Getting Started -- What essentials do I need?

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I'm ready to go! Picked up a WSM on Monday and getting primed to cook up some BRITU on Saturday.

So, I got the cooker. I know I need rib racks. Weber racks are available right down the street, but I've read some posts on this bulletin board that indicate that Brinkman is the way to go. Does anyone know if Home Depot (I'm in the South Bay, Southern Cal.) carries Brinkman accessories? If not, am I making a mistake picking up the Weber racks? I've got to admit, I'm so pumped up to get started, I'd bend coat hangers to get that first batch of ribs going. Also, I guess I could just roll them up, too. What do the experts think?

I picked up a Polder earlier this week. I probably also need to get a candy thermometer to read the temps through the hood, correct? What do you guys/gals think of those instant read fork/thermometers that are out there. Got to admit, they look a little gadgety to me (not a dig, I love gadgets), but if they work, they work.

I gather that I should get a water can w/a spout to refill the water pan once the cook starts. This is just the type of seemingly small thing that I usually blow off, thinking that I jury rig it with a pitcher or something w/cataclysmic results.

Got oven mitts.

Got beer. Lots and lots of beer.

Anything else that a novice should pick up if he's planning on firing up some BRITU in a few days?

Oh yeah, I won't forget to go to Costco and pick up that meat!
 
Steve,

Congrats on the new cooker! I've created a BBQ Accessories page that lists some of the essential and optional things you'll want to consider. At a minimum you need a candy thermometer or the Weber gas grill thermometer (can find it at Home Depot), gloves, tongs, charcoal and smokewood. Don't feel like you've got to load up on toys all at once. Give your WSM a few tries and you'll get a sense of what you need and what you don't.

Have fun,
Chris
 
Steve...

No need for a candy thermometer if you have a Polder. Use the Polder for tracking the temp on the grate. Just run that cord underneath the lid...I been doing it for several years now with no problems.

The Polder can also double as a meat thermo. I suggest using the Polder for the first 3/4 of the cook to keep track of the cooker temp. After that, the temps will have stabilized and now you can use it to monitor the meat.

Why stick it in the meat for the entire cook? What you are looking for is the FINISHED temp, not the starting temps. Of course, with ribs, you will not need it for meat temps.

Good luck and have fun!!!!
 
Congratulations on getting your WSM... I've had mine for a year now - and LOVE IT !!!

As has been mentioned, the thermometer is probably the most important thing needed to turn out great consistent Q !! Secondly, I think that you have to get a Weber chimney charcoal starter... Makes getting a fire going so easy... Not only that, and maybe you won't have this problem, but I found early on that I was needing to add additional charcoal during the smoke... Before I got my thermometers I would be guessing at the temps and think I needed more heat !! Anyway, the chimney is great for starting the beginning fire and also if more charcoal is needed through out the cook... Sure don't want to use that liguid starter to start the fire and cook those BRITU ribs with !!!
By the way - let us know how the ribs turn out - they are still the favorite of my family and I have tried almost all different cuts and types of meat now !!
Good luck and have fun !!
 
Thanks to everyone for your input and advice.

I'll definitely let you know how things turn out. I tell you, I can't wait!
 
Steve
Have someone check in on you,
I afraid if you get anymore excited your going to have a heart attack!! /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
Have a great time!!
Jim
 
Hey, what about the beer (errrr, I mean Pepsi) cooler? /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
Jim --

Regarding the heart attack, you have a good point. I was wondering, does Polder make a combination thermometer/defibrilator? /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
 
Steve,
Welcome to a really great club. I am a semi-newby only having used my WSM 5 times
so far. My wife keeps telling me we don't have room in the freezer! It is so easy to load up when you get cooking. I have done
3 chickens on the bottom grate using vertical racks an some spares on top. I have done 4 ducks on the bottom with more ribs on top. I use a Brinkman rack only because I found some at the local WallyWorld. Don't know about the Weber rack.Some simple things that aren't necessary but will make cooking more enjoyable:
-Paper towel. I get the cheapest house brand I can find and put them on one of those portable holders. Makes the wife a lot happier.
-Plastic garbage can with a tight-fitting lid and wheels. Good to store extra charcoal
out of the way. Mine cost $11 at Lowes.
-Rubber gloves. The thin surgical kind. I war them when I am applying rubs and seasonings. Keeps your hands from looking like paprika and chili powder.
Gotta go. More as I think of things. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
One item you may want is a pair of heavy neoprene gloves, you can take meat off the grill by hand.
Pat
paper towels, I find if I spend more money on them, the towel does a better job and I use less of them.
There is nothing worse than SuperMan towels
(doesn't take s**t off of nothing).
Jim
 
Jim,
I'll check for this towel at the store.Thanks for the tip. Hope I wasn't putting out bum advice here. Don't want to lead anyone astray. /infopop/emoticons/icon_redface.gif
 
Quick update.

After opening up the box to start assembling the WSM, I found out that I was missing the legs, brackets, access door and all the hardware.

