New smoker temp question


 
K

Kevin Kirwan

New member
I've only got one smoke on my 18 WSM under my belt. I used lump charcoal I got at Home Depot. No problem firing up the smoker, but had a question regarding when to put the meat on (in my case a couple of spatchcocked chickens.

After putting the water pan into the middle section, I noticed it took a while to get back up to temp...

Finally, the question.... Do you wait until the smoker comes back up to temp to put on the meat??

Thanks in advance for any information.....
 
Because we're smokin'...add the meat immediately, for a more smokey flavor...a lot of smokin is happening while the cooker is comin up to temp
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The smoke ring forms while the temp is under about 160deg I think. The longer the meat is exposed to smoke the more smoke to stick to it too, so many people including me just put it straight on. Many do let it come up to temp, but I don't see the point as long as the fire is burning clean. Ryan
 
With chicken, I would take the water out of the water pan. Take an empty pan, use a sheet of HD Aluminum foil and line the pan, leaving an air gap in the bottom. You're just tenting the water pan and making a depression to catch the grease. Then, I agree with the other posts - put the meat on right away.
 
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