I think I'm going to get a WSM...but a couple questions first...


 
C

Colin Edwards

New member
Hi everyone,
I think I'm going to pick up a WSM today or tomorrow. I've been reading this board and the vwb site for a couple days now. I'd like to do either pork butt or brisket for a party that I'm having in 8 days. But i've never used any smoker before (but I have seen a few people run them and I understand the general concepts of controlling the temp), so I'm not sure if trying to pull off a butt or brisket in 1 week is realistic for a novice with a brand new WSM. I've considered the option of getting a cheap brinkmann or something to start and make sure that I'm going to get good use out of it before getting the WSM, but I think it might be more frustrating trying to learn on something that isnt built as well and doesn't contain the heat/smoke properly like a weber does.

If I do pick one up...
Should I do a dry run with no meat to season the WSM?
Do you think that attempting a butt or brisket as my first smoke is realistic?
Got any other recommendations or tips for me?
 
Colin first off welcome to TVWBB.

Should I do a dry run with no meat to season the WSM?- I think it's a sin to burn charcoal without cooking something, at least throw on a chicken or something.

Do you think that attempting a butt or brisket as my first smoke is realistic?- I would hold off on the brisket and go with the butt. Butts are about the easiest thing to cook and are very forgiving.

Got any other recommendations or tips for me?- I recommend you line up a good addiction therapist prior to your first cook. Be prepared for your neighbours to start looking at you funny when they see you out in the backyard taking pictures of your meat. Most important thing of all is just to relax, sit back and enjoy it. There are lots of people here to help you through the highs and lows of BBQ.
 
Welcome to TVWBB!!!

Which size are you looking at?

No need to season the WSM, you can smoke on it right out the gate. Might want to wipe it down first with a damp cloth and wash the cooking grates, but that's about it.

Smoking a butt for your first smoke is certainly realistic. As long as you keep temps in the 225-250 range, you're good to go. The butt is going to take some time depending on the size. I cooked a 9-10 lb'er and it took about 14 hours.

Check out the cooking topics section, if you haven't already. There are some great recipes and instructions.

In hindsight though, you may just want to smoke a couple chickens or even possibly some ribs to get the hang of it, before smoking meat for a party. This is just to get you familiar with the vent/temp settings, how long it burns with the amount of charcoal put it, maybe try one smoke with water and one without, etc. This will give you more of a comfort zone when you smoke that award winning butt.

Let us know what you got!!!
 
Colin , buy the WSM.
Read Chris's articles bout cooking.
Use, Briquittes & the water pan at first.
Use the minion method.
Cook a butt.
 
If I do pick one up...
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Get the Weber. You won't be sorry.

Should I do a dry run with no meat to season the WSM?
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Nah...jump right in. I'm a newbie and as others have said here, there's no need to season and butt is easy.

Do you think that attempting a butt or brisket as my first smoke is realistic?
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Yes...it's exactly what I did at the end of last year for my first ever smoke. Turned out awesome. Did my second smoke of 2 butts Memorial Day weekend for a graduation party last Saturday. *Everyone* complimented me.

Got any other recommendations or tips for me?
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Yes...go here and follow the instructions:

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/pork2.html

You can't fail if you just do what it says.

Hope that helps.
Jim
 
Thanks for the responses so far.

I think I'll pick up a WSM today and do a couple of beer can chickens this weekend to try and get the hang of it.

Bob - I think you're right about getting a therapist. I can only imagine what my neighbors are going to think when they wake up in the middle of the night to the scent of the smoker in my backyard.

Jack - At first I was thinking about the 22.5" version (the "Go Big or Go Home" perspective), but I'm not sure if I really need that big of a smoker. The 18.5" looks like it can hold plenty of meat. And when I've got a crowd of people to feed for a party, I still have my grill to do burgers, dogs, chicken, etc.

John - I really like the simplicity of your response. Just get the stuff and do it. Like Jack and Bob said, Butts are forgiving anyway.

I should also mention that browsing this site has introduced me to ABTs and I'm definitely going to make some of them! I've done japs stuffed with cream cheese on my grill before, but the thought of wrapping bacon around them never crossed my mind...and I can't imagind why not, because bacon makes everything better!
 
When you guys are doing overnight smokes, do you get a chance to sleep? If I get the lid temp to stay around 225 for a couple of hours, is it safe to assume that it will be OK and nod off for 5 or 6 hours, or do you really need to keep an eye on it?
 
Yeh get the WSM, you'll really like it. No one has mentioned about the first couple of times you use it they may run hottet than you expect so holding a low temp could be touch and go,this is based on my first run. I would say first cook or two I would go with chicken or butt because they handle higher temps better than ribs or brisket,even though some here do the high heat cooking,I've never tried the high temps for brisket or ribs because I'm afraid I may dry them out to much. Some may also say this isn't needed but I'd also consider a remote therm for watching the temps. Here is a few good pointers also posted by a newbie for a newbie
 
Originally posted by Colin Edwards:
When you guys are doing overnight smokes, do you get a chance to sleep? If I get the lid temp to stay around 225 for a couple of hours, is it safe to assume that it will be OK and nod off for 5 or 6 hours, or do you really need to keep an eye on it?
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I did an overnight smoke with a butt only once so far. I got a couple hours here and a couple hours there of sleep. Mainly just wanted to keep an eye on it, but turns out I could have slept the whole night, as it ran pretty steady. It will fluctuate, but should remain relatively in the zone you have the vents set at.

Do you have an ET73 or ET732? This will monitor not only the meat, but temps too. So you can set min and max's and if it goes above or below your limits, it will beep.

Also, if you're planning on sleeping all night, while the WSM is running, make sure it's in safe place, away from anything combustible.
 
Welcome Colin.

