Coldest day of the year and I am smokin.

[Bill The Grill Guy]

Yep, cranked up "T.O.W." (The Other Wife) the WSM at 6am. Outside temp is 21*. I know that some of you have had colder weather but this is the first cold day here in 2007.

Filled the charcoal basket with Kingsford and apple chunks. Got about 15 or so coals in the chimney and fired it up.

Last night I slathered up two butts with the chipolte mustard and a good dose of my rub. The other two I put "The Swine Syndicate Rub", thanks Wittdog.

The butts went on at 06:25. By 07:15 I cranked the bottom vents down to 50%. The dome temp was 280* and the top grate was at 240*.

 

[Finney]

Go Billy... Go Billy... Go Billy....

 

[Captain Morgan]

Got a remote therm? Certainly worth the money on days like these!

 

[BigGQ]

Yep, cranked up "T.O.W." (The Other Wife) the WSM at 6am. Outside temp is 21*. I know that some of you have had colder weather but this is the first cold day here in 2007.

Filled the charcoal basket with Kingsford and apple chunks. Got about 15 or so coals in the chimney and fired it up.

Last night I slathered up two butts with the chipolte mustard and a good dose of my rub. The other two I put "The Swine Syndicate Rub", thanks Wittdog.

The butts went on at 06:25. By 07:15 I cranked the bottom vents down to 50%. The dome temp was 280* and the top grate was at 240*.

40 degrees difference between the dome and the top grate. Something don't sound right. You sure the numbers are correct?

 

[LarryWolfe]

The butts went on at 06:25. By 07:15 I cranked the bottom vents down to 50%. The dome temp was 280* and the top grate was at 240*.

You could calibrate your therm real fast if it wasn't screwed in!!!

You have alot of meat in the cooker, I'd be willing to bet that temperature difference decreases once the meat warms up!

 

[wittdog]

Go Bill Go...After a few hrs the temps will even out...

 

[Finney]

Got a remote therm? Certainly worth the money on days like these!

Yeah... days like this and the really hot days, those things pay for themselves.


Btw: DATs, it's snowing at my house in NC right now. And I'm not in the mountains.

 

[Bill The Grill Guy]

Wow, just ran a car accident and was gone for over an hour and the temps are holding fine. The top dome is at 273* and the top grate is at 242*.

Larry, I have two therm checking the dome temp. The one that is fixed and I hung another one in the vent hole. Both read the same.

Larry Wolfe Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 9:09 am Post subject: Re: Coldest day of the year and I am smokin.

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Bill The Grill Guy wrote:

The butts went on at 06:25. By 07:15 I cranked the bottom vents down to 50%. The dome temp was 280* and the top grate was at 240*.




You could calibrate your therm real fast if it wasn't screwed in!!!

You have alot of meat in the cooker, I'd be willing to bet that temperature difference decreases once the meat warms up!

 

[LarryWolfe]

Larry, I have two therm checking the dome temp. The one that is fixed and I hung another one in the vent hole. Both read the same.

I was kidding, I was sure Kathy calibrated them for you to make sure they were right!! [smilie=a_chuckle.gif]

 

[Captain Morgan]

so what's going on here, the 2 temps will get closer as the meat
comes to temp?

 

[LarryWolfe]

so what's going on here, the 2 temps will get closer as the meat
comes to temp?

Yeah. :roll:

 

[Finney]

so what's going on here, the 2 temps will get closer as the meat
comes to temp?

Are you still drinking? :roll:

 

[Captain Morgan]

just seemed like a big gap to me. I've never measured the grate temps
in my wsm...I just assumed it would be 15 or 20 dgrees difference.

 

[Finney]

Sorry, I didn't really know if you were really asking.. or what you were asking.
If the probe at the grate is near all that cold meat it will pick up the colder ambient temps surrounding the meat. As the meat heats up the grate temp will more or less even out with the dome temp.

 

[LarryWolfe]

just seemed like a big gap to me. I've never measured the grate temps
in my wsm...I just assumed it would be 15 or 20 dgrees difference.

Sorry Jim. I thought you were kidding too. It's due to the mass of the meat he has in the cooker. With two butts on the top shelf, the temps wouldn't have been so far off.

Regardless of the amount of meat I'm cooking the only temp I worry about is the dome temp, cause afterall it's the only one you can control!

 

[Puff1]

Good luck Bill

 

[Bill The Grill Guy]

Okay, after seeing the last few posts and talking to Wittdog I have cranked the bottom vents down to about 25% or less and lowering the dome temp to around 225*.

Just a little nurvous today. This is the first real cook on her.

 

[Captain Morgan]

remember not to fiddle with the vents too much...a little 5 degree bump or fall doesn't necessarily mean you need to change anything.

 

[wittdog]

Yeah but that dome was way to high in the 285* range.....

 

[Captain Morgan]

right, when you get it set where you want it, don't sweat the small stuff.