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That's beautiful in gray. I got my first performer this year (a redhead) and my first kettle since I was a 22 year old newlywed. It is an awesome grill. I use mine 1-3 times a week. I thought I'd be done with the season by now (I live in central Illinois) but can't stay away. I did a rack...

I tried this for the first time early December. I had to relight once (tiny fires are trickier than big fires). I used a little apple wood with a chunk of Wisconsin low fat white cheese. The temp was 40 degrees outside, and I just filled the bowl with cold tap water. I had no trouble keeping...

Mike, I agree that 6-8 chunks is a lot of wood. Especially for hickory, which along with mesquite, is probably one of the two strongest woods. Personally, hickory doesn't work for me. I've tried it maybe 5-10 times over the years, and I finally gave up on it this year. It just doesn't work...

I even use the "upside down" Minion method on my performer, lighting the charcoal in the char baskets for indirect cooking, and letting them burn "up". And what everyone else said on the leakiness. It will go away after a half dozen (or so) cooks. The door is the only thing I had to play with...

I smoked two turkeys this year, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Both were Butterballs. I brined them anyway, dried out overnight in the fridge, and cooked 350ish. They were both dark brown. I used RO lump and a couple small chunks of oak and apple. I suspect the type/amount of wood would impact...

Davidd, Good to hear. As for trouble getting the temp down, that's one reason why I like to start low and slow and do the searing at the end. The charcoal gets hot a lot quicker than it cools down.

I am a big believer in brining poultry. I think it makes a huge difference. I'd rub above and below the skin with equal parts sage, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf (ground up), and black pepper. Mix that with equal part EVOO to make a wet rub. If you didn't brine, add salt. I did something...

Aaron, I've read that tenting with foil will turn the skin soft. I imagine a cooler without foil would be better. At least you have small birds. That should make it easier. Put a wet rub below and on top of the skin. A simple salt, rosemary, sage, and thyme rub mixed with EVOO should do...

Thanks guys. This confirms what I intuitively thought from my (limited) understanding of science.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">My guess, though is that the difference is fairly negligible, at least for the purposes of running it in a WSM, where a deflector is presumably in place, and the meat is far...

Monty. Right. But I wonder if the part of the fire closest to the vent burns most of the oxygen before it can get to the other parts of the fire, and thus, a hotter fire closer to the open vent, and cooler fire closer to the closed vents.

Bryan, The purpose of searing is to get the Maillard Reaction. Basically, that's how the outside of something (like bread or meat) changes as it gets very hot. It's similar to carmelization, and it adds another layer of flavor for steaks. But to really get it right, you want a VERY hot fire...

I've long wondered if it's necessary to keep the bottom vents on more or less the same "setting" to get the charcoal to burn evenly. For instance, (assuming a calm day) would the fire burn differently having one vent 100% open and the two others closed, as opposed to keeping all 3 vents 1/3...

I'd say turkey, but people might be sick of that. You could do St. Louis style pork steaks, or a Wisconsin style brat tub.

Dean, Turn one of those charbaskets around and use it like a firebrick. Don't fill the basket, just fill up the grate and let the char basket hold the pile back. You can use more charcoal that way. If you use lump, you might want a second charcoal grate turned 90 degrees, so you don't have...

James, My family loves salt.

I use oak with every cook. Sometimes it's mixed with mesquite or apple or pecan, depending on what I'm cooking. Often it's used alone, and it is my "foundation" wood. There are two times it seems when it smells best. One is right when the lit lump is dumped into the ring at the start. But...

I used a seam sealant (made for tents) on the cover, and it works great.

Dave, I also resisted the urge to add more wood for my turkey last week, and was glad I did. It was a nice subtle flavor. I started with two medium sized chunks- one oak and one apple- and split those in two. Buried one of each, and put one of each on top. It was the best smelling cook...

Mike, I would assume that outdoor temp impacts the "Look" time, but judging by this article, probably not by much. The meat retains a lot of heat, and so does a thick, well built cooker like the WSM.