Search results

I read your post about disposing of ash and thought you are on a wooden deck. Then I read this post which confirmed it. In your situation, I would not use the WSM on the deck. As you mentioned in your ash post, the deck is on your second level which is cause for concern. Do you even have a...

I'll use just about anything, but look for higher quality lumps to try. Royal Oak is my default brand. As was said, not the greatest, but reasonable cost and usually available. The main thing about using lump is that you have to pack the ring. You don't need to go crazy, but get your hand in...

The pictures look great! You did well. It sounds like the ash was choking out the fire. If it wasn't that, it very well could have been the use of old charcoal. For awhile, you should start with fresh charcoal, just to rule out any issues. However, when you say you blew into the inlet valve...

I guess I'm a Neanderthal, but I've really never noticed any real difference in charcoal. Fire is fire. Of course, the lump has less ash and I like that. And sure, sum lump has crap in it that I'd rather not have, but overall, if it lights, I can cook with it. If I want it hotter, more air...

Too bad the pictures do not seem to have showed up (at least not for me). Why did the fire almost die on you (5 times)? What did you do to get it going again?

I agree with the others who say to remove the bacon. I’ve just never been able to make it work. The bacon doesn’t cook well, it doesn’t improve the moisture of the loin and everyone just removes the half cooked bacon when you put a slice on their plate. Personally, I’d remove the bacon, brine...

Exactly. Keep cooking and you'll be getting what you want out of it, no matter the brand. FWIW, my first several cooks on my WSM were pretty rough. Temps were anything but stable and me tinkering with it all the time didn't help. However, before long, I could get it to hold temp rock solid...

Why did you give up when the temp rose? That’s the time to learn. You don’t need to worry about the temp going too high on a butt cook. Sure, you don’t want it at 400 degrees for an hour, but moving it down from a spike is a skill you want to learn. Not familiar with your cooker, but there...

Wow, six chunks of wood is a lot. It is a subjective thing though so have at it. If you haven’t used that much smoke wood before, I’d start at half that and work my way up or down on future cooks. If you check temps every 15 minutes, you’ll drive yourself crazy. Check it often early and...

I’ve never done the snake method, but I would imagine that it would be a lot easier to do with briquettes. Good luck on your next cook. FWIW, you’re not alone. It takes a few try’s to get it right, learn your cooker and be able to sleep through the night. Staying up and watching the cook...

So, what happened? Did it run out of fuel or did the fire go out because of a break in the snake? It is probably best to start the next one in the morning, but unless you have some idea what happened, you're in for a struggle.

One thing I do that is easier than pounding them or butterflying them is just to cut them across the breast. That yields a slim piece and a fatter piece from each half breast. Then I just take the thinner pieces off a bit earlier. That way the thin end isn’t over cooked - easy. I do agree...

I love to do rehab work, but this is why I could never make money doing it. I can’t stop at good enough, which as Dave points out is critical if you’re going to turn a profit. I did a couple grills for my son’s-in-law and they were sweet. Of course, my benchmark was to try to not go over...

Twelve, that’s a perfect number. One for each month. One for each day of Christmas. One for each donut. And, once you have ten, what’s two more? A dozen. Perfect :)

I've never seen anything like that. My complete guess is that the water pan boiled over. That seems like it would be the most likely thing to send a steam/ash cloud throughout the WSM and coat everything the way it seems that it did. The wind is the next logical thing, but it would have to...

A few days (3 to 4) is certainly okay, but the sooner the better. Obviously you can’t do this, but I’ll try to do my vacuum packing and freezing the next day. No good comes from it sitting in the fridge.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. It’s a great time of year. Enjoy the time with family everyone.

Sounds like a great idea. Thanks for the idea. I've had great results with Costco prime ribeyes. I'll pick some up and join you in spirit. We've most always stayed in on NYE. To crazy out there.

I agree with this completely. If you don’t clean it completely and let it have good airflow, you would be better off leaving it running. Once they mold over, good luck trying to straighten that out.

The sad truth is that most people can’t tell the difference and falling off the bone is good BBQ to them. Oh well.