Questions from a Newbie


 

SJ Weiss

New member
Greetings all!

I've recently purchased an 18" WSM, which I'm hopefully going to put into service for the first time on Sunday. I'm moving up in the world after four years of smoking on a Weber kettle.

I've done research, here and elsewhere to select my set up and plan my strategy--there's a lot of information out there! I think I'm going to be happy with the choices I've made, but I'd love to have the experts here eyeball my game plan to be sure I'm on the right track.

Below is a description of my set up and then some questions that I have about the best way to proceed with a cook. I realize that there are plenty of ways to get the job done--and also that my approach will probably evolve over time. I'm just looking to get a warm fuzzy that I'm not making any conceptual errors with my initial strategy:

Set Up: WSM 18" modified with a Cajun Bandit door and a 16" terra cotta plate from Home Depot replacing the water pan and lower cooking grate. I also have a second charcoal grate to form a grid below the charcoal. For temperature control, I've got a BBQ Guru Cybercook WiFI--after four years of fiddling with the vents on my kettle, I'm ready to be a little lazy.

Game Plan for a Ten Pound Pork Shoulder: Fill the charcoal bowl. Remove enough to half-way fill my large Weber chimney, forming a depression in the middle. Once the chimney is lit, pour the lit coals back into the depression and assemble the cooker. Once the acrid white smoke subsides and the BBQ Guru has the temperature steady at 225, place the meat on the top grate. Wait for a few hours. Check for bark. When bark has formed, spray with water every hour until meat is ready.

Questions: Besides just looking for any fatal flaws in my above set-up and plan, I've got a few questions...
  • About how long will the bark take to set, generally? And is spraying every hour after that a good interval?
  • Should I do anything to my terra cotta plate before using it in the cooker? E.g., scrub it? Coat it with anything? Cover it with foil?
  • Is it necessary to do a dry run to remove residue and/or season the cooker first? I had planned to do this, but weather has kept me from being able to get it done, and I'm eager to get started.
  • I was planning on buying the CyberCook Mini App to connect to my BBQ Guru. Does anyone have any positive or negative feedback on using that app? Or does anyone have any suggestions for any other app to connect to the BBQ Guru?

Thanks folks...I apologize if any of this post seems crazy or naive, but I'm just looking to be sure I'm on the right track before firing things up.
 
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I use a terra cotta plate. But I put it on top of my water pan. You definitely want to wrap it with foil no matter how you do it.
Some folks don't spray/mop at all. I am in the camp that sprays. I usually use a mixture of apple juice,apple cider vinegar,and maybe a dab of Worcestershire sauce. I also inject Pork Butt/shoulder.
If you follow Chris's directions you can't go wrong. He as several recipes here. I am a fan of using mustard on pulled pork
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/pork1.html
I myself think a pork Shoulder would be a great way to start seasoning a smoker .
In my opinion you also don't want to start too much charcoal in the chimney using a temp controller. The fan will spread the fire fairly quickly,and bring it up to temp. If you start too much charcoal you can have a hard time bring the temp back down. Not really that big a problem. I only fill my chimney 1/4 way or so. You will probably be fine with 1/2 chimney. but i wouldn't go any more than that.
 
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You have conducted an enormous amount of research; you should do well in your endeavor. Here are my thoughts on some of your questions, though I am not one of the experts; I've been smoking for 2 1/2 years:

* First, in my opinion you hit the bullseye with this comment "I realize that there are plenty of ways to get the job done;" we are all chasing the same goal and I think it is awesome that there are many ways to achieve it. I try not to be naive enough to feel that when someone uses a method different from mine that their way is wrong.

* I also have and use the CB doors. My experience is that it did not reduce leaks but I feel it is more robust. Also, I feel my access door leaks are of no concern because I can hold temps within a reasonable margin (plus, at the end of the smoke I can snuff out the coals quickly)

* I don't use a terra plate, so I cannot comment about its use other than to say that I read of many people using it. I just cover my stock pan in foil and do not put water in it (though I did use water during my first few months of smoking)

