I finally got it..


 
A

Andre A

TVWBB Member
My wife got me the 18.5 WSM for Christmas. I think I teared up a little. I quickly turned around and paid the $100 extra for the 22. Funny women always say bigger is better but they skimp on the good gifts for us but I digress. I have been on this site since then and I just recently was able to log on and boy do I have questions. My WSM does not have the gourmet holes so it looks like I'll be modding soon.

1. I'm a big fan of Amazing Ribs.com. Harry Soo recommended seasoning the grill, while this does make sense, (my WSM smelt of factory guck when I was assembling it) what he suggest does sound like overkill. Do I really need to waist an entire bag of charcoal to do a high hear burn for about 10 hours, followed by a chimney burning but this time have some fat on the grates and then do that whole process over again twice? There must be a middle ground.

2. I want the Digi Q DX2, should this be my next purchase or do folks recommend something else before I make this purchase.

Thanks and I glad to be on board.
 
Welcome to the site and congrats on the 22 WSM. I think fuel consumption will vary depending on outside temperature and conditions such as wind. When I first purchased my 22.5 WSM I felt like I had to get an ATC (Automatic Temperature Control), so I did and guess what....I haven't used it, took it out of the box hooked it up and I didn't like it. My WSM will hold steady depending on plus or minus 10 degrees. IMO if I had to do it all over again, I would have purchased the Maverick ET-732 (which I now own) prior to purchasing an ATC unit.
 
I don't have an ATC and unless its windy have no problem maintaining temps. As for your second question I just put some charcoal in lit it up and let it go (never monitored temperatures) and used it the next day.
 
I just got my WSM 18.5 last week and I too initially subscribed to the Henry Soo School of thought about seasoning and I too came to think it was over kill since I really wanted to smoke this past weekend. I did smoke all the bacon I had in the house for the first smoke. I then cooked ribs and the following day cooked a pork butt. I think the ribs and butt came out pretty-darn-good for my maiden attempts at smoking and I didn't notice any residual tastes from the smoker. I did not the lid was already becoming "stuck" due to the grease on the second smoke.

I also want an ATC but I'm thinking I'll leave that for the wife to get me as a gift when the gift-giving season roles around. Thus I will have had enough time to determine if the ATC is just a fad or a tool that I really need- esp considering the cost for a quality unit. I didn't like the constant monitoring of the ribs but the pork butt I took a less aggressive approach to the monitoring and considered the resounding chorus I hear on this site, "…It's BBQ, relax and have a drink, temp flux is the norm and you can't rush the process…" some of that is paraphrasing of course, but I think I get everybody's intent. Point is, I see the ATC as having the ability to produce a consistent product or at the very least, the freedom from tending the pit. If I get really serious, i.e. competition serious, then I see that as a a needed weapon. Or if I get to the point that pit-tending is too much work, then I may have to move to the ATC sooner rather than later.

I will say that everybody loved my ribs and pulled pork. Considering the crowd I have, they don't hold anything back so it was a pretty high honor to have them say my BBQ was really good. Considering they ate it all (they've been known to leave BBQ uneaten at BBQ joints), reinforces it must not have been too bad.

That's my noob thoughts!

Enjoy and keep us posted on what route you take!
 
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My thought is to wait on the ATC. Learn how to control the temps first on your own and see how much your can learn about the WSM first. First things I would purchase are the nomex gasket to seal it up better along with a Cajun Bandit door. After that, there are still plenty of other things you can do/purchase that may make your cooking experience better for you and still come in cheaper than what the ATC will cost you. I have not had any real problems keeping temps in the range I wanted when doing cooks even in windy and or cold conditions. Just jump in and try things out and see what works best for you before spending a whole lot of money. Just my opinion and I am sure you will get plenty more from the knowledgeable people on here.
 
Welcome... I also bought the 22.5 as my first smoker. I ordered the WSM then ordered the DigiQ DX2 on the same day and I LOVE it. I like the smoking experience I like to also sit back and drink as my food smokes but I like the fact that i can setup the DX2 and leave the house run errands etc and not be chained to the house for hours on in. This was my best investment after the WSM itself. I didn't season mine first, my 1st cook was 3 racks of ribs and thanks to my DX2 my WSM didn't run hot at all, the machine did its job beautifully. If I want to "learn my wsm" I can always take the blower out and smoke the old fashion way I just value my time far more at times and have other things to do. I got the viper 10 blower plenty power for any temp you will need.
 
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