2nd cook mixed results buyers remorse.


 

MikeT1

New member
For my 2nd cook did a brisket flat 4.5 pounds. Was able to get to desired temp 240-270. Brisket finished 5.5 hours. Came out a little dry but really good taste. I've done two cooks so far and the food has came out excellent both times. However I'm disappointed in the performance of the WSM 18.5.

First cook was spare ribs 6 hours with lump. Ran really hot was a constant chase for steady temp. cook went 6 hours . charcoal ran another hour before dropping.

This 4.5 pound brisket flat was with KBB full ring with 20 lit dumped in hole in the center of the ring. 3/4 full water pan to start. With two adjustments in the first hour ran pretty steady for couple hours at 260 after wrapping the brisket at 165 the temp recovered to 267 for 15 minutes then dropped to 225. I had one vent open 1/2 way, opened all vents 100%. temp recovered to 240ish for the rest of the cook. total cook time 5.5 hours.

Wanted to see how long the WSM would go on this full ring. After removing the flat the temp recovered to to 266 then dropped to 210 one hour later all vents 100% open

So far 7 hours at 280 with a full ring Royal Oak lump. 6 Hours with with KBB bag full ring. Less vent play but 6 hours?

I have to say so far I have had an easier time with the snake method on my kettle with longer burn times and less vent play. I thought the WSM would up game with more set it and forget it. I''m wondering if I should have bought the Pit Barrel Cooker instead.
 
Here are my thoughts, which may or may not be of value: two smokes--whether it be with the WSM or the PCB--are not enough to reach a conclusion. If I read your thread accurately, you did a single smoke with KBB, then tried lump. When you add variables it will be difficult to hone-in on the good, bad, and ugly, which will leave uncertainty on what to tweak on the next smoke. Since you have familiarity with the snake in a Kettle then maybe you should consider using KBB exclusively for a few smokes and then experiment. I have never used lump in my WSM, so I have no idea how it would behave. I also have a PBC and there are times that it ran at 260 and others at 330. Heck; I think I have one log where it approached 400. I've only been smoking for 3 years but I use my WSM's much more often than I use the PBC. I like both, but I have gained more experience on the WSM's and those are my real comfort zones.
 
Thank for your thoughts. It was the second cook I used KBB. I was able to hit my temps but it was the length of cook time that really bothered me I was not running hot never went above 270(grate temp). But a little over 6 hours I was expecting to go longer than that on a full basket. Once it went south of 200 degrees I closed all vents. Went out to put back in the garage 3 hours later lid temp was at 100 degrees still. Does this mean it's a leaky sieve? There was smoke leaking from every seam went lighting up at first.
 
Not knowing how well its seasoned, id agree with above.
With good layer grease and decent door fit, only smoke you see comes from top vent.

Most do not use water pan, it eats up fuel.

The amount of starting coals and arrangement also affects how it burns.

About 7 hrs is the longest you will get a stable temp with the stock coal ring , With it piled as high as you can. Ash builds up and slows the fire, then can suddenly collapse, leading to higher temps. When temp falls off and gets tough to control.....shake it, kick it, get it lined out again. If still hard to control, add another half chimney of lit ashed coals , it will be rock stable several more hrs. Some charcoal ashes more than others too.

Stable temps depend on adequate lit coals in good condition ., The air supply needs to be the limiting factor. Hard to control with large temp swings is usually a sign coals are running out, or not enough are lit, in my experience. Eady to fix.....add anmother half chimney of lit ashy coals. Only takes a second when you can lift shell off. You want handles for this

The actual temp isnt that critical, its ok to drift from 225-275.

I extended my coal ring with expanded metal...to hold about 50% more. Then i could get 10-11 hrs before ash caused temp crash. Did that to count on sleeping thru night.

Now, a heatermeter with damper/fan will take it to another level. Rock solid temps. No minion method needed to help stabilize temps, miserly on fuel, perfect recovery after opening lid, etc. And no need to go outside to make adjustments in rain, or middle of night. Mine will run 20+ hrs trouble free if needed. Cooked brisket a week ago, did first several hrs slow at 200 to extend smoke time. Then upped to 225-250. Took 17 hrs. Still had 20% of my original coals left, and i didnt start with full load. Oh yeah, you can monitor and adjust remote over internet. Makes it so easy and reliable, you use it more imo.
 