* I don't use a second fuel grate but, again, I know others do

* Cybercook. This is interesting; I confuse my own self on the idea of auto temp control because I sometimes contradict myself. I'll spare the long story and say that I have the Cybercook (the pre-Cloud version) and also the Fireboard (which I love for reasons other than using it for auto temp control). Both of my devices perform very well but I use them on--I think--fewer than 5% of my smokes. I don't often do overnight smokes but that would definitely be one instance where I do use them. I enjoy the task of manually controlling my temps and it is mostly a rather simple chore on my WSM's (I keep the Guru adapter on one vent at all times and use the two free ones plus the exhaust to control temps manually)

* On my first several smokes I started with lit coals similar to what you describe but in short time (probably near the same timeframe as when I stopped using water) I changed to using 8-12 lit coals ((I use KBB (Kingsford Blue Bag)). Sometimes I place all 8-12 in the middle depression and sometimes I scatter them. I also add a few wood chunks at this time (1-2 touching lit coals and 1-2 separated a tad from lit coals). I have been known to add meat immediately after assembling the smoker but usually I wait and I would estimate that it takes 30-40 minutes before I add food (possibly a tad less time). I am not aware that I could pick out my meat from a lineup from having used either method but maybe I'm wrong on this

* I never check for bark before 150*'ish (I keep a temp probe in my meat). I am guessing that mine has never been set as early as the four-hour mark. I would estimate mine is what I consider set somewhere between upper 150*'s to upper 160*'s. Note that where my temp probe reads one given temp it might be different at another area of the meat. Sometimes I spritz, sometimes I don't. I rarely do it every hour but I know many professional authors do this. I take the lazy approach sometimes and I don't want it to become a burden. Also; I sometimes (not always) wrap in foil or butcher paper after the bark is set and at or before the stall. If I wrap, I add several ounces of liquid (apple juice, ACV, etc)

* I think the Weber manual advises that a dry run is not necessary. This section is like a Bible: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com. This FAQ discusses the question of seasoning/manufacturing residue: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/faq.html#seasoning. Speaking of weather, this same section discusses various workarounds for weather-related issues

* It has been a while, but when I use my Guru, I use the CyberCook Mini and am well-pleased with it, though I have no comparison because I never tried another app

When I first started, my goal was for a pit temp of 225*. Today, especially on a pork shoulder, I go for at least 250, many times 275, and never freak out if it approaches 300. These suckers can be stubborn at times and even more so at 225. But if I did go for 225 I would boost it later in the smoke when the shoulder hit 150-160, or the stall (but again this is just my approach)

A few months ago I ordered wood chunks from fruitawoodchunks.com. Prior to, I used chunks from HDD, Lowes, Amazon, etc. OMG, to me the difference was like night and day in terms of thin blue smoke and reaching into my box... I can smell the aroma of this wood from a couple feet of the box.

Best of luck to you!
 
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Hi and you'll do great!

Two things: you're using too much lit briq/charcoal. Fill the bowl up to say 3/4 to 7/8. Only use about 12-15 briquettes in the starter. You use too many you run the risk of getting too high a temp at the start (ie :runaway heat). Very hard to lower temps at that point. It's easier to raise than lower.

Second, I'd suggest using a water-filled bowl for at least your first smoke. It's easier to control the temps with (cold) water (when it's hot outside) until you learn how to manipulate the vents. Once you can do that, THEN switch to the foiled-saucer method (with no water). Like smoking, learning is a slow process. Can't rush it. Get some confidence with the (intended by Weber) before trying something new.

Good luck. You'll do fine :D

edit-->I've never had an issue with "acrid white smoke" (your description) colouring the meat flavour. I put the chimney coals in, then close it up. When it's up to temps, I put the wood in AND the meat in and close it up again. Never off-flavour for me.

AND : don't bother "seasoning" the WSM. It'll seal up over time. Also, just foil wrap (just the top like a pie crust in a pie plate) the saucer (if you're still going to use it). No need to wrap the whole thing nor do you need to clean/grease it. That is, if you follow your original plan and not my water suggestion :D.
 
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I would agree with Len regarding the use of water on your first low-temp cook. It's insurance against run-away temps. Even with the automatic temp control I would use that insurance until you feel confident in your abilities to control the temps without the water. (275+F I'd go without water, but below that the water will help maintain stability.)

With the crossed charcoal grates I'd keep an eye out for ash forming on the coals. Might not be a problem but I'd be watchful until I'm sure it isn't an issue.

