Smokey Mountain 22.5

[kdawg24]

Hi…My name is Neil and I live in southern New Jersey, and I am now obsessed!! Just got a WSM 22.5 and did my first smoke.  I did 2 whole chickens about 4- 4.5 lbs each.  I applied a nice rub and used the Minion method…one chimney of original Kingsford briquettes, then 3/4 chimney of lit Kingsford and 3 chunks of apple wood. I also filled the water pan with one gallon of water. I wanted to smoke at 275, but I couldn't get the smoker past 255- 260 max.  I didn't peek until the 2 hour mark and was nicely surprised that the birds were nice and mahogany color…temp. of the birds at breast was 156 degrees.  I let it go another 1/2 hour.  The temp was now 165 degrees so I took them out and tented them for about 20 minutes than ate!  Very moist and tender meat…I give it a 9 out of 10.  It seems that the smoke flavor is a bit strong…I am not sure if is too much wood or it is the briquettes giving off  a funny smoke (binders in coal??)…Should I have used hardwood charcoal?  I would appreciate any thoughts, tips, etc.   I am going to try a dry water pan next time to see if the temp gets higher.   Thanks! 

 

[raptor700]

Hi Neil, the WSM's are awesome smokers, as you already know.

It could be the brand of charcoal you  were using, i have used some (cheaper) brands

and they add a funky flavor to the meat. I only use quality coal like Kingsford and Royal Oak.

Most (natural) lump coal works well in the WSM.

Lump burns hotter and cleaner than standard charcoal.

Hope this helps

                     

 to SMF

 

[jrod62]

 

[s2k9k]

Hi Neil! 

to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 40,000 members and over 800,000 posts so you should be able to find almost anything you want to know. Remember the search bar at the top can be your best friend for finding answers fast!

Would you do us a favor and update your profile to include your location, Thanks!

You might want to check out Jeff's Free 5 day E-course it will teach you all the basics and a whole lot more!

 

[whtplainssmoker]

Welcome Neil.  There are lost of WSM owners around here willing to help out.  I've only used my WSM 3 o4 4 time so far and it takes a little getting used to.  I think if you want to smoke the birds at 275* my guess would be open up the bottom vents a little more and you can probably skip the water in the pan.

As for "too smokey" flavor.  You will see lots of posts about "Thin Blue Smoke" .  A little smoke goes a long way, you dont need to see a lot of smoke to get flavor.  If you smell it, it is doing its work. 

 

[scarbelly]

Hello Neil and 

 to SMF - glad to have you here 

 

[coronaca92879]

If you want it real hot try lighting a full chimney of briquettes. Also that's a lot of wood chunks for a short smoke. I'd recommend starting with one fist size chunk for smokes under 3 hours and when you can't smell it anymore add one more chunk.

 

[kdawg24]

thank you all…I will try less wood….one more question.  I am assuming that 2 whole chickens would take about 2 hours at 275 degrees….should I just try a chimney of hot coals instead of the minion method?  thanks  and this forum is AWESOME!!

 

[bama bbq]

thank you all…I will try less wood….one more question.  I am assuming that 2 whole chickens would take about 2 hours at 275 degrees….should I just try a chimney of hot coals instead of the minion method?  thanks  and this forum is AWESOME!!

I recommend getting the temps up in the 300* range for chicken to get the fat under the skin to crisp the skin.  Otherwise, you may like to finish it over direct heat.

 

[kdawg24]

can you tell me how to get the temp up to 300?  thanks (newbie here)

 

[smokinhusker]

Hello and welcome to SMF!

 

[jirodriguez]

can you tell me how to get the temp up to 300?  thanks (newbie here)

To get the higher temps you need to use more  unlit charcoal and start with more lit charcoal. Fill you ring about half way (approx. 7-10 lbs. of charcoal), light a full chimney of charcaol and let it get full lit before dumping it. Top vent 100% open, and all 3 bottom vents open you will hit 275-300 no problem, and if you leave you pan empty you can get even hotter.

With fruit woods I find using 1 chunk at a time is the best way to go, they have a tendancy to produce a lot more smoke when pile on.

Another way of doing chicken (that I really like) is to low and slow the bird. Keep the chamber temps between 225° and 250°, then once the chicken reaches an internal temp of 170°+ then toss it on a hot grill for a few minutes to crisp up the skin. The low and slow heat makes for very moist meat and good smoke absorbtion.

Grats on the WSM!

 

[kdawg24]

thank you everyone  I will try to perfect the bird!