Newbie - just bought a WSM!


 
M

Mickey Rye

New member
Hello All,

I am sure this story has been told many times on this forum, but I am a brand new owner of a WSM. I have always enjoyed good smoked food and decided to make the leap to doing it myself but I have never smoked anything before and I am very new to this.

I don't want to waste anyone's time time with typical newbie questions (I have a lot), so if you can point me in the direction of any "must read" threads that would be great. My plan is to run my first trial smoke this weekend and have the guys over for the inaugural multi meat smoke next weekend.

I was thinking of smoking a chicken and/or pork tenderloin this weekend (my wife doesnt eat red meat and wanted to be part of the first smoke)... I would appreciate any suggestions, thoughts, feedback etc... I'm looking forward to all of this.

M.R.
 
Welcome Mickey. I just bought a WSM 2 days ago and finished my first cook yesterday. I would suggest reading everything you can find on the Virtual Weber Bullet site and then as much as you can on the forum. I spent about 2 weeks reading before my first cook and it went super smooth.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome guys, seems like a great community here!

So I just put on my first smoke, a whole chicken as mentioned above. It took a couple of runs back to the computer to look a couple of things up, but I think I have it going... It seems to be burning at a consistent 325 degrees...

Here are a couple of random questions that popped in my head;

- Can I smoke all through the winter? Keep in mind I live in Montreal, Canada and it gets cold up here...

- Can I reuse the briquettes or do I need to start fresh for every smoke?

- I realize that I need to buy a thermometer, any suggestions for best value for dollar?

- Is it "bad" if leave the house while I'm smoking or do I need to always be checking on it?

Thanks guys!

M.R.
 
You can reuse charcoal, just close down your vents after the smoke and your coals will go out and can be used again. Don't leave the house for long, you don't want to burn up your food etc. btw part of the fun is hanging out by the smoker. There are plenty of people on here in cold winter areas (I am not one of them but...) Alot of people have the 100 dollar thermopen for the maverick I have the 19 dollar version of the thermopen, works great.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002GE2XF8/thevirtualweberb
 
Thanks Hamilton!

Anybody here smoke when it's 0 to 20 degrees F?

So my chicken is on and I have made my BBQ Sauce (classic Kanses style), should I be mopping the bird?

M.R.
 
I have cooked in that temperature. You can save fule with a wind break or an insulated cover. I use an old army blanket, cut to fit.


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I do have a semi-enclosed area that helps in those temperatures.
 
Awesome! Thanks for the great feedback, im pumped to know I can smoke all year round!

The chicken turned out good, it was a little dry, but I pulled it and added some homemade KC BBQ sauce and it tasted great. I didnt have a thermometer so I think I left it on too long, all part of the learning curve!

Next week I am having the guys over, im planning a big smoke, Brisket, Ribs and some Wings are all on the menu.

My next question; I'm trying to figure out the best place to put my WSM in the backyard, are there any issues on putting it on my deck, if so, should I put something underneath it? My other option is putting it underneath my deck (the deck is off the 2nd floor), would the smoke damage the wood? Any issues on putting it to close to the house?

Thanks Guys!
 
Managing the WSM is harder with wind vs cold. Although I don't smoke in super cold (I think coldest I smoked was between 20-25 F)

Maverick remote thermometer is nice.

Congratulations, and have fun smoking!!!!!
 
Mickey Rye said:
My next question; I'm trying to figure out the best place to put my WSM in the backyard, are there any issues on putting it on my deck, if so, should I put something underneath it? My other option is putting it underneath my deck (the deck is off the 2nd floor), would the smoke damage the wood? Any issues on putting it to close to the house?
Click to expand...

Personally, I would put it under the deck to protect somewhat from the elements. Try to keep it a couple of feet from house. The bottom gets the hottest so be aware of that. Smoke shouldn't be a problem.
 
Great to have you here Mickey. Yes you can smoke all winter, I have pretty much the same weather as you. Yes you can reuse left over charcoal as long as it doesn't get damp. You can buy reasonably priced probe and instant read thermometers at Canadian Tire or The Loblaws Superstore if you have one. Once your used to your smoker you can leave it alone for hours if you want. I wouldn't leave it for long if it's on a wood deck just for safeties sake.
 
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