Low & Slow by Gary Wiviott

[Michael Park]

I have Low & Slow by Gary Wiviott. I think it is well written. I like the tone, and I would like to follow the program exactly as written, but I'm having some difficulty.

Regarding his K.I.S.S. method for lighting the fire, he calls for 3.5 chimney starters full of lump charcoal and 6 chunks of smoke wood. The problem is, my 18" WSM only holds 2.5 chimney starters full of lump charcoal, and to get 2.5 chimneys of lump charcoal into the smoker, I have to press down on the middle section so that the water bowl smushes down the lump and I can barely get the smoker put together.

Also, I've read that many people have trouble exceeding 275 in their WSM with the water bowl full. The lid thermometer on mine was fully pegged at 350+ for the entire cook following the directions in the book as closely as physically possible. My Chicken Mojo Criollo was tremendously overdone and over smoked. It tasted like ashtray chicken. Completely inedible.

I suspect that the larger water bowl on my WSM is not accounted for in Low & Slow. This is perplexing, because the copyright was updated in 2015. Shouldn't the bowl be the same size? Also, maybe the chimney starter is larger than it was when Gary wrote Low & Slow.

What should I do?

1. Try again using one fully lit chimney of lump on top of an unlit chimney full of lump for a total of two chimneys of lump charcoal in the charcoal chamber.
2. Try again using one fully lit chimney of briquettes on top of an unlit chimney full of briquettes for a total of two chimneys of briquettes in the charcoal chamber.

or

3. Take Gary up on his instructions to light my next fire with his book if I'm not going to follow the program as written.

 

[timothy]

Book came out in 09 I believe so it should be the smaller or original water pan.
Chris did a Q&A around that time with Gary, have you seen it?

Q&A with Gary Wiviott

May 4-8, 2009. Closed to new discussion.

tvwbb.com

Oh I would do #1 or #2 without hesitation.

 

[Michael Park]

Book came out in 09 I believe so it should be the smaller or original water pan.
Chris did a Q&A around that time with Gary, have you seen it?

Q&A with Gary Wiviott

May 4-8, 2009. Closed to new discussion.

tvwbb.com

Oh I would do #1 or #2 without hesitation.

Thanks for the point out on the Q&A. I have seen it before. Unfortunately, the discussion concluded in 2009, and I suspect the K.I.S.S. method fit much better with the shallower water pan. I also wonder if the modern chimney starter is the same size as when Gary wrote the book.

I am curious what temperatures others are getting with a charcoal chamber full of lump charcoal. My lid thermometer was fully pegged at the mechanical limit for the entirety of the cook. I understand that lump burns hotter, but that just seems extreme.

 

[timothy]

I also wonder if the modern chimney starter is the same size as when Gary wrote the book.

I don't think Weber changed the size of the original chimney since then.
I know they make a smaller compact one for the Smokey Joe ( I have /had both)

On my 08 18.5" WSM I could get 350 plus with lump but I usually had to crack the lid for more air flow.

 

[Vinny G]

Hello Michael. I can not comment on this book since I never read it. But you are going to get several different ways on how to set her up! The kicker is each person that post has their way of set her up and they are all right! The reason is because if it works for you then it is right! There are a lot of variables that you will encounter and have to figure out. Variables: your smoker might not be as air tight as someone else, how much wood you use, what name brand charcoal…etc. So you will have to try different way and see what works for you. There are plenty of post here that explain different ways and techniques that you can take from and run with! I just have one suggestion and that is to have fun figuring it out which ever method works for you!

 

[Chris Allingham]

The large Weber chimney starter is the same today as it was when Low & Slow was written. You are correct that the book was written for the original smaller 1 gallon water pan.

I'm not a lump charcoal user, so none of Gary's methods ever appealed to me and I never tried them. As for the 2015 date, maybe that's a reprint date? I think Gary's original 2009 book release missed the change to the deeper water pan.

If you're a WSM beginner, I have recipes that I know work because I wrote them! See the ones at the top of this page. All are written using Kingsford briquettes...you can use their Professional briquettes if you want a product containing just wood char + binder.

Cooking Topics - The Virtual Weber Bullet

Articles and recipes explaining how to cook barbecue on the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, plus a variety of reference topics and instructional videos.

www.virtualweberbullet.com

The Hot & Fast Chicken is also popular, it gets cooked with the water pan removed from the cooker.

Hot & Fast Chicken - The Virtual Weber Bullet

Hot & Fast Chicken: Tender, well-rendered chicken skin worth eating is achieved using a high-temp smoke-roasting method in the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.

www.virtualweberbullet.com

 

[Lew Newby]

I read that book a long time ago but there was something that made me not follow it. I have read several books and I like Meathead Goldwin's book and especially for beginners. I gift it to my grandsons when they grow up and recommend this and Chris's other forums as excellent sources of accurate and useful online info. Chris, not trying to butter you up but the very old fart thinks that you have the most complete, organized, and accurate information available to new and experienced outdoor cooks.

 

[Andy Linn]

I am a big fan of Wiviott and worked through most of Low & Slow albeit with a 14" WSM and Kingsford briquettes. Guess that means I did not follow his directions to the tee, but I never really thought much about it at the time. Absolutely got a lot from the experience and am also a big fan of the second installment as well (use it all the time).

