Getting Started

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Hello All!

My new smoker arrived on Saturday and I can't wait to dive in. First off I should say that I am a real newbie to BBQ. We've been playing around with a modified two level fire in our kettle but that's about it.

I purchased a five pound turkey breast to inaugurate the smoker. I was planning to brine it tonight and smoke it tomorrow.

At BBQ.com I saw that some folks were suggesting a foodless fire to get rid of the new smoker smell. Is this necessary? Also, I was hoping that someone could advise me on the amount of charcoal and wood chunks to use and an approximate cooking time.

Thanks in advance for any help getting started.

Jim
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jim Jenkins:
[qb] Hello All!

My new smoker arrived on Saturday and I can't wait to dive in. First off I should say that I am a real newbie to BBQ. We've been playing around with a modified two level fire in our kettle but that's about it.

I purchased a five pound turkey breast to inaugurate the smoker. I was planning to brine it tonight and smoke it tomorrow.

At BBQ.com I saw that some folks were suggesting a foodless fire to get rid of the new smoker smell. Is this necessary? Also, I was hoping that someone could advise me on the amount of charcoal and wood chunks to use and an approximate cooking time. [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>The WSM is porcelain enamel rather than VHT black paint, and should not need a break in. I might consider trying to start building a soot layer on the inside with a foodless cook to get a new WSM on the road to [even] better temperature control. Go ahead and use a couple Weber chimneyfulls of briquets, you can extinguish and save any leftover for the next cook. At 225-250* you're probably going to take about 4 hours to hit 165* internal on the breast. With poultry, I would suggest running the WSM at 325-350* and then you're only looking at a couple hours. One or two small chunks of your preferred smoke wood should suffice. If you choose to go with 325-350, line the water pan with foil but leave it dry-- it will be easier to get up to that temp range.
 
Thank you Doug!

I see that a lot of folks do multiple items the first time around, but I'm chicken. We'll see how it goes.

I'm hoping to find a reference for doing peppers. We are going to have a ton of jalepenos and poblanos from the garden this year and I'd love to learn to turn them into chipotles & anchos.
 
I have yet to cook a turkey breast in the WSM, but I have cooked several whole turkeys. (IMHO, the best way to cook turkey) Use the standard method, 325-350 degree, no water in the pan, cook outlined in The Standard Method

As for smoke wood, turkey really sucks up the smoke so its very easy to add too much smoke and make it bitter. I recommend using just one fist sized chunk (or equivalent) of whatever wood you have on hand for your first turkey cook. I use only 1 or 2 fist sized chunks when doing a whole turkey and it turns out perfect. I prefer fruit wood for turkey (if you have it), cherry is my favorite, apple a close second, but use whatever you have on hand. If its a strong wood like hickory or mesquite (available everywhere) I would suggest using a smaller sized chunk.

Don't bother with a foodless burn on the WSM, its porcelain. I didn't bother and noticed no offtaste whatsoever on my first cook (chicken). Just go for it and play with your new toy.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dave Lewis:
[qb] I have yet to cook a turkey breast in the WSM, but I have cooked several whole turkeys. (IMHO, the best way to cook turkey)... [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Totally agree. It's a beautiful thing.
 
OMG you guys! I am so excited about this new toy. I'm really glad we decided on the WSM. Thanks again for all of the tips. I'll let you know how it turns out.

That whole turkey is a thing of beauty, I can't wait to try it myself.

Also, thanks for the link to the chipotle site. In a few months we're going to be inundated with jalapenos & poblanos. I may never have to buy chipotles in adobo or ancho powder again.

Cheers to the cooks! Jim
 
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