Newbie, And I Mean NEWBIE With Some Questions...


 
There isn't much to add to all of the above, but when has that ever stopped me? Seriously, in your position I would get a good instant-read meat thermometer (I have the Thermopop from Thermaworks and highly recommend it), a good two-probe digital thermometer to monitor cooking temperature and meat temperature, and a wide, sturdy spatula that is big and solid enough to let you lift a pork butt off the grate. I would also suggest that you read up on the various ways of cooking without water, pick the one that seems best to you, and do it. Eliminating water in the pan makes cooking simpler and far less messy. Last, but not least, monitor your cooking temperature but don't try to micromanage it. If you're trying to cook at 250 and the temperature goes up to 265, no big deal. Just watch it closely, and if you decide to adjust the vents, make small adjustments and give them time to take effect. The WSM will hold a steady temperature very well, so long as user-introduced oscillations are kept to a minimum. :)
 
Welcome.

The only important addition to a WSM, in my honest opinion, is a 2 probe thermometer (one for meat, one for grate). If you have that you are 3/4 ahead of the pack right there; instantly. So the CyberQ should cover that (I use the Thermoworks Smoke). Everything else is really just arbitrary.

So I have two 18 WSM's. One has the CB door/latch upgrade. The other is stock. They both cook incredibly well. I may upgrade the second one to a CB door because the fit is so much better. Some guys get obsessed about sealing it up, airtight, etc. You don't need to. I have used water in the pan, no water in the pan, and no pan at all. They all have their merits.

I will echo Chris's advice and cook on it, as-is, out of the box. See what you think. Try 2 bone-in pork butts and have fun with it (its as easy to cook two as it is one...might as well have leftovers). Oh, and once you figure out how little you have to play with the vents, the cooking days become much more enjoyable.

Good luck!

Mike
 
I agree with you Mike, it's a ball to use. Dive in, and see what YOU think you need after the basics (chimney, gloves, pit/meat thermometer, healthy appetite) pretty much everything aside from heat and meat is at the owners discretion and only you will be able to make the final choices. Take your time. I second the two butts at a time thing but, rarely do it. I will doubtless change my mind when i finally get my freezer! It doesn't take that much more time to do two, get smoking!
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
I second the two butts at a time thing but, rarely do it. I will doubtless change my mind when i finally get my freezer! It doesn't take that much more time to do two, get smoking!
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More than once I've done four butts at once. I figure I might as well maximize the output of the 12-14 hours it's going to take regardless of whether I'm doing one or four. Vacuum packed in the freezer it will keep for a year or more.
 
Fine, now I'm going to need a bigger freezer than my wife thinks we should have AND a vacuum set up! It might be time to move to new digs with a second outbuilding! You're killin' me!
 
Getting a bit off topic, though a vacuum sealer could be considered essential BBQ equipment. I have a Waring Vacuum Sealer that's a bit different than most of the ones on the market. It uses special bags with a one-way valve. They're like very heavy duty Zip-Loc bags with a red button on the side. The sealer is a battery powered, pistol-grip pump with a suction cup on the front. You seal up the bag, put the suction cup on the red button, and pull the trigger. It sucks all the air out of the bag. The thing is that while the bags and pump are designed to work together, there's nothing to keep you from using any pump that will seal around the red button. I've not tried them together but I'm almost certain the Pump-N-Seal, which is way cheaper than the Waring Vacuum Sealer, will also work with these bags.

I really like the bags because with a little forethought you can re-use them many times. Anything that isn't already dry I first put in a regular Zip-Loc and stick in the freezer. Once it's frozen so there are no juices to contend with, I open the Zip-Loc, stick it in one of the vacuum bags, and then vacuum seal it. I always (try to remember to) take the food out of the vacuum bag when it's still frozen. This makes cleaning the bags a lot easier.

Where this system really shines is with moisture sensitive items in the kitchen, like brown sugar. The brown sugar stays perfectly fresh when vacuum packed, and it's easy to close up the bag and reseal it when I'm done. Buying three pounds of brown sugar is no longer a guaranteed way to waste two pounds of brown sugar.

The bags can also be used in boiling water. That's actually one of the primary uses for the system. So if you don't mind a bit more of a mess cleaning up the bags (or don't care about re-using them) you can drop your vacuum packed, frozen pulled pork in boiling water and have nicely moist, reheated pulled pork in short order.

The Waring Vacuum Sealer and the bags are available on Amazon.
 
Double bag with the original ziploc bag un sealed? Use it like a liner?
I have always simply put the brown sugar bag inside a ziploc bag and not wasted any in ten years. I'm now on my second ziploc for that.
 
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The purpose of the original Ziploc is for the initial freezing and then, as you say, as a liner or protective layer to keep the food from contact with the vacuum bag. It's just to make cleaning the bag easier later on.

As to the brown sugar, all I know is prior to using the vacuum bag I was frequently needing to scrape bits of sugar off a hardened lump or softening it in the microwave. Since using the vacuum bag the sugar is always just like I opened a bag fresh from the grocery store. It works so I'm sticking with it. I do the same with a lot of other infrequently used non-refrigerated food items. Chocolate chips stay fresh for ages when vacuum packed. It makes it worthwhile buying the giant economy sized bag at Costco.
 
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