Is it necessary to "season" the WSM before cooking with it?


 
nope, it's good to go right out of the box. it will run a tad hot until you get a few smokes in and it gets a little build up inside.
 
Welcome aboard Nathaniel,
When I got mine new, I gave it a quick wash with mild soap & warm water. Then I lit up about a half chimney of coal and through it in the bottom, and filled the water pan. I just let it go for about an hour or so. I don't know if you can call it "seasoning" though.
I have had mine for over three years now. Every once in a while I will hose it out and give it a light scrub with a plastic brush. I consider my WSM well seasoned.
 
Nathaniel, No need to season a new WSM, I would say to wash the cooking grates -n- shes ready to go! Keep an eye on the temps, as a "new" one tends to run a little hotter for the first 2-4 smokes. After the inside gets a good smoke coating, temps should be very constient. ENJOY !!!
 
I was fortunate on my first rum with my WSM to have a cool night with some occasional light drizzle. Temp stayed perfect all night long.
 
I bought mine used and to be honest I'm not sure if it had been ever used. It was dusty with some cob webs in it and a little rust on the metal parts. I used some scotch bright on the rust and washed it out with water. Obviously yours is new so the rust and dust should not apply. I did however fire it up to play with the vents to see how it worked. This way the first time I fired it up with food I at least had a feel for how to control the temps. One thing you will notice is when you first put food on it the temps will drop at first and then climb back up until it finds the sweet spot. You will have to adjust from there using the bottom vents to get to your desired temp. Good luck with the new smoker and make sure to season the cook with a few beers on the first cook. Vince
 
Like others said, I washed the grates. I'm sure there is some sort of machine oil or something on them.

I used about a half chimney of lit, no water in the pan and just let 'er rip wide open the first time. This was 1) to "break it in" in my mind because I know from experience the Webers run hot the first time and 2) because I didn't have time to cook and just wanted to....
 
When I got mine i also washed the grates and then I put a chimney full of lit in there and cooked a pack of bacon to season it a little, get a little grease splattered around in there. Now, its WELL seasoned!
 
i ran a chimney of lit on top of a chimney of lit wide open before i cooked any food on my 18 and 22. the reason for it is to burn the machine oil off that is used in the manufacture process. you can soap and water if you dont mind the extra work. but im lazy so i just burned it off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top