General/Beginner Help (WSM 22)

[MetalHeadMeatEater]

Hello there SMF community!

Read plenty of recipes on the forum but this is my first time posting.

I've done some light dabbling with smoking back in the day, and helped in-laws a few times, but I'm finally deciding to dive into the fun head-first. I did some reading and think I'll be going with a WSM 22 as I like the price point as well as there being a big community to reference for it in terms of tips and mods.

That said, I have some basic newbie questions if y'all dont mind helping point me in the right direction a bit :)

-heat shield/pad: I just spent the last month of free time building a deck for my wife and I (gotta be ready for football season!), and wasn't sure if I can use the smoker on the deck, or if I definitely need it on the ground. If on the deck in assuming I'll need a heat pad under it, and if so, any recommendations?

-fuel: recommendations on brands for lump charcoal and wood would be greatly appreciated. Seems like there are a few brands mentioned on here that are popular, and that things like kingsford and generic mainstream mass produced briquets are a little bit looked down upon?

-Curing/seasoning: how much smoke should I run through the WSM22 before actually smoking some meat in it? Is there a preferred wood or whatever is cheap?

-basic mods: I've read with the WSM22 one of the main slight issues is leakage out of the fuel door, and saw there are a couple cheap and easy gasket sets to fix that issue. Outside of that, any recommended basic/easy mods to help out?

-tips/tricks/recs: any general tips from y'all experts would of course would be awesome!

Apologies on the long post, and thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge!

-Andrew

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Welcome to to forum Andrew. I will leave the WSM recommendations to those that actually own them but I think that I can be pretty confident is saying that you shouldn't need any kind of heat pad. The design keeps that smoker up of the ground and I doubt that the radiant heat will harm your deck. Football season is a great time to be smoking. You picked a great time to dive in.

George

 

[MetalHeadMeatEater]

Excellent, thanks, George! I can use the heat pad money on more meat, then. ;)

 

[kruizer]

Welcome to SMF from Minnesota.

 

[gmc2003]

Welcome to the site Andrew.

Hello there SMF community

-heat shield/pad: I just spent the last month of free time building a deck for my wife and I (gotta be ready for football season!), and wasn't sure if I can use the smoker on the deck, or if I definitely need it on the ground. If on the deck in assuming I'll need a heat pad under it, and if so, any recommendations?

Not really needed, but if you want one for your wife's piece of mind any hardware store should carry them on the cheap.

-fuel: recommendations on brands for lump charcoal and wood would be greatly appreciated. Seems like there are a few brands mentioned on here that are popular, and that things like kingsford and generic mainstream mass produced briquets are a little bit looked down upon?

I stay away from lump on my WSM, because it burns hotter and it's harder for me to control. I usually just pick up whatever is on sale. KBB is always on sale during the holidays and I haven't experienced any ill effects.

-Curing/seasoning: how much smoke should I run through the WSM22 before actually smoking some meat in it? Is there a preferred wood or whatever is cheap?

None is really needed. Just wash off the grates.

-basic mods: I've read with the WSM22 one of the main slight issues is leakage out of the fuel door, and saw there are a couple cheap and easy gasket sets to fix that issue. Outside of that, any recommended basic/easy mods to help out?

I suggest you run your WSM a few times before modding it. Some leak some don't. It's a waste of money fixing something that isn't broken. After you run it then come back here and ask your questions.

-tips/tricks/recs: any general tips from y'all experts would of course would be awesome!

Kinda vague here. What are you wanting to do. My first suggestion is look up the minion method for starting. It's a whole lot easier to raise your temps then to bring them down.

Apologies on the long post, and thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge!

No problem with the length of the post. There are allot of WSM users here. Myself included that would be more then willing to help with any questions you may have. Specific questions are generally easy to answer then broad. I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.

Chris

 

[Jeff Wright]

Welcome to SMF..The only thing I might add about the pad is this...if you can tend to be as messy as me, that pad of some sort might help keep from some staining of the deck, and I am not talking about wood stain!!!

Enjoy the cooking!

 

[chopsaw]

Be careful with charcoal on a wood deck . WSM lower vents are different from a regular kettle , but had hot coal come out of my grill once got caught between the boards and I did not know it . Good thing I was outside .

 

[MetalHeadMeatEater]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes!

I was only considering radiating heat, didn't even think of the mess/rogue coals. Appreciate the heads up.

Any recs on fuel brands or time of smoke I should run through it to season it sufficiently?

 

[Smoke23]

Welcome and glad you joined!

Well let’s get started on your list.

The heat shield is the aluminum disk that’s attached to the legs of the smoker. Rogue charcoal has already been covered so you’re good there.

-fuel: lump charcoal burns hotter than briquettes which means it’ll burn quicker.
I generally go with Royal Oak Ridge which are briquettes. Kingsford I’ll usually get when it’s on sale (1/2 off). I’m not familiar with briquettes being looked down on so I can’t help you there.

Seasoning: doesn’t need any. Wash the food grates with soap and water. Of course if you want to take it for a test drive before throwing on some food, good ahead. Wood is all about what you like. Hickory is probably the most popular. Mesquite is good for red meat. I usually use oak, cherry and maple because that’s what I can get for free.

Mods: Use your smoker first and see how bad it leaks. The door is cheep but you can also manipulate it to fit better. “Some” smoke leaking is normal. If you can control the temps then mods aren’t necessary. Adding another charcoal grate running opposite of the other grate will prevent larger chunks of charcoal falling through is a good mod. Or using expanded metal over the charcoal grate works too.

Tips: Get a chimney to start the charcoal. It’s easier to get the temperature to go up than it is to go down so don’t start with too many lit charcoal. I do abound 10-15 depending on the outside temperature.

Get a dual probe digital thermometer. One probe for the meat and the other for the grate. The analog one in the lid is unreliable.

Enjoy the fantastic Q you’ll be making.

 

[MetalHeadMeatEater]

This is awesome, thank you very much Smoke23! I'm really looking forward to digging into the smoking art, so I really appreciate all your insights. Cheers!

 

[Jbrig9202]

Hello all!

Just joined the SMF site and looking for a little assistance. I am a semi beginner to smoking. I have done a couple of pork shoulders, and a brisket.

I am looking to our shade a new offset smoker but don’t want to break the bank. I have narrrowed down to the Dyna-glo signature series or the chargriller competition pro 8125. I know everyone loves Oklahoma Joe but they are unavailable in store for some reason and on Amazon you pay a TON of shipping.

Sorry to jump in on this conversation but just took a shot.

Thanks
Joe