UDS to Traeger to WSM??? Convince me(like i need it)


 
K

kris lewis

TVWBB Member
Addicted to smokers? Probably. Finding one that best suites me has not been easy.

I started life with the red electric brinkmann and thought it was the greatest thing in the world finally making good food. I then grew up to TWO UDS, one modified with a weber lid, rotisserie and stoker, the other just a standard run of the mill UDS. I moved to an APT and was forced to sell the charcoal because of their rules. Living in the apartment I thought the Traeger was a good choice. I am happy with it, but not satisfied 100%. Smoke penetration is very minimal and I knew this going into it, but it was a last resort for my apt living.
Today I still live in the apt and will probably be here another three years for school. Traeger might be heading back to costco where I bought it because I already had a few issues with it(temps are unstable no matter the P setting) and the hot rod took a crap. I plan to go against the rules here at the apt because, well, everyone else does. I saw about 30 different kettles after I moved in and everyone uses them. Is the WSM what I should have always gone with? I liked the UDS, but found it a pain to clean. I am contemplating the WSM with a down the road purchase of another stoker(I sold the last one when I moved thinking I would never need it until a far later date).

Let's see some twisting my wrist pros for the WSM for me please. I just want to make sure I would be making the right decision, and I am aware that I am asking a biased crowd.
Kris
PS, I am not a newbie here but I plan to be a WSM noob soon. already watched all the videos from the site owner on youtube.
 
C'mon Kris, take the plunge, the water's fine!

Funny, I was just on this subject tonight with Mac. You can not go wrong with the 18 inch WSM for your Apt. I love mine and would highly suggest one. I doubt you will ever regret it.
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Kris, WSM? Nah. The only way to go in an apt is to dig a big hole in the ground, burn some logs and cook like your ancestors. No one around here would ever use one of those water type bullet thingy s! Yuck.

Mark
 
My real concern is 18.5 vs 22". Knowing that these put out quality food is the best part. I understand charcoal and all that good stuff, so my learning curve would be only for the WSM itself.
 
A 22" WSM is just as big (if not bigger) as a UDS. So do you have a place for such a monster?

I don't see how a student has a need for anything bigger than an 18" WSM.

HEY! Better yet - a Mini-WSM!!! Check it out - SJG Mini-WSM. Get an SJS off Craigslist and you could build it for less than $50.

Or just get a kettle like everyone else at the complex. You can grill and smoke on it as well.
 
That was going to be my next option especially for the money. I was planning on a smokenator(yea yea, i am lazy and it looks snazzy for the money) and a standard kettle.

any ideas on a weber kettle to smoke vs a wsm?
 
Originally posted by kris lewis:
That was going to be my next option especially for the money. I was planning on a smokenator(yea yea, i am lazy and it looks snazzy for the money) and a standard kettle.

any ideas on a weber kettle to smoke vs a wsm?
Click to expand...

Kris, I use a WSM 18.5 and a 22" Weber kettle for smoking. The 2 differences I have found is that the kettle needs more attention as far as fuel is concerned. While the WSM can hold temps for 6 + hrs without attention, the kettle needs fuel additions every 2hrs or so. The other more subtle difference is in the smoke produced and or circulated. Due to the size of the middle section and hood, the WSM, in my opinion holds more smoke around the meat for a longer time than the kettle resulting in a better smoke ring. Important to some, not to others. As far as a smokenator, save your money and use 2 fire bricks to separate the coal grate in to two sections. Put foil on the non heat side of the coal grate to direct all the heat to one side. You now have a great 2 zone cooker for about $5. Get a hinged cooking grate and wallah you're in business.

Mark

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Kris,
"As far as a smokenator, save your money and use 2 fire bricks to separate the coal grate in to two sections. Put foil on the non heat side of the coal grate to direct all the heat to one side. You now have a great 2 zone cooker for about $5. Get a hinged cooking grate and wallah you're in business."
X2
Up until last month I only smoked on kettles. Put out some pretty good Q too. Set up the Kettle as Mark advises. The only thing I would add is, with a one touch, cover the two vent slots not under the fire with Aluminum tape. This will make it easier to maintain lower and more constant temps. Also I almost fill charcoal side to capacity and only use 8-10 lit coals for MM. Without adding any more fuel, 10-12 hr. cooks were easy. But you do have to fidget with it a little more to start with.

lit%20added%20and%20Apple%20chunks%20placed%20on%20top.jpg
 
Originally posted by mk evenson:
As far as a smokenator, save your money and use 2 fire bricks to separate the coal grate in to two sections.
Click to expand...
Couldn't agree more. I got a Smokenator as a birthday gift and used it once before stumbling on the fire brick set up on this site. The Smokenator has sat on a shelf ever since.
 