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Mike, relax! 2 (totally different) cooks do not an adequate sample make. My 1st question would be what kind of thermometer are you using? The lid thermometer or a digital? The reason I ask, for my first several cooks I used the lid thermometer and it seemed to do pretty well. Then when I got my digital, it reacted so much quicker, all I did was chase it all day long! After I realized what I was doing, and let the smoker settle in by itself, I really began to enjoy my WSM. Try cooking a few Boston Butts, they’re pretty much bulletproof and they allow you to really get the deal of how your smoker runs. Also, get rid of the water! Wrap the top of your water pan with foil, you’ll never want to cook with water again!!
Good luck and don’t give up, we’ve all been in the same position you’re in right now.
Tim
 
Mike, as others have said, 2 cooks isn’t enough to get things “tightened up” as far as the WSM is concerned, you can’t really rush it too much, these little units have a learning curve as well as a seasoning period, that can only happen with time and practice.
I agree with the “don’t change too many things at once” idea too. When you make changes one at a time, you see the specific cause and effect of the change. When you change two things it’s hard to say which caused what.
I’ve never used water, based on opinions voiced here. I’ve also never done just a flat, I have only done full packers, they require no more real effort, just more time. But, you do want a batch of folks to help enjoy the fruits of your labors!
I’m ready to do another one any minute! Maybe a butt next weekend and a brisket for Easter?
 
Mike, congrats on 2 good cooks.:wsm: My 18.5 took about 10 cooks to hit it's stride on fuel consumption. I use KBB. Early on I was getting 8.5 hrs. with a full load in the ring. 5 months later my log says I got 10.5 hrs.with a full load of charcoal and water in the pan. That 10.5 hr. cook was done on a day that was about 10 degrees cooler than the first. Is your kettle gunked up on the inside? Once you get your WSM gunked up it should smooth out.

That PBC looks tempting but I decided to stay with the WSM.
 
Thanks for the encouragement. Few questions.

After both cooks I was not able to kill the fire totally by closing all vents. All ash. When cleaning I noticed daylight around the closed vents there is a tiny crack of daylight around the closed vents. They don't close tight or all the way do to the stoppers. Is this normal?

Also the where the middle cylinder meets the charcoal bowl there's about 6" where the middle section is pushed in. I did notice smoke leaking from the bowl area at the beginning of the cook. So I can see why the fire would not go out. Should I not worry about it call Weber?

I want to use water til it gets seasoned more. By lighting 20 coals dumped in small hole of unlit coals I made vs spreading coals over top of the unlit is there ant difference in temps or burn time?

Thanks
 
No you shouldn't have a leak at the body joint. If it's damaged and came that way definitely call Weber.

the little bit of opening that's created by the stopper on the vents really doesn't affect anything especially once grease builds up. It's mostly the the lid seal and the door seal that caused the problems.

The way you add coals affects the stability of the temperature with a fixed vent opening. The amount affects what kind of temperature you can get to and how fast you get there. The beauty of the heatermeter controller, is it you don't have to worry about that at all. Since it can automatically adjust, just like the darn coal's , give it a set point, and go do something else.
 
I have tiny gaps around my vent holes too. After it gets gunked up it should extinguish the coals but not if your middle section is out of round and it sounds like that's the case. You could try to push in on the sides 90 degrees off the gap area or you could call Weber. In fact, why not call Weber first. After reading your post again it sounds like the metal could be bent and that's covered by the Weber warranty.

I don't think how you distribute the hot coals will make a difference in burn time. If you find that 20 hot coals cause your temp to overshoot on the way up you can drop down to 15 and see how that works.
 
I don't think how you distribute the hot coals will make a difference in burn time. If you find that 20 hot coals cause your temp to overshoot on the way up you can drop down to 15 and see how that works.

Yup.

For most part, only the temperature really affects burn time.
How you arrange the coals affects how easy to maintain a consistent temperature it is.

It is possible that certain coal arrangements are more efficient with the airflow and then others are , but that's going to be minor by comparison.
 
Thanks for all the feedback.

I called Weber about the leak by the charcoal bowl. I was quit impressed with there customer service. No hold time explained what was going on and what I saw as far the pushed in part of the middle section. They asked for photo of the damage and said replacement part ship would in 7 days. It shipped next day and was delivered day after that. Was really happy about that. The replacement middle section fits much better no gap that I can see and no up/down wobble.
 
I recommend you cook a chicken. Just let the temps go where they want to. The chicken will splatter seasoned goodness all on the inside of your cooker. Never wipe that out. Then cook with it about 10/15 times — don’t chase temps. Let it go. Before long, you can fill the ring, light a chimney, dump it, and walk away. FWIW, I rarely, if ever, even touch the vents. The cooker does the work — I get the credit.
 
I recommend you cook a chicken. Just let the temps go where they want to. The chicken will splatter seasoned goodness all on the inside of your cooker. Never wipe that out. Then cook with it about 10/15 times — don’t chase temps. Let it go. Before long, you can fill the ring, light a chimney, dump it, and walk away. FWIW, I rarely, if ever, even touch the vents. The cooker does the work — I get the credit.

This is all-time great advice! I salute you, sir!!
 

 

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