Except for knives, I don't own a slicer either. The butcher slices the meat I use.
I make jerky all the time on the
WSM. All bottom vents closed, load it with cold briquettes. Form a ring in the center with some chunks of wood, then put 6 hot briquettes in the middle of the ring. It might take up to 90 minutes for the white smoke to start showing hints of blue.
I take the bottom rack out and put two bricks on the top rack. I lay out my jerky on the top rack, then put the bottom rack on the top of the two bricks. Then fill the top rack with what's left of your jerky. In a 22.5 I can load about 3.5 lbs of sliced, marinated bottom round. Believe it or not, the lid still fits just fine.
And once you have the thin blue smoke, or invisible smoke, don't be afraid to closed down your top vent to 1/4 to 1/2 if the chamber temp starts climbing past about 175F. It works and won't cause stale smoke.