One thing noticeably absent from your post is any mention of smoke wood. I originally used hickory for almost everything but over the last few years I've gravitated to milder woods and different woods for different meats. I absolutely love peach with pork shoulder. To my taste buds it complements the pork flavor better than any other wood I've tried.

Last year I first ordered smoke wood from Fruita Wood in Colorado. That's when I first tried the peach. I ordered another couple boxes from them this year. It took me a while to justify spending more than what the big box stores want for bags of smoke wood, but I finally realized I was putting $100+ worth of meat on the smoker and spending almost an entire day cooking it. It just makes sense to use the best quality smoke wood even if it does cost a bit more.

There are a number of people here who also order from Smokenlicious. Both places appear to sell very good quality product. I don't think anyone who's ordered from either place will be likely to go back to big box store smoke wood.
 
Thank to all for your replies and advice! I'm definitely revved up to get going tomorrow morning, and won't worry about any "seasoning." For the first run, I'm planning on inserting my meat probe after about four hours, waiting until 150 to check for bark, and spritzing with water every hour after that. Again, I know that there are plenty of ways to get this done--but you gotta start somewhere.

The most shocking thing that I've learned is just how few coals you need to get going. Only 8-15? Wow. I'm going to give it a go with 12 to start, and fill my bowl close to, but not hitting, the top of the ring.

I'm going to sleep on it, but I think I'm going to remove the water bowl and run with the foiled terra cotta plate, for a few reasons. First, I'm not crazy about the idea of dealing with the greasy water after the cook. Two, I have one of the newer smokers with a BIG water bowl. I'm not sure I can even fill the ring with enough charcoal for a long cook with that monster in there. It's huge. But I'll put it in place after I add my (unlit!) charcoal to check it out--maybe it won't be as bad as I fear.

A few other comments and follow-up questions...

My plan is to use four chunks of hickory buried within the coals at various distances from the initial it coals. Forgot to mention that. I have some Weber-branded hickory left over from previous years working with my kettle. After that's gone, I'll check out Fruita Wood and Smokenlicious online.

JayHey re: the ash. Is the concern that with the crossed grates that not enough ash falls through, and then builds up among the remaining coals? Somewhere (hard to keep track of where I've read what...but think I saw this a few places), I read that without crossed grates that too many coals prematurely fall through the grate. But if folks with experience here think that's a non-issue, maybe I'll pull the second grate and save it as a replacement.

Also--do folks here typically put something underneath their cooker? I've seen recommendations for hot-water heater pans, oil pans, etc. My cooker has a saucer beneath the body (which I think may be a new-ish feature), and it's hard to imagine ash or coals getting somehow out of the cooker and past that--especially since my bottom vents will be closed off except for the one leading to the BBQ Guru fan. That said, I do plan on using my cooker on our nice blue-stone deck and am wondering if I'm missing some reason to keep something beneath the cooker.
 
I have read where some people use the crosshatch grates and it must make sense but I'm only about as sharp as a marble because I don't quite get why it's a significant benefit. I'm not going to say something isn't needed just because I have never done it or because I don't understand it. This does remind me, though, that late in the smoke when I know or sense that there is significant ash buildup among the lit coals I tap somewhat aggressively on, or near the legs in an effort to get some of it to fall below the charcoal grate. I won't talk right now about another step I sometimes utilize and it is commonly referred to as the hot squat (safer, in my opinion when not using water in the pan). Maybe not tomorrow, but sometime you might find that ash buildup is problematic and you could also open the access door and prod (or stoke) the coals and that effort could dump some ash below the charcoal grate. Sometimes, adding oxygen for any length of time by opening the access door or lid can result in temperature spikes with or without the temp controller. So when you spritz I recommend doing so quickly.

My smoker sits on a concrete slab with nothing under it but it's a valid question for you to ask and I don't quite know what answer to give you. If you have something readily available you might try it tomorrow and you can observe if a) it gets hot and/or b) it stains. I am not aware of either but it is easy to get charcoal stains on the ground.

If something goes crazy wrong keep in mind you can pull the shoulder from your smoker and finish it in the oven if need be.

I'm excited for you and can't wait to hear of your success!
 
