First Time.....questions?


 
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I GOT THE GREEN LIGHT FROM THE WIFE!

I received my WSM last week and it is all assembled and ready to go. I am just waiting for my thermometer from Allied and when I get it installed I am going to fire this sucker up!

First, I would like to thank everyone on this forum and especially KEN NELSON for all of his extra help and advice.

I do have a few questions before I start my first smoke. I have been reading the recipes on this site and I going to go with BRITU as my first try. My first question has to do with the cooking process (times and temps). Am I suppose to change my bottom vents every 15 min as it is stated on the recipe? Or am I just trying to keep my lid/grate temps at a constant tempature througout the cooking time??????
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Second question - going to seem really stupid but here goes /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif When they say you apply the "rub" do you actually rub it in or do just dust it on. I know that with this recipe you shouldn't over-do it as it will make the ribs too salty.

Last question - if I am using wood chunks instead of split pieces, how many should I use and what ratio of oak and cherry??

Again, thanks for all the help! It is getting cold here in Illinois so I am going to have to get busy and build my BBQ wind shield for my WSM and Weber Genesis grills.

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Garv
 
Hi Dave,

Congratulations on the new cooker! Let me try to answer your questions:
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<LI>In regards to the bottom vents, you want to try to maintain a fairly constant temperature while cooking. There will be some ups and downs along the way, but the goal is to keep the temp steady. Toward the end of the BRITU cook, you open the vents fully so the temp will run up.

<LI>In each "Let's Cook" topic, I list how my vent settings went during that cook. Yours will be different depending on conditions. Once you get the hang of your cooker, you'll get a sense of how often you need to check the temp and adjust the vents accordingly. I don't mean to imply that you need to tweak your vents every 15 minutes, nor should you set them the way I did in the BRITU topic.

<LI>Sometimes people do "rub" in the rub, but most of the time we just sprinkle it on and don't touch it. For BRITU, just sprinkle on a very light amount and don't touch it.

<LI>Regarding smoke wood, stay with the ratio in the recipe--2:1 oak to cherry. The recipe suggests "tennis ball sized" chunks, 4 oak and 2 cherry. If I don't have pieces that big, I just estimate and use an equivalent amount of smaller chunks.
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Have fun,
Chris
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dave Garvey:
[qb]My first question has to do with the cooking process (times and temps). Am I suppose to change my bottom vents every 15 min as it is stated on the recipe? Or am I just trying to keep my lid/grate temps at a constant tempature througout the cooking time?????? [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

No. You shouldn't have to fiddle with the vents every 15 minutes. You are just looking to maintain a roughly consistent thermometer temperature, say in the 230 to 250 degree range. The one disadvantage to thermometers is that they tend to make you overly compulsive about temperature. Bar-b-q is not THAT critical and it's OK to have your temperature go up and down within a range. Actually, anywhere between 210 and 275 degrees would probably produce a good plate 'o ribs. To me, the thermometer is more to learn about your cooker and what size fire with what conditions produce what heat range. After that, just drink a beer and let the meat cook!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>[qb]Second question - going to seem really stupid but here goes /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif When they say you apply the "rub" do you actually rub it in or do just dust it on. [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Depends if you want to get your hands dirty or not! Rubbing it in will ensure good adhesion and even coverage. However, if you sprinkle it on and let the ribs sit for 15 minutes, most of the rub will be dissolved into the meat anyway, so it probably doesn't really make much diffence.

[qb] <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Last question - if I am using wood chunks instead of split pieces, how many should I use and what ratio of oak and cherry??[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lots of debate about how much wood. Personally, I think less is better in a tightly sealed cooker like a WSM. I would think that 2 to 4 fist sized chunks, early in the cook, would be sufficient. If you keep adding wood later in the cook, you are going to run the risk of over-smoking the meat -- a blackened, bitter crust. As a general rule, you do not want to see smoke pouring out the top vents of the WSM, except maybe during the first hour when it's pretty unavoidable with a couple of chunks of wood in the fire. Others may disagree and recommend more wood. That's OK...it's only bar-b-q!