Finding the firebricks are the tricky part. I will have to start making some calls today. I plan to take the traeger back.

Question about the 5 bags of pellets I have. Can I use them for smoke until I deplete them? I have Bear Mountain if this matters. I do like the idea of having a kettle just to use it as a grill also. I have a weber Q100 and it is great, but I have zero options for a low setting. Its low is a very high medium and chicken is ALWAYS burnt.
 
Originally posted by kris lewis:
Finding the firebricks are the tricky part. I will have to start making some calls today. I plan to take the traeger back.

Question about the 5 bags of pellets I have. Can I use them for smoke until I deplete them? I have Bear Mountain if this matters. I do like the idea of having a kettle just to use it as a grill also. I have a weber Q100 and it is great, but I have zero options for a low setting. Its low is a very high medium and chicken is ALWAYS burnt.
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Search for a Commercial Building or Mason supply in your area for the bricks.
For the pellets, I don't see why you can't use them in a Foil pouch for smoking.
What part of world are you in?
 
Originally posted by kris lewis:
Finding the firebricks are the tricky part. I will have to start making some calls today. I plan to take the traeger back.

Question about the 5 bags of pellets I have. Can I use them for smoke until I deplete them? I have Bear Mountain if this matters. I do like the idea of having a kettle just to use it as a grill also. I have a weber Q100 and it is great, but I have zero options for a low setting. Its low is a very high medium and chicken is ALWAYS burnt.
Click to expand...

If they take the traeger back, and you bought the pellets at the same shop, I would take them back too, why would you want pellets for a cooker that you are not happy with?
I found my fire bricks at an outdoor rock and landscape yard.

Mark
 
I am in turlock, ca(cen cal).

I returned the traeger today, no questions asked. Gotta love costco for that. Returned one bag of the pellets as the rest of the pellets were from cash and carry and only 9.95 / bag. Ill just use them for smoking.

Good news is I bit the bullet(no pun) on a 22.5" weber gold. I think the more dual purpose of it will suite me better than a straight smoker(and a **** of a lot cheaper).

Now to find those bricks.

kris
 
Originally posted by kris lewis:
I am in Turlock, ca(cen cal).
Now to find those bricks
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He neighbor, your just down the road. Good news, Get up to Pacific Supply in Modesto. They should have them. If they don't have the full size Fire Bricks, the Veneer will work just fine.
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie...desto,+CA+95352&z=16
If for some reason they don't have them, I know they have them at the Stockton location have the full size.
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie...5215&z=16&iwloc=addr
 
I am going out a limb. is smoketon, stockton? Isnt it nice to be this close to a bass pro
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I just got the kettle fired up with stubbs briquettes and so far it has held under 275 quite well. I like to give myself a large margin of error and narrow it down when I learn my piece of equipment, but so far so good with the kettle.

stubbs briquettes and pecan wood with beef short ribs.
 
Did some beef short ribs last night and I was impressed. DEEP smoke ring, something I had not seen in some time. I used two small chunks of pecan with stubbs briquettes.

One issue I had for day one was temp control. It started off nicely around 260 then it would not settle below 300 again. not too much an issue for beef, but would be for something else I wanted slower.

Not bad for cook one. I modified a wire rack with foil to hold the briquettes to one side. Still looking for bricks, and its a weekend so I doubt I will find them.
kris
 
I first tried smoking on my 22" One Touch Silver by putting a water pan on the charcoal grate next to the charcoal. I concluded that the water pan did little for temperature control when it wasn't above the heat source as it in a Weber Smokey Mountain. Also, the meat on the cooking grate was still seeing direct radiation from the coals. Splitting the grill in this manner also greatly cuts down on the indirect cooking surface you have. After thinking about it, I did this:

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I was inspired by instructions on the Increasing Cooking Capacity page and bought an 18" cooking grate to suspend the meat above an 11"x17" cake pan used as a water pan. I was experimenting with different heights, but in the end, I realize I could have used a 22" grate.

This is the best configuration I've experimented with. I don't know that I can improve it much without a lot more expenditure. In another thread, it has been suggested that an additional grate could be placed between the original charcoal and cooking grates to hold the water pan.

In the end, you're not going to get a One Touch kettle to hold a very low temperature - say below 225F or so. The One Touch fins are just too leaky. I think I improved it some, though, by playing with bending the fins for a better fit, and I passed the temperature probe wires through the top vent instead of creating a gap between the lid and grate. You'll have to have the top vent open for the cook, or you will get soot from the smoke condensing. I wondered through my first two cooks, when I was trying to control the temperature with the top vent as well, why I was getting an ashy taste on my food. That went away as a soon as I learned to keep the top vent open. I have less temperature control, though.
 
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