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Re: cross hatch grills and saucer and under the WSM

The cross hatch is kinda a double-edged sword. It's true larger chunks can fall through the single grate thereby irritating the user that chunks are being wasted. OTOH, by preventing larger ones from falling through, you're also preventing used pieces from falling through. That in turn prevents proper air flow thereby snuffing out the burning coals.

I don't cross-hatch. I will on occasion see that although there are plenty of coals in there, the fire is dying out. I will VERY GENTLY give those dying embers a very slight stir with a stick/tongs/whatever to increase the air flow through the spent briqs. BE VERY CAREFUL doing this though as that stirring will cause some ash to get airborne, float up because of the upward draft and land on your meat.

It's necessary to have that air flow, just do it gently.

As far as that metal saucer goes, I agree. I've never had anything fall out of the vents. IIRC, it's meant as a heat shield, not to catch embers.

I do have a patio stone underneath (about 3' square) for the WSM to sit on. I've put my hand under the WSM mid-cook and I don't feel much heat if any. I suppose I do it because I read about it somewhere ;)

If you find you're running out of fuel, BFletcher mentioned to finish it in the oven at the same 225-250o temps. It's already got it's smoke within the first couple of hours so you won't lose ANY of the smoke flavour doing it that way. Another benefit is now you don't have to baby sit the WSM in order to maintain proper temps!
 
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SO...Thanks once again to all. I'm very appreciative of the advice (and the welcome) that I've received.

The beast is lit and the meat is on. Think I'm in good shape, but the morning has not been without its twists and turns. For anyone who's interested, here's how it has gone and where I am right now.

The physical set up was easy. I decided against the second charcoal grate. The spacing looks the same as my kettle's, and I've never had any problem with embers falling through--so I decided to stay stock. I also decided to stay stock and stick with the water bowl, for now. Even as big as it was, there was still room underneath for the charcoal. I currently have it a little over half-full with water.

As for charcoal, I filled the ring almost to the top and then backed off so I could just see the top layer of holes. I did that as a reference point for potential future adjustments, not necessary out of any calculation. Then I hollowed out about 18 coals, placed them in my chimney, and buried my five pieces of hickory (one was small).

As I lit the coals, I plugged in the BBQ Guru CyberQ and started to set it up. That's where things started going wrong. SHOULD have done this last night--but although I spent a lot of time prepping for the physical set up, I figured that IT was my strength and I would be fine to do this on the fly in the morning. Ooops.

First problem. VPN on my phone blocking ad hoc connection to CyberQ. Fixed. Next problem. Mindlessly entered guest password instead of primary network password. Ugh. Realized after about 15 minutes and fixed, after looking up online how to reset Guru. Connected to WiFi. Looking good.

At this point I've got my initiating coals going in my chimney and am ready to place them on. But my CyberQ display continues to flash "Synchronizing to SMC." I read that this could last five to ten minutes, so I'm not worried.

Now the real fun begins. After I have the cooker assembled and the initial smoke has died down, the CyberQ STILL says "Synchronizing to SMC." Hmm. Not good. I figure I've got enough experience from my kettle days to wing this until that finishes. So I half-open the bottom "extra" damper that was closed off because I was using the Guru, and throw on my meat--which I had rubbed down when I lit the coals. Top vent is full open.

Waiting...waiting...waiting. STILL "Synchronizing to SMS." Damn you! What is this SMC of which you speak, and why am I not synchronized to it?

Watching the dome thermo, I'm in the smoke zone and feeling good. Then I realize I forgot to run my pit probe through the door. Okay. When I do that and plug it in, the Guru fan comes on. Huh. Guess the Guru is still doing its thing, despite still "synchronizing." So I close the "extra" bottom vent and open the top vent to full, thinking the Guru will do it's job. Before the all started I had messed with the menu and set my cook temp to 225 and my food temp to 190, so I guess that just kicked in. Feeling better.

Minutes later, the bloody contraptions still claims to by synchronizing. Screw this. I cancel the process, just figuring I'll go to manual and forgo the WiFi connectivity this time. I can live with that.

Fan going...feeling good. But then I realize that my dome temp seems to be overshooting. Hmm. I know that's not necessarily accurate, so I'm not initially worried. But it keeps rising and closer keeps running.

