wsm smoke ring issues


 
S

Scott Wheeler

New member
I've had my 18.5 WSM for about 2 months and have done 20 plus smokes on it. I'm noticing that I can't get a decent smoke ring.

My offset Lang always puts out a nice ring. I have a friend with the same size WSM and he has the same issue.

I've tried both water and no water (foiled pan).

Any tips would be appreciated.

p.s. - I use Pecan and Apple.

Scott
 
I usually take the meat straight from the fridge to the cooker after I put on the lit coals and I get a nice reddish ring of goodness.
 
Scott what temps are you cooking at? Once the meat exterior of the meat reaches 140f then a smoke ring is no longer developed so the longer it takes to get to 140 the better your ring. Like Darryl said put your meat on cold for best results.
 
I use lump and get it everytime. When I used charcoal,I also used pecan and apple without an issue. I use water in my pan and I also let my meat sit out an hour before going on. I cook at 225 and put it on when I put the coals in.
 
I've cooked on offsets and don't see a difference between them and my WSM as far as smoke rings are concerned. I typically use the Minion Method with 3-5 chunks of hickory/apple/cherry and get good smoke flavor and a good smoke ring.
 
Bob - I've tried the HH brisket method once, so mainly 225.

I usually let my Brisket sit for an hour (roughly). I never tried right out of the fridge.

The amount of wood I'm throwing in the WSM is making me wonder if I'm doing something fundamentally wrong.

Scott
 
Cold meat, more smoke, and I've even read from a reputable source that briquettes will help the smoke ring more than lump. I don't remember his reasoning, but I've never have a problem, regardless.

Also, if your wood is too seasoned, it might not be smoking long enough. I know I've made this mistake with pork butts this year, since it's hard to tell what the smoke's like when you're in bed. Wood moisture is a GOOD thing, for butts and briskets, especially.
 
scott, how much wood are you putting in ? are you using big chunk or little piece ?

Personnaly, i ALWAYS use big chunk of maple or cherry wood that i cut myself .. except last weekend where i forgot to bring some with me at my friends place .... i had to stop at walmart and buy some hickory wood chips, i did not get the smoke ring i expected and i think this is because i did not put enough wood chips ...

take a look at this pictures i took a while ago :
IMG_0336.jpg


this is the amount of wood i use for ribs and butts ... i always start with 4 big piece (fist size but my fist lol). After 1h - 1h30 i remove one or two piece ... that is because i want a lot of smoke at the beginning ...

compare to this, how much wood did you put in ?
Also, like other told you, when the meat reach 140F, the smoke do not have the same effect... so, depending on HOW you spread/distribute your wood chips (if u use chips), it maybe took too long for them to burn/smoke ....

if you can, give us more info on the setup you are using !
 
I'm going to try cold meat this weekend and I'll take some pictures of both methods.

Louis - I use about 3 of those chunks to start. Roughly the same size chunks as your picture. I've never used chips in the WSM. Very little bark if any on them. I'm wondering if it could be the wood.

My setup is 1 chimney of unlit coals, 1 chimney lit (minion). I try to place the wood evenly on the coals. I use the Kingsford Blue bag. I'm also using the new Maverick. Vents open to start and adjust based on the temp. The WSM is the 2008 model and paid $190 since it was the display model.

Another mistake I'm making is pushing smoke in it passed 140 as others have posted. I guess that's just me trying to force the issue.

I also noticed smoke leaking from the hood seem rather than the top vent at times. That's when the vents get down below 25%.

Do you think an intake fan would help? (Guru, IQ, Stoker)

Thanks

Scott
 
Hey Scott,

Me too i got some smoke leaking out by the door or the hood but it never been a problem ... got the same vent setup you do ....

I always use hot water in the pan ..

3 chunk seems enough .. i never tryed apple or Pecan ... maybe you could try maple but i am not sure it really matter ...

maybe try this : use 4 big chunks and cold meat ... you could also wait for the smoke to start before putting the meat (which i dont) ... but i always make sure that my chunk are on LIT COAL when i assemble the WSM ... i want them to start smoking right away ... often, adter 45min i will shake the coal and the wood chunk a bit in order to get more smoke ...

let us know how it goes !

and btw, on what kind of meat piece are you trying to get your smoke ring ?? when doing back ribs, it is possible to get a smoke ring through and though but you won't get this on a normal piece of meat like a brisket (maybe 5-8mm)!!!!
 
