New WSM - Overcomplicating?


 
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Dan Kelly

New member
Hi all, I just got a WSM 18, and will attempt my first ever smoke this weekend. I see videos etc about "auto-temperature" regulating systems etc. Is this just to make it easier to control temp? Is it really worth the extra money for a noob? Or should I just jump in old-school and give it a go first? Also, suggestions for reliable temperature probe systems that won't break the bank? Also, is starting with a brisket first a bad idea? lol
TIA
 
It’s all a matter of preference. You’ll likely find that your first use or so with the WSM will have you frantcially playing with the vents to achieve your desired temps. The “blowers” are really for a set it-and forget it type of cook, like an overnight or longer cook in some cases. I’ve opted to go old school and do not use such devices. (Just my preference.) After a few uses, the WSM becomes very predictable and easy to use. My only advice is to use the WSM stock a few times and find out if a blower fan, or any other mods, are right for your style.

As a side note - I received my 18.5 WSM this past Christmas and have only upgraded the door. I’m perfectly happy with the way she handles. You might want to consider a thermometer with multiple probes to monitor whatever you have cooking, as well as your grate temps. Merely a suggestion. It will help you with not having to monitor the temps so frequently, and frees up your time for other prep, or doing other things. Thermopro and Thermoworks seem to get a lot of love around here and won’t break the bank. I went with the thermopro TP-25 which came with 4 probes and is bluetooth capable with an app for your phone to monitor. No complaints thus far. Amazon is where I got it.

Don’t forget to post pics of your first cook and let us know how it’s coming along. Most importantly, have fun!
 
Dan Kelly said:
Or should I just jump in old-school and give it a go first?
Click to expand...
Don't buy any gadgets except a good instant-read thermometer. ThermoPop would be my choice for a good quality, affordable thermometer.

Watch my video on this subject:


Dan Kelly said:
Also, is starting with a brisket first a bad idea?
Click to expand...
Yes, a very bad idea. Start with chicken (inexpensive), pork butt (lots of marbling makes it hard to screw up), and pork ribs. You'll spend a lifetime trying to figure out brisket.
 
Too soon to go for an ATC. Learn how the cooker works normally aspirated first.

At some point down the road, you will very likely get a remote probe thermometer. Almost all of us use them for long cooks. When you do that, I'd recommend getting one that could later be used with an ATC fan (if/when you ever get around to that).

I first got an inexpensive ThermoPro TP20. Worked great. But it didn't have an ATC option.

So I then I had to buy a somewhat more expensive Thermoworks Smoke X2 (which was completely duplicative of the TP20) solely because the X2 had the option of adding a Billows ATC fan.

The ATC is a "nice to have", not a gotta have. Some of us use them, some don't.
 
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Dan Kelly said:
Hi all, I just got a WSM 18, and will attempt my first ever smoke this weekend. I see videos etc about "auto-temperature" regulating systems etc. Is this just to make it easier to control temp? Is it really worth the extra money for a noob? Or should I just jump in old-school and give it a go first?
Click to expand...
Congratulations! Automatic Temperature Control systems (ATCs for short) are not a wise investment when you are starting out, unless you are some Wall Street hedge fund 1%er. Learning to operate the WSM manually first will allow you to understand how the ATCs work and what you want from one, if you eventually invest in one.

Dan Kelly said:
Also, suggestions for reliable temperature probe systems that won't break the bank?
Click to expand...
I would recommend 2 different types of thermometers and it is very helpful to have both.

First, an instant read thermometer. Chris suggested the Thermopop by Thermoworks. At $34 it is an excellent choice. For a little more money, Thermoworks makes the gold standard instant read, the Thermapen Mk IV; it's pricey, but the orange color is currently on sale for $69. For a lot less money, many posters in the Gas Grill forum use the ThermoPro TP19H; it's waterproof like the MkIV and $15.99 from Amazon with coupon. (Be sure to check that little box before adding it to your cart.)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XXSYLL8/?tag=tvwb-20

Second, a remote thermometer for the WSM. Many new WSM users (including myself) start out with the Maverick ET-73. It's probably been around for 20 years. It includes one probe that goes into the food and one probe that clips to the grate to monitor the temperature of the pit at grate level (the dome thermometer is grossly inaccurate). It's only $44. You can program high temp and low temp alarms to alert you to problems with the temp of the cooker.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007I5CQ5M/?tag=tvwb-20

Dan Kelly said:
Also, is starting with a brisket first a bad idea?
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It would be like a guy taking up golf and playing his first round of golf at Augusta National.