Turns out, my probe connection to the Guru became dislodged while I was fiddling with it and the connection was broken. And, because of that, the fan kept running. Whoops. Fortunately, I caught it before it got too high (probably briefly peaked at about 325 before I caught it). After I properly seated the connection to the Guru, I got a high temp alarm and the fan stopped. Temp dropping steadily, and now both the Guru is reading about 275 and the dome about 250--which seems right to me. I expect the fan will kick in when/if it drops too low.

So...that's where I am now. Set-up solid, Guru seems to be "guru-ing," but the "Cyber" side of things is kaputt for now. Going to keep watching it, perhaps mess with the WiFi a bit to see if I can figure out what's going on there. Plan is to insert the meat probe and connect it to the Guru about four hours in.
 
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Thanks for the update; glad things finally settled down for you. Surprises and lessons learned are common and a part of the process. BTW, I don't have lots of experience with controllers but once you get your Guru connected to the network and start using it regularly it seemed to me that the best approach was to turn on the fan once the pit naturally hit or came close to my target temp. If I recall correctly, the first couple times I used it I turned it on immediately after assembling the smoker and it ran at 100% too long and overshot.
 
Hey SJ, you're off to a great start on the forum and your first cook. All of us had an exciting first cook so enjoy yours as best you can.
 
A bit late here for your first cook, but if you're on a nice blue stone patio I'd put something down under the WSM to protect the patio. There's a lot of grease involved with BBQ and it's easy to get little spills that are almost impossible to get out of concrete or stone blocks. The heat is unlikely to damage the stone, particularly if you have the model with the aluminum heat shield, but spills can be a problem. I have mine sitting on four patio blocks and they've suffered greatly from spills.

I know the bury the smoke wood thing is a popular approach, and one I've used myself numerous times, but I've lately been just adding more smoke wood to the top of the fire when needed. Toss one block on when adding the food and add more when there's no more thin blue smoke coming out. In the end I think it's the simplest way to be sure you get even smoke over a longer period of time. Trying to position the wood in the charcoal ring to light in sequence requires pretty good knowledge of the burn speed and pattern. It's easy if you're doing a snake, very difficult otherwise.

Re: crossed grates. I've never had a serious issue with charcoal falling through the single stock grate. Ash buildup is sometimes a small issue even with the one grate so I'd have to think with two it would have potential to be worse. It's a trade-off between air flow, ash buildup, and mostly spent charcoal falling into the ash below. As others have mentioned, an occasional rap on the legs or a very gentle stir of the coals can keep the ash from building up.

Glad to hear your first cook is proceeding despite the network issues. Don't agonize over the temps. Pork butt is very forgiving. I wouldn't go above 325F, but anything below that will produce very edible product. I'm not saying to not go low and slow, just that you don't need to beat yourself up if the temps creep well above your target.
 
So...here's how it turned out, some lessons learned, and some final questions for this thread.

Apologies for taking so long to report back. But I wanted to be sure that I had closed out the saga of the BBQ Guru Cloud before I checked in.

The first cook finished off with the Guru in "dumb" mode, not connected to the Internet--but, other than not-networking, it did the job as advertised and I was happy with the results. Those results, however, took far longer than I expected. At 7:15, about 11 hours after my fire was lit, my coals ran low and the temp started dropping. It didn't drop too far--I was ready and fed the beast about 15 coals lit with my chimney. That kept me going until it finished--at 9:30!!!!! I prefer to pull about 190, but I pulled at 180 and called it a day (night!) since it was getting late. My theory is that I underestimated the time because of my prior kettle experience--the temperature spikes due to periodic refueling probably hastened the cooks. Product was good though, on par with what I'd typically made on my kettle.

Now...back to that Guru. To make a long story short, the BBQ Guru customer service is excellent and the problem ended up being my router. I'll spare you the gory details, but the important part is that their support rep stuck with me through a number of various attempts to get it working over several days. Eventually, it was discovered that the Guru would only work if its was connected to my guest network, as opposed to my primary network. Go figure.

On to the the second cook, about two weeks later: a little smaller shoulder, a little more heat, and a little earlier start = a fantastic product. Better than anything I'd ever done on my kettle. I still pulled it a bit early by my usual standards (at 185), but I did that to keep to the schedule of visiting relatives. And because my fire was starting to die down again after about 11 hours.

