Looking for advice for 1st few cooks

[Big Ir]

Hello everyone, Next wednesday my WSM will be shipped to my home, and I can't wait to get smokin'... I have been doing alot of research on this page, and all of you have swayed me away from buying a pricey off-set cooker. After doing alot of reading, my question is this: Any suggestions on what meat or poultry to cook the first few outings, based on the WSM being @50 degrees hotter when new. (until the smoke and grease coats the inside enamel)??? Thank you for any input... Big Ir

 

[Russ]

Being somewhat of a newbie myself, I would recommend a pork butt or shoulder first thing. 2lbs per pound and some good wood, and you will be a happy camper. Don't know if you're a newbie smoker or just a newbie bullet owner, but fyi, my first mistake I made on the first 5 or 6 smokings (ever), was not smoking things long enough. Don't be afraid to let it get dark. Black is back. Do look at some pictures of other peoples finished product. Makes a big difference if you know what it's supposed to look like! Pork butts are around $1.00-$1.25lb here, so if you screw it up (which is hard to do) you won't be so upset.

 

[Dave Lewis]

Follow the advice of others on this site and cook something inexpensive and that doesn't require a long cooking time. I got my WSM last week and my first smoke was the Chicken! Chicken! recipe. It turned out great and the family loved it. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif Next up for smoke number two will be BRITU ribs. I think a pork butt might be too much given the 12 hour cooking time. Give chicken a chance. At 4-5 hours cooking time you still have time to mess around with getting the WSM lit, up and on temp and still eat at a decent hour. If it doesn't turn out, oh well, you're only out about 10 bucks for two birds.

 

[Guest]

I have had mine since fathers day. Though I have experience controlling fires and temps from smoking fish for years I started out with BB ribs for the shorter cook time. Actually I decided to just fire up the WSM and let it burn down a ring of coal and wood to "break in" but could not resist and after maybe 2 hours of "breaking in" I ran up to the market and grabbed a few racks. They came out great and my temps ran 250-280F at the lid.

 

[Darren Gaylor]

Hey Ir,

You may notice things running 50F hotter, maybe not. Probably a good reason to try a chicken first time out. They'll handle higher temps better.

I did a chicken first. Faster and cheaper than ribs or butt. Tasty, too. Looking back, (all of six months), the WSM is so easy and forgiving that you'd really have to try to ruin ribs or butt. I haven't been able to, yet.

I would do a cook or two before inviting the neighborhood over to see what a great BBQer you are. (The WSM and this site will ensure that you're a great BBQer, if you aren't already.)

Darren

 

[Dave Lewis]

Just like Keith, my lid temps during the first WSM smoke were 240-260 range with 2 bottom vents completely closed the entire cook and one vent set at anywhere from 10% to 33% as the cook progressed. (It was a cool day, outside temps 61 to 63 degrees with slight breeze) It was easy to control the temp by minor adjustments. Close the vent a little and the temp drops (on my digital Polder thermo), open the vent a little and it rises. I could have cooked anything on the WSM, but needed time to figure how it all worked and still get dinner on the table by 6pm.

 

[Guest]

Hey Big Ir, good to see someone from Merritt Island! My roommate at UCF was from there. Ah, memories . . .

I've said it elsewhere, I think chicken is your best bet for the first cook, especially if you haven't done any kind of smoking before. I think beginners should stick to shorter cooks, like chicken or ribs. I've heard others say this, too. After 2 or 3 cooks you'll have an idea of how long it takes to get everything set up, and how everything works. Then you can start trying bigger cuts of meat, because you'll be able to budget your time better.

As far as the "50 degrees hotter" thing, don't worry about it too much. If you read through this board, you'll find that everyone has different experiences. Some people have problems keeping temps up, some have problems keeping temps down. Personally, I was lucky on my first cook. It went straight to 226 and stayed there. My cooker worked like magic. I barely had to touch it.

If you do decide to cook chicken, it actually would be okay if it ran hot, because many people like to cook it at higher temps anyway. However, don't let it run too low, as you might have a problem with bacteria.

Well, this is just my opinion, and I'm just a novice myself, so please don't think I'm pretending to be some kind of expert. If you don't like chicken, remember: it's your WSM. You are the master. Do whatever you want. Even if something doesn't come out as good as you wanted it, chances are you'll still be able to eat it, and you'll still receive compliments on it.

One last piece of advice: just try to relax and have fun. The cooker does most of the work. I was so wound up when I tried my first cook, which was pork butt that cooked for about 12 hours. 12 hours of worrying! Once the cooker settles on a temperature, it will stay there for a long time. So, go ahead and check it every 15 minutes if you like, but also don't be afraid to watch a ball game, or do some yard work, or chat with the neighbors. If you forget to check it one time, chances are you'll still be within a few degrees of where it was before. If you notice the temperature has moved away from where you want, don't worry! Just make an adjustment and you'll be fine.

--Mickey