Temperature range?


 
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Habanero Mike

TVWBB Member
I am considering your Smokey Mountain Cooker but have
a few questions I would answered first, since I could
not find them on your website.

1. I have cook books and recipes which have a broad
rang of recommended cooking temptress from 225F to
550F. Question: what rang of temptress can I expect to
maintain with this BBQ?

2. Is their ample room from the access door to mop the
meat on the bottom grate?

3. Does the access door give ample room to change out
coals?

Thanks,
Mike
 
1. You should be able cook up to 325-350* without a problem. As low as you can manage depends on amount of fuel and vent settings, but I can't imagine cooking below about 210*.
2. Not really, but, with long tongs, you can move things around. It's easier to make a plan of action, and remove the lid and top grate, quickly do what needs to be done on the bottom grate, and quickly get it closed back up.
3. There is enough room to add fuel, but you may have to use tongs piecemeal. Since the charcoal grate sits well above the bottom, the ash can fall away and need not be removed during a cook.

Check the Product Info link at the top of the page for some detailed photos.
 
1. The WSM won't do everything, but what it does, it does very well. I have found that it will hold temperatures from 200 to about 350 very well. Although I don't use it this way, it can probably do 400 with the water pan removed or a dry water pan. I'm sure someone else will address this.

2. Is their ample room from the access door to mop the meat on the bottom grate? No. The top grate needs to be removed.

3. Does the access door give ample room to change out coals? Change out, NO. Stir to remove ash and add coals YES.
 
Hi, Mike - Chris will probably chime in here, but this is NOT a Weber-sponsored site. Not connected to the company a'tall. Chris Allingham was good enough to set this site up for all us WSMers to share information with each other. As a user and NOT a company rep, I (and many others both on this board and throughout the home and competition barbecue community) will tell you that you can't beat a WSM, because of the air-tightness and outstanding ability to control temperatures. Let's see if I can address your questions somewhat:

1 - temp range: I have smoked cheese at 90 degrees, and I have baked biscuits at 425. I regularly do chickens or turkeys at around 350. It holds at 225 - 240 as well as an oven once you get your vents set right.

2 - No. You'll want to mop from the top. Even more advisable is to use a mop with no large spices in it, such that you can use a spray bottle instead of a mop or brush. You knock off less rub that way.

3 - There will be no need to "change out coals" with the WSM. Jim Minion, a competitor from Washington state, came up with an approach that you'll see called "the Minion Method" or MM for short, whereby you fill the charcoal ring with unlit charcoal, and place a few lit coals on top (I count out 15 to light to go on top, others use 1/4 chimney... whatever works for you). You then place your waterpan and meat on at the that time, and control your heat as it rises. 18-hour cooks with no charcoal additions are very common-place with this method. Yes, you can add a few pieces of charcoal, if you need to, through the access door with tongs, but very rarely should you need to.

Sounds like you've cooked on an ECB (El Cheapo Brinkman) before - the difference in temperature control on a WSM and on other bullet-style water smokers is like day and night.

As the shirts available for this site say, "Buy the Best, and Only Cry Once". /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Do I hear an amen from the choir, dearly beloved smokers and smokettes?

Keri C, smokin' on Tulsa Time
 
The "not so ol'gal" who smoked her first brisket at TWELVE is absolutely correct.

The WSM is in a league of its own for low/slow 225 cooking. With an empty, foiled lined pan, 300-325 is no problem. If you want to go to 500+ you can convert it for direct grilling.

If you use as shown on the homepage for "firing up" you want be changing the coals.

You can't mop through the acess door, but there's a better way.

If you go with the WSM you will have the best.

Paul
 
Thanks to all who answered, and quick too!

I think I'm sold on this smoker. I currently have a Texas style offset smoker which has too major problems, one it takes over 100 briquets to cook anything over 3 hrs and I need to monitor it about every half hour. I just want something a little more simple and with less fuss.

Last two questions:
- Where to buy and what is a good price for this, as I know it is sold through distributors?

- Is their a good way to seal the door I did read you could make a gasket?
 
You could buy it off Amazon, using links here help support the site. Locally, if you have any BBQ specialty stores, you may find one in stock. Ace Hardware is a possibility. The typical street price is around $179, but promotions at Amazon in the past have gotten it down to as low as $150 shipped free.

Sealing the door with a gasket isn't necessary. Just check that it isn't warped out along the vertical edges when installed, and make any necessary correction.
 
Mike,

If you click the "Shopping" tab on this site, you'll see links to the WSM on Amazon. Buying this way also kicks some cash back to Chris, which he uses to defray the cost of the site. If that doesn't work, you can buy at brick and mortar stores like BBQs Galore. I would imagine any place that sells Weber products would sell the WSM, but I can't be 100% sure.

Not sure about the gasket, but the modifications page might help you out. The forums have a ton of information too, so a search on "gasket" would probably give you anything you'd need.

Happy smoking!

-Brandon
 
Click on the amazon link on the homepage here and you can have yer WSM shipped right to your door (for free!) and support the site a wee bit, just by clicking thru here to Amazon.
 
I'll bet 90% of the folks on this board ordered theirs from Amazon.com... especially nice when they're offering free shipping! You need a WEBER-brand charcoal chimney, too. Oh, and a couple of Polder/Taylor remote probe thermometers to check meat and smoker temps. (There's not a built-in thermo on the WSM) 'Course, then, you can easily use a candy thermo stuck in the vent in the lid as long as it tests to 32 in ice water and 212 in boiling water.

Nice thing about the WSM - no modifications are needed at all to make great groceries. It'll do that for ya right out of the box. Just put it together and start cookin'! You won't need to add a gasket to the access door unless it's warped, and if THAT'S the case, I'd send it back to Weber and get a replacement anyway. If you get stuck during a cook, just post a note. There's usually someone around to help you through the learning curve.

Keri C, smokin' on Tulsa Time
(and judging a competition for the first time this weekend!)
 
Thanks everyone! I will divinity get this through Amazon.

Keri,
The chimney sounds cool, I will check it out and the remote thermometer sound like a nice gadget, I assume it is aureate and is not effected by the heat of the BBQ.

Thanks,
Mike

Cheers,
Mike
 
Go look HERE - it's Chris's shopping center (linked to Amazon) for very useful cooking gadgets. The Weber chimney link is on there, although I think they're backordered at amazon.com right now. The WEBER chimney is larger than cheaper brands, and holds about 7 lb, I think. Thing is, when you read instructions here that refer to "one chimney of burning charcoal" or "1/2 chimney of unlit charcoal", it will be referring to the larger capacity of the Weber chimney and NOT to the smaller capacity of the Brinkman or other chimneys.

Please forgive my ignorance - I'm not sure of the definition of "aureate" in regards to a thermo, but, yes, these thermos are safe for the WSM. It is possible to fry a probe if they come into contact with a very hot grate for long, but I have a box-full of these things: three different Polder models, a few Taylors, a couple of Maverick ET-73's, and I've only fried one probe. (And my DH did that in the trailer rig...) The thermos are also shown on the shopping link that I gave you above.
 
Pepper Mike,

You should be able to find a Weber brand Chimney at any Home Depot. They have a large selection of accessories and replacement parts for Weber stuff. That's where I gots mine!!

Happy Smokin'
 
Wow you guys are tuff, YES I missed spelled accurate. Jeff wins the gold star/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Thanks for all your great advice!!

Mike
 
(The little folder-with-eraser icon at the bottom right lets you edit your own posts.)
 
We'll let it slide this time because you're new.
Welcome aboard you will love your WSM and this site, friendliest people on the best BBQ site on the net.
 
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