Lesson's Learned:
(1) Filling the coal ring to the top got me a about 11 hours. Would have liked more. Think I'm going to try the foiled terra cotta saucer next time, since I understand that method uses less fuel. And getting rid of that water was nasty!
(2) Man--you need about three extra hands to operate this thing! To help out, I put the lit on my kettle grate when I needed to spray the meat, mess with my probes, take off the meat, etc.
(3) 225 is probably too low a temp target. I may keep the Guru at that level to start, but think I'm going to try and shoot for a consistent 250 in the future after things are rolling and I'm confident I won't overshoot.
(4) If using the water bowl, be sure to fill it all the way--I had to add water twice the first time after only filing it to the half-way point
(5) There's no need for a cross-hatch bottom grate. I'm glad I took that advice from folks in this thread. Not sure why people are concerned about coals falling through. Maybe it's a bigger deal if you use lump charcoal? I use KBB.
(6) Only 15 lit coals will get the fire going, no problem. Another piece of advice I'm glad that I took--can't imagine the roaring blaze I would have had if I started with half a chimney.

Final Questions:
(1) When do folks put in the meat probe? In the past, I've waited about four hours, based on advice that not doing so created an (unspecified) food safety issue. But do you really have to do that? It wasn't a problem working with my kettle, but trying to thread the probe through the slot and into the meat at the four hour point was a pain. It seems to me that if your temp is high enough to cook the meat to your desired temperature, it's not an issue having the probe in from the start, right?
(2) Similarly, would it be bad (for either my probes or my cook) If I just ran them over the lip of the drum underneath the lid instead of routing them through the probe slot? That would be much easier to deal with.
(3) Do folks generally keep their smokers outside? I've been running mine into the garage after every cook, at least before it rains. Always kept my kettle outside (and still do), but (even covered) I'm starting to get a bit of corrosion around the handles and vents after several years.
(4) How long do people usually keep their meat in foil after the cook before serving? I've typically done 1/2 an hour in foil, in a camping cooler. That's done a good job for me. But, recently, I've read about some folks making a practice of keeping it in there for hours before serving!
(5) If you have to refuel, how do you do it, and how many lit/unlit coals do you add? I added about 15 lit coals at the 11 hour mark the first time, and would have had to do something again if I hadn't pulled early. But I'm not sure if the 15 coals were too many or too few if I needed to keep it going for several hours longer.

Thanks for everything so far, folks! I appreciate the time of everyone who posted here to help me out. I have a number of other questions on strategy, recipes, and process--but I'm going to take those to other parts of the forum.
 
QUOTE=SJ Weiss:

Yeah 225o is kind of the gold standard as far as temps go. BUT most now use 250-275 (even higher sometimes) and get excellent product. Helps to dramatically shorten the time needed.

Don't worry. Try it at one temp, evaluate the end result and make adjustments the next time. WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU DID!! You won't remember what you did the next time you smoke.

Final Questions:
(1) When do folks put in the meat probe? In the past, I've waited about four hours, based on advice that not doing so created an (unspecified) food safety issue. But do you really have to do that? It wasn't a problem working with my kettle, but trying to thread the probe through the slot and into the meat at the four hour point was a pain. It seems to me that if your temp is high enough to cook the meat to your desired temperature, it's not an issue having the probe in from the start, right?

I put it in at the start. Why not (see # 2 )?

(2) Similarly, would it be bad (for either my probes or my cook) If I just ran them over the lip of the drum underneath the lid instead of routing them through the probe slot? That would be much easier to deal with.

If you just run it over the lip, I (and others) believe with the constant bending because of the lid on the wire it'll eventually (stress) break. If you don't want to use the built-in port, cut a half-to one inch deep (bottom of slot will be just below the bend where the lip is--->see pic) by quarter inch slot in the top of the middle barrel. Do it on the side you usually keep your remote transmitter on. The probe wire will now sit just below the lip of the lid in that slot. Cut the slot with a grinding wheel. Be careful as the wheel will go through the WSM wall like a hot knife through butter.

