Nothing better than a new 18.5 WSM...


 
Eric, congrats, and I know you're thankful for a dad like that.
icon_smile.gif


I've done great ribs on both my kettle and my wsm, but you'll really love that wsm for butts and briskets...and don't be afraid to smoke decent sized briskets, either! Roll 'em, fold 'em, doesn't really matter, but there's usually a way to get up to 15 lb briskets on the 18.5" wsm. Most of the time you can easily sqeeze 10-13lb packers between the top grate handles like my last one. It was a 13 lb. choice packer and it turned out FANTASTIC, water in the pan, cooked overnight for about 12 hours, roughly 250* measured at the dome vent, and no foil til a LONG rest.

Good luck with it!
wsmsmile8gm.gif
 
Thanks dave the ribs turned out great. There was a method to my madness behind doing babybacks first. I have read that on the first smoke it's tough to keep the temps down till it's seasoned. I have read Kevin Kruger's theory on doing babybacks at high heat since the fat content is low. He is dead on. I have fought with my Performer to keep it low on previous rib attempts and they all just came out "ok". I pulled the the ribs to foil them and saw the had pulled back quite a bit. Did the tear test, double checked with a thermometer and they were at 190. I told Sarah I was afraid I did them too high and was skipping the foil. I glazed them for another 10 minutes then rested. Best ribs I have done so far. Kind of ironic but I am one happy camper (smoker). If she thought I was nuts before with my 2 Performers she is in for a surprise. Can't wait to do a butt on Saturday then lamb shanks for Easter.Probably attack brisket after Easter. Yep, life is good.

http://i853.photobucket.com/al...loads/0417112111.jpg
 
BB's were a great first cook, Eric, and glad they turned out for ya! You sayin' you cooked 'em SLOWER on your kettle on previous cooks and they didn't turn out as well? I find that the wsm has more moisture in the cooker than the kettle, ESPECIALLY if using water. This translates more to the texture of the bark, and if foiling, I might not use water, but if not, I always use water and find the meat seems to be not so quick to dry out, at least on the outside...all things equal if you don't overcook. See what works for you and don't just take anybody's word for it regarding the pan.

Sorry if ya thought I was suggesting starting with a brisket. Maybe getting a little ahead of ya, or myself, but so many guys think they need a bigger smoker to do decent size briskets so I guess I was encouraging you not to be the next guy that posts about his four pound partial flat never getting tender and drying out.
 
No worries Dave, I was just saying that the reason I did babybacks first because I was afraid I may not be able to keep the temps low till it was seasoned. I did not use water, I am going to experiment without using water for now and see how it goes. Kevin's technique for doing babybacks at higher heat worked like a charm, if it aint broke don't fix it. The ribs turned out awesome. Doing lamb shanks for Easter then I am going to do a brisket, need to do some homework on recipe and technique. Thanks for the input, love that about this site.

Eric
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top