I went through the same debate you did regarding an ECB (El Cheapo Brinkman) and after lurking on this site for a bit, decided to get the Weber. I'm very glad I did, and I think you will be too.

Overnighters are pretty easy for me now, but my first couple brought me back to the days of having a newborn - up every two hours. For those, I slept on the couch, with an alarm going off every 120 minutes so I could check the cooker. Now, I pretty much go to bed around midnight and sleep until I wake up (usually around 6). No worries at all. Just go with it - you'll be surprised how well the WSM holds temps. Pack the charcoal good and tight and it'll be rock steady and burn forever.

If you have time, try cooking a beer can chicken for your first run. Just foil the water pan and leave it dry. It's a quick cook and will allow you to get your feet wet without spending a ton of time. Save the brisket for after you've got a few cooks under your belt.

When I did my first overnight, I did it on a Friday night, for a Sunday party. That way, if I screwed up, I could try again Saturday night. It took the pressure off a bit. If you have that option, it's a good route to take. Then just gently reheat the pulled pork for your party. You can add a little apple juice for added moisture if you're worried about it drying out.

Hope this helps. Take pics and let us know how it goes (we love our pictures around here).
 
Originally posted by Colin Edwards:

Jack - At first I was thinking about the 22.5" version (the "Go Big or Go Home" perspective), but I'm not sure if I really need that big of a smoker. The 18.5" looks like it can hold plenty of meat. And when I've got a crowd of people to feed for a party, I still have my grill to do burgers, dogs, chicken, etc.
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I was in the same boat and ended up with the 18.5. I looked at it this way...

For the price of the 18.5, I can get a great smoker at a great price and have money for meat, charcoal, etc. If it turned out, smoking wasn't for me (and it isn't for everyone), then I wouldn't be out much and knew I could sell pretty easy. That being said, I love smoking and a 22.5 will be bought at some point. But right now, the 18.5 provides more than enough room and I can easily move it around. In fact, when I'm not using it, it goes inside. And since I've added the handles, it's even easier to move around. The 22.5 is huge...if you have an ACE Hardware near you, they generally have them both setup. One the 18.5, I can fit 6 butts (3 per grate) in the 7-8 lb range. I can also fit 3 racks of BB's on the top rack laying flat, with the outer ones turned towards the center...kinda of like (|). Which means I can fit another 3 on the bottom rack.
 
Originally posted by Jack Bordeaux:
Do you have an ET73 or ET732? This will monitor not only the meat, but temps too. So you can set min and max's and if it goes above or below your limits, it will beep.
Click to expand...

Nope...I don't have either. The only food thermometer I have is one of the traditional dial ones, and that's currently living in my kegerator in a glass of water monitoring the liquid temp inside the unit
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Do you recommend one over the other (73 vs 732)?
 
All good points leading to the same point...success with your new WSM.

1-Don't buy some cheap smoker and have it on your hands. Get the WSM and don't fret.

2-I would go for the cheapest meat (chicken) to experiment with and get used to the new WSM.

3-Try to find a relatively draft free enviromnment for your new smoker so you get the real feel w/o wind fueling your charcoal artifically.

4-For long slow cooks overnight, consider a Maverick ET-732 for monitoring. It will alarm and let you know if you have problems while you sleep. Another nice tool is a Thermapen, but you can get away with a cheap dial type thermometer for now.

5-Relax and enjoy
 
Yeah, you'll wanna keep that dial one in the kegerator...that is too important.

The 732 is the successor to the 73. It not only monitors food and grate temp, but also (supposedly) allows for up to 300 feet of remote monitoring. The 73 was only 100 feet I think. Plus it has a backlight, so if the room is dark and you happen to wake up and want to check, just tap the button and the LCD lights up. I have the 72 (which is available at BedBathBeyond if you have one near you), but it only monitors meat temp and the 732. I think the 732 is mail order at this point, but depending on who you buy it from, they could probably ship it faster for a price. When you get any therm, you should calibrate the probe in boiling water to get an idea of what the fluctuation can be. On the 732, my food probe was registering 216 in boiling water, but the grate probe measured 212. So now I know the food probe is about 4 degrees higher than what the actual temp is.
 
I went and got my 18.5" during my lunch break, and I should be getting an ET73 from Amazon delivered tomorrow. The goal is to do a couple beer can chickens tomorrow afternoon, and then do a Butt next weekend.

Thanks everyone from the help and advice so far...tvwbb is an excellent resource!
 
Good luck on the initial cook. If you're doing two chickens you should be able to fit both of those on the top rack. I'd throw in a small butt on the lower rack just to get a feel for what it'll be like next week. I say put it on the lower rack because it'll need to be in there longer than the chickens.
 
Good decision Colin. From a fellow beginner and for what it's worth. When I started I bought an ECB bought a year ago and now a friend owns it and I have a WSM. My first cook on the ECB (my first smoke ever) was a butt and it came out great. Yours will too. On two occasions I did two 7 lb butts, got up early to put them on at 4:00 AM and they were ready before 5 PM. I think pork butts are the most forgiving of meats as long as you cook them to tender and rest afterwards. Mine never cared if the temp excursions hit 280 and as long as the temp was near 250 for most of the cook came out great.
 
As i mentally prepare for my first cook, more thoughts and questions keep poping up...

I have a "new" stamped concrete patio (done last august) that I will be cooking on...should I get one of those fiber cement grill pads to put under the WSM and protect the concrete?
 
If you have a new 18.5, it will have a heat shield. That being said, I still put concrete pads underneath it to protect the deck. And for you, stamped concrete, better safe than sorry and you should probably have something underneath it.

Definitely, I repeat, definitely, do not light your chimney on the concrete. Hopefully you have another grill you can put the chimney on the grate and light it.
 
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