Use masking tape to block off where you want to cut. Cut between the taped "slot" and go slowly and with a steady hand. You'll be nervous doing this BUT when done, you'll wonder why you were scared to do it :D


This is from this website (easier than taking a pic of mine):
http://virtualweberbullet.com/cutting-a-probe-thermometer-slot.html

slot1.jpg


slot2.jpg


(3) Do folks generally keep their smokers outside? I've been running mine into the garage after every cook, at least before it rains. Always kept my kettle outside (and still do), but (even covered) I'm starting to get a bit of corrosion around the handles and vents after several years.

I do the same as you (inside the garage) after it cools--2-3 hours in my experience.

If it rains, the water runs off the lid into the middle barrel and collects in the bottom. Others have inverted the middle part and put the lid back on (the water runs down the middle and OUTSIDE of the bottom section). Others use a large garbage bag (once the unit has cooled). I've never used the included cover because a)it is a tight fit and b)I like my unit to be able to "breathe" (air circulation). Plus, that cover IMO is a PITA to put on.

Also, some folks use a hinge to hold the lid open. Now you can't get a cover on.

(4) I omitted this as I don't foil.

(5) If you have to refuel, how do you do it, and how many lit/unlit coals do you add? I added about 15 lit coals at the 11 hour mark the first time, and would have had to do something again if I hadn't pulled early. But I'm not sure if the 15 coals were too many or too few if I needed to keep it going for several hours longer.

I never use lit coals on a refill. Just put in unlit. Using lit, you're now going to be fighting having to keep the temps where you want them. As far as how many, how many are left? How many hours to go? Kind of like asking how long is a piece of string? ;) As to how, sometimes through the door BUT if a lot are needed, have the amount needed counted and ready, lift the whole middle section (lid is already off) meat and all and gently add the new coals and re-assemble. Don't want a lot of ash blowing up by carelessly when adding the new fuel.

Don't sweat the process. As long as you've got heat, you'll get good product!

BEST ADVICE: you're probably doing this already but keep a diary of each smoke you do. Starting details, middle issues/resolution and what you think you'd need to do on your next smoke. A lot of "solutions" are applicable to all situations.

Do it! Write it down! Eat :D
 
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I agree with Len. Additionally - I have a length of 8" duct about 30" long with one end bolted together, bent to fit under the water pan, and the other end flared to better pour coals through it. I add unlit coals down the chute or use a shovel. Since you are getting about 11 hours with a full load you could just routinely add unlit 8 hours into your cook and your temps stay under your control. I keep buttx foiled and in a towel filled cooler for up to 4 hours. I like to rest them a minimum of 1 hour but when pressed I'll settle for 30 minutes.

A note on temp excursions. I've had temps go up to 350 or higher and took an hour to get temps under control and the meat still came out great. With more cooks under your belt the pucker factor will diminish.

As Len said - "keep a log". I use MS OneNote for mine and that works great. Chris has a pdf or excel download with a log template. http://virtualweberbullet.com/cookinglog.html You can midify it to record whatever you wish.

HAVE FUN! :wsm:
 
I agree with all of the great tips you’ve gotten. I’m a little surprised that you’re not getting a little more life out of your coals. When I fill my 18” with a full almost to overflowing load, and a full water bowl, I can go 13 hours plus a bit if necessary without refueling. That’s when I’ve only been cooking one butt. I’ve only been using a smoker for a year, but I’ve cooked on it pretty much twice a month. I’ve only had to reload once, and that was when I cooked 3 butts at once. I only did it because it gave me peace of mind and allowed me to sleep.

I put the butt on as soon as I’ve dumped the hot coals in and added the wood. Some like to wait, and that’s cool, but I have never detected an off taste. Probes through the port. Don’t want to damage them doing any other way. I store my cookers in the garage. :)
 
I was gun shy about notching my new WSM's, so I just bought extra probes and I keep them in the smokers indefinitely. Today, I'd probably opt for cutting a notch as Len noted.

Without speaking to food safety, I always place my probe at the start. IMO, raw meat hits the food grate, so I don't concern myself with the temp probe going into raw meat. Don't forget that if you remove your lid for any length of time it may result in temp spikes.

I think I can recall starting out like you... shooting for 225, then moving up to 250. Now I usually start at 250+.

Often when I add fuel I do similar to what Len suggested but I lift the mid-section with the lid still in tact; this gives open access to the fuel bed to shake ash and add fuel. I have a flattened cardboard box onto which I rest the unit. I think this method of lifting the unit to expose the fuel bed is referred to here as the hot squat. Weber and others caution against this and I would not use this method if I used water in my pan but for my personal use it has worked well and without incident. Occasionally, I will add small amounts through the access door. The amount I add (which is always unlit) depends on existing fuel life and how far in the process the cook is.

