Smoking With 18.5 OTS?


 
T

TMannion

New member
Hi all,

I've lurked around a bit but this is my first post here. I've been a casual Weber user for awhile now, but I'm looking to try my luck at smoking meat on my 18.5 OTS. I've done research on this site and others and have come across a variety of methods (Minion, coal banking, ring of fire, Smokenator, etc.) Are any methods easier than others? What is a good first meat to try and smoke? How much can I really fit on my grill? Any tips, tricks or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
 
I have a 22.5" OTG and set it up like this for ribs.
This cook ran at about 280F average (a little hot) but the ribs turned out very well.
I used Grill Mates pork rub and served homemade sauce on the side.
This is what I would call BBQ...in this heat range.
There is a 9x12 aluminum drip pan in the center about 1/3 full of water.
For a whole chicken I leave it dry to ensure crispy skin.

3-2-1 Ribs (end of 1st stage shown and ready to wrap)

rh268x.jpg


3-2-1 Ribs
http://majorleaguegrilling.com/2012/01/09/competition-ribs-3-2-1-method/

Best Ribs in the Universe
http://virtualweberbullet.com/rib1.html

I think of smoking as 150F and under. I use an electric smoker for these lower ranges with fish and jerky.
I'm thinking you mean BBQ.

For a first, indirect (BBQ) cook on a kettle, 3-2-1 ribs are easy if you follow the instructions above.
Also a whole chicken seasoned with Montreal Chicken seasoning is a winner and also easy to do.
 
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The ring of fire method is about the easiest way to do it on a kettle. It would give you a little more room as well, try load your cooker both ways without lighting it just to see the extra room you will have
 
Joe, thanks for the clarification and the links. If I go with that method, do I need to use charcoal baskets or can I simply bank the coals to either side? How many coals total are we talking about? Thanks again.
 
TMannion said:
Hi all,

I've lurked around a bit but this is my first post here. I've been a casual Weber user for awhile now, but I'm looking to try my luck at smoking meat on my 18.5 OTS. I've done research on this site and others and have come across a variety of methods (Minion, coal banking, ring of fire, Smokenator, etc.) Are any methods easier than others? What is a good first meat to try and smoke? How much can I really fit on my grill? Any tips, tricks or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Click to expand...

I have a 22.5" OTP among my collection. One trick I picked up on here is to use a pair of fire bricks on one side of my cooker, more like cutting it in half. The charcoal goes on one side of the bricks and aluminum foil on the other. This forces air up through the lit charcoal. I use my grate for the food. I put a pan under the food to catch whatever falls off my food while cooking. I sometimes put water in the pan to help control temperature.

I have found that this works out very well for cooks less than about 6 hours which is great for chicken breasts, pork chops, etc. It should also work for a rack of ribs. I can maintain BBQ temps without much trouble or I can quickly reconfigure for charring steaks. The down side of this I have found is that I don't use my WSM much. It's now there for those times when I need to make something big or for a really long cook. The best part of this trick is that the bricks cost me $3.50 for the 2.
 
TMannion said:
Joe, thanks for the clarification and the links. If I go with that method, do I need to use charcoal baskets or can I simply bank the coals to either side? How many coals total are we talking about? Thanks again.
Click to expand...
I don't think that the baskets fit the 18 very well.
I'd use the "ring of fire" method mentioned above on the 18 for more grill space.
Total brig count...I dunno...I just eyeball it and watch the temp.
 
Sounds good, thanks for the replies. I'm looking to do some ribs next week so I'll be sure to post back with pics.
 
I'm gonna be giving two racks of spare ribs a go a week from today. Will I need to use a rib rack or will two spare racks fit comfortably on the 18.5? Thanks for all the helpful info this far, can't wait to get started!
 
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