Wohoo! I've joined the WSM cult... errr I mean owners circle! I have some questions


 
J

Jason J

TVWBB Fan
Hello All,

After owning a ECB, modifying the heck out of it, and getting tired of baby sitting it, I decided to buy a 18.5 WSM instead! Well this was also after I got smoker envy over my friend's new Traeger Pellet Smoker. That was a tad too expensive so I went with the tried and true WSM.

I have been reading and lurking here for a bit. As I read, everyone recommends buying the Brinkmann CHARCOAL pan from Academy to use as the water pan over the default one. Is that correct?

I also already have the Maverick ET732. So I am set there.

Any other tips for someone coming from an ECB to a nice WSM?

Specific cooking questions:

1) I want to do some "beer can chicken". I was going to use this recipe here http://www.thesmokering.com/fo...hp?t=4109&highlight= but in a smoker instead of an oven. According to http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/chicken2.html, I should smoke them at 225-250 for roughly 4 hours.

Can I brine as in the first recipe and smoke following the directions on the second link? Can I also use a beer bottle? I think I saw a picture of someone doing that.

2) I also want to do this pork loin here: http://www.thesmokering.com/fo...12778&highlight=loin. It also needs a temp of around 225. I have a 2.5 lb roast that I had left over and I am defrosting. According to the URL it is 45 minutes per lb which means not quite 2 hours to cook this small roast.

Im going to use Applewood for the chicken above and for this one. Can I cook them during the same cook, but obviously putting the pork in later in the grill, perhaps during the time when I baste and rotate the chicken halfway through?

3) On various pages on the tip section, like here http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup1.html, they say to use cool water. I always put boiling water into the pan to speed up the amount of time it takes to stabilize temperatures. Do you have any thoughts on this?
 
Welcome to the cult! I have just finished my third smoke on my WSM 22, and I am in love with this thing. I also moved up from a E.C.B.

For the beer can chicken I would brine. I wont cook a chicken with doing a brine first.
I use the hottest tap water for my pan, but don't bother with a boil.
One tip after using my W.S.M, load up the ring with Kingsford, load it up. You can choke it down to save the left over, and easier then tryin' to add more later.
I would in no way ever add glass (beer bottle) to my food. Things are going to get slippery, and I wouldn't take the chance. I always put a ball of foil in the neck to hold in the steam.

Yes you can cook them at the same time, just add the pork later in the smoke. But pull the meat when the temps. are right, not a time you got off a website.

Use the M.M. and load up the ring, and happy smoking!
 
Jason, welcome!

Any recipe will work as long as you have a temp and an approximate time for the cook. However, you do want to measure food temp for best results.

I used to smoke on a OTG with a Smokenator, but I had to adjust vents about every 15 minutes to try and hold the temp. With the WSM it gets very stable, so any recipe will work if you can get the temp right. Just monitor the food temp instead of relying on cook time.

JJ
 
Thanks for the tips. And as a note, I use cook times as approximate ideas on how long things will take. I make sure to take off meat only when my trusty Maverick gives me the right temp
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I usually double check after I pull with another calibrated food thermometer as well.
 
I bought the Brinkmann charcoal pan a while ago and haven't looked back. GO GET IT!! I also have an ET73 and an ET732 - both good units although the 732 is an improvement over the 73. I've never done beer can chicken on the WSM - but if I did, I might shoot for higher temps. Low temps with chicken can result in chewy skin. I know this from experience. But I also know others have made it work doing it low and slow so...there you go. Not much help there was I??
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As far as water temp - mine is usually somewhere between cool and room temp. I have a 1 gallon jug that I keep outside by the smoker and i fill it up with the hose. Sometimes it will sit and get a little warmer and sometimes it goes straight in the pan - just depends on how well I plan. Good smokin'
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Agree with the above. I'm not comfortable using glass. Not sure why you want to but a can (any pop/beer can shape) seems to hold the chicken(s) upright well. Note that the contents of the can will not noticably influence the flavour of the meat or the moisture. I've been using rootbeer as I like drinking beer better than rootbeer. For temps, chicken can be the exception to low & slow. I recently did 2 rootbeer can chickens at around 350F and had great skin and moisture. Be careful of how much wood you use as chicken can get oversmoked easily. This is trial and error and personal taste.

