New WSM owner...... Looking for operating tips for first brisket..Updated w/ Qview

tacswa3 · Mar 26, 2013

I have limited smoking experience and just picked up a 18.5 weber smokey mountain. I have done a brisket and the only smoking I've done is ribs and chicken on a char grilled or an electric.

I familiar with the minion method but I'm looking for operating tips such as vent positions (all 4) to help maintain temps. Also what is the best way to reload fuel? There sure isn't much room through the side access door. I assuming one Briquette at a time with tongs?

Any tips you WSM owners have I'm all ears.

jp61 · Mar 26, 2013

Here's how smokinAl use to do it.....

(I hope everything is good with you Al)

jirodriguez · Mar 26, 2013

Big differance between the WSM and you old chargriller is efficiency, the WSM will run a lot more efficeint. Here is my recomendation:

Fill ring half way with charcoal, put 4 or 5 fist sized chunks of wood in, fill ring rest of the way with charcoal, and top with another 4 or 5 chunks of wood. Make a slight depression in the top.
Light 1/2 chimney of charcoal and dump it into the depression on top.assemble body with the pan empty and all 4 vents open (top vent will stay open throughout the entire smoke). Put the lid on and watch the dome therm. When it hits 200° fill the pan with HOT water, put the lid back on and watch the dome therm again till it hits 200°.
At 200° close two bottom vents fully and the third by 50%, wait 10-15 min and see where your temps steady out at, you are shooting for 210-220 on the lid therm, adjust one way or the other by 25% to bump it up or down to get your target temp. NOTE: if the weather is windy and cold start with the third bottom vent 100% open)
Once you get your temps stable toss your brisket on, put on the lid, wait 30 min. to make sure your temps are steady, and then leave it alone for a while. You can add additional wood starting around hour 2 or 3 - just add 2 chunks every hour or so till you are ready to foil.
You don't need to open the lid till you are ready to foil, just leave the brisket alone. Once it hits 165 internal you can foil it (if you want), then toss it back on till the internal temp hits 190°.
At 190° start using a toothpick or fork to check the tenderness, when it slides in easy you are done.
Pull it and let it rest for at least 1 full hour.

Secret of brisket it to leave it alone! No peaking, no poking, no spritzing, just let it do it's thing.

Good luck!

dward51 · Mar 26, 2013

What he said....

And more...

Vents - top vent open and never touch it again (NEVER!!!), bottom vents adjust as needed to control temp (see above post).

Reloading fuel to the fire ring. Couple of options.

1) via the open door (al-la Al in photo above)

2) lift the body off the base and dump in more unlit after shaking ash off the remaining lit

3) lift the body off the base and collect the lit in a little pile in the center of the ring after shaking ash, then put unlit around that center pile (think a 2nd shot at a minion method start).

My choice is either #2 or #3 depending on what and how I'm smoking. Leave the top on the main body and use welder's gloves to lift the main body and top up and sit down off the base. Takes 30 seconds or less to load the charcoal if you have everything handy in place when you start. The heat loss is negligible and should not really impact the cook. Only do this when necessary though. Open the side door to check your charcoal status to determine if you need to do the charcoal reload.

If your WSM has been in use a while, there will probably be that black coating of "stuff" on the inside of the main body. It can leave a black ring on your deck, driveway, patio, garage floor, etc.... I have a aluminum water heater pan I sit down to place the main body on to keep the black ring from staining my deck. Never had a problem with the body being hot enough to burn the wood, but I did leave a grease ring one time.

tacswa3 · Mar 26, 2013

Man, you guys are great. Thanks for the detailed tips. My first post should have said "I have not done a brisket", I left the word "not" out.

I did do a "seasoning" smoke in the WSM the day I got it. Smoked some bacon and Italian sausages. Thats all the WSM has seen so far.

I did struggle with temps a bit. I only filled the ring half full estimating a 4 hour smoke. Took nearly an hour to get to about 250. Never spiked more than that but it slowly dropped and I kept messing with the vents to maintain 220-230. After about 3 to 3 1/2 hours it was all I could do to maintain 210. I called it quits due to rain and when I took the WSM apart most of the coals were ash except 6-8 pieces at the edges of the ring. Outdoor temps were high 40's with a slight breeze.

