Ready to buy my first WSM


 
DSteinschneider

DSteinschneider

TVWBB Member
I grill often with my favorite propane gas grill, the 2000-2005 Genesis Silver B and C . I've rehabbed three of them with the expert help available on the Gas forum here (one for mom and another for my son). We've decided we want to smoke pork butts, brisket, baby back ribs and chickens. I'm not going to be doing it for parties so have decided the 14" WSM should be perfect for us.

I've done some smokes with the Genesis using V shaped unit to the hold the wood chips between bars 1 and 2 and a water tray under the meat running just the front burner on low - was able to maintain 220. Here's photo of my first attempt using the Genesis that came out very well a few years back (wrapped it and finished in oven to go from 170 to 205):
DSteinschneider

Post in thread 'Brisket on Genesis tips?'

When it reached 170 I wrapped it in 2 layers of foil and put in our oven at 300. It only took about an hour to jump up to 205. Let it rest for an hour - was better than I expected for first try - beginners luck:

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I looked around locally for a used WSM and came up empty so will probably buy new on Amazon.

Doing a lot of reading here, will wash it with soap and water and run it first with a bit of sacrificial bacon to break it in.

Appreciate any advice that comes to mind.
 
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Some will suggest lots of mods before getting started, but my advice is the opposite. Just start using the WSM as it comes out of the box. Get several cooks under your belt. That experience will inform what mods, if any, make sense for you and the way you cook.

You can check out the WSM cooking examples I've documented at The Virtual Weber Bullet (which usually contain info on whether I approached that cook as hot & fast or low & slow, how I fired the cooker, how I managed the vent dampers, whether I wrapped the meat or not, etc.) as well as helpful articles on cooker operation and troubleshooting.

Finally, don't get stressed, don't expect perfection, and enjoy the journey!
 
@DSteinschneider

You might consider an 18 inch WSM. It is $140 more new than the 14" yet I think it opens up many more options especially for brisket.

Full disclosure, I've never cooked on a WSM 14 or 18, but the grate on my "large" big green egg is only 18 inches and TBH, it feels small for some cooks.
 
DanHoo nails it.

You should be able to find a used 18.5 WSM in good shape for $100-200 on FBM or Craigslist.

I use my Genesis gas grills 3-5 per week. My WSM 18.5 -- 3-5 times per year. Realistically, how many times are you going to be making brisket/pulled pork/ribs? Probably less than 10 times a year.

So dropping $200 or less on a simple, low tech, inexpensive, small footprint and durable secondary cooker is the only way to go. WSM makes great smoked food. While you can sorta make brisket/ribs/butts on a gas grill, it is a big pain and really doesn't come out that great.
 
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