And if you get any of this stuff from Amazon, start your shopping from the Amazon Shopping link at the top of the page. Chris A. gets a little cut that helps keep the lights on around here.
 
Bradley Mack said:
As a side note - I received my 18.5 WSM this past Christmas and have only upgraded the door. I’m perfectly happy with the way she handles. You might want to consider a thermometer with multiple probes to monitor whatever you have cooking, as well as your grate temps. Merely a suggestion. It will help you with not having to monitor the temps so frequently, and frees up your time for other prep, or doing other things. Thermopro and Thermoworks seem to get a lot of love around here and won’t break the bank. I went with the thermopro TP-25 which came with 4 probes and is bluetooth capable with an app for your phone to monitor. No complaints thus far. Amazon is where I got it.
Click to expand...
I was looking at the door yesterday and didn't seem like a great fit...It looked like it had a lot of space for air, but I'll fire the old girl up and find out. Also, I was looking at that exact model thermopro just to get started here. Glad it's working ok, might go for it tonight. Thanks for the info!
 
J Grotz said:
Congratulations! Automatic Temperature Control systems (ATCs for short) are not a wise investment when you are starting out, unless you are some Wall Street hedge fund 1%er. Learning to operate the WSM manually first will allow you to understand how the ATCs work and what you want from one, if you eventually invest in one.


And if you get any of this stuff from Amazon, start your shopping from the Amazon Shopping link at the top of the page. Chris A. gets a little cut that helps keep the lights on around here.
Click to expand...
Definitely a budget BBQer here so I'm glad to hear it's not really necessary...the whole BBQ landscape is quite intimidating at first lol.
I am going to be using Amazon, so I'd absolutely love it if the "boss man" gets a cut ;)
 
Lots of good advice here. Definitely would suggest a good instant read thermometer and a remote probe thermometer. Thermoworks and Thermopro both put out good stuff. I have both. My preference is Thermoworks but Thermopro hasn’t let me down. Thermopro is easier on the wallet but if you get on Thermoworks mailing list and/or check this site regularly, you can catch some good deals. They will have sales on discontinued colors and open box items. My understanding is that all open box items are tested/checked. I bought my Smoke that way. would not have known it was an open box item.
IMHO I would start with ribs or a pork butt. Shorter cooks will give you a chance to learn your smoker.
 
Dan, I’m a budget bbq guy too. Best advice I could give is to jump in and start cooking. Pork butt is a very forgiving cut of meat and good to learn on. I love my WSM, it’s my favorite cooker, and it’s pretty easy to figure out. I would read the forums here and watch Chris’ videos and read the articles. I learned a lot when I was lurking, saved myself a lot of time and frustration by doing that.

Your smoker will get easier to control as you cook and learn. Once you break it in the temps are pretty easy to manage. I would say don’t worry about temperature changes of 10-20 degrees. You’ll go nuts if you try and keep it exactly a specific temp. I agree that you should get a thermopen and good thermometer system. I have the pen and the Smoke, great products. I’ll set my alarm on the grate probe with a wide range. If intend to cook at 275 I’ll usually set the alarms at 240-310. Then I don’t worry about adjustments unless the temps exceed the limits either way.
 
I don't have, or want a automatic blower thingee, I bet it's cool though, and I don't have a wifi temperture reader for the phone either and that's pretty cool too.what I do is use a thermoworks DOT with two probes, one in the meat and another at the grate, wait ,you say theres only room for one probe at a time with the DOT, yes, you switch probes to whatever one you want to read, and it's a cheap fix.
Don't let the thermometer have you chase the perfect temp either, let it settle in anywhere it likes , 250- 275 is good, 300 won't hurt anything, just don't let it go raging hot and try to back it down... a pork butt is a good starter meat, pretty hard to really screw one of those up...Cheers!
 
