My first ever smoker - 22.5 WSM just showed up today!

[Dave M..]

I have been lurking for a while and researching various options, and finally decided on a 22.5 WSM. I ordered the cajun bandit door, a Weber chimney, and the cyber-q wifi setup. I plan to do the grommet mod that many have done here to pass the wires through the light fixture threads. Shouldn't be too hard to source that, being that I work at a lighting manufacturer Instead of a pipe cap, I'm going to look for the most ridiculous one in our catalog for humor's sake..maybe some crystal would look good haha.

I've searched but perhaps in the wrong place, but what's the consensus on break in/seasoning the smoker? I understand it has a porcelain coating and does not have a chemical burn off, but what about the taste of the food etc...any recommendations welcomed.

Is there a preferred type or brand of heat resistant gloves for bbq'ing? Any other tools I should acquire?

I can't wait to put this thing together and fire it up! I'm trying to hold myself back though as i'm still waiting on some parts (just have the cooker and chimney at this point), and want to install at least the grommet etc before I dirty it up was my thought.

Appreciate any thoughts or tips!

Dave

 

[Carlos Gregory]

Hi Dave,

These gloves are great ....gonna need some when removing a pork butt or brisket

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007ZGURK/?tag=TVWB-20


As far as breaking in your grill ...it will run hot the first 2-3 cooks so I recommend smoking something that will not be drastically affected by a higher temp like pork butts or ribs. Don't go the brisket route until it is well broken in. Youtube is the best resource and I recommend you watch many videos !

 

[Chad Bman]

I just wrote/posted this on another thread.

I use a clay flower pot base (wrapped in aluminum foil) sitting inside the foil wrapped water bowl with more foil on top that gets thrown away after cooking.
I tried water, for chicken then ribs, and never again. Temp control is fine without water.

I'm still fairly new at this, but here's a few tips I'd give to anyone just starting.

Fill the charcoal ring with your choice of charcoal. You'll be looking at an 10-12 hour smoke for the pork butt and don't wanna run out.
Use less lit charcoal than you think. Even now, I have to force myself to stop at 12-15 lit briquets.
Wait 30 minutes after making a damper adjustment before gauging your temp reading. A little adjustment goes a long way.
The temps will rise-n-fall, let it do it's thing.

If you wanna kick it up a notch, toss a disposable aluminum foil pan full of store bought baked beans under the pork butt for the final couple of hours. You'll be glad you did.

Most importantly, have fun.

 

[Dave M..]

Hi Dave,

These gloves are great ....gonna need some when removing a pork butt or brisket

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007ZGURK/?tag=TVWB-20


As far as breaking in your grill ...it will run hot the first 2-3 cooks so I recommend smoking something that will not be drastically affected by a higher temp like pork butts or ribs. Don't go the brisket route until it is well broken in. Youtube is the best resource and I recommend you watch many videos !

Thanks for the link and the great advice. I have watched some videos and tried to read as much on the forums as I can...my gf has absolutely had it..it's so funny..she's like enough with this smoker talk! I'm sure she will change her tune when we get to the results stage

 

[Dave M..]

I just wrote/posted this on another thread.

I use a clay flower pot base (wrapped in aluminum foil) sitting inside the foil wrapped water bowl with more foil on top that gets thrown away after cooking.
I tried water, for chicken then ribs, and never again. Temp control is fine without water.

I'm still fairly new at this, but here's a few tips I'd give to anyone just starting.

Fill the charcoal ring with your choice of charcoal. You'll be looking at an 10-12 hour smoke for the pork butt and don't wanna run out.
Use less lit charcoal than you think. Even now, I have to force myself to stop at 12-15 lit briquets.
Wait 30 minutes after making a damper adjustment before gauging your temp reading. A little adjustment goes a long way.
The temps will rise-n-fall, let it do it's thing.

If you wanna kick it up a notch, toss a disposable aluminum foil pan full of store bought baked beans under the pork butt for the final couple of hours. You'll be glad you did.

Most importantly, have fun.

Chad, thanks for all the great tips! Is there a certain size or type of clay flower pot base that I should look for at lowes/hd? Is terra cotta the same as 'clay' ?

Great info on the number of briquettes to put in the chimney..wasn't quite sure on that one. Are most folks who are minion'ing dumping it in the middle or spreading out the lit coals? Sounds like a good method with all the layers of foil, able to keep things a bit cleaner.

 

[Dave M..]

What are most people using the gloves for? I was expecting something more like hot pad holder gloves and then when I saw the link they were shiny/the guy was handling the food with them. When will I need them most?

Are there other essential tools I need?

 

[Bob Mann]

I got a pair of welder's gloves at the HD, they work great.

I also use a foiled clay flower pot base in the foiled water pan. It works better and clean up is much easier.

Good luck,

Bob

 

[Chad Bman]

Is there a certain size or type of clay flower pot base that I should look for at lowes/hd? Is terra cotta the same as 'clay' ?

