Newbie Upgraded from ECB to WSM 22.5"


 
JShoemaker

JShoemaker

TVWBB Member
Greetings Everyone,

First post on this forum.

So I'm a relatively new smoker. My boss gifted me an ECB(El Cheapo Brinkman) smoker earlier this year. I smoked some freshly caught salmon, a beef brisket, and then most recently two slabs of St. Louis Ribs. I'm pretty much hooked on smokin' now.

Here's a photo of the setup I used:


The above setup has zero heat/air control standard. I drilled some holes in the charcoal pan, and added a new thermometer, to help my cause.


This past weekend, I rec'd a gift card to Cabela's and some cash for my recent Birthday, so I decided to head over to Cabela's with the family to browse around. I stumbled upon a Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5" in the Bargain Cave, as it was scratched and dented, so it was marked down a ton. I showed the wife, and she didn't think too much of it, so we went home.

I then hit the internet, and this site that night, then realized I really wanted the WSM, even though it was much larger than I probably "need". I figured I can always freeze the leftovers, like I did with my brisket last month.

I went back to the store the next day and bought my first WSM. :)

The WSM is usually $399, but I ended up paying $223 for this one. Again, the smaller 18.5" would have fit me a tad better, but those were $299 still.

I was able to bend back the 'lips' that were bent, where the pieces mate up. I might hit it with some high-temp black paint like i've seen mentioned on this forum elsewhere.


Here's the new WSM below:


Hmm....now what to do with my old Brinkman smoker!? Craigslist? Or re-gift it to a buddy to pay the smokin' goodness forward?

-Jesse
 
Great deal!
I would Craigslist the old smoker.
Don't forget to take pics of your next cook and share with us. :)
 
Congrats on the great find and welcome to the site. There is a ton of information here to help you with almost every question.

Just check your therm in boiling water before your first cook because the factory ones have been known to be off from the start.
 
I would pay it forward with the Brinkman. Spreading Karma is always good. I have given every single grill/smoker that I 'outgrew' away to friends and family. Most are still in use.

Welcome to the Weber obsession !!
 
thanks for the kind welcome.

I do have a few questions, about this brand new WSM.

1. Is it recommended to 'season' it, prior to smoking food in it?

2. What would you recommend for a 1st time meat to smoke? (I've never done "pork butts" but the photos make it look tastey. Is this the same as 'pulled pork'?)

3. For future reference, do you actually smoke overnight? Will the temps hold without getting up every hour to check?

4. Can I smoke during the Winter? When there is snow on the ground and below freezing? Is my main concern the wind, and not the cold temps?

I was hoping to try it out this weekend if I have time...

I plan on ordering a Maverick 732 thermometer, but it won't be here by this weekend.
 
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JShoemaker said:
thanks for the kind welcome.

I do have a few questions, about this brand new WSM.

1. Is it recommended to 'season' it, prior to smoking food in it?

2. What would you recommend for a 1st time meat to smoke? (I've never done "pork butts" but the photos make it look tastey. Is this the same as 'pulled pork'?)

3. For future reference, do you actually smoke overnight? Will the temps hold without getting up every hour to check?

4. Can I smoke during the Winter? When there is snow on the ground and below freezing? Is my main concern the wind, and not the cold temps?

I was hoping to try it out this weekend if I have time...

I plan on ordering a Maverick 732 thermometer, but it won't be here by this weekend.
Click to expand...

1. You don't need to "season" the WSM, but the temps can run hot for the first few cooks. - Make sure that you have a good fit between the sections and tweak the door as needed for a good seal. Too much air leakage will make the WSM run very hot.

2. 1st time meat - your preference - I learned on ribs - faster results, but Pork Butts are pretty easy - they just take a long time. Pork Butts pulled apart make Pulled Pork.

3. I smoke brisket and pork butts overnight - make sure you have plenty of charcoal, light using the Minion method (do a search), allow a couple of hours for the temp to stabilize, go to bed and get up to a stable temp - a remote digital thermometer like the 732 is very helpful. The temp doesn't need to be perfect, just somewhere in the range. I've bee cooking between 240° and 275° with no water (but having something in the water tray as a thermal mass helps - I use stainless steel plates - have used sand - others like clay saucers). The pork or brisket is done when a probe or fork goes in very easily and can be twisted easily. With pork butt, a clean bone is a good indication as well.

4. I live in Minnesota and have smoked ribs in the winter. My smoker is protected from North and West winds.

Welcome to the asylum.
 
Everything I wanted to say has been covered. But WOW that was a great deal! I am very happy with my 18.5" WSM but if I could got a 22" at the same (or lower) price I woulda been all over that! You deserve a big pat on the back for just that!

