WSM Virgin!


 
J

Jimmy Mackenzie

New member
Hi - Took the plunge and have just placed an order for my 18inch WSM... I ve spent all week dreaming about falling off the bone ribs and this novel trans-atlantic invention... Beer Butt Chicken!

I have achieved nothing at the office... The WSM is far more important.

Any tips or advice (for a real, real novice) would be greatly appreciated (even direction to the right forum would help me). I have had very little experience of cooking BBQ in general.

I m keen to make the first one as sucessful as possible so to maintain my enthusiasm!

Are baby back ribs the best for the tenderest results for 'low and slow' cooking?

Can I put the beer butt chicken in while the ribs smoke as there are two shelves in the WSM...? I have a feeling the temperatures will conflict.. Chicken needing to be cooked at a more fierce heat?

My colleague (who prompted this purchase) told me that you can also smoke almonds and other nuts on the WSM... Is that right?

This is a truly great website... I just have no idea where to start!

Cheers
Jimmy
 
First off you've found THE forum all things WSM!

You can find lot's of cooking options here. Also you can use the search function and just look though the 'photo gallery' forum for inspiration.

And remember there are no stupid questions so don't be afraid to ask.

Oh and welcome to your new addiction!!!
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Hi Stefan - Thanks for your post I'll follow the link through!

You're right this is an addiction... And it's still in the warehouse - I'm like a kid before Christmas!

Thanks
J
 
Jimmy, welcome to the world of smoke. This is the place. Yes you can cook ribs and birds at the same time, try 270 degrees. Baby backs are more expensive here, I like spares better and about $2/lb cheaper.
Your world has just expanded. Have fun! And remember there is no such thing as a bad BBQ, my dogs love my mistakes!!!!!

Mark
 
Welcome to the family , as has been said this is the forum to be for all things WSM related . Ask any questions you want we have all been here done that one time or another. I am the proud owner of one of the new 22 1/2 inch WSMs and would not trade it for anything. I had to retire from competiton because of monetary and health issues but I still love doing BBQ on the WSM .
 
Welcome!

Yes, you can cook chicken and ribs at the same time but I wouldn't recommend it for beginners.

You might consider doing a test run first without any meat so you can concentrate on temp stabilization and vent adjustments.

For a first cook, pork butt is a good choice since it is very forgiving. Chicken would be good too but don't use a lot of wood smoke.

Don't get discouraged if your first attempts are less than expected - practice makes perfect!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TravisH:
Welcome!

Yes, you can cook chicken and ribs at the same time but I wouldn't recommend it for beginners.

You might consider doing a test run first without any meat so you can concentrate on temp stabilization and vent adjustments.

For a first cook, pork butt is a good choice since it is very forgiving. Chicken would be good too but don't use a lot of wood smoke.

Don't get discouraged if your first attempts are less than expected - practice makes perfect! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Travis, you want Jimmy to fire up his cooker and NOT put any meat on? OH MY, Jimmy, others have suggested the same thing to rookies, I say, fire her up and cook something. If it turns out bad give it to the dogs if you don't have dogs give it to your neighbors dog, if they don't have a dog, well just eat it anyway and next time you cook you will be one step ahead.

Happy Smokin'

Mark
 
Mark, Walter and Travis thank you to you guys also for your posts and pointers.

I wasn't sure what cut pork butt is, but just looked it up and I think it's what we call 'blade' or 'shoulder'... Better add this to the shopping list too!

I will see how I can load up a photo on here for you to comment on the first attempt.

Travis - A question for you, you mentioned 'not to add too much wood smoke'. I might have gone a bit barmey with this stuff... I ordered 3lb bags of Weber pecan, apple, hickory and mesquite (thats 12lbs of wood smoke - I probably over did it! But I wanted to experiment with the flavours). Now, these are all lumps, not chips - How much should I use? I'm assuming it should be fed in slowly rather than all at once.

Thanks again guys!
 
1) I'd either wash the inside with soap or water or run the cooker for 30 min before putting food in it to remove any manufacturing residue.
2) I always cook something cheap the first cook on a new cooker. Pork blade shoulder roast ,Or 1-2 racks baby back ribs, not both. I'd do the ribs first it's a short cook so you can easier watch the cook.
3) use the water pan with water for first few cooks till the seasoning builds up & makes the WSM less air leaky.
4) use charcoal briquettes at first.
5) only use 2-3 chunks of wood till you get an idea of the smoke level you like. Food that's too lightly smoked is still very good, food over smoked is not good!
 
Hey, Jimmy. Good luck with everything.

Personally, I would wait on the ribs for two reasons. One you want to get some cooking grease and smoke coated onto your WSM to help get more even temps and increase your chances of success for those more expensive cuts. Two, to me ribs are NOT the simplest and most bullet proof cooks. Try something like a meatloaf or pork butt with fewer variables first -- then go for the more challenging cooks like ribs or brisket.

Also, careful of small cuts of meat (like chicken parts) as they're easy to over smoke. But a whole chicken or a turkey or turkey breast works well.

My suggestion on the pork butt is to get a "Boston butt" rather than a whole shoulder. It's really the best part of the shoulder (modest opinion), smaller and less hassle. Just read up in the Cooking Topics section on your meat and expect a long cook with a butt.

