MD, congrats on the new super smoker! July 4th is right around the corner and you can stock up on cheap charcoal for the year, if you haven't already.
Congrats on having a Smart Wife too. My wife has bought my last two grills and my
WSM. It was after she bought the
WSM I figured out what she was doing. She wanted me to do all the cooking! And that is EXACTLY what has happened.
The
WSM is good to go right out of the box, but some of us can't help but tinker with it. I smoked on mine for 6 months before adding a gasket kit ($25) and a BBQ Guru DigiQ DX2 temp controller. Neither is necessary. My
WSM was slightly out of round so the gasket kit took care of that issue. It took longer to clean the buildup off the smoker where I was going to apply the gasket (an hour) than it did to apply the gasket (15 minutes).
The WSM will chug right along without much attention with or without water (or sand or clay) in the water pan. The temp controller basically turns it into a kitchen oven. Set the temp and forget about it. I've run it from 150F up to 475F (max on the DigiQ).
If you haven't moved away from Kingsford Original, now's the time. I was a Kingsford user for decades, but the current formula is a waste of money. Royal Oak Ridge briquettes last 50% longer and maintains temps better. They are just as cheap as Kingsford per pound, just sold in smaller bags.
The lid therm on the WSM is pretty useless after a short while. A 2" River Country adjustable thermometer will fit exactly in the existing therm housing. You have to drill out the hole in the lid and the housing with a 9/16" drill bit, but it fits nicely and is dead on accurate.
If you are going to use lump charcoal in the WSM, two options: Put down a layer of briquettes first, then add the lump. It keeps the smaller pieces from falling through the charcoal grate. You can also buy a replacement charcoal grate for the 22.5" Kettle (note, I said Kettle, not WSM). It fits EXACTLY inside the WSM charcoal basket. Set it 90 degrees to the existing grate and it accomplishes the same thing as the layer of briquettes.
I've done all the above. If I didn't have my 22.5" Performer Weber Kettle with a table sitting right next to my WSM, I'd add a table and a lid hinge to the WSM. The lid of the WSM fits exactly over the lid on my Weber Kettle, so I just move it there when prepping the smoker or loading/removing meat.
Let us know what you're going to smoke first! You know what they say, you never forget your first time.
I plan on assembling and at least doing a dry burn this weekend. All of you guys are a wealth of information. I would love to hear any mods or tips for the WSM's. Thanks in advance and Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!