Also welcome to the forum. Great place to kill a few hours, and to learn about lots of things Weber and BBQ. Looking forward to your cooks & photos!

Oh yeah, almost forgot. I would re-gift the ECB. Sure they aren't the best, but plenty of people have learned on them (not me I started smoking on an OTG then moved straight to the WSM) and turned out great food.

Enjoy your WSM!
 
Congrats on the WSM, you won't be disappointed, just refer to here for any questions and you will find lots of help from the forum members.
 
That's not an upgrade, it's a trip through a warp into another universe entirely. Nice deal on the WSM! And you already have the most important accessory for your new smoker: this board.
 
I'm looking forward to trying it out this weekend, hopefully! I just call my local store, and they have bone-in pork butts for $1.99/lb. I'll likely pick up one or two of those, and see what happens!

Do you recommend tying up the pork butts, or just throwing them on the grates as is?

Also, for my prior brisket and ribs, I've rubbed the meat with yellow mustard before the powder rub. I assume I will be safe doing that for the pork butt?

Hopefully the temps don't go too high, since it'll be brand new.

My Maverick 732 should arrive tomorrow as well.

Now...to load up on some Kingsford charcoal for that behemoth of a smoker......and a long smoke.
 
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Just a few thoughts for your cook. No need to tie up the butts. You might as well do 2 or 3 butts since the smoker is fired up plus you will want leftovers. Just freeze what you don't eat. Also, when the smoker is heating up it is easier to slow it down before your target temp than get to hot and try and bring it back down. Finally do not worry about hitting a certain temp continually adjusting to keep it there. My smoker tends to settle in around 270 which is a little higher than most people like to cook but it holds there all night long. Pork butts are very forgiving so running high is nothing to worry about. Good luck
 
JShoemaker said:
I'm looking forward to trying it out this weekend, hopefully! I just call my local store, and they have bone-in pork butts for $1.99/lb. I'll likely pick up one or two of those, and see what happens!

Do you recommend tying up the pork butts, or just throwing them on the grates as is?

Also, for my prior brisket and ribs, I've rubbed the meat with yellow mustard before the powder rub. I assume I will be safe doing that for the pork butt?

Hopefully the temps don't go too high, since it'll be brand new.

My Maverick 732 should arrive tomorrow as well.

Now...to load up on some Kingsford charcoal for that behemoth of a smoker......and a long smoke.
Click to expand...

I tie my boneless butts, but I have an 18.5" and try to put 2 on one grate so tying uses less space.

Mustard under your rub will work just fine. I usually don't us mustard on my butts, and now that I think about it i cannot remember if I use anything or not, but if I do I opt for oil (EVOO). No real reason, just what I grab.

Like Kevin said, try to catch your temps on the way up (use the Minion Method to light) and don't worry too much about the temps. I tend to not to mess with dialing in temps unless they are lower than 225 and higher than 275-ish. Of course that's for butts, different meats have different targets and fudge windows, plus I'm only using the dome therm (blasphemy I know, but I'm hoping to get a Maverick for Christmas).

Finally good luck and enjoy your cook!
 
Ok, so I bought (2) ~9# pork butts(bone-in) last night, and my Maverick 732 arrived today. Sunday = Smokeday

Where do you run probe cables into the WSM? I do not have a grommet. To you just run it between the lid/body? Should I worry about that damaging the probe cable?
 
JShoemaker said:
Ok, so I bought (2) ~9# pork butts(bone-in) last night, and my Maverick 732 arrived today. Sunday = Smokeday

Where do you run probe cables into the WSM? I do not have a grommet. To you just run it between the lid/body? Should I worry about that damaging the probe cable?
Click to expand...

I cut a slot in the mid section that the cable rides in. Just a small slot.

BTW -- you not only don't have to get up every hour - you won't have to get up ALL DAY! LOL

I recommend reading these tip and other pages here: http://virtualweberbullet.com/tipsfaq.html
It will be time well spent.
 
I just run mine between the lid and the body. I run them on an angle to not pinch the wires too much. Just test where in your house there may be any spots were the Maverick signal will not reach and you are good to go.
 
My WSM 22 is ready to go for early tomorrow morning.
1. I bought some high temp black paint, and touched up the scraped areas. Good as new! ;)
2. Holy Crap! This 22" holds a ton of charcoal!? It's full to the top, for the 'spread on top' minion method. I also put some smaller wood chunks buried in the charcoal.
3. I have 30 briquets in the chimney starter. Hopefully thats enough, but not too much.
4. Bottom side of my water pan is foiled.



I'll fire it up as soon as I wake up tomorrow morning. I'll go with a mix of apple and hickory wood.

Now, to rub down my two pork butts, and get em wrapped! And then to enjoy an adult beverage.
 
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