Alright guys. Just bought one of these bad boys


 
T

Thomas W

New member
I'm so pumped about getting this smoker. My man points just went up. So quick question? Should I do a burn first before actually smoking food since its new?
 
Congrats!

Personally, I thought it was a waste of fuel not to cook something during the initial "Burn-in". But as with many questions that will come up, there is rarely a wrong answer. As the WSM will take about a half-dozen cooks before you get a good seasoning built up.
 
Hi Thomas. Congrats on your purchase. The WSM's are great smokers--easy to set up and do a great job at maintaining temps. Regarding the pre-burn, there are differing opinions. Technically, they come very clean so many people don't feel the need to burn them out. However, I chose to do a burn just in case. After the first burn, I did a few "seasoning" runs with things like bacon, chicken and sausage. Again, this is up for debate.

If you want to learn more about the burn and seasoning, just search for Harry Soo's instructions for getting the WSM ready for cooking.
 
I don't think a "burn in" is required... but I did one to get a feel for how to control temp etc. Looking back I think I would of put some kind of food on there but do what you feel comfortable with.
 
Bob Correll said:
Welcome and congrats Thomas!

TVWBB's boss man has a ton of great info here that, sadly, often gets overlooked.
Here's more info than you probably wanted:
http://virtualweberbullet.com/seasoning.html
Click to expand...


I agree. ...and welcome aboard. Lot's of great folks here with plenty of advice if you have any questions though the link Bob provided will mostly likely answer most.

I did a burn in per the wisdom of Harry Soo but a lot of folks just start cookin.
 
I would cook something up, why not. Maybe something on the cheaper side - a chicken or two, maybe some chicken quarters instead. toss a few sausages on as well. A great way to start to get the feel for your smoker.

As you will read on here, it will take awhile to 'seal' it up. also it will take awhile (3-4 smokes) to get the feel of controlling temps etc. if you do a dry run without food, or just some stuff to season it, I would also still take the opportunity to try to control the temp for a few hours. see how long it takes to stabilize a temp. what happens if you open a bottom vent another 1/3 of the way etc.

- - - Updated - - -

ps what size did you get?
 
The cooker doesn't really need a break in even though it does work better with grease buildup.
I did a test burn just to see how the temperature control worked and to see if closing the vents would put the fire out.
After playing with the vents for a while learning how the WSM responded I threw a chicken in there and cooked it.
Closing the vents killed the fire and I was (am) a happy WSM owner.
 
Best first cook is chicken. Fast, tough to mess up, and if the temp shoot up (which is common with new units) you're fine. Plus it will get some grease in the smoker which is good for seasoning IMO.
 
When I first got my wsm I just cleaned off the grates and started cooking. with a new wsm I'd recommend using water in the pan to help keeps temps down to the range you want, then give it a try w/o water in the pan. I prefer no water myself, but try different methods and see what you like.
Happy smoking!
 
My 14 was the only "new" unseasoned smoker I've purchased. I cooked bacon as a breakin to help seal it up. Was going to dump the bacon, but then decided to try it. That was good bacon...

I'd say your safe to cook with it. Cook something fatty and enjoy it :)
 
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