Couple of questions from a new WSM owner

Greetings, everyone!

I've been coming to this site almost daily since I discovered it, and it's an amazing source of information - not to mention a friendly community. So much so that it heavily influenced my decision to get a WSM (birthday in 2 weeks - my better half rolled her eyes a bit, but it's a go ).

I have two questions. I found a little information about both of them on previous posts and within the site itself, but I was hoping to get a bit more input from the community.

Anyway, my first question is regarding wood sources. I live on the east coast so shipping charges from Peopleswoods.com don't seem all that unreasonable, and I'm having trouble finding anything but wood chips in local hardware and home improvement stores. What kind of experience have people had with this company and their wood? Any alternative suggestions?

My second question is about the large water pan modification mentioned on the site. For long smokes, it certainly seems like a good idea. In fact, I don't really see any downside. Basically, I'm wondering what everyone thinks about this mod and whether they have any experience with it. Also, it's hard to tell from the photos, but how much clearance is there between the coals and the pan with that mod?

Look forward to hearing from you, and thanks for providing such a great resource.

Rob

[This message has been edited by Rob (edited 05-05-2001).]

Welcome Rob,

Congratulations on joining the group! You will have a lot of fun and feed yourself in grand style!

About the wood: I don't have any experience with ordering wood, as I have always had good luck finding it. You don't say where you are on the east coast, but I assume there are hardwood trees around. Look in the phone book for tree removal services, and locate one nearby. Call them and tell them what you want (hardwood only (oak, maple, hickory, cherry, pecan, etc.))I suspect they will give you all the wood you want, but it could be in weird sizes. They may cobble it up for you for a slight fee, or you can do it yourself, if you have access to a few tools. The WSM does not use large quantities of wood like traditional smokers do, so you can get a bunch of smoking sessions out of just a few logs.

As for the Brinkman pan, I too, am curious about it. There have been references to using the water pan, and also, the charcoal pan. Which is it? Anybody?

Again, welcome, and enjoy this fine website.

George

Hi Rob, and welcome to the WSM family!

Peoples Wood is a very reputable firm. I have ordered from them and they will do a good job for you if you cannot find a local source.

George gives you some good ideas on how to proceed locally. Other ideas:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>

<LI>Call businesses that sell firewood and tell them what you're up to. Some will just give you a couple of split pieces of smoke wood for free. As George says, they will go a long, long way in the WSM if you cut them up into chunks.
<LI>Find local barbecue or other restaurants that cook with wood and inquire as to their source.
<LI>Locate barbecue specialty retailers like Barbecue Galore or others. They usually carry a variety of chunks.

[/list]


Regarding the water pan mod, I've posted a variety of measurements of this pan in the following topic: http://tvwbb.101inc.com/tvwbubb/Forum4/HTML/000245.html

Finally, as mentioned in the Web site topic Water Pan Modifications, Dave Stamper uses the Brinkman charcoal pan, part number 114-0002-0.

Regards,
Chris

[This message has been edited by Chris Allingham (edited 05-06-2001).]

Rob i smoked a Butt today for 9 hrs, only added water one time.

Hi Rob!!

Welcome to the group!!

As far as wood.......I have used the branches I cut from my trees in the backyard...oak, apple, hickory. They will work fine as you only need a little.

Also, 2 other sources.......try the local golf courses, many times they will be trimming the hardwoods especially if they pose a danger.

Finally, after storms is a great time to go "hunting"...just take a sturdy branch cutter and start snipping away!! Be sure you know which type of tree you are cutting!!

I say this becasue we usually have 2-3 real bad windstorms every year. Last year my neighbor and I picked up 2 huge hickory logs from the local golf course..they even cut it for us! Looked pretty cool..we finished our round of golf with a couple huge hickory logs on the back of the cart!! Actually it was way too much...I would never use in my remaining life!

As to the water pan.......I have seen the pan used by Dave......we were at a competition one year and he turned me on to it. IMO, it's not really needed. On my longest cooks I usually only have to fill it once.

Have fun!!

Stogie

Hey Rob, I too am a newbie...

I'm only a 1/2 hr from Peoplewoods so I stopped there last friday for todays cooking.

They had just about any kind of wood chips in stock that you could think of.

I picked up 4 10lb bags of different types of chunk.

I ordered the Brinkman water pan, but I haven't received it yet. I could have used it today...I cooked a butt for 12hrs and had to refill the pan 3 times.

Good luck.

Thanks for the welcome and the info, guys. I think I'll probably go ahead and order some wood from People's just so I can be sure I'll be ready to go when I finally get the WSM in a couple of weeks.

Great suggestions on wood sources, though. I checked with local barbecue restaurants, but it turns out that the few around here (there aren't that many in CT, I'm afraid) seem to get their wood from People's. Go figure. There does seem to be a fair amount of oak in my area, so that one shouldn't be a problem. Also, I'll be heading out to the local golf course this afternoon and checking with some tree removal companies as well. I have a feeling I'm in for some interesting conversations today!

Elsewhere on the wood front, talk about perfect timing - it turns out that a guy who lives about 1/4 mile from me has a small apple orchard in his backyard. Even though I've driven past it practically every day for the past two years I never noticed it (of course, I suppose I wasn't actually LOOKING for trees then, either). At first he looked at me like he thought I should be in a straitjacket when I asked if I could have his annual trimmings, but he agreed when I told him what I was up to. Not only that, but my father is coming out for a visit from New Mexico next month, and I talked him into bringing a bag of pecan chunks with him. The thought of him tossing a burlap sack of wood into the overhead compartment is certainly worth a chuckle.

It's odd that whenever I'm outside now I'm constantly scanning for usable hardwood.... Clearly, I've been bitten hard by the barbecue bug!

Thanks again for all the advice.

Rob

Rob,

Excellent! You are well on your way to becoming as twisted as the rest of us! Seriously, it's tons of fun, the crowd is friendly, and there're good eats at the end of the day. Enjoy the pecan.

George

Rob,
In regards to the water pan, I never start with more than 2 quarts so I'm not looking for a bigger pan. Here in the PNW, its a little tough to keep the temps up sometimes so I use a minimum of water to start and then add a quart every 2-3 hours. If your somewhere where it is hot outside, maybe starting with a few gallons will help keep the temps down.

John