UK based WSM 22½" user questions (18" users might know)


 

Petroni North

TVWBB Member
Hi all and thanks to you who have replied to my other posts.

First two questions are :

- anyone found any nickel plated plugs to block the bottom vents? (Like these from Home Depot USA) Standard Hole Plug - Fits 3/4" Hole, Steel Nickel Plated, 250 pcs (D4918S)

- can you direct me to a ceramic plate/tray suitable for fitting the water bath as I am intending filling with sand and foiling a ceramic tray to deal with the heat sink issue and cleaning issues

- Edit - anyone tried "Weekend Warrior Blend" briquettes from these people http://www.liverpoolwoodpellets.co....VEQstzXNnmBXtXy_I9xCBsz4upf3ROmrc0aAtZC8P8HAQ - price is very good but quality is unknown to me

Thanks in advance
 
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Since those vents are YOUR means of temperature control, may I ask why you wish to completely close them off ?
 
I've skimmed a few of your posts...my advice is to slow down and just use your new smoker as-is for a while. Once you have 6-8 cooks under your belt, you'll have a better sense of how it operates and what problems, if any, you want to solve with mods. Remember, the WSM is a good cooker that many use without any mods.
 
Thanks for the advice and concern Bob and Chris but here are my thoughts so you can understand where my head is.

If you do a BBC Weather check on my area GU479AL you will see I am still in 50-60mph winds with gusts to 80mph and have had about 7 inches of rainfall in the last 4 days so I have had no chance for my first 'cook'. Instead I have used the time just trying to learn. My intention is to have a clear plan, hopefully fairly well thought out, and try to get things reasonably right first time and if it works. be able to repeat it consistently. Therefore I have set my sights on unattended overnight cooks of butts and briskets as the initial goal. But as you fully understand, a lot can go wrong with that plan if the cooker is in the open, exposed to variable temps/winds/rain etc. So I am trying to control that variable a bit with some mods.

I have two rubbed shoulders in the fridge desperate to get out and a full brisket on the shelf below waiting its turn to be experimented on. You can imagine my impatience!

I have a wooden stable (about 12' x 12' x 10') in my garden which I bought as a large shed 30 years ago, its pretty solid. My plan is to set up so that I cook overnight with the wsm 22 in the 'shed' and use a combination of an ATC http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B018OECX1C/ to control the temperature so that I am not up and down during the night. Having seen this ATC used by others in conjunction with blanking off the vent holes I figured that having a few of the blanking plates on hand might be useful and the ATC worth trying for overnight cooks.

This stainless steel flexible piping I am thinking of using to channel the top vent out of the shed wall. Finally I am also looking at a welders blanket to wrap the cooker up at night to keep temps/constant and keep fuel burn down. http://www.fluesupplies.com/index.php?cPath=22_31&osCsid=2d0256ff555954c00726d1f831a105e4

Currently I plan to use play pit sand instead of water as a heat sink covered by an (as yet not found) flower pot dish wrapped in foil, again to minimise my intervention & clean up time and leave the ATC to mostly regulate the temp.

I understand how you might think this is all over the top for a first cook (hard to disagree) but until this storm & rain system blows through and I actually get a chance to fire it up, I am bored senseless!

If my plan has obvious flaws (other than being over thought) I would be keen to hear but as I am forced to twiddle my thumbs at the moment, I prefer practical research to doing crosswords - hence the questions

Thoughts?
 
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All I can say is what I do or have done with my 22.5" WSM. Mine is controlled by an ATC from Rocks BBQ. I also have gaskets installed on the top to middle and the middle to bottom sections. No gaskets on the door and no closures on any of the bottom or top vents. Are all of these mods truly needed to do successful cooks on the WSM... NO ! I also live in an area where winds can cause problems. Yes, wind will play games with your best laid plans. The problem is NOT a WSM problem, it is a wind problem. So the solution should be one that is directed towards the cause... the wind. Place objects near your WSM that will block the direct wind. Heck, relocate the WSM to a spot where the direct winds are blocked. How about the lee side of that 12x12x10 structure.

As Chris said... get some time on your machine before doing any mods. Once you get a few cooks on the WSM, your bottom vents will seal up just fine... IF you also have the wind blocked.

BBQ is about Fun, Enjoyment, Family, Friends, and Good Eats. Patience is required if one is to Enjoy BBQ. Once you start cooking, the stall will challenge you even more than that nasty wind !
 
Thanks Bob, I am sure those are wise words. The winds just peaked at 96mph so the first cook is still a little way off. As for the stable, it has 4 walls and a roof so there is no direct wind possible unless this storm rips it to bits. If that happens, I'll rethink :)
 
A lot of people want to make perfect, repeatable barbecue from Day One, using the collective knowledge of the Internet as a shortcut, but it's not that easy.

