Where is the Smoke in the WSM, Aint no smoke in them thar Hills.


 
M

Marc Bates

New member
I am a new WSM user. I have cooked with both a pellet and a stick burner in the past. I have made three cooks on the WSM including brisket, beef ribs, turkey and chicken thighs......I must say I find the smoker and easy to use and once settled in stable barrel temperature with of course the normal variation between bottom rack, top rack and lid.

What I am finding disappointing is the smoke profile or lack there of. There must be some tricks to getting a better smoke profile as the WSM is used regularly in pro cook competitions with success. Are my expectations to high. Can I expect to have a smoke profile comparable to a stick burner. If so what is the secret because so far I am not impressed. Any helpful hints would be appreciated.
 
I'm even newer than you - haven't even put mine together yet, so no cooks at all.

But I'd ask what kind of wood are you using, and how much?
 
Jason Paul said:
I'm even newer than you - haven't even put mine together yet, so no cooks at all.

But I'd ask what kind of wood are you using, and how much?
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What Jason asked is on the mark. During your previous cooks, what type of wood did you add to the smoker? Did you use chunks or chips, and how much. Assuming you used smoke wood, when did you put it in the WSM.
 
What do you mean by "smoke profile" are you talking about smoke ring on the meat or just that smokey taste?
 
Smoke profile for me means the latter of your definitions, "Smokey Taste" It's there but is what I consider "light"
 
Jason:

Used minion method and added a few chunks with charcoal at start of cook the temp monitored meat and when meat reached 110 internal temp I added an additional 3-4 chunks. Not more wood once meat reached 140 internal temp. Seemed to get plenty of smoke but didn't seem to translate to the final smoke profile I had experienced with a stick burner..was a light smoke flavor.
 
I'll confess that after using an 18.5 for 6 years, I've never achieved the stronger smoke taste that i would like.
I've tried using more wood, different sizes, various placement, and several types.

I don't want the smoke taste to be overpowering, just would like more of it.
I'm guessing that subtle is perfect for most users, or maybe I don't have the hang of it yet.
 
Bob Correll said:
I'll confess that after using an 18.5 for 6 years, I've never achieved the stronger smoke taste that i would like.
I've tried using more wood, different sizes, various placement, and several types.

I don't want the smoke taste to be overpowering, just would like more of it.
I'm guessing that subtle is perfect for most users, or maybe I don't have the hang of it yet.
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Newbie here to WSMs, but have been bbq'ing and perfecting my technique on my propane rig for a number of years now and found two of these gets me to the smoke profile I like
http://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=amnts

Maybe adding one to the lower grate may 'pump up' the smoke a bit?
 
Erik Tracy said:
Newbie here to WSMs, but have been bbq'ing and perfecting my technique on my propane rig for a number of years now and found two of these gets me to the smoke profile I like
http://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=amnts

Maybe adding one to the lower grate may 'pump up' the smoke a bit?
Click to expand...
I do have their 6" tube that I use for cheese, never thought to add it to the mix, thanks for the idea.
Any members try one for extra smoke on the WSM??

Welcome aboard Erik and Marc!
 
Very interesting that some are not able to achieve a strong smoky flavor.
I start the fire center minion method with a good size chunk right on to of the lit coals and there are wood chunks spread out across the charcoal bed so I get smoke throughout the cook.
The meat has a very robust smoky flavor and aroma.
The one time I did not get good smoky flavor was when I tried a hot-n-fast cook.
Same initial setup but cooked with intake vents wide open for four hours, then foiled and cooked until tender (~2 more hours), the brisket was very tender and moist but tasted like roast beast instead of BBQ.
FWIW this brisket had a nice smoke ring, I typically get very little smoke ring on the ones that taste smoky.

Maybe try using more wood, cook low&slow, don't wrap the meat ??
 
The WSM is different than a stick burner because it uses charcoal as a heat source and a few wood chunks for smoke flavor. Stick burners use wood primarily as a heat source and that adds the flavor.
I would look for a good place for quality smoke wood with the proper moisture content for the WSM.:wsm:

Tim
 
I've been using a 22 WSM, and have been getting a good smoke flavor and smoke ring so far.
What I do is get the charcoal started either minion or fuse and put fist size chunks in contact with the lit coals and next to each other on the unlit portion and I'll use at least 6 chunks, more for a long cook.
Hot water in the bowl, and the meat goes on cold, with a shot of spray oil coating it.. I usually keep the temp anywhere between 225-250.
Wood right now is cherry, but i'm not obsessive about it and will add hickory, maple or whatever is in the wood pile. I like to see at least 3 hours of steady smoke, and I don't foil.
This is working for me, but everyones preference is different, my wife thinks it's perfect if it tastes like the inside of a chimney, I gotta reel her in once in a while, lol
 
Geo S said:
I've been using a 22 WSM, and have been getting a good smoke flavor and smoke ring so far.
What I do is get the charcoal started either minion or fuse and put fist size chunks in contact with the lit coals and next to each other on the unlit portion and I'll use at least 6 chunks, more for a long cook.
Hot water in the bowl, and the meat goes on cold, with a shot of spray oil coating it.. I usually keep the temp anywhere between 225-250.
Wood right now is cherry, but i'm not obsessive about it and will add hickory, maple or whatever is in the wood pile. I like to see at least 3 hours of steady smoke, and I don't foil.
This is working for me, but everyones preference is different, my wife thinks it's perfect if it tastes like the inside of a chimney, I gotta reel her in once in a while, lol
Click to expand...

Newbie question here - if I use the minion method for a prolonged burn in excess of 5+ hours, but intersperse wood chunks, how can I control the time of smoke on the meat?

I agree that longer than 3 hrs of good smoke can result in acrid crust and flavor, so should I put the wood chunks closer to the center but then none to the outside of the ring?

Thanks!
 
I personally thought my kettle grill infused the meat with more of a smokey flavor than my 18" WSM did. Grant you, I am new to smoking, so I have a lot to learn, and I am comparing picnics to pork butts here (picnic was smoked in the kettle, and the butt in the WSM).

I have one butt left, and I plan to smoke it in the kettle grill for comparison.
 
open bottom vents and use top vent to control temp. I'll bet that's how the stick burner ran (Intake open, Exhaust mostly closed)
 
Erik, I just put the chunks in a line on top of the coals, You just gotta do it a few times to see how far your charcoal burns in about 3-4 hours, then stack the wood on that amount
 
Ive tried both:
Splits on top oh light charcoal. They do not burn completely. They smolder indeed.
Splits buried at the bottom of charcoal. They burn completely.
 
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