Can't get WSM hot enough for chicken

[JS-TX]

I have the same struggles with my 18 WSM, I do agree that it's airflow. However in my 22, I can get 325* fairly easily. I use all lump- minion method. Try putting a full chimney of red hot lump on top, all vents open, no water pan. If you are worried about drippings, which I understand as well, try putting a piece of foil on the bottom grate. Pierce the foil a handful of times to help with airflow. Also if new WSMs run hotter, which I believe they do, I think it's possible to have too much gunk built up. That happened with my 18 and after a good clean out, I got an extra 25*.

Agree with drying out the skin and dabbing with paper towels before cooking. You won't end up with crispy skin, but it won't be rubber either. Lastly you may have to get trim out a good bit of fat from under the skin, which is time consuming but helps. Also try poking a few small holes in the thicker areas of the skin.

 

[food4thot]

I say "no" to low & slow for chicken or turkey. No need for minion with poultry. Leave the lid off when starting a WSM and get the entire fire grate hot. Throw your smoking chunks in just before putting the birds on then put the lid on.

18" WSM and have had the thing as high as 500° at top grate level using lump, no water pan, and all the vents wide open. Have only used the top grate doing poultry and never had a problem with dripping. Usually shoot for 400° for spatchcocked chickens. Did these two in about 70 minutes total time with some pecan chucks, my poultry wood of choice.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I only have used my 18.5 WSM. But if I ever have trouble "getting it up" I prop the door open. Also, maybe it was too full? It doesn't really sound like it though.

One time I cooked 6 butts on my WSM, and had to practically take the door off. Just too much thermal mass of cold meat to overcome.

 

[Monkey Uncle]

I say "no" to low & slow for chicken or turkey. No need for minion with poultry. Leave the lid off when starting a WSM and get the entire fire grate hot. Throw your smoking chunks in just before putting the birds on then put the lid on.

18" WSM and have had the thing as high as 500° at top grate level using lump, no water pan, and all the vents wide open. Have only used the top grate doing poultry and never had a problem with dripping. Usually shoot for 400° for spatchcocked chickens. Did these two in about 70 minutes total time with some pecan chucks, my poultry wood of choice.

How long after you put the lid on are you able to maintain those high temps?

I tried running mine without the lid once to sear a London broil. I wasn't using a thermo, so I'm not sure how hot it got, but it was hot enough that I could smell my silicone thermometer grommet cooking. So I don't run it with the lid off any more.

 

[Monkey Uncle]

I only have used my 18.5 WSM. But if I ever have trouble "getting it up" I prop the door open. Also, maybe it was too full? It doesn't really sound like it though.

One time I cooked 6 butts on my WSM, and had to practically take the door off. Just too much thermal mass of cold meat to overcome.

It was only 18 pounds of meat total, with spaces around the individual birds, so I don't think it was too much thermal mass. It's funny, I did a 19 lb brisket a while back and had to keep the intake vents closed down to about 1/3 or less to keep the temp down to 250, but with 18 lbs of chicken, I can't do much over 280 with all the vents wide open.

 

[Cook]

If you have run without the water pan, and only achieved 325 like you said in a reply above, then it is something you are doing that is keeping you from getting higher temperatures. Believe me, a WSM without water pan will easily reach 400+.

As to using the hotel pans. My point was that you catch the majority of the grease...not all of it. I'm pretty sure I could cook three chickens this way with no issues. But of course I have not done it so it's just speculation on my part.

 

[Steve S]

Have you eliminated the charcoal as a possible problem? I typically have a harder time keeping the temp down than up with my WSM. It wants to run at 325. How much charcoal are you starting with?

 

[Monkey Uncle]

If you have run without the water pan, and only achieved 325 like you said in a reply above, then it is something you are doing that is keeping you from getting higher temperatures. Believe me, a WSM without water pan will easily reach 400+.

As to using the hotel pans. My point was that you catch the majority of the grease...not all of it. I'm pretty sure I could cook three chickens this way with no issues. But of course I have not done it so it's just speculation on my part.

