First timer smoking and with new 18" WSM

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jtung23

Newbie
Original poster
Jun 5, 2017
7
10
Oakland, CA (Bay Area)
Hey all!

I just bought the 18" WSM and am looking forward to smoking my first brisket next Saturday. I've got my boning knife, some apple wood chunks and oak wood chips, kingsford blue, and some beer! I feel like I should cook another meat on the second rack and was looking for suggestions. 

What meat should i cook?

Should the meat be on the top or bottom rack (with brisket on the other)?

Should I place foil to prevent the juices from dripping on either or both racks?

Also, any tips for a newbie to the wonders of the WSM would be much appreciated!

The weather here should be coasting at about 70-80 degrees F so minion method should work fine right?

Cheers!
 
 
Hey all!

I just bought the 18" WSM and am looking forward to smoking my first brisket next Saturday. I've got my boning knife, some apple wood chunks and oak wood chips, kingsford blue, and some beer! I feel like I should cook another meat on the second rack and was looking for suggestions. 

What meat should i cook?

Should the meat be on the top or bottom rack (with brisket on the other)?

Should I place foil to prevent the juices from dripping on either or both racks?

Also, any tips for a newbie to the wonders of the WSM would be much appreciated!

The weather here should be coasting at about 70-80 degrees F so minion method should work fine right?

Cheers!
Try cooking beef with beef so the juices will be ok dripping onto it. cook a roast (chuck) or some beef ribs (those are really cheap here) or some such. I usually try to cook like meats over like meat if i can. (sausage over pork butt etc.). i would put foil over the water pan and leave the water pan empty or with playground sand. if you want you can put some beef stock/broth in a foil pan and put the brisket in that  but you don't have to. as far as the WSM keep at least one and half to two bottom vents closed and the top wide open. it will run kinda hot esp a new WSM. Make sure to use the minion method in the bottom part. (search if thats new to you)

Good Luck!

phatbac (Aaron)
 
Welcome to SMF jtung23!  Congrats on the WSM!  Lots of us WSM'ers here. 

I'm not a minion method guy with my WSM so someone else will have to help you in that area.  I dry smoke (no water) and put charcoal, wood, charcoal, more wood, then dump hot charcoal in the middle of the pile.  1/4 chimney if 225F chamber temp, 1/4 to 1/3 for 250F, 1/2 for 275F, 3/4 to full for 300+. 

Brisket right off the bat.  Obviously you have some experience with the meat.  In the WSM, put the longest smoking meat on the lower rack.  On the upper rack you can put anything else that takes less time, like chicken, sausages, pork loin, tri tips (no need to have two beefs), you get it. 

Don't worry about the dripping.  It all works. 

Have fun!

Ray
 
 
Welcome to SMF jtung23!  Congrats on the WSM!  Lots of us WSM'ers here. 

I'm not a minion method guy with my WSM so someone else will have to help you in that area.  I dry smoke (no water) and put charcoal, wood, charcoal, more wood, then dump hot charcoal in the middle of the pile.  1/4 chimney if 225F chamber temp, 1/4 to 1/3 for 250F, 1/2 for 275F, 3/4 to full for 300+. 

Brisket right off the bat.  Obviously you have some experience with the meat.  In the WSM, put the longest smoking meat on the lower rack.  On the upper rack you can put anything else that takes less time, like chicken, sausages, pork loin, tri tips (no need to have two beefs), you get it. 

Don't worry about the dripping.  It all works. 

Have fun!

Ray
Thanks Ray! I'm still slow on the lingo. By 1/4, 1/3, and 3/4 do you mean opened or closed? and when you say chimney you mean the top vent? So the rationale is the more open the top vent, the hotter the WSM will be right?

Yeah I smoked a brisket with my cousin a few weeks ago in his pellet smoker and fell in love with it in Austin several months ago.

Would you be able to explain the reasoning behind having a water pan and having it be dry?
 
phatbac,

Thanks for the response. I'm over in san francisco bay area so the beef is more expensive unfortunately. I also saw some tips on how to season the WSM before actually cooking it! So i'll definitely break it in first before cooking on it. 
 
 
Hey all!

I just bought the 18" WSM and am looking forward to smoking my first brisket next Saturday. I've got my boning knife, some apple wood chunks and oak wood chips, kingsford blue, and some beer! I feel like I should cook another meat on the second rack and was looking for suggestions. 

What meat should i cook?

Should the meat be on the top or bottom rack (with brisket on the other)?

Should I place foil to prevent the juices from dripping on either or both racks?

Also, any tips for a newbie to the wonders of the WSM would be much appreciated!

The weather here should be coasting at about 70-80 degrees F so minion method should work fine right?

Cheers!
I don't know were here is 

Have you seasoned your smoker yet?

Richie
 
 
Thanks Ray! I'm still slow on the lingo. By 1/4, 1/3, and 3/4 do you mean opened or closed? and when you say chimney you mean the top vent? So the rationale is the more open the top vent, the hotter the WSM will be right?

Yeah I smoked a brisket with my cousin a few weeks ago in his pellet smoker and fell in love with it in Austin several months ago.

Would you be able to explain the reasoning behind having a water pan and having it be dry?
Ah.  Now my turn to get it.  I use a chimney to start my hot charcoal, then add the hot charcoal to the cold pile in the WSM.  They come in two sizes.  When I say "1/4 chimney," I'm talking about the only putting enough charcoal in the big one to fill it a quarter of the way to the top. 


Vents?  Top vent full open, always.  Bottom vents you adjust to maintain your desired chamber temp.  If the bottom vents are full open, your chamber will probably run north of 300F.  If the bottom vents are barely open, you'll be in the 225-250 range.