Rich
 
Welcome. I have a couple words for you:

Welcome - this is a great place

Read - there's so much information here

Get started - cook something, you learn a lot with every cook and seriously, I've yet to not be able to eat even some of my worst cooks.

Have fun - it's BBQ

Enjoy - People will think you're a pit master in no time.

Check back often!
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RichPB and Jerry N - Thanks for the advice!

Despite my desperation to cook ribs (!), I'm going for the Boston Butt as you suggested (I'm assuming a British butcher will understand Boston Butt to be the same as shoulder).

I will keep you posted with my efforts!

Thanks again guys
Jimmy
 
Jimmy a boston butt is the lower part of the shoulder( as far as I can figure out from descriptions). If you get a whole shoulder it will be much bigger. I always do whole shoulders but it takes a lot of time.

As for the ribs I would suggest pull off the bone as apposed to fall of the bone. People have been brain washed to think fall off the bone is the right way to cook ribs. IMO fall off the bone is over cooked.
 
Congrats as I am a new owner as well. Got my 18.5 inch in mid-Feb and have 3 smokes under my belt.

My first smoke was a 8 pound butt. Used a chamber of unlit and added 3/4 chimney on top with a chunk of hickory and a chunk of apple. Used a foil wrapped pizza stone as a heat sink.

Can't believe how easy this thing is to use. Had it dialed in between 250-260 pretty much the entire time just by controlling the vents. The butt turned out great.

Have since done chicken (foiled water pan only) and a combo of baby back ribs and butt with the pizza stone again and both turned out really well.

Read the forums...lots of great advice here and good luck with your first smoke.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bob Sample:
Jimmy a boston butt is the lower part of the shoulder( as far as I can figure out from descriptions). If you get a whole shoulder it will be much bigger. I always do whole shoulders but it takes a lot of time.

As for the ribs I would suggest pull off the bone as apposed to fall of the bone. People have been brain washed to think fall off the bone is the right way to cook ribs. IMO fall off the bone is over cooked. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm with you on all counts, Bob -- except for cooking a whole shoulder. I'd like to know more about that (without doing the cook) because it seems to me that the Boston butt portion is the best and the rest is less meat. Why is it you choose to do the whole shoulder?

thanks, Rich
 
Rich I cook the whole shoulder because that's the way my butcher sells it and the price is a better. I also like to freeze the left overs so I always have some on hand.
 
Hi everyone,

Forgive me if I m in the wrong forum for this but as this was my first smoke I figured it would kind of come under the new owners area.

This weekend saw my first attempt with the WSM... Unseasonably good weather here (70 degrees and sunny... Thats tropical for us).

I don't know what I did wrong though...

I cooked 4 racks of baby back ribs (our slabs are smaller than yours.. Each weighed just under 1 lb each).

The flavour was there, the smoke ring was there, they tasted and looked good - They were however just very tough... No tearing off the bone... Not rubbery as such but getting that way.

I had a different thermometer on the lid which is brand new (along with the weber thermometer already built in which I understand to be unreliable) with a 6 inch probe which hangs through the top vent. I could hold my hand on the lid for a few seconds without it burning.

I smoked these for 3.5 hours, the average temperature was around 115 Centigrade 238F according to my additional thermometer.

The membranes came off and these stood at room temp covered with a food net for an hour.

I couldn't get it it any cooler - The water pan was virtually full.
All vents at the bottom were virtually closed - I could only just poke a toothpick through the vent holes.

1) I m thinking they cooked too hot too quick?
2) They were not smoked for long enough... But given the size of them (under 1lb each - perhaps 0.8lbs each)3.5 hours seemed adequate.
3) Unlikely, but too much charcoal..? Although if there was too much charcoal then the thermometer would have picked it up...

I also did a beer-can-chicken after the ribs had finished and that came out really well - I will figure out how to get the photos on here to show you my first attempt.

Any clues guys?

Thanks
Jimmy
 
Undercooked! I have smoked BB @ those temps for 5 h to get em tender. Never go by time. Use a toothpick or a thermo probe between the bones and check for tenderness. It should go in without resistance. When my WSM was new i closed all bottom vents to keep her low. Will get air tighter after a few cooks though.

I started out just like you chasing 225f. Now i cook my ribs @ 250-275. Faster,same good resault.(i dont use water though got to lazy for that)
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If you wanna uppload pics via www.imageshack.com

Do like this: 1 go to the page--->2 browse the pics you wanna uppload-->3 shange size to max 1024x768--->4 Klick on "uppload"-->5 wait a min to let em uppload--->6 Klick on the pick you wanna share-->7 then to the right klick on "embed this image"--->8 Copy the "forum" code into your post and it will show.

Repeat step 6-8 untill you have posted all the pics.

I know it sounds like a day´s work but after a few times you will spit out pics.
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Jimmy,
Welcome!! Just a few things, the membranes should come off before you put the rub on and before you smoke. Try getting the smoker up to temp before you put the food on. I am new just like you my first try at ribs was not so hot either, try spraying with a little apple juice during the cook this helps keep them moist and adds some flavor. My recomendation is to listen to all these excellent cooks they are a wealth of knowledge!!! Good luck!!
 
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