If I foil, I usually open it some and rest on the counter for approx 30 minutes. If I finish hours before serving I still rest on the counter for the same amount of time but then I close the foil, wrap a beach towel around it, and place it in a cooler for a couple hours. I believe these methods are referred to as resting and holding. I'm inclined to think there's the possibility of it continuing to cook past your desired temp if you don't open the foil while resting. I could be wrong, though, and it could depend on other variables.
 
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I'm inclined to think there's the possibility of it continuing to cook past your desired temp if you don't open the foil while resting. I could be wrong, though, and it could depend on other variables.

It will definitely continue to cook (even uncovered) but definitely while foiled. That's why if you're going to foil, take it out of the WSM about 5-10o below your target temp. That way, the foil will hold that heat in and raise it to the desired temp internally.
 
I always put the meat probe in right from the start. I can see where maybe if you're doing something like meat loaf and shooting for a lower temp you could maybe have some food safety issues, but with something like pork butt or brisket the meat is spending so much time at temps well above the point where bacteria will die I just can't imagine how you'd have an issue.

Running the probe wires over the lip, under the lid, you have the risk of wire damage, plus you'll get a bit more air leakage. With properly armored cable the wire damage risk is probably minimal. I just put the probes through the grommet at the start. Fortunately the Smoke comes with high temp probes that won't be damaged even if just left hanging until later in the cook.

I keep my smoker outside. There's no cover near by and it's too heavy to be moving very far. I do sometimes use the included cover. I don't find it that difficult to get on and it does provide some protection from rain. The first winter I had it I did move it to the shed, but I actually used it a bit last winter so I left it out. (Smoked rib roast for Christmas dinner.) The biggest issue with leaving it out is the water that collects in the bottom.

Rest time for the meat depends on what it is. For pork butt I usually shoot for several hours, being sure to let it cool on the counter to 165F before wrapping and putting in the cooler. Brisket I would treat similarly. Smaller cuts would get less of a rest.

I generally add charcoal maybe a dozen briquettes at a time. I've done both lit and unlit. If I've waited too long and the temp is already well below my target, then I'd lean more toward adding lit coals. If I've planned the addition right and there's still time before temps start to drop, then I'll add it unlit. I've noticed adding more than a handful of unlit coals will bring the temp down as heat is directed toward lighting those coals rather than heating the air. This was more an issue when I was using an offset smoker with a too small fire box.

As to temps, you don't have to cook at just one temp. I've sometimes started at a lower temp, even as low as 175F, to give the meat more time to take on smoke, and then jack the temp to 275F when the meat internal gets close to the stall zone. Once there's been enough smoke I tend to think of the WSM as a charcoal-fired oven and will run the temp up to 325F if that makes sense.
 
I have the 22" WSM.
I have always inserted the food probe when I put the meat on the grate.
I run the probes through the silicone gasket in the side.
On my cooker running the probe wires under the lid would result in runaway temperature.
While there are many popular methods for putting ballast in the cookers I have never found the need to try any of them.
I have never put water in the pan.
I do put several layers foil over the top of the water pan creating a dished out foil grease catcher.
It takes about 15 seconds for clean up.
The only modification is the charcoal ring is attached to the bottom grate with stainless steel zip ties.
The cooker lives uncovered outside, I flip the cylinder upside down, with all vents closed I do not have water in the bottom.
I use the cooker a lot, it's 4 years old, other than the charcoal grate is starting to sag a little bit there are no other signs of deterioration.
I always start with a full load of charcoal, I use lots of big chunks of wood distributed over the top of the charcoal.
I have used many methods for starting the fire, they all work well.
For the last year I have been using a Weber starter cube in the middle of the charcoal, light it and put 4-5 pieces stacked around/on it along with a chunk of wood and immediately assemble the cooker. I let it get going with all vents open and when it approaches 200f I put the meat in and set the vents to their normal cooking positions.
Automated temperature control is something I have read about but never tried it. I guess I am lucky, for the most part my cooker locks in and holds temperature overnight.
 

 

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