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Cecil Coupe
New member
I haven't had my WSM all that long but I tried the standard method and it will run 300F and up with bottom vents closed and even with the top vent mostly closed but I was only cooking a small amount of food, not a feast.
Every session since then I've used the MM and the exact number of fully lit charcoals is 20 give or take your weather conditions and experience, IMO. Not half a chimney or some other vague reference. Twenty. I count them out by hand. 20 is not that much in my chimney (not a Weber chimney, but that doesn't matter).
Of course I lose count, so it might be 19 or 21 Kingsford briquets that actually gets in the chimney. The cooker temp is easy to control with MM and the vents, it's ready in under an hour to put the meat on and you could walk away for hours. You could. I like to futz.
Again, I'm smoking small amounts, 4 to 6 pounds and the MM method is the way to do that. It's completely logical that 20 lit will only ignite X number of neighbors before the 20 fall to ash and it's a lot easier to control if you don't start with grilling temperatures.
I don't taste off flavors from the charcoal, perhaps others do. I just feed me and anyone willing to visit. I may try using the count of 15 because it's about to get hot around here.
Every session since then I've used the MM and the exact number of fully lit charcoals is 20 give or take your weather conditions and experience, IMO. Not half a chimney or some other vague reference. Twenty. I count them out by hand. 20 is not that much in my chimney (not a Weber chimney, but that doesn't matter).
Of course I lose count, so it might be 19 or 21 Kingsford briquets that actually gets in the chimney. The cooker temp is easy to control with MM and the vents, it's ready in under an hour to put the meat on and you could walk away for hours. You could. I like to futz.
Again, I'm smoking small amounts, 4 to 6 pounds and the MM method is the way to do that. It's completely logical that 20 lit will only ignite X number of neighbors before the 20 fall to ash and it's a lot easier to control if you don't start with grilling temperatures.
I don't taste off flavors from the charcoal, perhaps others do. I just feed me and anyone willing to visit. I may try using the count of 15 because it's about to get hot around here.
Greg Rempe
TVWBB All-Star
I am with you Cecil. I did my first pork butt friday night. Using the MM I started at 11pm and by 12:15am I was headed to bed. The WSM held temp at 240 all-night. Didn't check it again until 8:15am and it was still chugging along and hadn't missed a beat holding at 240! Pulled the meat off the grill at 2pm, only jostled the coals lightly around 11am to rejuvenate them little bastards!
Also, I put sand in my pan instead of h2o so no need to re-fill the water at 3am like some others do.
MM is great and I use it all the time. I also use only Kingsford charcoal, works great, burns long, burns hot and is very economical!
Hope everyone had a great 4th!!! Q'iness is next to Godliness!!
Also, I put sand in my pan instead of h2o so no need to re-fill the water at 3am like some others do.
MM is great and I use it all the time. I also use only Kingsford charcoal, works great, burns long, burns hot and is very economical!
Hope everyone had a great 4th!!! Q'iness is next to Godliness!!
1st installment on my observations of WSM firing methods at comps I'm attending this summer:
26 cookers total, not including charcoal grills
6 of the 26 cookers onsite were WSMs
2 of the 21 teams were using WSMs exclusively
All who used WSM's used Minion or some variation for long cooks.
Not a scientific testing, I know, but it was the actual situation at this comp.
Keri C, smokin' on Tulsa Time
26 cookers total, not including charcoal grills
6 of the 26 cookers onsite were WSMs
2 of the 21 teams were using WSMs exclusively
All who used WSM's used Minion or some variation for long cooks.
Not a scientific testing, I know, but it was the actual situation at this comp.
Keri C, smokin' on Tulsa Time
Jerry N.
TVWBB Emerald Member
Chris,
If someone (me) doesn't want to use water and is considering your comments about fully lit charcoal, how do you get your temps down to around 225-250? I can't imagine that once you get a full ring of charcoal lit that you'll ever get the temp back down without water.
If someone (me) doesn't want to use water and is considering your comments about fully lit charcoal, how do you get your temps down to around 225-250? I can't imagine that once you get a full ring of charcoal lit that you'll ever get the temp back down without water.
Greg Rempe
TVWBB All-Star
Jerry, You would probably need to wait for the fuel to burn off a little before assembling the smoker.
Why not try sand in the water pan. Also, when you add your meat it will bring the temp down as well. If the temps are still high, you would proably need to start closing down the lid vent!!
Why not try sand in the water pan. Also, when you add your meat it will bring the temp down as well. If the temps are still high, you would proably need to start closing down the lid vent!!
Hi Jerry,
Basically what Greg said. I use the top vent to temper the fire down. I have never had a problem getting the temp down...even to 180 if need be.
I will admit that I always use water, so I cant comment on using sand in the water pan of the WSM. /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif
Later... /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
Basically what Greg said. I use the top vent to temper the fire down. I have never had a problem getting the temp down...even to 180 if need be.
I will admit that I always use water, so I cant comment on using sand in the water pan of the WSM. /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif
Later... /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
Greg Rempe
TVWBB All-Star
While I have never done it, I would imagine that even with sand and an entire ring of ashed coal you would be able to bring the temp down using the top vent. If you are choking air out the temp will drop accordingly.
Doug or Jim or some of the other more experienced guys/gals might be able to shed some more experienced light on my idea!
Doug or Jim or some of the other more experienced guys/gals might be able to shed some more experienced light on my idea!
Doug D
TVWBB Hall of Fame
I have never had occasion to use my top vent to control cooker temp. If I can't achieve the temp I want through adjustment of the bottom vents alone, there is another issue that I need to address-- a cook is the sum of its parts. Hypothetically-- and an extreme example-- if I'm cooking a single slab of ribs with 12 lbs. of Kingsford fully lit, I need to have started with less fuel burning, not a closed down top vent.
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