First post, new WSM, looking for ideas for a novice first smoke


 
J

Jason L Ferrier

New member
Hi all. So.cal here. Just got the WSM for Christmas. I was thinking about doing some Brats this weekend. Is that a good starting point or should I do something else? If I do Brats how would you recommend I smoke them? Thanks Jason
 
Welcome Jason! You can certainly start with some brats; just depends on how you like your sausage. Some people prefer grilling, but on fresh sausage, you can smoke them low and slow. I've done Polish sausage a few times that way and they've turned out great. Just follow the basic procedures here; http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/hotdog.html
As this sounds like your first smoke, make sure you use water in the pan to keep the temps down. Another thought would be to try out a butt. A majority here will acknowledge that butts are great for beginers as they are so forgiving; http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/pork2.html. It's very hard to ruin a butt; it was my first smoke. Personally, I would go with the butt and throw on the brats near the end of the smoke! Earlier if you get the munchies! Good luck and let us know how it comes out.
 
Welcome Jason! Jump on in and try the "Renoun Mr. Brown" butt. It is easy, and if you follow the directions and advice from this site, you can't go wrong. My first Butt couple years ago was as good as the one I did just two weeks ago. Pork butts are very forgiving as Paul said and awesome tasting. Brats are great, and the good news is you should be able to throw them on towards the end of the butt smoke. If you want to start out without all the hastle, I am sure you will love those brats on the WSM! Good luck!
 
I would not start with butt. It's a very long cook and if you have trouble with fire control, it will be a difficult day with the smoker. I would do chicken first. You can then get comfortable with fire control and if things go wrong, you're only out a chicken and a few hours. I suspect you won't have much in the way of problems and a butt for cook two or three is a great idea.

For those of you who did a butt for your first cook, congratulations. I'm guessing you either had some experience or you followed the Weber manual and baby sat the wsm for a day. Either way, until I learned about sand and the minion method, I didn't do a butt and I think I'm glad I didn't.
 
Chicken is easy because it doesn't take long. But nothing - chicken included - is easier than pulled pork.

throw on a pork butt (use any rub you like... store bought or found in the recipes on this site) and smoke it somewhere around 250-ish until the bone in the pork butt pops out. If you have a them, around 195 degrees.

The great thing about pulled pork is that temp spikes or valleys won't hurt the product. If your temps jump up to 280 for a while, no worries. Just gradually ramp it back down. IF they drop to 200, no worries, just ramp it back up gradually (just may take more time).

total time will depend on the size of the butt, but a whole butt - around 7-8 pounds - usually takes me anywhere from 11-16 hours depending on temps.

Good luck and congrats!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jerry N.:
For those of you who did a butt for your first cook, congratulations. I'm guessing you either had some experience or you followed the Weber manual and baby sat the wsm for a day. Either way, until I learned about sand and the minion method, I didn't do a butt and I think I'm glad I didn't. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hi Jerry... my first time ever cooking a butt was the first cook I ever did on my WSM. It wasn't super easy, because I thought I had to keep the smoker temps perfectly even throughout. So I fretted some temp spikes. But the final product was awesome. Many, many subsequent cooks later, I realized I would have gotten a great end product regardless. So if you don't worry too much about the temp spikes and use them as a learning exercise, it's a great place to start. Just my opinion, though.
 
Ok you all convinced me to go for the Butt. I will let you all know how it turns out. Of course I will also document with photos. Thanks Jason

P.S. I am going to cook the Brats as well. When I am ready for them should they go on the bottom rack?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jason L Ferrier:
Ok you all convinced me to go for the Butt. I will let you all know how it turns out. Of course I will also document with photos. Thanks Jason

P.S. I am going to cook the Brats as well. When I am ready for them should they go on the bottom rack? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

As prevously noted the butt should be fine as it is an easy cut, but I have to echo, don't set the temp swings! Just make minor adjustments.

As for the brats I would (and am going to today) them on earlier so that you have some lunch
icon_cool.gif
 
Sorry team, last question ( I hope) Based on the conversation above regarding the Butt, and knowing its my first smoke. Should I start my fire using the standard method and add more fuel as needed, or should I use the minion? Thanks Again Jason
 
Jason use Minion. Remember with a butt any temp from 220 to 280 is ok. Manage your temp as it rises. .Let it seek its temp. You will do fine
 
Jason, when the butt hits about 160 F it will stall out for awhile. My first one got me all worked up as the temp stayed at 162 for about 1 hour. This is the temp where the fat renders out and makes the butt tender. As soon as the fat renders (different for every butt) the temp will continue to climb. Pull it off at 180-190, wrap it in a double layer of fiol and let it sit for about one hour, then pull and eat. John.
 
Jason, if doing a single butt, you should have room for the brats on top also....unless you're doing quite a few. That would be easiest since they'll cook fairly fast. You won't have to mess with lifting the top rack to access them. I'm doing a brisket right now and just pulled my brats off. They shared the top rack; have a nice little smoke ring to them! Let us know how it turns out.
 
Jason, since this is your first cook in the WSM, many of us newbies discovered the WSM to run a little hotter the first time than subsequent cooks. But, if you're doing a butt, it will be very forgiving. Good luck and have fun!
 
Ok team, the butt is trimmed and the rub is applied. I will be putting the butt on the WSM first think tomorrow morning. It is just a small one only 6 pounds after trimming. Pictures to follow. Thanks Jason
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top