NoOb question of the day.


 
M

MSeed

New member
OK so I am totally new to the charcoal and smoking concept. Though not new to Bbqimg as i have a Genisis grill and am in my opinion quite competent in that field. That being said I have researched for about 12 months and bought a WSMG 18.5 and a variety of accessories. Blah blah blah.

Here is my question:

I'm confused by the whole Water vs No water bit and should I be foil wrapping something in my smoker? Not the meat but the bowl or something.

Yup definitely a NoOb question (s) thank you for answering assumingly after rolling your eyes lol
 
Welcome and congrats on your new WSM. The WSM requires a stable pit temp, be it low temp (200/225) or high temp (350+) you get the steady temp by learning how to throttle your WSM. The throttle are the vents on the charcoal bowl. Wide open will get you high heat, closed up, will get you low heat. My suggestion would be to simply put a sheet of foil over the top of you water bowl, load up the charcoal basket and dump maybe a dozen fully lit charcoal onto the charcoal in the basket. Assemble the unit up and when the temp hits 200 degrees, close the bottom vents halfway each. Put slab or two of ribs on, and try and hold 225 degrees. If you get too hot, slightly close the bottom vents (little moves) If you're successful at holding low temp (225 degrees) your ribs will be done in about five hour but it can take six. If you're not successful at holding 225, and hit 275 and such, your ribs will be done in 3.5 to 4 hours (you tooth pick them for tenderness to determine if done)

Don't over think it, just concentrate on maintaining a consistent temp. That's the key to your WSM, consistency. Oh and one other thing....HAVE FUN!!!

Good luck, report back
 
Mseed welcome to the forum and enjoy you 18 WSM.
You bought the most steady among the WSM.
You need some termal mass in the WSM but IMO not water.
 
I really appreciate all the advise. It's been way to cold up here in Saskatchewan for a test run. And my Smoker is just sitting there on my deck like a puppy wanting to come in from the cold..... ha ha
 
Some thoughts on water vs no water: The WSM was designed to be used with water in the bowl. Because the boiling point of water is around 212 F it helps keep the temperature in the range that many people like. It takes a lot of heat to boil water, though, so using water in the pan will use more fuel. You might need to add fuel to complete a long cook. When you are done you have to dispose of the greasy water somehow.

Many people prefer to not use water. I just foil the pan like ChuckO suggests. You can still control the temperature just fine by manipulating the bottom vents. The adjustments are touchier without water but it's completely manageable. Less fuel needed, and easier clean up.

Each approach has it's proponents. Try and decide for yourself.
 
I also just foil the water pan but I also started with water and I think its a pretty good idea to get the hang of temperature control.
 
I've never used water in my WSM or Mini I just foil the water pan if doing L&S or take it out for HH cooks. It takes a few cooks for the WSM to gunk up and settle down so don't get discouraged the first few cooks you might have to "chase" the temps around a little. Make your adjustments slowly with your bottom vents.
What I do is if I'm going to run say 225-230 I star shutting the vents at 200, Its better to catch it going up than trying to get it to cool off if you over shoot.
Good Luck and welcome to the forum.
 
INITIALLY - I would start with water in the pan / line the pan with foil to make cleanup easier. (I still use water in mine - that's how it was designed by people who know way more than me, but it was probably a feature to "noob-proof" the WSM, so I acknowledge that after a while, it becomes optional.)

When I started - I went to the Gary Wiviott "12-Step" program route (mostly), and I felt that it gave me confidence and taught me how to control the temperature / cook-time, starting with more forgiving dishes and moving on to more difficult stuff in an orderly progression. Look it up! You might find it fun / a good resource (or not)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top