For my 22.5" WSM, I used this guy from Home Depot
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/202564...toreId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=202564048#.UT-xcjC0KSo

Great info on the number of briquettes to put in the chimney..wasn't quite sure on that one. Are most folks who are minion'ing dumping it in the middle or spreading out the lit coals?

I've been dumping the coals into the middle. (where I left a little crater after filling with regular charcoal)
There's the tin can method also. Take a decent sized can (think 40oz broth can) and cut both ends off. Put can in center of WSM and fill charcoal all around. Dump lit coal into can and *carefully* remove with pliers or tongs.

Sounds like a good method with all the layers of foil, able to keep things a bit cleaner.

Amazingly simple to clean up. Ball up the foil and toss in trash. I used water once and that was enough to cure me...

What are most people using the gloves for? I was expecting something more like hot pad holder gloves and then when I saw the link they were shiny/the guy was handling the food with them. When will I need them most?

I have gloves like Bob does. But being able to grab a 9 pound pork butt off the smoker and pull it apart might be easier than using tongs/flipper/forks/etc.

Are there other essential tools I need?

A small folding table or something of the nature would be very handy. Gotta have a place to set things down during the transfer to/from.
Other tools will come, with time. A few trips to Bed Bath & Beyond before/after a few smoking sessions are in store. Once you start making your own rubs & sauces, you'll figure out what you need. (or would like to have) Get a few cooks in, and you'll NEVER look at BBQ in a restaurant the same way again. In fact, a lot of threads in here right near Valentines Day were about making dinner at home --- wife's request!

 

[Dave M..]

Great advice Bob and Chad, thank you. I picked up some charcoal last night and am going to assemble and do a foodless trial run this afternoon if I can find time. It sounds like I need some food handling gloves as well as some grill gloves/welder gloves.
When all is done is there a tool that's needed to clean the smoker out of ash/charcoal like a certain size shovel or anything like that?

Does anything drip/drop from the bottom of the smoker that would damage the brick patio surface/can I put it on a rubber welcome mat of sorts?

Thanks for humoring all my newbie questions!

 

[Miguel M]

Occasionally, I get some stuff that drips out of my 18.5". For that reason, I use an oil drip pan (the type you place under a car), to catch anything.

 

[Dave M..]

Thanks..I'm going to use an outdoor rubber mat underneath. I just lit my first ever chimney, it's just getting fired up on the grates of our gas grill, exciting.

When you guys use a foiled clay saucer, are you using that instead of the water pan or in addition to the water pan? Just setting it on top? I assume since many do this that it does not interfere with the bottom grate, but perhaps I'm not properly visualizing it.

 

[Tom L]

What are most people using the gloves for? I was expecting something more like hot pad holder gloves and then when I saw the link they were shiny/the guy was handling the food with them. When will I need them most?

Are there other essential tools I need?

Those gloves are good for handling food not on a pan. Breaking hot pork pieces into little chunks, transferring stuff off or on the smoker. Grabbing meat to wrap it in foil, pulling foil wrapped meat on or off the smoker. Putting foil wrapped food into a cooler to hold it.

I generally use welder gloves to handle the metal and those shiny gloves to handle the food. Once welder gloves get a little juice or water on them, they lose almost all of their heat shielding properties until they dry.

Other tools? Good thermometers, food rated buckets to brine in, a water proof container to keep any electronics in (stoker, bbq guru, etc), a good outdoor table to work on and some sharp knives.

At Home Depot or Lowes, you can pick up a hot water heater drain basin to put under your smoker. I use it to keep anything from falling on my patio. Do a few smokes and you will know what you need since everyone is different. Also pick up a wide thing of foil at a big box store (Costco, BJs), you will need it for foiling the water pan and the food. I don't use a clay saucer, I just double foil my water pan and throw all the foil away after the smoke.

 

[Dave M..]

Thanks Tom - great suggestions. Does everyone discard/refoil their water pan and clay (if you use one) for each smoke? I did pick up a couple rolls of foil already.

Are there any go-to containers for cyberq's that fit well that anyone's aware of?

Great idea on the hot water drain basin. Also never would have thought of food rated buckets to brine in..what type of local stores typically have those?

 

[Tom L]

I use a small cooler to store all my electronics in. Cheap and while it's not totally waterproof, it's good enough with a towel in the bottom to keep your digitals happy if a quick sprinkle should pop up. Food buckets can be found at any restaurant. Usually I have a 1.5 or 2 gallon version to brine chicken in and almost everything else just gets rub.

The foil gets messy so refoil is required. A quick tip, when foiling the water pan, ball up a piece of foil first and put it in the pan. You do not want the foil to touch the bottom of the water pan otherwise the grease dripping down will get too hot and cause trouble (nasty smoke or fire).

 

[Chad Bman]

When all is done is there a tool that's needed to clean the smoker out of ash/charcoal like a certain size shovel or anything like that?

I have a galvanized bucket I dump the ashes into. (the following day so they're cool)
Personally, I'd avoid the shovel idea to keep from chipping the porcelain coating on the bowl.