I called Weber's 800 customer service line this morning and filled them in on the situation. They're going to FedEx me the missing parts, hopefully in time for some Qing this weekend.

I'll let you guys know.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Steve Eau:
[qb]After opening up the box to start assembling the WSM, I found out that I was missing the legs, brackets, access door and all the hardware.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Wow, I've never heard of that problem before. Bummer. Hope the bits and pieces arrive in time so you can BBQ this weekend.

Good luck,
Chris
 
Steve-

Welcome to the world of Qing! This is a great group, and I know you'll learn alot. I took Rocky's advice from an earlier post and got a couple of rib racks from Pitts 'n Spitts in TX. The only downside was they were out of stock when I ordered, and it took almost 3 months to get them. I have not yet had a chance to use them.

Besides all the equipment that's been mentioned here, getting a few good books is a good investment. I've got Paul Kirk's book on rubs and sauces and the Jamison's Smoke and Spice. Order them through Chris's site and you'll help support it.

Also, one piece of equipment I got and find to be good is the Brinkmann water pan. There's info about this on the site: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/waterpan.html

Good luck, and enjoy!

Ken
 
Well, things went pretty well, I have to admit.

I purchased what turned out to be six racks of ribs from Costco. I purchased two packages, thinking that they contained only two racks per, when they actually contained three per. Oh well, more food than you planned on rarely is a bad thing!

I followed the BRITU rub recipe to the letter and dusted the racks lightly, after rinsing them, trimming the excess fat and removing the membrane. I then cut the racks in half, leaving a total of 12 half racks of ribs.

I started a chimney of Kingsford at about noon. After it ashed over, I dumped it in the charcoal ring, along with enough coals to fill the ring 2/3 full. After they ashed over, I filled the water pan. I then put the half-racks on two rib racks (with a couple piled on top), loaded one rib rack on the lower grate and one on the upper grate.

I plugged the Polder thermometer in, put the probe on the top grate and assembled the grill. I got readings of about 275 right off the bat.

I then tossed some apple and hickory chunks on the coals and shut the access door.

After about 20 minutes, the temperature lowered to about 245. I fiddled around with the vents, sometimes completely closing the top vent to get the temps down to about 230 on the top grate.

I was struck by how simple it was to control the temperature. After I got things going, I noticed that the access door wasn't fitting very well, letting a lot of smoke escape and, presumably, a lot of oxygen to get to the fire. Still, the WSM temperatures were really easy to control by fiddling around with the vents. It's pretty amazing how responsive the WSM is --within about 30 seconds of opening or closing the vent, the Polder would register the temperatures changing.

Anyway, to make a long story longer, I left the ribs on for about 5 hours. They were GREAT!! My only complaint would be that they tasted kind of "hammy," probably due to the solution inside the Cryovac. Next time, I'm going to buy ribs that are not packed in solution and compare how they taste.

I was serving a total of 6 people and all of them loved the meat.

Overall, this first experience with the WSM was easier than I thought it would be. My one question is, what the hell do you do with that nasty water after you're done cooking? Geez!!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Steve Eau:
[qb]Well, things went pretty well, I have to admit.

--snip--

Overall, this first experience with the WSM was easier than I thought it would be. My one question is, what the hell do you do with that nasty water after you're done cooking? Geez!![/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Pour it in the neighbor's yard!
Seriously, if you let it cool and the grease sets up on top, you can skim it off the top and into a garbage bag, then what's left is mostly just dirty water. I just dump it out back by the fence... the neighbor's fence! /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif
 
Steve,
Disposal of the pan "water" is an ongoing problem. It depends on disposal regs where you live as to how to get rid of them. I usually turn on the hot water and run the stuff down the garbage disposal but my wife isn't too keen on the idea. After you use the WSM a few times and get a handle on water usage,you can minimize the contents by not adding more water than you need to keep a moist envirnment. This means it takes longer to fill the coffee can and have to figure out what to do with the stuff /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Steve Eau:
[qb]My only complaint would be that they tasted kind of "hammy," probably due to the solution inside the Cryovac. Next time, I'm going to buy ribs that are not packed in solution and compare how they taste.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Costco carries a variety of ribs depending on the region of the country you live in. If the ribs were "enhanced" or injected with a solution, they must say so by law on the package. If the package says nothing, then there's no solution added. It's common to find liquid in a Cryovac package of meat, it's just juices from the meat.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>[qb]What the hell do you do with that nasty water after you're done cooking?[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I usually don't get around to emptying the pan until the next day, so by that time any fat has solidified on the surface. As others have said, just skim off the fat and discard in the garbage, then run the water down the sink followed by hot water.

On a few occasions, I've gotten the pan out while the fat is still liquid, and in that case you can funnel the contents into a 1 gallon plastic milk jug with a tight fitting lid and discard in the garbage.

The thing to consider about dumping the stuff outside is that it'll attract bugs and other critters you probably don't want around. Probably not a good solution unless you've got a "back forty". /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Have fun,
Chris
 
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