Why dry smoke (no water in water pan).  One, it's easier.  Two, water is a heat sink.  It is there to help you control temps and smoke at lower temps.  As it evaporates though, you're temps will climb unless you add more water.  I just figured to control temps without the hassle of water. 

Three, a moist environment will cause more smoke to adhere to the meat.  That's not a bad thing, unless you're married to a supertaster like I am.  She won't eat meat that has been wet smoked, but loves dry smoked meat.  Happy wife, happy life.  I dry smoke. 

Everyone falls in love with Austin!    
 
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@Noboundaries

Thanks for the tips! This forum is amazing.

I'm curious about cooking pork over the brisket. If i didn't want the juices to mix on the brisket, would I be able to wrap foil? I haven't seen anything about covering the top rack with foil to prevent mixing in the WSM.
 
 
@Noboundaries

Thanks for the tips! This forum is amazing.

I'm curious about cooking pork over the brisket. If i didn't want the juices to mix on the brisket, would I be able to wrap foil? I haven't seen anything about covering the top rack with foil to prevent mixing in the WSM.
You can actually smoke the pork in a disposable aluminum pan, just put the fat side down so you get nice smoke penetration on the meat.  I use pans all the time.  Easier clean up and it catches all that juice, which is packed with flavor.  You can use a fat separator to save the juice, and save the fat.  If you want AMAZING gravy, use the fat you saved from a smoke to make gravy. 
 
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You can actually smoke the pork in a disposable aluminum pan, just put the fat side down so you get nice smoke penetration on the meat.  I use pans all the time.  Easier clean up and it catches all that juice, which is packed with flavor.  You can use a fat separator to save the juice, and save the fat.  If you want AMAZING gravy, use the fat you saved from a smoke to make gravy. 
You can also use a regular roasting pan with a wire cake cooking rack on top. Place the pork on top of the wire rack and it is similar to it cooking directly on the grate.
 
Why dry smoke (no water in water pan).  One, it's easier.  Two, water is a heat sink.  It is there to help you control temps and smoke at lower temps.  As it evaporates though, you're temps will climb unless you add more water.  I just figured to control temps without the hassle of water. 
Some good advice from Noboundaries regarding temperature control.

Regarding the water bowl, I have never found that it makes much difference to the end result when it comes to affecting the meat moisture or smoke adhesion. It does make a very efficient heat buffer though to help prevent heat spikes from the coals. Placing sand in the water bowl also has a similar effect and it does not dry out. Even just having the bowl there empty from the beginning will help you manage a nice stable temperature throughout the long cooks.
 
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No water here.  I've found that it absorbs the heat and uses more fuel if I do.  Also, my wife is not a fan of a ton of smoke, I have found that there is plenty of smoke flavor without overpowering anything.  I don't have to keep track of the water level and add when it runs out because if it gets low, it will spike the temp.  Easier cleanup. .  I just cover the bowl with foil (with air between bowl and foil so drippings don't burn) then throw out foil.  Too many benefits to no water imho
 
@Noboundaries

I finally put together the WSM! and noticed that the bottom rack is a bit hard to get to from the side. There's maybe 4-6in of room between the bottom rack and the top of the side doorway. Any tips for getting to the bottom rack during cooking if i'm using the top rack as well?

Someone stated earlier to cook the pork on top with the brisket on bottom so eventually I'll have to take out the brisket to wrap in paper and to spray occasionally. 
 
Yeah, there's no real way to get to the bottom rack without moving the top one.  That's why you always put the longer smoke on the bottom rack if you're smoking two items. 

In my world the butt takes longer than the brisket, even though is will be say 9 lbs of butt compared to 15 lbs of brisket.  I've had 9 lb butts take 20 hours, but 14 lbs of brisket done in 17.  No wrapping was involved.  My briskets ALWAYS cook faster than my butts. 
 
 
Yes a Minion will be fine

Hey Wade 

Just wondering how you like smoking with the wood pellets? I can get all kinds of pellets and am thinking of using them in my WSM but don't know how they work. 

Thanks for the info.

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@Noboundaries

I finally put together the WSM! and noticed that the bottom rack is a bit hard to get to from the side. There's maybe 4-6in of room between the bottom rack and the top of the side doorway. Any tips for getting to the bottom rack during cooking if i'm using the top rack as well?
Unfortunately this is one of the design flaws in the WSM but in all other respects it is one of the finest bullet smokers you can buy. ProQ overcame this my making the center barrel split at the middle grate.

As advised above - it makes it easier if you put your longest cook on the bottom rack.
 
Just wondering how you like smoking with the wood pellets? I can get all kinds of pellets and am thinking of using them in my WSM but don't know how they work. 
So long as they are food grade pellets they work well in a WSM Minion. Commercially I use pellets to fuel my FEC-120 smoker and so I have plenty around too. It is also easier for me to get woods like Hickory and Mesquite in pellet form here than it is to get as lump wood.

A while ago I did a comparison using Oak pellets and Oak chunks and there was very little difference. If anything the pellets gave a slightly more smoky flavour but it wasn't overpowering. These days I almost always use pellets in the minion unless I am giving a training course where I demonstrate the use of both. The photo above was from one of the courses - during a normal smoke I would not usually mix pellets and lump.
 
So just like Wade and Noboundries,
I use the minion method when using my WSM
I have a pizza pan over my water pan that I wrap with aluminum foil and no water..
I would do a pork butt in an aluminum pan. But you r going to need a digital wireless thermo to monitor your temps..
 
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