Does anything drip/drop from the bottom of the smoker that would damage the brick patio surface/can I put it on a rubber welcome mat of sorts?

I kinda asked that same question a while ago also. With my 22" I haven't had anything come out of the vents. Might be the larger size where things don't get stuffed in there like the 18" does. (think 3 racks of ribs laying flat) I have my WSM on a stamped & colored concrete patio and likewise was worried drips. It's the transfer of food to/from the smoker you gotta watch out for.

When you guys use a foiled clay saucer, are you using that instead of the water pan or in addition to the water pan? Just setting it on top? I assume since many do this that it does not interfere with the bottom grate, but perhaps I'm not properly visualizing it.

I have my water pan foiled, both sides, with the (foiled both sides) clay saucer sitting inside the water bowl. It's shallow enough & fits deep enough into the bowl it doesn't stick up higher than the bowl itself. So no, zero issues with the bottom shelf.

Does everyone discard/refoil their water pan and clay (if you use one) for each smoke?

When I first started foiling everything, I was peeling back foil that was gooey with grease and leaving the clean stuff. Since the clay saucer doesn't cleanup easy like the water pan, he got double wrapped. Since 18" foil doesn't cover in one shot, I was using twice as much foil going in a + pattern to cover everything. Since then, I bought a roll of 24" foil from Ebay. Now, the water pan & saucer stay in the smoker and I take a 2' X 2' piece of foil and make the top layer over everything. That's the piece that gets tossed after each cook.

 

[Dave M..]

Thanks! Seriously, you guys are awesome! The learning curve is dramatically shortened with this site.

Is there an environmentally conscious way to dispose of ash? I have a big yard with woods in the back...am I killing flipper if I just dump the ash in the woods/should I throw it in the actual trash, or does it matter? I've asked the same question on a different forum a few years ago with used fryer oil and never really got an answer...hopefully someone here knows the dilly with charcoal. Good call on the shovel avoidance for the ashes so as not to ding the paint Chad. I hadn't fully visualized the process I think at the time I asked..it seems easy enough to pick up the base and dump it I would assume. A plastic shovel or dust/ice scoop might work well though if it's heavy.

Good idea on the foil. I'm not sure if mine is 18 or not, definitely the larger size at the store...they even have a variant called Grill that's supposedly a non-stick...might be good for foiling meats..I can't recall who but another beginner on this board recently had the top of his ribs pull off as they were stuck to the foil...sounds totally like something that would happen to me! I'll look for 24". I have also read of people foiling the water pan/clay, and then also putting a disposable foil oven pan on top of that to catch most/throw away. That might help in avoiding removing as much foil perhaps..?

Thanks again guys, this advice is so helpful. I can't wait to do my first cook! I've been obsessing, watching old episodes (new to me) of bbq pitmasters on Netflix...wow..the older seasons are a lot more colorful than the current season or what they play on live tv...Myron is a little less polished..its hilarious! It is pretty cool seeing the California boys cook on bullets against the monster smoker rigs though!!

 

[David]

Lots of good advice in the preceeding comments. I'll offer a few:
1. I dump my ashes in the back corner of my lot where there are just hedges. I don't see or know of any problems with ash.
2. With a 22.5 I would put side handles on the unit to help lift off and on.
3. Extra charcoal grate with handles to lift it out.
4. Wheels if you move it around much.
5. Some type of lid hanger.
6. I also do the clay pot and don't even know where my water bowl is as the pot hands in its place, and yes, plenty of foil. If not using the lower grate, I put an alum. pan there, also foiled, with a piece of loose foil on top of that.

Search the mod section and plan out what you might wish to do. I've done them all and no regrets with any of them. I even added a side table attached to the mid section..............................d

 

[Chad Bman]

If ashes dumped int he woods is killing flipper, then there's a lot of guys on here killing flipper. Ashes, I'd say is right mighty fine. Used cooking oil? I wouldn't dump that near the house as I wouldn't want to attract vermin. Doubt any rats are interested in my charcoal ash. If I'm balling up greasy aluminum foil & tossing it into a trash bag, I've also dumped the ashes into the same bag to save some steps.

If you're only cooking on the top rack, adding a disposable foil pan on the lower rack will help contain a lot of mess. Especially if you're doing a single pork butt. Doesn't work as well with 3 racks of ribs. But, it's just clean up. Pretty easy even if you do make a mess.

6. I also do the clay pot and don't even know where my water bowl is as the pot hands in its place

For a 22"? What size clay saucer are you using and where did you get it? Curious is all...

 

[Dave M..]

What is the feeling about cooking meat directly on the grates versus in foil pans? Just in browsing Myron's book I notice that in many cases he is smoking in pans. What are the rationales on both sides of that fence? Obviously it would be a lot cleaner to cook in a pan..

 

[Chad Bman]

Meatloaf & beans have been the only things I've put in pans (on the WSM)

What meats are you more specifically referring to?