A bunch of questions. :)


 
T

TimValentine

New member
Hey guys I have spent a few days on the forum now and wow..what a great place.

So my new 22.5 WSM arrives tomorrow. I am going to do some Spares or maybe Baby Backs on Saturday. That being said I have a few questions. Thanks in advance for all the great info.
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>What is the best way to start the Chimney? I don't want to use lighter fluid.
<LI>What is a good charcoal amount for a Rib smoke and also for a butt smoke?
<LI>What is the best way to season that smoker? I was thinking about coating it in pam and smoking a bunch of bacon.
<LI>What is a good way to keep the outside looking good? Obviously I will have a cover on it but that's the best way to keep it clean.
<LI>Water in the pan or no water in the pan?
[/list]

Thanks guys!
 
What is the best way to start the Chimney? I don't want to use lighter fluid.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup1.html

What is a good charcoal amount for a Rib smoke and also for a butt smoke? Read up on the cooking topics for these. I use the minion method. http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/cook.html


What is the best way to season that smoker? I was thinking about coating it in pam and smoking a bunch of bacon. No need to season, it's ready to go out of the box, my friend! The more you use it the better it gets.

What is a good way to keep the outside looking good? Obviously I will have a cover on it but that's the best way to keep it clean.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/cleanup.html


Water pan or no water pan? I would definitely use a pan. But water is your preference. Water acts as a heatsink so some of your temps where you need to keep it low you want to use some water. High heat would be no water in pan. Remember to foil your pan as it makes cleanup easier.

Good luck! And welcome!
 
Welcome to the forum Tim, to answer your questions i will answer them the way i do the following ok rite or wrong that's the way i do it, there is a lot of different ways just need to play with the wsm and see what works for you ok.

1. I use strike-a-fire diamond sticks u can buy at walmart work very good.
2. I always fill up the charcoal ring, when done with the cook close all vents to extinguish the fire, any unused charcoal i use on the next cook.
3. As for seasoning the smoker, no need to season cooking in it will take care of that.
4. Wiping the wsm down after everycook and storing in doors like a shed, garage just out of the elements.
5. I never cooked with water in the pan when i used the pan, now i never use the pan.
 
• What is the best way to start the Chimney? I don't want to use lighter fluid.
Never, ever use lighter fluid. Strike-A-Fire really works well. I usually will break a stick in half.

• What is a good charcoal amount for a Rib smoke and also for a butt smoke?
For your first smoke in the 22, I would just fill the ring and use the Minion Method. The 22 uses more fuel than the 18.5 and the butt will take some time depending on weight. A very rough rule of thumb is (butt weight * 1.5 hours) – 1 hour. After that watch the meat temps. The butt will probably stall around 160 so don’t freak out. It will continue on when it’s ready, just wait for it.

• What is the best way to season that smoker? I was thinking about coating it in pam and smoking a bunch of bacon.
Don’t worry about seasoning the smoker. It will do it all on its own. You’ll know its seasoned properly when you open the lid when it’s not even warm and it smells like a BBQ platter. You can coat the grates with Pam to help with cleanup if you want.

• What is a good way to keep the outside looking good? Obviously I will have a cover on it but that's the best way to keep it clean.
Two or three times a year I will wash down the outside with some Simple-Green and water. When it’s dry I will go over the exterior with car wax. It will shine like brand new. I use my cookers a lot so you may only want to do it once a year.

• Water in the pan or no water in the pan?
For the first several cooks use water in the pan, it acts like a large thermal mass that will slow down large temperature swings. Once you learn fire control really well, then you can go with a dry pan and know how to control it. A dry pan has its ups and downs. On one hand you will use much less fuel and its one less thing to have to mess with. However, a dry pan will allow the WSM to temperature swing like crazy if you’re not careful since the only real thermal mass is the meat itself.


The best advice I can give you is to keep the lid closed (If you're lookin', you're not cookin'), and force yourself to only make vent adjustments once or twice an hour. Otherwise you'll be chasing temperatures all over the place.

Russ
 
Hey Tim. Welcome.
1. As per suggestions on this forum, I have started using 3 paper towels with oil on them instead of newspaper as it leaves no ashes.

2. Ditto Noe

3. Fire it up and let it roll. It will cook a tad hotter until it is seasoned, but not bad.

4. I have just been wiping mine down with a paper towel and covering it. It still looks good.

5. I don't use water. I highly recommend Chris' thread on foiling the water pan. Clean up is easy.
 
1 - Paper towels with a bit of oil.

2 - Full ring. Better to have too much than not enough. You can always reuse any leftovers. With experience, you'll get a better idea of how much fuel your WSM needs for X meat at Y temp for Z hours in W weather.

3 - I seasoned mine with Pam and a small 3lb boneless butt.

4 - I just wash mine off with Dawn soap-n-water once a year.

5 - Water for beginners. No water once you've mastered temp control.
 
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