I think from now on regardless of smoke time, I'll always fill the charcoal ring to max.

fpnmf · Mar 26, 2013

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/135116/how-i-start-and-use-my-wsm

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/94076/wsm-mods

dougmays · Mar 26, 2013

These guys covered most of it!

I'll add a few more tips that i have found helped me

I bought a 80oz stainless steel ice scoop (approx $12 on Amazon), this works perfectly for adding more coals evenly across the lit coals without tossing them in by hand or lifting the chamber off...i just fill the scoop and slowly pour them over the lit coals. This scoop also doubles as a water funnel...i rest the edge of the scoop over the water pan (or bottom grate over water pan if i'm smoking alot of food) and pour water into scoop, into pan with out risk of spillage. Been the best, cheapest investment i've made!
I've found that the minion method in my 22.5" WSM gives me a solid 10-12 hours smoke (usually burning between 225-250)....if i know i'm going longer..more then 12 hours....i add more coals (usually 2 scoop fulls) at the 10 hour mark....if you wait till the 11 or 12 hour mark you might start losing heat and getting new coals burning might take longer. Just my personal opinion.
i found the break in period for mine was 3 solid smokes....during these temperature was hard to maintain...but not that its broken in, its very easy and systematic!

its a great smoker! you'll love it!

pgsmoker64 · Mar 26, 2013

Not much to add.except that you should get the lid off and on quickly or your pit temps will go out of control on the high side.

Know what you are going to do before you pull the lid off, get it done quickly, and get the lid back on!

Good luck,

Bill

dougmays · Mar 26, 2013

PGSmoker64 said:
Not much to add.except that you should get the lid off and on quickly or your pit temps will go out of control on the high side.

Know what you are going to do before you pull the lid off, get it done quickly, and get the lid back on!

Good luck,

Bill

this is a good point as well...at times i've had to leave my lid off for longer then expected (usually when i dont have help) and the temps start to climb. usually i'll close all 3 vents for 30 mins and temp will start to go down....once they start going down you can open back to 1/4 open...temp should maintain

tacswa3 · Mar 26, 2013

The brisket I'll be doing is just shy of 5 lbs. With the 18.5 WSM, how long would you guys estimate it will take to be done. Outside temp will probably be around 50*. Just trying to figure out what time I should throw the bad boy on if I want to eat by 6 or 7pm.

dougmays · Mar 26, 2013

are you planning to Slice it or Pull it?

for slicing you want an IT of 180-190

for pulling you want 190+

you'll likely hit a stall where the temp will not move for a few hours. my general rule of thumb is 2 hours per pound to play it safe. you can always wrap it in foil and a towel and rest it in a cooler for a couple hours if you finish early. i've kept them in a cooler for up to 3 hours before.

So after all my ramblin...if it was me i'd start 10 hours before you want to serve

tacswa3 · Mar 26, 2013

dougmays said:
are you planning to Slice it or Pull it?

for slicing you want an IT of 180-190
for pulling you want 190+

you'll likely hit a stall where the temp will not move for a few hours. my general rule of thumb is 2 hours per pound to play it safe. you can always wrap it in foil and a towel and rest it in a cooler for a couple hours if you finish early. i've kept them in a cooler for up to 3 hours before.

So after all my ramblin...if it was me i'd start 10 hours before you want to serve

I want to slice it. Your plan sounds good, I'm gonna shoot for that mark. Now all I have to do is decide on a rub recipe and hope to maintain accurate temps.

Any way to temporarily rig up my probe thermometer at the grate until I do the probe mod? Also I have a wireless probe but the wire cable doesn't appear to be heat resistant.

bama bbq · Mar 26, 2013

Tacswa3 said:
I want to slice it. Your plan sounds good, I'm gonna shoot for that mark. Now all I have to do is decide on a rub recipe and hope to maintain accurate temps.

