similar issue.

Simon

[RobinC]

Couple of points of the above posts

- no you can't alter / configure the built in thermometer. If yours is out then you just need to compensate for this. Remember this is measuring temp at the top of the dome rather than at the grates there will be a difference (though not necessarily a large one)
- if you've filled the water pan with cold water then yes that will be having an effect on the temp in the cooker. Eventually that water will heat up and the cooker will get hotter. Most people who use water in the pan add hot water rather than cold to speed up this process.
- I always find that controlling a temp in a wsm is a bit like steering a big ship. Make small adjustments and allow time for them to take effect. Try to resist continually fussing with the cooker - my experience is that this tends to make things worse.

[Ady]

Thanks again for the advice. I took the lid off for about 5 mins while trying to test the thermometer, it would appear to be about 30F under but I'm not sure if I held it in the water long enough for a correct reading.

When I replaced the lid it raced up to 240F so I guess it just needed a good airing. I'm now in the processes of making tiny changes to try and keep it steady.. at what temp I'm still not so sure, does 30F out seem a little unlikely?

For now I'm going to try and keep the thermometer saying around 240F and see how I get on.