14.5 wsm


 

PaulBz

TVWBB Fan
So I have a 14.5 wsm. I love it. I sealed the door closed with insulated tape because I heard on many places online that this was an issue. So that is fine. I tried long cooks with a brisket and a pork butt. I had a 4.35 pound brisket and a 5 pound pork butt. They pork butt took about 15 hours and the brisket about 17. I had no idea they would take that long. I used kingsford blue charcoal. The brisket cook I seemed to get more hours out of the charcoal at about 14. But the pork butt cook I only got about 13. I use a bbq IQ 110 (best thing ever by the way). So when the 12 hours was up on my pork butt I just opened up all the vents and got back up to 225 for about another hour. So I have no way really to put more coals in nor do I really know how many or when to put them in. Also if you're looking you aren't cooking. I don't want to open the cooker other than to wrap it so it only opens once. I could put more coals in at that time I guess I am assuming. So just pour unlit coals over the lit one's? It took almost 12 hours for the butt to get to 180 so they were close to going down. But with unlit coals it should keep going maybe? Or use some lit coals and then non let as well. I looked at the weber briquettes and all the information online says they last a lot longer. The weber customer service agent says they will go for 20 hours. Of course she says that. The long burning kingsford also doesn't burn any longer than the blue. It's just a marketing scam so they can charge more. But the weber does seem like it will last longer. Any tips? I have mastered wings, salmon, and ribs. They are great!
 
In my 14.5, I can get about ten hours of heat at 250 from 70 briquettes. Longer times than that require more fuel in my experience. Here's what I've learned on the 14.5 for doing longer cooks.

Consider tossing the internal heat shield. This prevents excessive ash build-up from snuffing out your coals. For me, after the eight hour mark, I can squeeze another hour or two of heat by simply tossing in another five or six briquettes. This can't go on indefinitely though due to ash build-up.

To really replenish fuel for ultra-long cooks, I do a "Reverse Minion-Method Hot Swap". I put on my welding gloves and completely unstack the cooking section and lid from the WSM base and set it aside. Since the upper has no fire in it, you can set it just about anywhere. Then, I rebuild my fuel supply.

To rebuild the fuel supply, if you haven't already done so, get some stainless steel zip ties or steel wire and physically tie your charcoal grate to your charcoal surround, making it one complete charcoal basket. Use your welding gloves to grab the charcoal basket and shake out the excess ash into the WSM base. This will leave just hot coals in the charcoal basket. Next, you need to set your charcoal basket aside (with hot coals) somewhere safe while you dump the ash from the WSM base. A big concrete square paver works fine to set your charcoal basket on. You also need a safe place to dump your ash from the WSM base. You could use a big terracotta pot, but I just dump my ash into my Weber Kettle.

After the ash is gone, you simply set the charcoal basket back in the WSM base, gather the coals to one side, and then add more fuel. The whole process takes less than two minutes. Finally, set the cooking section and lid back on the base and you're good to go for another eight to ten hours.

That's what's great about the 14.5. It's so compact that you can literally take the thing apart and add fuel and keep going indefinitely. I don't own the bigger WSMs but would think that it would be more difficult due to the weight.

This photo was taken after ten hours of cooking... I dumped my ash, gathered the coals to one side, then refueled. Like I say - two minutes of work once you get your process established.

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For the longer cooks I really pile in the charcoal. I have found that KBB Blue lasts the longest. I use what's called the sidelight method using a propane torch to light the fuel. Using this method wastes no heat and you start pretty much with a full basket of unspent fuel. My longest cook to date was 14 hours. The meat was done, I didn't snuff the fire out so I'm sure it kept on going. I have a thread here on the side light method.

It is true that you can remove the body with lid on from the base to add more fuel or whatever. If you set the base on a solid burn proof surface like conc. your pit temp will only drop 5-10 degrees before putting it back together. Not a big deal.

My rig is stock, no seals, no tender. I have attached the charcoal ring to the grate. I do use reflectix insulation as a wind break on windy and cold days.
 