As for ratios of specific types of wood, that's more compulsive than I have ever been with outdoor cooking. I'm usually tickled pink if I have chunks of ANY wood lying around. My wife is a bargain-hunter and finds deals on stuff like that at T.J.Maxx, WalMart, etc. If she brings home apple, I use apple, if she brings home hickory, I use hickory, etc. Lately, I've been getting chunks off the pile of oak firewood in the backyard, which seems to work fine.

Soaked chips should work fine in a WSM, too. A couple of good sized handfuls in the fire when you put the meat on will smoke for a while. With those, maybe another handful 45 minutes later, but then you can call it a day on the wood. Not much good is going to come from the wood once the meat hits 120 degrees, which probably happens in less than an hour on ribs.
 
Thank you Chris and Webb. It makes sense to me now. Off to BBQ'n /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Dave
 
Hi Dave.

Thanks for the kind words. I hadn’t heard from you for a while and I was thinking of dropping you an email to see how things were going. Glad to hear you got your unit and are ready for business.

When it comes to the rub, just sprinkle it on and pat it down to make sure it’s contacting the meat.

Also, some people have found the BRITU rub in its published proportions to be too salty for their tastes. As a rule of thumb, whenever you’re mixing up a batch of any kind of rub you’ve never tried before, if the amount of one ingredient seems to be out of proportion (whether it’s salt or pepper or any other), cut the amount you initially add by about half then taste it. By doing this, it’s much easier to add more salt, pepper, and so on to get the flavor to suit your tastes than finding the original recipe too salty, hot, etc. after combining everything and having to keep adding more of the other ingredients to get the right balance of flavors and spices.

I don’t know if it’s mentioned anywhere else but before you apply your rub, peel off that tough membrane from the underside of the rib. It adds no flavor whatever, can be nearly impossible to chew through, and prevents your rub from penetrating from underneath.

Wanted to tell you the Penthouse came in handy last weekend. Made a batch of jerky Saturday morning to pass around the brewpub while we watched football. The bartender liked it so much he “forgot” to charge me for a couple of refills of my favorite oatmeal stout. Darn my rotten luck! Then a couple of the barflies put in orders for a total of 12 pounds more at $5 per. Smoked their order Sunday afternoon and the extra rack really came in handy. I delivered it to them Sunday night at the bar where we gathered to watch the last game of the Series and I was a hero for part of the day. Not a bad feeling.

I’ve got a few more mods I’m considering for my WSM. Suppose it’s kind of like getting that first scratch on a new car. After about 20 smokes now, the newness has worn off and the tinkering bug has bitten. I’ll let the forum know how they turn out.

Make sure you let us know how everything turns out. After BRITU, isn’t it about time to practice on your holiday bird? Enjoy!

Ken
 
Thank you for the reply Ken! Without all of your help I would be lost getting all of this together. Thanks for the suggestion about BRITU ... I will have to give that a try.

I am still waiting for my thermometer from Allied. I took your advice, went to WalMart and looked for a Brinkman thermom. All they had were these junky Acurites - no thank you. I also ordered a step drill bit and only paid $22 for it. Once I get this thermometer attached, away I go /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

I am glad to hear that you are making a profit from your WSM instead of just filling up your own belly /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif I will let you know about the BRITU....

I am kind of nervous about doing the bird on Thanksgiving... my inlaws may be joining us and I dont want the bird to be a bust! I could just see myself screwing up the day by having a late Turkey! /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif

Take Care
Dave
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dave Garvey:
[qb]I am kind of nervous about doing the bird on Thanksgiving... my inlaws may be joining us and I dont want the bird to be a bust! I could just see myself screwing up the day by having a late Turkey! [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If in doubt, start it early. If it's done before you need it, you can always blanket it in foil and hold it in a 150 degree oven for several hours.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Webb Collings:
[qb]

If in doubt, start it early.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

An excellent idea. Better yet, go down to the grocery store right now and buy a practice turkey. Smoke it up this weekend or next so you'll have some experience under your belt before the big day. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Regards,
Chris
 
Dave-

Let me add my congrats on your purchase! I've had my WSM for about 4 months, and I love it. You will find that the site Chris has put together, along with this great BB will keep you well informed on ways to get the most out of your smoker.

As for the turkey day event, I've decided to do my turkey on the Weber kettle. I've done it this way for about 15 years, and don't want to argue with success. I do agree with Chris that a practice run woudl be beneficial.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Ken Peabody
 
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