Best way to season my WSM


 
R

Russ Turner

TVWBB Member
On last night's BBQ Pit Masters show, Harry said that he spent a year seasoning his bullet. What is the best way to go about seasoning my WSM, when I only smoke once or twice a month?

Thanks!

Russ
 
Since the WSM is porcelain enamel, it doesn't require seasoning, not in the same sense as cast iron, anyway. It is common, however, to allow a layer of grease build-up to remain on the inside of the middle section, as it is believed to help conduct excess heat out of the cooker, rather than reflect it inwards, as the shiny new surface would.
 
best way to season it? take it out of the box and smoke something on it.
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WSM does not need seasoning like other smokers.

good luck
 
The WSM may burn a little hotter the first couple of times because of reflective porcelain enamel paint. Just adjust your vents accordingly. I heard him say that too, I have a WSM, always cook according to the conditions, adjust your vents to keep the temp you want. Use it couple times a month and it will build up a smokey layer. Doesn't affect the outcome either way though. I tend to put a fire in any new cooker once before using it for food just to get a feel for it, and maybe burn off any residual factory undesirables.
 
Top BBQ competitors obviously know how to cook, but you have to take some of what they say with a large grain of kosher salt.
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There were two concepts that seemed to get a bit mashed together in editing.

1. A really new WSM is shiny and some people get some temperature issues on the first cook or two. Also some units seem to benefit from a little goo sealing in any gaps. That just takes a cook or two.

2. The taking a year bit refers to basically getting a layer of gunk all over the inside of the cooker that outgasses on later cooks, adding to the flavor. This can be a real issue with some cookers but given the way most people cook with the WSM I think less so. But as an example I have an old gasser that has a wonderful layer of old grease that definitely adds to the final result. And the cook after I smoked some bacon with a ton of apple wood, you could smell it before the next cook when I lifted the wood and some of that came through in that cook even though I didn't use apple.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it except in extreme cases (as you saw in the show with the egg preserving the lighter fluid taste for a couple of cooks, oh boy).
 
I don't think he was referring to "seasoning" in the traditional sense of trying to protect and maintain his grill.

I think he was basically saying he'd broken in his WSM enough that it was predictable to use and the flavors from the past grilling would positively influence the foods he would cook in the future.

He was contrasting that with Lee Ann's borrowed eggs that she had never used before. She had no idea what had been cooked in them before (which ended up making her food taste like lighter fluid) or how they would perform.
 
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