Have also worked my way through the majority of the Cooking Topics section on this site and agree with Lew's sentiments above

I think I use a sort of mishmash and consider this site & Wiviott as my major influences... here's an example:
- Hot & Fast chicken referenced above - this chicken head will never go back to "properly smoking" with the water pan. it's hot & fast all the way for me on chicken.
- but I do spatchcock and I first got that from Wiviott
- & use the Alabama white sauce recipe from Low & Slow
- & I still use the brine I settled on from Low & Slow (modified it a bit of course!) after working through Wiviott's various brines/marinades)
- Kingsford true blue

 

[RichPB (richlife)]

I read Wiviott's book around 2011 and learned a lot. Then I read other resources like TVWBB and others, forgot about Wiviott's all-or-none approach and started trying things out. I respect his method, but agree with find your own way.

 

[M Strickland]

I have Low & Slow by Gary Wiviott. I think it is well written. I like the tone, and I would like to follow the program exactly as written, but I'm having some difficulty.

Regarding his K.I.S.S. method for lighting the fire, he calls for 3.5 chimney starters full of lump charcoal and 6 chunks of smoke wood. The problem is, my 18" WSM only holds 2.5 chimney starters full of lump charcoal, and to get 2.5 chimneys of lump charcoal into the smoker, I have to press down on the middle section so that the water bowl smushes down the lump and I can barely get the smoker put together.

Have you figure out what works for you?

I bought my 18" WSM in 2007. I got Wiviott's book when it first came out and still refer to it from time to time. It helped me a lot but I've adapted his instructions. Here's what I do:
* I use the Minion method with Kingsford charcoal. I follow Wiviott's instructions and use a full ring of unlit charcoal for every cook instead of trying to adjust the amount of charcoal for shorter cooks. This wastes some charcoal, but results in very steady temperatures. I top it with 1/2 chimney of lit charcoal. And I bury some wood chunks in the unlit charcoal.
* For the water pan, I usually fill it roughly 3/4 full with hot water.
* I follow his instructions for setting the vent opening. Fully open for the first 30 minute of the cook then I close the bottom three vents about 30%. Top vent stays open for the entire cook.

That's it. Set it and forget it.

If you are getting upwards of 350 degrees, you probably have too much airflow.

I think the WSM is still the best smoker on the market!

 

[Jim C in Denver]

Michael -- the water pan on the WSM 18 takes up a lot of space. Many of us use less bulky alternatives. Search the threads for the numerous other options.

Many of us don't cook with any water in the pan. Some do use water.

Most of us use briquettes for the WSM, not lump. Packs in tighter due to uniform shape, burns consistently and at a lower temp than lump.

My personal method: K Pro briqs from Costco; flat Firedial diffuser, no water pan, no water; always fill the charcoal ring to full; depending on conditions and the cook, lit coals can be anywhere from 10 coals to a full chimney of lit (about 90 coals); put the lit coals in a depression in the middle of the coal pile; bury the wood in the coal pile.

Last, chicken is a completely different cook than other things you'll do in a WSM. High heat, short cook, low smoke. 6 chunks is a lot for a brisket or a pork butt. Crazy over the top for chicken. Best method for cooking chicken in the WSM is Chris' hot n fast recipe. Which is very different than what you tried. Try it out.

You'll figure it out.

 

[Michael Park]

Have you figure out what works for you?

I bought my 18" WSM in 2007. I got Wiviott's book when it first came out and still refer to it from time to time. It helped me a lot but I've adapted his instructions. Here's what I do:
* I use the Minion method with Kingsford charcoal. I follow Wiviott's instructions and use a full ring of unlit charcoal for every cook instead of trying to adjust the amount of charcoal for shorter cooks. This wastes some charcoal, but results in very steady temperatures. I top it with 1/2 chimney of lit charcoal. And I bury some wood chunks in the unlit charcoal.
* For the water pan, I usually fill it roughly 3/4 full with hot water.
* I follow his instructions for setting the vent opening. Fully open for the first 30 minute of the cook then I close the bottom three vents about 30%. Top vent stays open for the entire cook.

That's it. Set it and forget it.

If you are getting upwards of 350 degrees, you probably have too much airflow.

I think the WSM is still the best smoker on the market!

I'm sorry it took me so long to respond.

I have figured out what works for me. If I'm smoking ribs, I put 1 chimney of unlit Kingsford Blue Bag (KBB) in the charcoal ring. I start 1 chimney of KBB, and I pour the hot coals on top of the unlit coals. This is my standard method of starting my 18" Weber Smokey Mountain.

If I'm smoking pork butt, I put 2 chimneys of unlit KBB in the charcoal ring (this pretty much fills up the ring). I start 1 compact chimney of KBB, and I pour the hot coals on top of the unlit coals. This approximates what most people on this site call the "Minion method."

I like his instructions for setting the vent openings. I went through a period of micro managing the vents, and I think it was a lot of wasted effort. I'm not sure I can taste the difference between BBQ smoked at 200 and 275. If I had to choose, I would choose 275, because I like the crunchy outside, and it doesn't take as long to cook.

I think I was getting 350+, because I was using Royal Oak lump charcoal, and I was cramming the smoker to over filling according to Mr. Wiviott's instructions. I have found Royal Oak to be an inconsistent product that burns very hotly and then fizzles out. Also, Mr. Wiviott's book needs a thorough rewrite for anyone purchasing a brand new WSM.

My personal preference is to avoid the "hot squat." There is no pork butt worth 3rd degree burns on my legs and feet. If I run out of heat from my initial charcoal load, I wrap the meat in aluminum foil and finish it in my oven.

One last criticism: I think Mr. Wiviott focuses too much on rubs, sauces, marinades, and the like. The focus should be on cooking the meat correctly. Everything else is secondary. Pork should taste like pork.