Any way to temporarily rig up my probe thermometer at the grate until I do the probe mod? Also I have a wireless probe but the wire cable doesn't appear to be heat resistant.

I like a dalmation or SPOG rub on brisket. dalmation = salt and pepper. SPOG = salt, pepper, onion, and garlic. You might add some paprika but I don't.

If you have a dremel you can cut a slot in the center section so the wires don't get pinched by the lid. If not, you can thread them thru the top vent.

You asked about lower vent positions, bottom line set them to the point that results in the temp you are looking for. I recommend Low and Slow 200 - 225* for brisket but some go higher/hotter like a butt. Low and Slow will take longer but will result in a fantastic brisket because it's thinner than a butt which causes it to looses moisture faster. 10 hours is a good planing number but it's ready based on tenderness (probe method mentioned above) vs time.

The scoop idea above is a great idea and functions well to add fuel and water (if you're using water).

dougmays · Mar 27, 2013

i run my therm cable through the fire door to avoid "crinking" the cable....see below. i actually have 2 cables running out of it

2013-03-17_07-43-49_60.jpg

dougmays
Mar 18, 2013

maybe this is a better picture

2013-03-17_10-11-30_746.jpg

dougmays
Mar 18, 2013

so basically have your probe in the probe holder on the grate...then run it down through the grate and out the door.

As for your cable not being fireproof....that doesn't make alot of sense to me because those cables are meant for grills/smokers/ovens that can reach temps of 500 degrees or so....so whether its' rubber or a metal...it should be fire/heat resistent..

dougmays · Mar 27, 2013

Bama BBQ said:
...
The scoop idea above is a great idea and functions well to add fuel and water (if you're using water).

i dont think i have any pictures of me using the scopps...i can fake some tonight and post them on here LOL

tacswa3 · Mar 27, 2013

dougmays said:
i run my therm cable through the fire door to avoid "crinking" the cable....see below. i actually have 2 cables running out of it

2013-03-17_07-43-49_60.jpg

dougmays

Mar 18, 2013

maybe this is a better picture

2013-03-17_10-11-30_746.jpg

dougmays

Mar 18, 2013

so basically have your probe in the probe holder on the grate...then run it down through the grate and out the door.

As for your cable not being fireproof....that doesn't make alot of sense to me because those cables are meant for grills/smokers/ovens that can reach temps of 500 degrees or so....so whether its' rubber or a metal...it should be fire/heat resistent..

That is a great idea running it through the door. I don't have a probe holder, I'll have to use a metal spring clamp or something to hold the probe in place. My other thermo probe has a rubber wire thats why I was thinking it wasn't very heat resistant but I guess your right.

tacswa3 · Mar 27, 2013

Well, its sink or swim.....the brisket is all rubbed down in the fridge.....

dougmays · Mar 28, 2013

Good Luck!

Todd from A-Maze-N Smokers, a member of this forum, has a really good deal on the Maverick wireless thermometer here http://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MAVET-732

this is a great product, alot of members of the forum use this model. I just ordered this newer model from him and i have the previous edition as well. They come with a prob holder that attaches to the grate, a therm., receiver unit and 2 probes....one for meat and one for smoker. if you have a few extra bucks laying around it's well worth the investment

post pics of your first brisket! :)

tacswa3 · Mar 28, 2013

I'm an hour in, and the difference in temps from my probe at the grate and the lid thermometer is @25 degrees. Probe at the grate is reading higher. This thermometer is new to me and its digital so I'm assuming its more accurate then analog one in the dome.

I appreciate the link on the Maverick, I'm gonna check that out. I would like and need a good thermo. I've read good things about here.

tacswa3 · Mar 28, 2013

Here is a few photos....... IT meat temp has been stalled at 156* for quite some time now and I'm 8.5 hours in.

Rubbed down for an over night stay in the fridge

005.JPG

tacswa3
Mar 28, 2013

7 1/2 hours in.........IT meat temp stalled for a long while

009.JPG

tacswa3
Mar 28, 2013

New WSM owner...... Looking for operating tips for first brisket..Updated w/ Qview

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