Recent content by Dave Alvarado

I've got exactly this setup in my back yard (22" Performer, 22" WSM). When it comes to "what can my WSM cook that my kettle can't", the answer is really the amount of food. You can't get a brisket and two butts on the kettle at the same time, but you can easily with the WSM. In addition to...

Cook time has to do with thickness, not weight. If you took a 17lb brisket and hammered it flat so it was only 1/4" thick, it would cook really fast. Of course a 17lb brisket will tend to be pretty thick anyway, but at some point the cook time mostly levels out. A 20lb brisket cooks in about...

Needs and Unknown BBQ hinge and you're all set.

My dome is consistently cooler than the cooking grate. If you have the Maverick too close to the edge, it catches the stream of hot air coming up around the water bowl and reads higher than what your meat is getting. It needs to be an inch or two in from the side of the cooker. If you don't...

It's designed to use the lid. Lid on for everything - direct sear, indirect cook, whatever.

Amazon is pretty big.

I'd personally test rubs on steaks. Way quicker to cook.

Yep, 6 easy, 8 max.

An 11lb bag of Kingsford Comp gets me enough burn time in the summer to cook butts in a 22". Should be more than plenty in an 18". Whatever size bag is around 11-15lbs is what you should buy.

Yeah, that PDF is what got me started down the path of good BBQ. It's an excellent resource even if you're just starting out. Use his rubs, cook at his temperatures, and you'll end up with a decent product. Tweak from there. It's like BBQ 101 handed to you for free.

Toss-up between a beef tenderloin and a pork crown roast.

I take the fat cap off completely also. No need for it, and you get more usable bark without it.

Your meat won't dry out in the oven any more than it would in your pit. Go for the oven hold.

Yep, this. If you don't wrap on a stickburner, you get a meteorite.

Can't help with a personal choice, I don't sauce my briskets. Here in TX we don't sauce our briskets when cooking, but we may serve a TX-style sauce on the side. Aaron Franklin's recipe on his YouTube channel is a good starting point.