Used WSM 18.5 for a Newbie


 
S

Shawn in TN

New member
I have a lead on a used WSM 18.5. Great shape and was stored inside when not in use. Opinions: Should I bring it home and completely scrub it down and season it myself or minor cleaning & start cooking? The current owner is a BBQ competitor and is selling this one since he upgrade to a larger smoker.
 
I would do a minor cleaning and start cooking. It all depends on how you feel when you look at it. Post pics if you get it.
 
I would clean it all up to like new and start all over just to make me feel like it was mine, but I'm a little OCD, lol
 
Well here it is. Not bad for $175. I have a little cleaning to do but I do not think I will start over.

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Shawn;
That WSM looks nearly NEW! You did GOOD!!

Congratulations!

Now, let us see some pictures of you using it-we can hardly wait to see it in action.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Ok, I am new to smoking so I have some questions. I have a Mav 733 on the way. On the WSM if you use both racks do you run a thermometer for each rack? I would think the lower rack would run hotter so how do you handle this? I cook 2-3 times a year for a large group of friend so I will probably pack the WSM full.

I did a test run today with KBB, minion method, Weber chimney, once grey and hot I dumped the coals into the WSM and quickly put the top section on. I was surprised how quickly the dome gauge started to climb. I was not using water so I understand it should be hotter than normal but I was up to 225 in 5 min. I adjusted the vents to get a steady temp, once satisfied I decided to go WFO to see what the upper range would be with the amount of KBB that I started with. 325 was about it ( I understand temps were probably lower since I was using the dome gauge) . I bought some RO this evening so I am going to try it tomorrow and see if I notice any difference. I am wanting to do chicken and later a whole turkey so that is why I am trying the higher temps.
 
Lump will help with that. You can also crack open the door to get more air to the coals to raise the temp. Also, make sure you are lighting at least a full chimney to help the fire. Enjoy. When you figure it out you will absolutely love it.
 
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Decided to do some chicken wings today. Using KBB, minion method, 1 lump of cherry and using the water bowl this time. Having a tough time getting temps past 210 on the dome thermometer. One thing I guess that is working against me is the weather. Today it is 67 degrees with 73% humidity, 5 mph winds. We had rain earlier today and have been overcast all day. Would the humidity be killing my temps? I know being a FF high humidity days reduced our chances of brush fires.
 
When you're running without meat and no water in the bowl, the dome temperature should be very close to the grate temperature since there is no colder meat load nor water load that removes heat from the heated air. If there's a meat load the dome temperature will read lower than the grate temperature. That difference being greatest when the meat is cold. Running water in the bowl will have the effect of moderating the temperature. It tries to keep the temperature close to the water's boiling temperature.
 
Hey Shawn,

I am a FF here in Jax, so welcome brother. The humidity should not affect your temps at all. I cook here in Fl where it is always high humidity and have cooked in a pouring rain. As Bob said, the lid thermo is affected by many factors.

When you get your Maverick, you will see how the dome thermometer differs greatly at different times.

Did you try opening the door as RJ suggested to get the temps up? Was the charcoal old and damp?

IF you haven't already, read on here about replacing the water in the bowl with a ceramic dish, etc. It makes things easier.

Keep reading and cooking, you'll figure it out
 
Live and learn. I finally got the temps up by opening the door. It just would not move any higher with just the vents fully open. Not really sure what the deal was with the KBB. It was a new bag so unless Lowe's had it sitting outside for a couple of days I am not sure why it would not burn. After 2 hours once the wings were done I pulled the middle section off and still have bricks that were still black and never lit.

Here is some pics of the final product from my first smoke. I was happy with the way the wings turned out
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