You can remove the heat shield to have more room for ash (put it under the smoker if you are on a wood or flammable surface), raise the charcoal grate an inch or so and make a tall charcoal ring out of expanded metal for increased briquette capacity. As mentioned above.... there is always the hot squat if needed.
 
So i sealed my door so I can't put more charcoal in there. I have seen mutiple tests online including on this site that the weber briquettes burn quite a bit longer. I get a good 12 hours out of the kingsford blue. So I only need a few hours to finish it. I'll remove the heat shield so get more ash room. I never thought of picking up the lid completely. Good idea. But what I think I'll do is use less briquettes to start with. I was using half a weber chimney. But I think I can use less and still easily get up to 225 and have it sit there so I'm not using as much fuel to start with. What do you think of that? I don't have a propane torch unfortunately. Also Robert, I'm not quite understanding your method. How do I raise the charcoal ring an inch? And what do you mean about expanded metal for increased briquette capacity? I already rest the water pan on the wood chunks because I put as much charcoal in there as possible. So I don't know how I am going to fir more charcoal in there? Also I think the easiest fix would be just to purchase an 18.5 and then I'll have no problems on long cooks right? I just don't have the money for that now. I look forward to getting better at smoking with the help of this forum.
 
For the longer cooks I really pile in the charcoal. I have found that KBB Blue lasts the longest. I use what's called the sidelight method using a propane torch to light the fuel. Using this method wastes no heat and you start pretty much with a full basket of unspent fuel. My longest cook to date was 14 hours. The meat was done, I didn't snuff the fire out so I'm sure it kept on going. I have a thread here on the side light method.


Can't find your side-light thread, Case.

Can you show the link?
 
You can remove the heat shield to have more room for ash (put it under the smoker if you are on a wood or flammable surface), raise the charcoal grate an inch or so and make a tall charcoal ring out of expanded metal for increased briquette capacity. As mentioned above.... there is always the hot squat if needed.

That's what I did with my 18". I don't use the water pan, and with it out of the cooker there's enough room to double your fuel capacity. I also only use lump, which produces less ash.

wMOVMs7.jpg
 
Well I think I want to keep the water pan? Isn't that going to help with moistness of the meat and keeping the temperature down at 225? And I still don't understand what expanded metal is and how I raise the charcoal grate?
 
I am making my dad a Brisket for fathers day and I'm going to try using a little less lit coals to start with, take out the heat shield, and use weber briquettes.
 
You can remove the heat shield to have more room for ash (put it under the smoker if you are on a wood or flammable surface), raise the charcoal grate an inch or so and make a tall charcoal ring out of expanded metal for increased briquette capacity. As mentioned above.... there is always the hot squat if needed.


You mean attaching the grate inside the expanded metal, and sitting the newly made ring onto the leg nuts?
 
Weber Briquettes

I never thought of a mason jar ring. I might do that. I do have a bbq mat from Home Depot which seems to hold the heat well. Or I could just put my cooker downstairs on the concrete for all my cooks. That would probably solve everything. And then put the heat shield below. So we had a torrential rain and thunderstorm that almost ruined my cook on Saturday. I put the 5.58 pound brisket in at 4:30pm and it came at 1:30. Fortunately, at 1:30 I had just gotten through the stall time and was at 180 so I ran it into my apartment, wrapped, put it in the oven to 203. It turned out awesome. And had we not had that horrible storm I can't even imagine how much better it would have been. So now I am going to research a canopy or something to help out with cooks in the rain. So weber briquettes are the way to go on long cooks. I didn't get to try because of the rain storm. But I have a feeling they will give me 20 hours or more. They're the best. So kingsford blue is the best 4-12 hour cooks. Anything about that you need weber. It's a lot more expensive for weber so that won't be my everyday charcoal. For steams I recommend kingsford professional. It doesn't last nearly as long but perfect for searing a steak at the end. I made one Saturday and it was awesome.
 

 

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