Potential WSM 18.5 owner: ???? re : water bowl????


 
S

Steve B from NY

New member
Hi

I am new to the forum, but have the WSM 18.5 bug, I think I need one.

My only smoker is a Chargriller Smokin Pro with Side Fire Box, a very nice set-up, no doubt, but it needs a lot of attention....

So I staterd looking into vertical smokers...was going to buy a Brinkman because of the price, but then I did research here and I know it is worth waiting either to save up or wait for a good Craigslist deal

BUT HERE IS MY QUESTION:

I look at the online WEBER instruction book for the 18.5 WSM, and I can not for the life of me understand where the water bowl goes?

Does it just sit right on top of the hot coals in that ring?

Or is there a bracket that holds it up?


Speaking of brackets, why do the 4 four brackets that bolt to the walls of the WSM have the differnet " lips, " if you will, on them? are they designed to hold additional grates of different diameters?
 
Yes, the brackets hold the water bowl, and the two grates. The top food grate has handles and the bottom food grate does not.

Save up or wait for a good CL deal, but get a WSM!!!
 
I can't resist this one. If your name is Bobby Flayk (or aspire to be just like him), then the water bowl sits directly on top of the coals.

For the rest of us who aren't internationally famous mega-weenies, the bowl rests on the bottom lip of the bracket and the lower cooking grate sits on the top lip.

You're right to forget about the Brinkman. It's a false economy. I've wound up with several of them over the years and it was always a happy day when each finally collapsed under the weight of its own useless, rusted carcass.

HTH
 
Originally posted by Ken Nelson:
I can't resist this one. If your name is Bobby Flayk (or aspire to be just like him), then the water bowl sits directly on top of the coals.

For the rest of us who aren't internationally famous mega-weenies, the bowl rests on the bottom lip of the bracket and the lower cooking grate sits on the top lip.
Click to expand...

Internationally famous mega-weenie is probably the best description I have ever heard of Mr. Flay(k). Good stuff!
icon_biggrin.gif
 
I also had a chargriller smok'n pro w/sfb, sold it to offset the cost of the WSM. The CG is a really good grill, I still have one for just that purpose but as a smoker it does take to much attending. heck of a rib cooker though.
 
Thanks everybody...picked up a WSM 18 at homies

did some ribs right off the bat, tried to use MM, but but I had trouble getting the smoker above 210???


what the hell did i do wrong?

the ribs were okay , too much smoke ( i added wood to get the temp up) and not as tender as I hoped they would be, but okay for fisrt try
 
Originally posted by Steve B from NY:
Thanks everybody...picked up a WSM 18 at homies

did some ribs right off the bat, tried to use MM, but but I had trouble getting the smoker above 210???


what the hell did i do wrong?

the ribs were okay , too much smoke ( i added wood to get the temp up) and not as tender as I hoped they would be, but okay for fisrt try
Click to expand...

The MM is a breeze. Always start with HOT water in the pan though and realize that the gauge is suspect until you check it in boiling water. You don't even need a wrench since it has a wingnut, but realize that the gauge isn't the BEST way to track actual cooking temps, even IF accurate. It'll read low for the first part of a cook since the cool meat affects the dome temp, but in great bbq weather with direct sunlight the gauge can read HIGHER than the grate for the latter part of the cook. Personally, I prefer to clip my probe to the BOTTOM of the top grate, but not under meat or in the outer hot zone. If the grate's too full I'll simply hang my probe in the vent, since it's in the "stream of circulation".

As to what you did wrong though, adding wood to get the temp up is the obvious offense. You should refuel with lump or charcoal to get temps up if the vents won't do it. Like I said though, also start off with hot water. I'd suggest one tea kettle of boiling and one gallon jug of hot tap water. My jug had apple juice in it and I poked holes in the handle to make it pour quicker.

I suspect though that you were cooking hotter than the gauge indicated and you oversmoked, but undercooked the ribs. Just a hunch, but that would explain why they weren't tender. Don't be discouraged though. When we quit learning things get old.
 
Thanks Dave,

I have some experience smoking from my Chargriller with firebox, but this vertical smoker is new to me.

I added HOT tap water probably 3 or so tea kettles full. When I added the wood, I also added about half a chimney of hot kingsford briqutes, the wood was going too when added.

The ribs were definetely oversmoked, and undercooked,

I had waited a good hour before puttingthe ribss in, It seemed to be holding sateady at 220 or so before and afetr the ribs went in. Then I removed the cover for some stupid reason, and the temp dropped and I could never really get it back up where it had been.

I think next time I will not use as much water in the pan.

I have heard of other people who use sand or clay in the water pan. Why?
 
Steve, the Minion method is to simply light the top of your charcoal and load the meat, letting the temp come up from there. If you use water in the pan, it's slower and more difficult to reach a target cooking temp and also, folks don't like the water pan mess after the cook.

There's different ideas on when to put the wood on, but check out the link below for that and really good info regarding the Minion method and different water pan options. I prefer water in the pan for most cooks but try just foiling it if you want to, which is what you'll want to do for higher temp cooks. I've used a clay pot base a couple of times just to see what all the fuss was about, and although it helps to even out temps, it can make vent adjustments frustrating. I've read accounts of folks filling the pan with sand but if the cooker ever gets too hot you're screwed. I cook low-n-slow over 90% of the time and start with almost a full gallon jug of hot tap, followed by a boiling tea kettle of almost as much. I get things going quicker by lighting in three spots with a propane weed-burning torch, but it's not necessary. (I put my wood on in the three "unlit" zones so they'll start smoking slower.) There's plenty of info here on the site regarding starting with a few lit briqs in a chimney, and that works, too. Get a Brinkman water smoker CHARCOAL pan to replace your water pan if you haven't yet. That's probably the best mod I can suggest since you'll be able to fit more fuel/wood in and be able to see what's going on with your fire better. It holds two gallons which is twice what the original Weber water pan held.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html#minion
 
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