1)K.B. is ok
2)IMO, lit should be on top. I say that because near the end of (my) cooks, the ash tends to clog up the air flow and the temps drop (my lit are ON TOP to start). By having them on the bottom, the "air clog" may start earlier. SOLUTION: Put unlit in first, then put lit on top.
3)Large chimney---IMO somewhat irrelevant although using a full lit chimney the overall coals will light much faster but also will be "used up quicker" because more were lit. You can get up to temp just fine with fewer lit. Although it does take a bit longer to get there, the overall smoke time will be longer.''
4)Cool water in summer, warm/hot in other seasons IMO. If you're going to use water that is. It's only purpose is to help moderate (higher) temperatures in the WSM. IMO does not add moisture to the smoke. And if it does some will argue that it keeps the meat moist. I think once that bark is set, no moisture is going to get through that bark barrier.
5)dome thermo is notoriously inaccurate. Having said that, the variance is usually only about 10o either way. TEST IT! Remove it from the dome and insert the pointy end (not the whole thing) in boiling water. Should read 212o. If not, adjust it's "working reading" by that amount when actually using the WSM. If it reads 202 (10o less than it really is) in boiling water, you know when you're smoking that if you want 225, your thermo needs to read 215o (and in reality it'll really be 225o)..
Bill, Len's answers (as usual) are spot on:
1. Coal Type: Many folks with WAY more experience then me only use KBB. My personal experience is that the ash from KBB can choke the fire but that strictly my opinion and i'm no expert. I prefer stubbs, less ash but to each their own.
2. As Len said unlit on top lights fast as heat rises ans essentially all your coal lights at once and goes out at once. put your unlit in and add lit on top after. That way new coal will be lit slowly by contact with burning coals not by rising heat.
3. I ask chimney size to get an idea of how much coal. most non Weber chimneys are much smaller. 1/4 to 1/2 a chimney of lit or less (for low temps sometimes 15-25 lit) will start your fire
4. Water absorbs heat from coals and releases heat and steam. this will regulate temps somewhat but uses fuel to do so. I prefer to go without water and foil the empty pan. The foiled dry pan still act as a heat deflector and catches drippings. Foil helps clean up to.
5. The Weber Dome thermometers have a bad wrap as being inaccurate. IMO the therms are accurate but the temp at the dome is not the temp at the grate. The 22" WSM is essentially the bowl of a 22" kettle with modified vent and handle position. The lid therm is mounted high on the dome, much higher then the grate, and thus much further away from the heat source so it will read cooler then a grate Thermometer. I recently tested my dome thermometer and my maverick probes in boiling water and they all tested within 2 degrees of 212 and within 2 degrees of each. 24 hours later during a cook my dome temp was 240, 50 degrees cooler then my maverick center mounted on the grate reading 290. My 18" WSM therm reading was usually much closer to the reading of the maverick at the grate but that lid is much smaller so the lid therm is closer to the grate. The lid thermometer isn't the problem, it's placement is.
Best advice regarding temp is to go cook according to your maverick (or other probe therm) but record and track the readings of both the maverick and your dome temp. If you learn that X degrees on the maverick is Y degrees on the dome you can learn what the variation is. That comes in handy if you have a battery or probe issue mid cook with your maverick.
My Final thoughts are a few things i wish i had known sooner when i was starting out:
1. Temp goes up much easier then it goes down. Start with the smallest amount of lit you can to get your temp where you need it to start and catch the temps on the way up. Start shutting down vents BEFORE you reach your target temp and wait for temps to stabilize.
2. If you do make adjustments: make one change at a time and give it time to take effect. if you modify multiple changes at once you will never know whats working and what isnt and your changes often cancel each other out.
3. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE THAT TOOK ME 4 YEARS AND 6 COOKERS TO LEARN.
DONT STRESS IT BBQ as we know it, began centuries before thermometers existed. People used indirect fire to slowly breakdown tough meats without ever knowing the exact temperature. Trying to maintain a perfect temp is an art and takes tons of practice but you will turn out a ton of good food along the way. Don't stress over temperature at first. Fire by nature will go up and down as you cook. I used to spend hours stressing over my maverick furiously adjusting vents and water amounts while i cooked and regardless of how bad I thought it was going, the food always turned out fine. Set your cooker up and let the cooker cook. Some cooks run hot and go faster then planned. Some cooks run cool and take longer. As long as you give your self enough time to properly finish the cook, your food will always come out ok. My only cooks that ever came out poorly were cooks where i let impatience get the best of me and rushed at the end without allowing the meat enough time to break down or rest post cook. "Schedule" your cook to end long before dinner is due and you'll always have the time to cook longer if needed and rest and you'll enjoy your cooks more.
