Getting Ready for 1st smoke with WSM 18.5 !


 
M

Matt Grabill

TVWBB Fan
Hello all, just got my new WSM 18.5 and had a few questions. First run will be 3 slabs of ribs,should fit on top grate. Gonna use Kingsford and Weber apple and hickory chunks minion method. Have cooker ready to go on my Trex composite deck. Do I need to put something under the cooker? Will use water pan and did I see that I should foil the bottom of it? Can't wait to fire it up and take my BBQ to the next level!
 
Congrats on the WSM! Only thing I would say, and maybe just to save your composite deck, would be to put something under it. If you look here, lots of guys use a large steel cookie sheet, or oil drip tray you can get from automotive store.

Better to be safe than sorry. Especially with that composite decking!
 
Matt, welcome to the forum, congrats on the WSM you'll love it like we all do.

You don't have to foil your water pan as it has no impact on how the WSM cooks. What it does do is keep the smoke and ash off of the bottom of the bowl which makes it easier to clean. Personally I have only foiled my water pan once, and that's because I was not using water and didn't want turkey dripping burning to the pan. I usually will dispose of the greasy water (still working on the best way to do that), wash the inside of the water pan with some dish soap and water, simply run the soapy paper towel over the outside a few times, then rinse and dry it. My main goal is to get any grease out of the pan and make sure it gets dry before I store it in my WSM until the next use.

Good luck on your first smoke, and don't forget to come back and tell us how it went!
 
You may get some rust colored dripping your first few cooks. This will stain. I have a few scrap pieces of flagstone under mine.

No need to foil but some like to. I put a foil pan on the lower shelf if I am not using it to catch drippings and make cleaning easier...

Good luck!
 
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