New owner 18.5 wsm with a quick question


 

Arnold

New member
I fired my new cooker yesterday with about 10 chicken thighs.I filled the water pan with a gallon of water but I followed the weber guidelines on how much Kingsford to use.I needed to cook the chicken at 300 degrees but I was not able to increase the temp above 250 dome temp.I had all the vents open I was in a shady part of my yard.i'm thinking I did not have enough kingsford to begin with.I am planning to make ribs this Sat. about 3 racks of babybacks and I will like to know how much kingsford to use?i just read about the minion method but will that not be to much kingsford to use?Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
 
Arnold,go ahead and fill the ring. I think it is better to have more fuel than you need. After the cook,you can close all the vents and it will choke off the remaining fuel. This remaining fuel can be used for your next cook! Ain't it great!
 
After re-reading your question,here is some more info. For low and slow,use the minion method-just a few coals lit on top to slowly light all the rest. For high heat cooks,light a whole chimney,dump in the ring,then load the rest of the way with unlit. Hope this helps!
 
I agree with Phil. I always fill the ring when I do baby backs. Usually mix a few pieces of wood in there too. I then fire up about 20+ coals in a chimney and throw them on top with a few more pieces of wood when they are white. Put some water in the bowl, assemble everything, and throw the meat on.

When the temps start getting to 200-210, i'll start closing the vents and it usually settles in right around 240.

Sit back, drink some beer, and enjoy the smell.

Just remember to not get to crazy with adjusting vents. Little adjustments may be all you need. So make a small adjustment and wait 15-30 minutes to see what it does.

Also, don't forget to take pics and report back
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EDIT: Forgot to add. When you are done cooking and right after you pull the meat off, close all the vents. That will kill the fire and you will have some left over coals for next time.
 
Don't worry about using too much charcoal. Close all the vents including the lid when you're done and the fire should go out leaving you with usable leftover charcoal. I use leftovers all the time.
 
First of all, I wouldn't use the Weber directions on how to get the correct temps in your WSM. I too tried that the first time and was disappointed in the results.

For your rib cook you are going to want to aim at 225 lid temp or so. I suggest reading this section of the site. It will change your life.
Minion Method

For stuff you want to cook at lid temps higher than 300, then it really depends on if you fill the water pan or not and how much charcoal you want to start with.
 
Thank you all for the advice.Now my only other issue right now is my lid temp is 25 degrees hotter than my top grill temp.I used an oven therm. on my top grate.Should I call weber for a new lid temp?Or is that the normal swing from top grate to lid temp?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Arnold:
Thank you all for the advice.Now my only other issue right now is my lid temp is 25 degrees hotter than my top grill temp.I used an oven therm. on my top grate.Should I call weber for a new lid temp?Or is that the normal swing from top grate to lid temp? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thats normal. I use a Maverick ET-73 thermometer and have one probe in a potatoe sitting on the top grate. I usually use that for getting the temps I want. The lid is usually warmer.

But if you have an oven thermometer, that means you are opening the lid too much to check the temp. In that case I would use the lid thermometer and you should be just fine if you are within the 'smoke' area.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Thank you all for the advice.Now my only other issue right now is my lid temp is 25 degrees hotter than my top grill temp.I used an oven therm. on my top grate.Should I call weber for a new lid temp?Or is that the normal swing from top grate to lid temp? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Completely normal since you're taking the temp in two different places. You'll turn out great Q at any reasonable temperature so shoot for a lid temp around 225-250 and you'll be just fine.
 

 

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