Dan Kelly said:
Definitely a budget BBQer here so I'm glad to hear it's not really necessary...the whole BBQ landscape is quite intimidating at first lol.
I am going to be using Amazon, so I'd absolutely love it if the "boss man" gets a cut ;)
Click to expand...
We all love to save a buck! And the $16 Thermopro is great to use in the kitchen as well the bbq. No more guessing about doneness.

And the Maverick was a huge help when I was starting out. Like Tye said, set your alarms for 35 degrees on each side of your target temp. Then you can sleep if it's an overnight cook, or get other stuff done around the house if it's not. I used one for many years before getting an ATC.

It can be intimidating at first, so stick with the easier cooks. As Lew pointed out, Chris has a great page of cooking topics for beginners. I think ribs and pork butts are great cooks to learn on.
 
Learn things using the KISS method then add things
Keep
It
Simple
Sport
I did maybe half a dozen pork butts before I did a brisket, I have no attachments aside from the remote thermometer and instant read thermometers which are all fully independent. A buddy of mine has used an ATC but, found he was getting complacent and missed the “intimacy” of tweaking things from time to time.
Now that he’s a bit older, he just ordered a SmokeFire! Go figure.
Your experience will come with time, be patient, cook a lot and you will be rewarded.
Welcome to the fun of WSM cooking, you will never look back!
 
Dan,
There is a lot of great info on this thread, but did you see this.

tvwbb.com

18% off at https://www.thermoworks.com/

https://www.thermoworks.com?tw=VWB&chan=TVWBB Looks like a sitewide sale, 18% off
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com

18% store wide at thermoworks today!!! If I was in your shoes I would be getting at least a thermopop today!!! I have the green termopop and love it!!! I would love a thermopen Mark 4, but just didn't want to put out that much money and I could not be happier with my thermopop. I have a wo probe unit from thermopro, I like it a lot, but I would love to get a thermoworks smoke to replace it (but is 3 times the price). If you want to go best budget options, which is what I did, I highly recommend the thermopop and the thermoPro TP08S.

www.thermoworks.com

ThermoPop® 2

Specializing in cool, unique and professional temperature tools. Super-Fast thermocouples, thermistors, infrared thermometers, data logging and more.
www.thermoworks.com www.thermoworks.com

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014DAVHSQ/?tag=tvwb-20

I would not want to bbq without this two tools. The two probe system really allows me to enjoy the bbqing experience and not become a nervous wreck wanting to run out and check the temp of the smoker every 10 (or 2) mins. Instead when I start to get nervous while doing something else I can just look at the receiver know everything is OK and keep on the rest of my daily activities. The thermopop is used on every cook from hot and fast to low and slow. Low and slow meats are done when they are probe tender. While I need my probe to know when that is... right? I use the thermopro to keep progress of the cook and when it gets close to done, I use the termopop to test temps and doneness at the end.
 
store-us.meater.com

MEATER Plus

MEATER Plus is 100% wire-free, allowing you to cook with complete freedom and flexibility. With its innovative technology, the Long Range Model is the world's first truly wireless meat thermometer. You can easily monitor your cooking progress using the free app, which is available for both iOS...
store-us.meater.com store-us.meater.com

I'm using a Meater Plus for monitoring temps and it works well. Nice because it also monitors the ambient air temp inside the cooker. The app can set notifications (alarms) for both high and low temp points. Easy to use with the WSM because there are no wires to mess with.
 
I also have the thermopop and it works well. They have a new out now called the Dash which is claimed to be more accurate for about the same price as the thermopop. I also have the smoke and it's great. I actually want another one for when I use both racks.
 
IMG_1864.jpgIMG_1865.jpgIMG_1866.jpgIMG_1870.jpg

Started smokin' at 7 AM, the WSM18 held 275 consistently all day (minion method), I was so pleased with how she handled. Very little fussing required, and I am a total noob.
Pics taken at 3 hours in, and then 5 hours in before wrapping.
Couldn't be happier with the result, so happy the fam didn't even give me time to snap a smoke ring or after pic LOL.
Two 8.25 pound butts cooked at 275 for ~8 hours and rested in cooler for additional 2 hours. So tender and delicious!
Thanks to this forum for making it easy!!
 
Dan, that looks great!! My family can put the pulled pork away too - it’s one of our favorites.
 
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