I'm not trying to discourage you, but I worry when I see someone come on like gangbusters with a new smoker and lots of gadgets and gizmos and jumping straight to overnight cooking of big, expensive cuts of meat. I typically recommend starting with short cooks of less expensive cuts like chicken or ribs, so you get some experience with building a fire and controlling cooker temp. Then move up to pork shoulder because it's fairly easy to cook. Then finally brisket, which you can spend a lifetime trying to master. :)

I would suggest you control for wind and rain by sheltering the cooker and maybe consider the welding blanket. Skip the heat sink/sand idea and just cook with an empty pan. Don't cook overnight on your first attempt, start early in the morning instead. And don't try to "hit it out of the ballpark" (American baseball reference) on your first try.

Having said all that, good luck no matter how you decide to proceed, and we'll be here to help. :)
 
That storm didn't make the tv news here (that I found) but I found some pics based on your descript. That was a doozy. Good idea to wait with your smoke ;)
 
It seems to have paid off Len...

Looks good and a great idea on the shelter!
May I suggest you seal the cut edges of your collar with more duct tape? Celotex in the US is a Fiberglass based foam insulation. You rub the exposed edges and it creates a fine powder which is irritating to your lungs and skin.
I worked with the stuff enough to know that and the foil face is extremely sharp and can cut you easily.

Tim
 
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Looks good and a great idea on the shelter!
May I suggest you seal the cut edges of your collar with more duct tape? Celotex in the US is a Fiberglass based foam insulation. You rub the exposed edges and it creates a fine powder which is irritating to your lungs and skin.
I worked with the stuff enough to know that and the foil face is extremely sharp and can cut you easily.

Tim

Good call Tim, I ran out of gaffer tape but thanks to your reminder its now on the shopping list for tomorrow (he says looking at the wife reading over his shoulder who suddenly grabs pen and paper bless her)

Fantastically successful smoke from the looks of it. I know that feeling (just have to have one more piece--but I'm full--just one more, I promise). Good job.
Thanks Len (and Bob below) for your help, advice and support (and Chris of course quietly doing what he does best, holding this excellent forum together)
Just ate the last of the second shoulder with another branch of the family for late lunch. The sous vide kept it at 52.5c for 16 hours and it was every bit as good as at midnight. We each stuffed 3 piled rolls
when we all knew one was enough (ah correction, my wife says she only had two, but they were huge I tell you, huge!) Gonna add a photo or several of the filled baps to end the photo story shortly.

Excellent job, Peter !!!
 
Hi all and thanks to you who have replied to my other posts.

First two questions are :

- anyone found any nickel plated plugs to block the bottom vents? (Like these from Home Depot USA) Standard Hole Plug - Fits 3/4" Hole, Steel Nickel Plated, 250 pcs (D4918S)

- can you direct me to a ceramic plate/tray suitable for fitting the water bath as I am intending filling with sand and foiling a ceramic tray to deal with the heat sink issue and cleaning issues

- Edit - anyone tried "Weekend Warrior Blend" briquettes from these people http://www.liverpoolwoodpellets.co....VEQstzXNnmBXtXy_I9xCBsz4upf3ROmrc0aAtZC8P8HAQ - price is very good but quality is unknown to me

Thanks in advance

Nickel plated plugs for bottom vents. Do you want to block only the free holes in the vent with the fan adapter installed? Or do you want to close also the other 2 vents?
What I did was just closed the free holes in the fan vent. I just keep closed the other 2 vents using penny to block firmly.

About the second mod I suggest you the KISS method. Remove water pan (with or without sand ) and used a pizza stone foiled that fits perfectly. You will get enough termal mass to reach a super steady cooking Temp. Pizza stone I use is from www.californiapizzastones.com.
 
I think I would only plug the two vent holes in the vent that will hold the ATC, they other would be fine without I am sure.

As for the 21" California pizza plate, I could not trace any in UK (or Europe) and the ones direct from the USA cost $75 and weigh 11 kilos so I have some concerns about the total cost due to shipping charges. Can I ask, where did you find yours? If in Europe then I would be keen to learn where.
 
Not from Europe. Directly from USA in a few day. You are right it is expensive but my first pizzastone ha been on heavy working for almost 20 months and is perfect. I mean, you should not buy it every month or even every year.
 
Not from Europe. Directly from USA in a few day. You are right it is expensive but my first pizzastone ha been on heavy working for almost 20 months and is perfect. I mean, you should not buy it every month or even every year.

Thank you, I will stop looking locally and maybe treat myself to one soon from the U.S. :)
 

 

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