My first wsm cook, I definately need some practice!

[DavidD]

Just a quick note on the results of my first cook with the new wsm...I didn't do so well. The butts, both 5lb smithfields from walmart, were put on at 8:10am after sitting at room temp for 1.5 hrs. They finished at 5:45pm with an internal temp of 194 after wrapping in aluminum and putting in the weber gasser at 350 degrees for 1 hr. Butts went from 168 to 190 very quickly (i ran out of time).

The bottom line is, I had a terrible time managing the heat. It wasn't the wsm's fault, it was my inexperience with it and my inexperience with RO Lump. I had pieces that were 10 inches long and many so small they were falling thru the cracks. I never had a good consistent fire to work with. Temps were up and down all day. It is probably easier for a newbie like me to use briquets to start with.

The butts had a great smoke flavor, terrific smoke ring, better results than ever before, but the butts were tough. I realize i rushed the process from 168 to 190, the most important in breaking down the cologen and tenderizing the meat, so the results aren't surprising, but disappointing nonetheless.

 

[JimK]

Sounds like you learned a thing or two, and that's what is important. I'm still pretty new to all of this and am just starting to transition to lump. But I still use a combo of K and lump. It's my security blanket.

Temps on my first few cooks were all over the place. I kept tinkering with the vents and peeking. I've learned to not do that.

 

[Larry D.]

A few of suggestions for using lump. First, to deal with the smallest pieces, you can get a second charcoal grate and lay it on top of the first one, at right angles, so you have little square openings instead of long rectangular ones. That will help with the small pieces falling through. (The cooking grate from a Brinkmann Gourmet smoker can be used instead of a second charcoal grate, if you happen to have one lying around like I did.) Second, there's no reason you can't break those large pieces into a more manageable size. (That's the great thing about lump - it's the same all the way through.) Third, for a more consistent burn, pack the lump in pretty tightly when you load the charcoal ring, so you don't have a lot of holes in the pile. This will let the fire progress at a more even rate. Briquettes, being small and consistently shaped, naturally pack together well, but with lump you have to work at it a little bit. I pour a full ring of lump, then push and "jiggle" it to create a hole at one side, big enough to pour the lit charcoal into. This compacts the lump. Plus, by always setting up the fire the same way, every cook (whether it's going to be 12+ hours for butts, or ribs, or whatever) I think I get a much more predictable fire - I know how it's going to behave, and I don't get a lot of peaks and valleys in the temperature.

Finally, keep cooking. You'll be surprised how quickly you get past the early learning period, and start turning out great bbq.