I just use hot tap water in the pan. Boiling water probably reduces fuel usage upfront but I don't think it would be that noticable in the long run. Do whatever makes you comfortable though. The point of BBQ is to enjoy doing it. I used to run around like a mad man setting everything up for a smoke. Now, I'm comfortable enought to realize that there is generally a wide margin of error for most meat so, sit back, relax and enjoy the fruits (meats?) of your labour.

JDH
 
Great I will get the Brinkmann charcoal pan... thanks!

As for using glass, I only ask because thats all I have in the house. I dont drink a lot of beer. Maybe I will ask a neighbor to trade me
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So, if I wanted to get the WSM steady and 225, what settings, in general should I have for open vents and amount of lit coals used in the minion method? I live in Texas and it is often 100 degrees in the summer when smoking.

Same question goes for temps of 350 for chicken. I am going to assume when doing beer can chicken at a higher temp, I dont do the minion method.
 
Originally posted by Jason J:
Great I will get the Brinkmann charcoal pan... thanks!

As for using glass, I only ask because thats all I have in the house. I dont drink a lot of beer. Maybe I will ask a neighbor to trade me
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So, if I wanted to get the WSM steady and 225, what settings, in general should I have for open vents and amount of lit coals used in the minion method? I live in Texas and it is often 100 degrees in the summer when smoking.

Same question goes for temps of 350 for chicken. I am going to assume when doing beer can chicken at a higher temp, I dont do the minion method.
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You will learn quick that you can use the minion method for all cooks. It just takes longer to get up to temp. For 225 temp I usually light 20 briqs then dump them on top of unlit..For higher temps you can light 30 or so to get it going. All vents 100% open until you are 25 degrees away from the temp you want to be at then close all your bottom vents till they are 25% open and adjust from there. Just don't adjust your vents too much or you will spike up and down. Hope this helps!
 
Welcome neighbor!
Pretty much what Tom recommends on the vents. You'll get a feel for it. Keep in mind that cold meat will also act as a heat sink just as a water pan full of water will. So, if you loaded your WSM with 6 cold chickens, it would take you longer to get up to temp. Catching that temp on the way up is the key. 25 - 50% closed works for me. If your temp temp doesn't hit target after about 20 mins, then crack them open a little bit more. Keep that top vent 100% open. For the 350* cook I'd just foil an empty water pan (for easy clean up) and wouldn't add any water. I prefer high temp cooks for chicken as it crisps the skin. Personally I think the beer can chicken thing is purely a novelty; it doesn't add moisture or flavor to a bird. Save the beer for yourself. Pork loin is a very lean meat and shouldn't be over cooked. Over cooking = dry. These days pork can safely be pulled off with a slight rose color to the interior which means about 140*. If you haven't already, invest in a thermometer to check meat temps. Not always critical, but for pork and sometimes chicken it can be very handy. The times I've used water, I just use tap water. Heck, these days that's going to be 90* around here
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. It just affects getting to target temp a little bit I guess; but no big deal. Starting out, I'd recommend tap temp as it will give you a little more time to monitor temps and make adjustments. Let us know how it turns out.

Paul
 
Originally posted by Paul K:
Welcome neighbor!
Pretty much what Tom recommends on the vents. You'll get a feel for it. Keep in mind that cold meat will also act as a heat sink just as a water pan full of water will. So, if you loaded your WSM with 6 cold chickens, it would take you longer to get up to temp. Catching that temp on the way up is the key. 25 - 50% closed works for me. If your temp temp doesn't hit target after about 20 mins, then crack them open a little bit more. Keep that top vent 100% open. For the 350* cook I'd just foil an empty water pan (for easy clean up) and wouldn't add any water. I prefer high temp cooks for chicken as it crisps the skin. Personally I think the beer can chicken thing is purely a novelty; it doesn't add moisture or flavor to a bird. Save the beer for yourself. Pork loin is a very lean meat and shouldn't be over cooked. Over cooking = dry. These days pork can safely be pulled off with a slight rose color to the interior which means about 140*. If you haven't already, invest in a thermometer to check meat temps. Not always critical, but for pork and sometimes chicken it can be very handy. The times I've used water, I just use tap water. Heck, these days that's going to be 90* around here
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. It just affects getting to target temp a little bit I guess; but no big deal. Starting out, I'd recommend tap temp as it will give you a little more time to monitor temps and make adjustments. Let us know how it turns out.