Yeah, after seeing how little grease was actually in the pan at the end of the cook, I suspect I could have gotten away with no pan at all.

 

[Monkey Uncle]

Have you eliminated the charcoal as a possible problem? I typically have a harder time keeping the temp down than up with my WSM. It wants to run at 325. How much charcoal are you starting with?

I'm using KBB, which is probably not the hottest thing out there, but I figured it ought to be good enough since that's what the guy who invented the PBC uses. I filled the ring 3/4 full, and once I dumped the 1/2 chimney of lit on top, the ring was completely full. And I still had 2/3 of that left after I shut down the cooker and let the fire go out. So lack of fuel is not the problem; the problem is the fuel is burning too slowly. Which I think comes back to air flow.

 

[dadsr4]

I'm using KBB, which is probably not the hottest thing out there, but I figured it ought to be good enough since that's what the guy who invented the PBC uses. I filled the ring 3/4 full, and once I dumped the 1/2 chimney of lit on top, the ring was completely full. And I still had 2/3 of that left after I shut down the cooker and let the fire go out. So lack of fuel is not the problem; the problem is the fuel is burning too slowly. Which I think comes back to air flow.

For high temps, I always use an entire heaped chimney of lit in one of my daisy wheel kettles. Same vent setup.

 

[food4thot]

How long after you put the lid on are you able to maintain those high temps?

I tried running mine without the lid once to sear a London broil. I wasn't using a thermo, so I'm not sure how hot it got, but it was hot enough that I could smell my silicone thermometer grommet cooking. So I don't run it with the lid off any more.

With the fire at 400-420 at startup it generally doesn't fall below 350 by the time the birds are done.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

I'm using KBB, which is probably not the hottest thing out there, but I figured it ought to be good enough since that's what the guy who invented the PBC uses. I filled the ring 3/4 full, and once I dumped the 1/2 chimney of lit on top, the ring was completely full. And I still had 2/3 of that left after I shut down the cooker and let the fire go out. So lack of fuel is not the problem; the problem is the fuel is burning too slowly. Which I think comes back to air flow.

If you watched the vid posted in post 18, Harry Soo tells what type of coal to use, how to light and maintain it etc. I can't wait to try my 1st High Heat Brisket at 400*F

 

[cullenbranson]

. . . I've tried dumping only fully lit charcoal into the pan, and I've tried minion.

If this means you've filled (or thereabouts) the ring with fully lit, then you do indeed have a different problem my friend. Assuming everything is stock and fits together okay, you have a gremlin somewhere.

I would push a reset button and do what you subsequently explained, only using all new charcoal and a heaping chimney-full of fully lit (white-ashed all over) vs half-full chimney.

Good luck!

 

[JS-TX]

I think it's much easier to get a 22 hot (300*+) compared to a 18 WSM. I've drilled extra intake holes on my 18 and it's only helped some. Leaving the door open also helps some but not as much as leaving the lid cracked open. I'm a lump user and if I make sure I'm using larger pieces of lump that also helps.

 

[dadsr4]

The reason cracking the lid works is because there are 12 intake holes to 4 exhaust holes. More oxygen, more combustion, more heat.

 

[ChrisBarb]

Cooked chicken last night. Temps held between 335 and 350. Did nothing special, except use a chimney almost full of lit coals. If I tried harder, I think Harry Soo's temps from BBM's video would have been doable.

 

[longwayfromhome]

WSM works at high temps

So, to the original question, basically asking how to get the 22” WSM hot enough. I use my WSM as one of my smokers to commercially cook once a week, 10-12 hours on that day. Usage profile is:

