WSM Silver Bullet Jacket


 
T

Tim Mulvihill

TVWBB Fan
I recently purchased a 18.5 WSM Silver Bullet Jacket from BBQ Guru.

It's amazing in that it will keep good temps when it's cold out AND conserve charcoal.

My first run with the jacket, I ran the 18.5 for 9 hours for a couple pork butts & a 7 lb bone-in pork roast in 25 degree weather & windy. I started with a full chamber(minion method). When I was done, I shut the vents covered the WSM with the jacket.

Next day I still had over 1/2 a chamber of kingsford left over!

The only thing is, it seems like the jacket restricts air flow to the point it may inhibit the smoke wood from burning. My smoke ring has been seriously reduced, almost can't tell it's there.

Anyone else use the jacket? Recommendations?
 
Tim,

Does the jacket fully or partially cover the three air intakes on the charcoal chamber and possibly restrict air flow? I would think any kind of insulating jacket for the WSM would tend to allow it to run hotter and allow the smoke wood to do it's job.

Sorry, guess Gary and I were posting at the same time. Just looked at the pic of the cover and looks to me like there's not enough top vent opening area?
 
Last edited:
Tim, I have never used the Bullet Blanket, so I'm shooting from the hip here. I've read that the majority of the penetration (smoke flavor into the meat) takes place in the beginning of the cook. (Up to 140* I think) Now I'm just trying to remember what I've read in the past, so if I'm wrong, please forgive me. But if the majority of the smoke penetrates in the early stages of the cook, maybe you could leave the blanket off the WSM until the meat reaches 150*. Then place the blanket on the smoker and see how it works out.
Just a thought, Tim
 
Thanks Tim, I think I'll try that. If that doesn't work, then maybe I'll do what Gary did and cut a hole around the top vent.

I just hate to not use the cover since it's such a fuel saver, and keeps the temps steady. We get some cold winters in Chicago, and my backyard seems like a wind tunnel, even when it doesn't seem very windy elsewhere.
 
Gary, gotta ask you. I hope this doesn't happen, but what are you going to do if the jacket starts unraveling from the hole you cut for the vent?
 
Worse case scenerio Tim I would get some Nomex thread afterall they sew clothing for firefighters but there is no reason to believe it will come apart. When you look at the jacket and the way it's sewn together they're cut from a pattern taken out of a larger piece of material. The cut edges are not sewn along the cut edge. It's more like it's hemmed to hold the intended shape. Once you cut into the material you can see from the cross section it will not fray. It's bonded somehow. If my cut areas come apart then the rest of the jacket is also susceptible to doing the same thing back to the point where the hem is.
 
The smoke ring is not caused by smoke penetrating the meat. The smoke ring is caused by a chemical reaction between the meat and the smoke, this chemical reaction happens below 140f so the longer the surface of the meat is below this temperature the better your smoke ring should be.
 
Hi Bob,

I've seen that before, but thank you for the reminder. I put the brisket on only 10 minutes after removing from the fridge, so it wasn't an issue of a reduced temp scale.

I'm thinking there's reduced airflow because of the jacket.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top