Paul
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We are even closer than you think! Im actually in Pflugerville, but since no one knows where that is I usually list Austin.

Okay so if the beer can thing is a novelty, do I just place my two birds on the grate? As for pork, my wife prefers it well done. So can I pull it off at like 150 and let it rest some?

I have a Maverick 732 and another I use after I pull the pork.

On another note, do I need to do an initial burn with nothing before I cook my first thing?
 
Jason,

No pre-burn or burn in needed. Just put the birds right on the grate; no problem. The well done pork request is quite common a carry over from years gone by when trichinosis was a problem but that pretty much hasn't been an issue for many decades. Yeah, I'd pull it around 150 and at that temp any pink will be gone. Also, the meat will continue to cook as it rests especially if you foil it. Time permitting, I'd recommend brining your pork. Brining works very well on pork, poultry and shrimp. Check out the section on brining for more info.

Paul
 
No. If you brine, don't inject. Brining draws in flavour, mostly salt. Unless your injection is salt free, don't mix them. The qualifier is, if you know what works, you can do what you want.

One big mistake we all make is to introduce too many variables all at once. This makes it really difficult to pinpoint where the issues lie. It seems tedious, but start with the basics and build your flavours on that.

JDH
 
As James comments, I 'probably' wouldn't brine and inject. But that depends on the ingredients of the injection. Brine must contain salt otherwise it isn't a brine. Flavor brines take much longer to impart flavor and I'm talking about days for a pork loin. Generally brines are intended to give the meat moisture. I wouldn't brine and use an injection with salt. What sort of injection were you considering?

Paul
 
Brining, injecting, rubbing (mopping?) and smoking. Are you also adding a finishing sauce? Lots of stuff going on. Pretty daunting unless you're adhering to a tried and true, specific recipe for the cook. Sometimes more isn't better but you won't know without trying. Worst case, if it's too salty, crock pot it with water (not stock) and make a pork stew.

Enjoy !
 
Originally posted by James Harvey:
Brining, injecting, rubbing (mopping?) and smoking. Are you also adding a finishing sauce? Lots of stuff going on. Pretty daunting unless you're adhering to a tried and true, specific recipe for the cook. Sometimes more isn't better but you won't know without trying. Worst case, if it's too salty, crock pot it with water (not stock) and make a pork stew.

Enjoy !
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Ive smoked ribs, pulled pork, and brisket.... so I have some experience. I should be okay
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I took a picture of my modified ECB next to my new WSM. Thought it might be interesting to see them side by side.

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Well my original plan to smoke the cajun bacon wrapped pork tenderloins went up in smoke, with the rest of central Texas. Due to the crazy amount of fires going on at the time I decided it best to bake in the oven instead.

Two weeks later I did my first smoke using a pre-marinated Sams Club Pork Tenderloin. I injected it with apple juice and smoked it at around 240ish for a little over three hours. I pulled it off at 165 and wrapped it in foil and let it rest for 30 minutes. The result was probably the best pork tenderloin I have ever had. Even my wife who is not a big pork fan said "I am now a believer" (I always tell her great pork is).

Smoker setup and going with my water hose near by and a fire extinguisher off camera (still crazy dry here in Texas).

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Maverick Et-732 running through the top vents:

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I also made beef jerky while I was smoking the meat (in a dehydrator, not in the smoker). Both here are resting... yum!

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Finished result!

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I am doing a few chickens tonight for church community group. I will post how that goes!
 
The pork looks great! So far everything I have smoked has come from Sam's Club. Cant beat the price.
Well, I did one fatty, and some A.B.T. that didn't come from them,but that doesn't count.
Great pics.
 
Brinkmann
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I have not heard about using the Brinkmann charcoal pan as a replacement for the 22.5's existing water pan. What gives with that?

From a basic inspection, it appears that the Brinkmann pan may have a better lip and be a bit deeper, but what are the benefits of using this over the one that comes with the WSM?

Does the Brinkmann fit the 22.5 or the 18?

Thanks!
 
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