Hey Scott. I always fill the charcoal ring on every cook (I use lump), with new coals always lighting, I get a little smoke off of them also. I don't worry about the smoke after 140 thing either. Although I agree that the smoke ring may no longer develop, I think the smoke still helps flavor the crust. I don't use an intake fan, but I am sure they are a good investment. The smoke leaking from the seams and door shoudn't be any big deal as long as you can hold your temps where you want them.
 
Originally posted by Dave Russell:
Cold meat....
..... Also, if your wood is too seasoned, it might not be smoking long enough. I know I've made this mistake with pork butts this year, since it's hard to tell what the smoke's like when you're in bed. Wood moisture is a GOOD thing, for butts and briskets, especially.
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Cold meat makes a big difference. The longer the meat is exposed to the smoke while under 140, the longer the reaction will take place that forms the smoke ring.

Also great point about the wood. I am finally running out of a bunch of pecan I've had for awhile, and I have noticed it is losing it's punch lately.

Also, hickory from the big box stores is about worthless when compared to the stuff you get from a local firewood place. It works in a pinch though!
 
From what I can tell, colder meat absorbs the smoke better. You say you're not getting a good smoke ring - are you getting good smoke taste?
 
Originally posted by JSMcdowell:
...I am finally running out of a bunch of pecan I've had for awhile, and I have noticed it is losing it's punch lately.

Also, hickory from the big box stores is about worthless when compared to the stuff you get from a local firewood place. It works in a pinch though!
Click to expand...

Thanks a bunch for the observations on the hickory and pecan, Josh.

I've been pretty lazy seeking out nutwood, and have been guilty of using store bought. I'd heard about the smutt that green pecan can produce and I guess I thought that maybe nutwood in general needed to be more seasoned than fruitwood.

Chris Lilly mentions in his new book that he considers THREE month old cut wood as "seasoned", and that Big Bob Gibson preferred to use hickory that was only about FOUR months old. He referred to his method as the "RTDW method", explained to his employees like this: "ROTATE THE **** WOOD." What's further interesting is that they cook with only five of the twelve species of hickory that grow in the US...pecan included in that five (yes, it's a species of hickory), with pignut supposedly being the favorite.

Anyway, regarding the age of wood, I know that it's highly inconvenient for all of us to be getting fresh bathches all the time like that, but I tell ya what. I'm gonna start burning the older stuff in the fireplace or firepit, and start hitting up more friends and family for fresh cut stuff. I'll probably get out to the orchard this week to pick up some peaches. Thanks to the owner, I always end up coming back with some storm damaged limbs.
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Thanks for all the helpful posts.

It's good to hear the ring leak is not the issue. Brisket is the main problem. I'm talking zero smoke ring. Pork seems to be better since I always put that on cold. Smoke flavor is just okay.

My concern on putting cold meat on is going to make the meat a bit tougher. I've read so many times to let the meat set, but I'm at a point where I'll try anything lol.

Here's my Pecan I'm using.

photo.jpg
 
Dave - I had no clue Pecan was a species of Hickory. That's great info.

Russ - Yeah just to clarify the smoke taste is just okay. I had a friend over and he stated "Did you even smoke this" lol.

Thanks

Scott
 
Scott,

I use hickory for the most part and mix in some apple every now and then. I have never had problems getting a smoke ring. I've actually had a smoke ring with charcoal only. I do my ribs & chicken at 275, butts & brisket at 259. I let all of the meats get to room temperature and I use a clay pot in my water pan with no water. I usually use at least 7 chunks of wood. I let my somker get to within 10 degrees of my target temp and then I put the meet on.
 
I had a similar issue. I was getting a good smoke ring but not the taste I wanted. I was so frustrated I even started a thread on this site because I thought the wood I was using was no good. Then I found out that other guys were using the exact same wood I was using from the same store and they had no problems with it. So I made a few changes to my procedure and after some tinkering and a few disappointing smokes, I found what I was looking for. The biggest change was, I went from Kingsford to Royal Oak Lump. I like the way it smells when it burns and I think that resulted in better tasting meat. I also started putting my meat on cold and not adding my smoke wood until the meat was in the cooker. Between all those changes I got better smoked beef and pork. If you're already getting decent smoke taste, then probably all you need to do is put your meat on cold. I put mine on right out the fridge. It won't be tough. I've done it with beef, pork and poultry and no tough meat.
 
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