A little disappointed in Weber
(smoked) Food for thought.
I can't say with certainty why Weber uses the unrefined (no damper) charcoal bowls from Smokey Joe Silvers for water bowls in the WSMs. But I'd wager it's a cost saving measure.
And if it is, they are saving money at the expense of their customers and they ought to be ashamed.
My WSM has the 2.5 gal. water pan/SJS charcoal bowl. I was smoking a brisket yesterday and used a lot of coals initially, so many that the bottom of the water pan was sitting very close, way too close in my opinion, to the coals.
I'm a rookie WSM user, by the way. Can you tell?
After I had everything going, I think, "Maybe I skimped on the wood. One more piece."
I grabbed a piece of apple wood and opened the door and saw how little clearance there was between the bottom of the bowl and the coals.
I thought about trying to toss the wood in, but it seemed kind of a haphazard approach. No telling where it would land. If it landed in a less than optimal spot would it burn well? Might it even end up outside the charcoal ring somehow?
So then I think I should go in the house and get some tongs to place the wood in the bowl. Nah, I'm not walking back inside.
Then I think, if I remove the door completely, and I'm careful, I can just reach in there and put the wood in the center off the charcoal bowl where it'll burn and smoke well.
So in order to save myself a few steps, I end up with two burns on my hand. Not bad burns, not at all, just some redness.
There is one slight burn between my thumb and forefinger where my hand brushed up against the bottom of the water pan.
Due to the autonomic reaction of getting the first burn, I got the second burn along the side of my hand by my little finger after dropping my hand onto the coals as a reaction to bumping the water pan.
I didn't know I could move that fast anymore. I was running the hose on my hand in a matter of seconds. So the damage was minimal. But it hurt like hell at the time.
Dumb? Lazy? Idiotic rookie mistake? Yes, to all of the above. Some of you guys are probably smiling and thinking. "Well, the rookie's paying his dues."
All I can say is I'd rather pay my dues by burning meat, not my hand.
New, this smoker was a $300 item. You would think Weber would provide a water pan that allows for adding coals or wood in an easier manner. But no, they decided to go on the cheap.
All's well that ends well. The brisket came out fine. And I have a couple of red marks on my hand. The pain is minimal.
But I do wish Weber cared a little more about the ease of use of these smokers with these oversized water pans.
And yes, I wish they cared a little more about customer safety for idiots like me who might be too lazy to walk into the house and grab a pair of tongs to add something to the charcoal bowl.
(smoked) Food for thought.
I can't say with certainty why Weber uses the unrefined (no damper) charcoal bowls from Smokey Joe Silvers for water bowls in the WSMs. But I'd wager it's a cost saving measure.
And if it is, they are saving money at the expense of their customers and they ought to be ashamed.
My WSM has the 2.5 gal. water pan/SJS charcoal bowl. I was smoking a brisket yesterday and used a lot of coals initially, so many that the bottom of the water pan was sitting very close, way too close in my opinion, to the coals.
I'm a rookie WSM user, by the way. Can you tell?
After I had everything going, I think, "Maybe I skimped on the wood. One more piece."
I grabbed a piece of apple wood and opened the door and saw how little clearance there was between the bottom of the bowl and the coals.
I thought about trying to toss the wood in, but it seemed kind of a haphazard approach. No telling where it would land. If it landed in a less than optimal spot would it burn well? Might it even end up outside the charcoal ring somehow?
So then I think I should go in the house and get some tongs to place the wood in the bowl. Nah, I'm not walking back inside.
Then I think, if I remove the door completely, and I'm careful, I can just reach in there and put the wood in the center off the charcoal bowl where it'll burn and smoke well.
So in order to save myself a few steps, I end up with two burns on my hand. Not bad burns, not at all, just some redness.
There is one slight burn between my thumb and forefinger where my hand brushed up against the bottom of the water pan.
Due to the autonomic reaction of getting the first burn, I got the second burn along the side of my hand by my little finger after dropping my hand onto the coals as a reaction to bumping the water pan.
I didn't know I could move that fast anymore. I was running the hose on my hand in a matter of seconds. So the damage was minimal. But it hurt like hell at the time.
Dumb? Lazy? Idiotic rookie mistake? Yes, to all of the above. Some of you guys are probably smiling and thinking. "Well, the rookie's paying his dues."
All I can say is I'd rather pay my dues by burning meat, not my hand.
New, this smoker was a $300 item. You would think Weber would provide a water pan that allows for adding coals or wood in an easier manner. But no, they decided to go on the cheap.
All's well that ends well. The brisket came out fine. And I have a couple of red marks on my hand. The pain is minimal.
But I do wish Weber cared a little more about the ease of use of these smokers with these oversized water pans.
And yes, I wish they cared a little more about customer safety for idiots like me who might be too lazy to walk into the house and grab a pair of tongs to add something to the charcoal bowl.
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