Otis_Campbell
New member
I've owned an 18.5" WSM for about a year and I happened across a 22.5" WSM on CraigsList that I was able to get for $160 with the Weber cover. Since I paid $150 for my 18.5" WSM used on CraigsList, I felt that this was a pretty good deal. After a thorough cleaning (this thing was "well used", to say the least), the weather finally cooperated enough to let me smoke some baby backs on it today as a test run for a brisket I'm planning to smoke in a few weeks.
There are 3 things that stick out to me that I've never encountered with my 18.5" bullet that I was hoping someone could shed some light on:
1. On the 18.5" WSM, I never use water. I have a terra cotta "heat sink" built out of the base of a flower pot that I run instead. Using this method since the purchase of the 18.5" WSM, my temp control is pretty decent...typically staying within 5-10 degrees of/over my target temp which is usually 225. On the new pit, I didn't have a terra cotta base that fit the larger water pan so I decided to run water since I was also worried about maintaining temps on this new (to me) behemoth (compared to the 18.5").
So, as instructed, I filled the water pan up after I put the center section on top of the base which I had lit using the minion method. No sooner than I got the water pan filled, I heard a crash followed by a lot of steam... Yep, the pan had fallen off the little tabs that hold it and it landed upright on top of the charcoal ring. (In my defense, I checked prior to putting the water pan on and felt that the fit was sufficient to prevent this from happening.) The good news is that I got lucky in that most of the water stayed in the pan and didn't put the coals out but I'm curious if anyone else has encountered this?
2. So, I scrapped the water idea and just ran the pan empty... Again, I think I have the process of adjusting the dampers down enough to be able to keep this thing under control. What I didn't think about is just how leaky this thing is compared to my 18.5" WSM. It is well-documented that the door is leaky and that a stainless steel upgrade is in order, but the top leaks, too...and all of the dampers seem a bit loose to me. In order to maintain 250 degrees, I'm having to run all 3 bottom dampers closed and the top damper at 25-50%. (I know this isn't recommended but I don't want to cook higher than 225-250 degrees if I can help it.) Other than re-seasoning it so it has some gunk to keep it sealed up, does anyone else have any issues with air leaks? I've put a gasket on my gasser before but I don't really want to do that on my WSM if I can avoid it.
3. I run a Weber iGrill 2 with an air/pit temp probe at the top grate level. I've done this for many cooks now on my 18.5" WSM with good results, so I am confident that my probe temp and iGrill 2 are functioning properly. At grate level, the pit is running 250 degrees...or within a few degrees of it. The lid thermometer, however, is showing 175 degrees. On my 18.5" bullet, it is usually 25-ish degrees different from grate level to the dome thermometer. I realize that there is a bigger dome on the 22.5" WSM, but does it seem correct for the dome thermometer to be 75 degrees off? (Full disclosure: I have not cleaned the thermometer or checked to see if it is clean...I did every other piece of this thing but I don't recall paying any special attention to the thermometer.)
I'm just curious if anyone else has encountered similar experiences with the 22.5"?
Thanks,
Otis
There are 3 things that stick out to me that I've never encountered with my 18.5" bullet that I was hoping someone could shed some light on:
1. On the 18.5" WSM, I never use water. I have a terra cotta "heat sink" built out of the base of a flower pot that I run instead. Using this method since the purchase of the 18.5" WSM, my temp control is pretty decent...typically staying within 5-10 degrees of/over my target temp which is usually 225. On the new pit, I didn't have a terra cotta base that fit the larger water pan so I decided to run water since I was also worried about maintaining temps on this new (to me) behemoth (compared to the 18.5").
So, as instructed, I filled the water pan up after I put the center section on top of the base which I had lit using the minion method. No sooner than I got the water pan filled, I heard a crash followed by a lot of steam... Yep, the pan had fallen off the little tabs that hold it and it landed upright on top of the charcoal ring. (In my defense, I checked prior to putting the water pan on and felt that the fit was sufficient to prevent this from happening.) The good news is that I got lucky in that most of the water stayed in the pan and didn't put the coals out but I'm curious if anyone else has encountered this?
2. So, I scrapped the water idea and just ran the pan empty... Again, I think I have the process of adjusting the dampers down enough to be able to keep this thing under control. What I didn't think about is just how leaky this thing is compared to my 18.5" WSM. It is well-documented that the door is leaky and that a stainless steel upgrade is in order, but the top leaks, too...and all of the dampers seem a bit loose to me. In order to maintain 250 degrees, I'm having to run all 3 bottom dampers closed and the top damper at 25-50%. (I know this isn't recommended but I don't want to cook higher than 225-250 degrees if I can help it.) Other than re-seasoning it so it has some gunk to keep it sealed up, does anyone else have any issues with air leaks? I've put a gasket on my gasser before but I don't really want to do that on my WSM if I can avoid it.
3. I run a Weber iGrill 2 with an air/pit temp probe at the top grate level. I've done this for many cooks now on my 18.5" WSM with good results, so I am confident that my probe temp and iGrill 2 are functioning properly. At grate level, the pit is running 250 degrees...or within a few degrees of it. The lid thermometer, however, is showing 175 degrees. On my 18.5" bullet, it is usually 25-ish degrees different from grate level to the dome thermometer. I realize that there is a bigger dome on the 22.5" WSM, but does it seem correct for the dome thermometer to be 75 degrees off? (Full disclosure: I have not cleaned the thermometer or checked to see if it is clean...I did every other piece of this thing but I don't recall paying any special attention to the thermometer.)
I'm just curious if anyone else has encountered similar experiences with the 22.5"?
Thanks,
Otis