Friday with a purpose-first smoke


 
C

Chris Stevz

New member
I was on my way to Costco tonite when I got a message that a friend was having some people over tomorrow for boozin and potentially some cards. Hoping to try out my new 22 tomorrow anyway this seemed like the perfect reason to pick up some baby back ribs. All of the sudden I feel some pressure because I was already up in the air about the weather--we're expecting some wind and rain on Long Island. Any suggestions on how to deal with the elements. I was thinking about putting up my 6x6 canopy over the smoker or is that not even worth it?
 
Only to keep you dry. Your unit will do its job as always. Maybe try to shelter it from the wind but that's all u need to be concerned about.

If it's heavy rain, the rain, as it rolls off the dome, goes inside because of the lip at the top/middle join. In that case, some shelter as you suggest will help. Light rain, I wouldn't worry too much.
 
Last edited:
Pop up shelters are nice , but the wind gets under them and they fly sometimes ....but they do keep the rain off. I strap my golf umbrella to a patio chair sometimes if it's just drizzling.
6cff0d071a2c5c3519cebf19ef35d6be_zpsc7bcb459.jpg
 
I have cooked in stormy weather uncovered and sheltered, if you can keep hard rain off it that will be good, if not dont stress
 
Welcome aboard Strong Island! I wouldn't worry to much unless it's a torrential downpour. Otherwise you should be fine.
 
Thanks. Things went relatively well, or should i say "well enough" - the ribs were tasty and my friends attacked the tray like dogs, but the process was quite frustrating. I never got the smoker over 220 and it really hovered around 200 most of the time. Again i think this stems from me not using enough charcoal. I followed the beginner rib recipe on the Virtual Bullet site exactly. in it he said to use one full chimney unlit and pour 1/2 of lit on top (bottom 3 open 1/3 each)-- i did just that, but i think that was in the WSM18 so I needed to tweak. I checked them after 3 hours and they were nowhere near done....at 4 hours I added more coals and that didn't do much except burn me. I wrapped them and let them sit on for another two hours then shoved them in the oven to just keep warm till my friends showed up- ultimately they tasted great, not as tender as i would've liked but I am eager to keep at it.

The watching of the temp drove me crazy as i tried to get work done so i "next day" aired the Maverick 733 and I can see how much better my life will be.
 
Fill that bad boy up with charcoal. What doesn't get used for that cook can be reused next time as once you shut all the vents the fire should go out.
 
Chris;
Good job on the ribs. As the "good gunk" gets built up in your smoker, you'll find it much easier to maintain your desired temperature.

As others have mentioned, fill the fire ring with unlit briqs. I use the "tin can minion method" and fill my smokers full around the tin can with unlit and put lit in the can, then pull the can. I get completely consistent results and can run the fire from 200 degrees to 350 degrees according to my preference. When using the 18.5 and 22.5, it's better to anticipate the rise of temperature (when it reaches 200 degrees I start closing down the bottom vents to my pre-determined points). It's much easier to increase the temperature than it is to decrease it. At any rate, the more you use it the easier it will be.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Chris Stevz said:
I never got the smoker over 220 and it really hovered around 200 most of the time. Again i think this stems from me not using enough charcoal. I followed the beginner rib recipe on the Virtual Bullet site exactly. in it he said to use one full chimney unlit and pour 1/2 of lit on top (bottom 3 open 1/3 each)-- i did just that, but i think that was in the WSM18 so I needed to tweak...
Click to expand...

Glad your friends liked the ribs, but if you'd made 'em perfect the first time you'd only been disappointed in the future.

Charcoal is cheap, but to no surprise, the 22.5" does use substantially more charcoal than the classic 18.5" wsm. You'll find that a large percentage of 22.5" wsm users mention about going without water in the pan and/or foiling their BBQ cuts during the cook, both of which will decrease charcoal useage. I'd suggest doing your best to keep it out of the wind, fill that ring up, and if you use water, use HOT water. If I'm using water I use my largest tea kettle for boiling and then hot tap for the rest.

You'll really enjoy learning how to cook with it. It's a great cooker, and you have enough room to cook for the neighborhood. Glad I had my big wsm for this 17lb brisket.
 
You guys are extremely helpful, thanks a lot. Im going to fill the thing up and try a pork butt this week (at some point). Ive been dying to cook one of these since i got the WSM, it's about time
 
Go for it , man! Pulled pork is sensational on the WSM and it's a great way for you to get used to the smoker. If you get temp spikes or dips , you can adjust your vents and see how that works.....and you absolutely can't screw it up! If you cook it really low and slow or hot and fast it still tastes great. Pick out a nice basic pork rub that you like the sound of and mix it up....or buy one. Then you're off to the races. Have fun. Take pictures.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top