a few questions before I buy


 
J

Joe - theqguy

TVWBB Member
I'm getting ready to purchase my first WSM. Ditching my worn out UDS and gonna get the 22.5. I've read Harry Soo's thing about how to season the WSM and was wondering if anyone else had done it and what your results were. Do I HAVE to season it before cooking? Also, is a BBQ Guru necessary? If not I'm not gonna worry with it. I don't want to over complicate the process. Thanks for any info or tips you might have for me.
 
No you don't HAVE to season it at all, just start cooking and it will build up layers with use.
And as far as a ATC, I never used one.
Welcome to the board!:wsm:

Tim
 
I like to season mine while cooking what I'll be eating. :)
A Guru or any such device isn't necessary. I don't have one either.
A maverick et-732 is something I can't be without. Again, not necessary. But makes monitoring pit & food temps soooooo much easier.

Fire that bad boy up and start cooking!
 
What everyone has said. And Joe, season it OFTEN !!!! :wsm:

Joe, you might want to wait until you get the manual method of heat control under control before going the automation route.

Bob
 
I wouldn't go out of my way to season it, but I would probably do a test run with it to check for leaks etc. Toss about a chimney of charcoal in it with a some smoke wood and then fire it up with the Minion method and try to catch the temp using the bottom vents only on the way up to see if you can hold it around 250. Keep the top vent wide open to create a good draw. It will allow you to see how it seals between the sections and around the door. After you play with it for a couple of hours and are comfortable with how to drive at lower temps, then open all the vents and let it get as hot as it will, then shut it down and see how long it takes to snuff out the fire. If it seals well, you should be able have it back to ambient temps within two hours, even less if things fit together well. That practice run will give you a nice head start on building up a nice seasoning plus give you plenty of confidence on your first cook. Just my thoughts. In any case, you need to get that thing dirty in a hurry.
 
When i bought my 22" WSM i noticed a thin film of some sort of residue (presumably from the manufacturing process) so i did a quick burn in with 3/4 of a chimney fully of briquettes to get rid of that. Other than that i let my normally cooking build up a good seasoning layer.
 
I wiped mine out with warm water and I did "semi season" it...I had no previous experience with charcoal.. Just wanted to get my hands dirty.. Lit one full chimney and threw about 20 briquette into chamber , 2 small pieces of smoke wood...

It let me get used too assembling it, wrapping the water pan in foil and fiddling with the vents and monitor temps.. Plus I just wanted to mess around with my new toy...
 
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