Longtime WSM user, Noob Smoke Vault user and have questions.

[JuniorBalloon]

I have been using the WSM for several years and more often than not can make some very tasty Q. However there are enough times that I have gotten an acrid sooty flavor that I've bought a Camp Chef Smoke Vault in hopes of having greater control of temp and smoke.

Look forward to learning on the forums.

jb

 

[SmokinAl]

Welcome to SMF!
The SV 24 is an excellent smoker, but so is your WSM.
I have had both for several years, & still use both, along with my offset.
But my GoTo smoker has always been the SV 24. It gets used more often than the others.
Just because it's so easy to use & cleanup is a breeze.
Al

 

[JuniorBalloon]

Welcome to SMF!
The SV 24 is an excellent smoker, but so is your WSM.
I have had both for several years, & still use both, along with my offset.
But my GoTo smoker has always been the SV 24. It gets used more often than the others.
Just because it's so easy to use & cleanup is a breeze.
Al

Thanks for the welcome and the info on the vents. I will be firing it up tomorrow and cooking some St Louis ribs.

 

[TonyBones]

Hey Junior! I'm new here too and also used a WSM for a long time. Let me know how that SmokeVault treats ya.

 

[dward51]

Just curious, but was it on long or short smokes you got that sooty flavor in the WSM?

 

[noboundaries]

Welcome to SMF, Junior. Glad you're here and looking for answers.

Can't help you with the Smoke Vault, but the acrid, sooty flavor with the WSM, and the temp control, is an easy fix. Share what charcoal you're using, how you load your charcoal/wood, and the color of your smoke when you load the meat.

Enjoy the forum!

Ray

 

[JuniorBalloon]

I've done a fair amount of research on the sooty WSM flavor. I use Cowboy Lump (though I've also had the off flavor with Kingsford), minion method and wait for the smoke to turn blue. I have a DIGIq that controls temp and it works very well. I think the issue, at least in my experience, is that it doesn't take a lot of fire to hit 250 in a WSM, and small fires don't burn as clean as larger ones. The smoldering nature of the minion seems to lead to sooty BBQ. though not always.

I have to say my Smoke Vault experience was so good I'm unlikely to mess with my WSM to figure it out further.

 

[chopsaw]

I have to say my Smoke Vault experience was so good I'm unlikely to mess with my WSM to figure it out further.

Both great smokers . Get to know the SV , then re-visit the WSM .

 

[dward51]

I'm running a DigiQ 2 on my 18.5" WSM (and have been doing so since 2006). I also go minion with lit on top of unlit. I run top vent 100% open all the time and bottom vents all closed or blocked except the one the Guru fan is hooked to. I've not noticed a sooty flavor. I also use a range of charcoal, both natural lump and brickette from time to time. Not sure what the issue is.

But I'm glad to hear the Smoke Vault is working out well.