1. WSM about 6 years old
2. Only one mod, and that is to have a double water pan with small (1/4”) air gap. Water pan foiled, no water. Foil edge does slightly reduce airflow I think.
3. No other mods, but have props for grates (see pics) to increase capacity for trayed meats
4. Not airtight – when I put a lump of (say) apple on, some smoke will come out of the top of the door and sometimes from around the bottom of the lid. This tells me the draw is greater than that derived from the single exhaust, but not that much.
5. Fired using lump, temperature in mid 50’s, raining towards the end of the day (Birkdale on Weather – unfamiliar names are NZ locations).
6. Start by filling ring, lit using weedburner for about 1 minute to one spot adjacent to one of the three inlets – over 300 in about 10 mins (one of the WSM’s great qualities)
7. In yesterday’s cook, sat on 350F for 9 hours, added a chimney approx. of extra charcoal after 7 hours. Lid gauge (cheap Tel-Tru) ~25F less than grate reading.
8. Had one inlet open, one closed, third at about 1/3 open. Exhaust always fully open.
9. Meat yesterday (see pics) was two bone-in pork bellies total 12lbs (took 4 hours all up – replaced with two wrapped briskets from other smoker so had full load entire 9 hours) and one pork shoulder, skin on, at about 16lbs (9 hours to probe tender @ 201-205F). The other two hours were spent (separately) smoking 30 pork sausages, two full racks of parboiled vegetables and two sides salmon.
10. Of my 5 smokers, the 22” WSM is the most versatile, in practical terms, its main issues are limited capacity, circular racks (space wasting) and access to the lower shelf.

 

[Monkey Uncle]

If this means you've filled (or thereabouts) the ring with fully lit, then you do indeed have a different problem my friend. Assuming everything is stock and fits together okay, you have a gremlin somewhere.

I would push a reset button and do what you subsequently explained, only using all new charcoal and a heaping chimney-full of fully lit (white-ashed all over) vs half-full chimney.

Good luck!

No, when I did fully lit, it was basically a heaping chimney full. I don't remember how much that filled the ring; probably 1/2 or less.

 

[Monkey Uncle]

Cooked chicken last night. Temps held between 335 and 350. Did nothing special, except use a chimney almost full of lit coals. If I tried harder, I think Harry Soo's temps from BBM's video would have been doable.

How much unlit charcoal did you put in the ring before you dumped in the full chimney of lit coals? Lump or briquettes?

Thanks.

 

[Monkey Uncle]

So, to the original question, basically asking how to get the 22” WSM hot enough. I use my WSM as one of my smokers to commercially cook once a week, 10-12 hours on that day. Usage profile is:

1. WSM about 6 years old
2. Only one mod, and that is to have a double water pan with small (1/4”) air gap. Water pan foiled, no water. Foil edge does slightly reduce airflow I think.
3. No other mods, but have props for grates (see pics) to increase capacity for trayed meats
4. Not airtight – when I put a lump of (say) apple on, some smoke will come out of the top of the door and sometimes from around the bottom of the lid. This tells me the draw is greater than that derived from the single exhaust, but not that much.
5. Fired using lump, temperature in mid 50’s, raining towards the end of the day (Birkdale on Weather – unfamiliar names are NZ locations).
6. Start by filling ring, lit using weedburner for about 1 minute to one spot adjacent to one of the three inlets – over 300 in about 10 mins (one of the WSM’s great qualities)
7. In yesterday’s cook, sat on 350F for 9 hours, added a chimney approx. of extra charcoal after 7 hours. Lid gauge (cheap Tel-Tru) ~25F less than grate reading.
8. Had one inlet open, one closed, third at about 1/3 open. Exhaust always fully open.
9. Meat yesterday (see pics) was two bone-in pork bellies total 12lbs (took 4 hours all up – replaced with two wrapped briskets from other smoker so had full load entire 9 hours) and one pork shoulder, skin on, at about 16lbs (9 hours to probe tender @ 201-205F). The other two hours were spent (separately) smoking 30 pork sausages, two full racks of parboiled vegetables and two sides salmon.
10. Of my 5 smokers, the 22” WSM is the most versatile, in practical terms, its main issues are limited capacity, circular racks (space wasting) and access to the lower shelf.

Scratching my head on this one. Basically you've done a minion burn similar to what I'm doing; main difference is using lump instead of briquettes. If I run mine with the air vents the way you have them set, I'll be lucky to get 260 F.