Took my new wsm for a test run today

[nomad_archer]

I'm still figuring out where to put things in the forum but I think this is the right place for bs type topics. If it's not my apologies.

Well on to the interesting part. I took my new to me wsm out for a dry run today to get familiar with how it will behave. I am surprised at how simple everything was. I did learn that with an empty water bowl I needed to make adjustments prior to hitting my desired temps. I also found I need to add more wood and to have it evenly distributed through out the charcoal. I am pretty happy that I was able to maintain 225-250 degree temps for the past 8 hours with hardly any adjustments. I can't wait until my wireless thermometer gets here to throw some meat on it. I can see this as a the beginning of a very addicting hobby.

 

[normanaj]

All I can say is stock up the beer fridge!

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Sounds like you got a hang of it pretty quick! Word of caution setting your smoker out front and all the amazing smells coming off of it will have all of your neighbors over in your front yard asking when dinner is going to be ready

 

[nomad_archer]

Sounds like you got a hang of it pretty quick! Word of caution setting your smoker out front and all the amazing smells coming off of it will have all of your neighbors over in your front yard asking when dinner is going to be ready

I'll keep this in mind. I already have to keep the neighbors away from the food coming off the griddle.

 

[Hawging It]

Tons of info about smoking on the WSM on SMF and the internet. Check out YouTube and search Bing as well. Many mods available as well.

 

[jcam222]

That looks like some nice clean blue smoke you have rolling there!

 

[nomad_archer]

That looks like some nice clean blue smoke you have rolling there!

That clean versus dirty smoke thing wasn't something I really understood until I was able to watch the smoke change. Now that I know what I'm looking for it all makes sense.

 

[jcam222]

That clean versus dirty smoke thing wasn't something I really understood until I was able to watch the smoke change. Now that I know what I'm looking for it all makes sense.

Yep totally get that. Heck at first i still thought I needed to have giant billows of smoke rolling. I've since learned that thin blue smoke even barely visible will give a good flavor and a nice smoke ring. Some of my first smokes were a little over smokey / ashtray tasting lol

 

[smokerjim]

looks like your off and running, now you just need to go to the beer and meat store. good luck!

 

[xray]

Looks like you got the hang of it pretty quick, what’s your first smoke on it going to be?

 

[noboundaries]

Congrats on the initial run! And now you know why the WSM is so loved by its owners.

Now comes technique. Here's one suggestion. When you load your first poundage of meat, resist the urge to correct for the temp drop. Think about it. Chamber was steady at 250F (or whatever) when the cold meat was loaded. The fire is still producing a heat output for a 250F chamber temp, but the cold meat is absorbing heat. Leave the vents alone and the chamber temp will rise back to 250F (or whatever) as the meat temp rises. If you try to correct for the initial temp drop, you'll end up chasing temps later, trying to bring them back down as they blow by 250F because you created a hotter fire.

Patience, Grasshopper.

Blowers are another subject entirely, but just as easy to understand.

 

[nomad_archer]

I'm headed to the meat store, beer store, and BBQ supply tomorrow. I'm thinking pork butt or country spare ribs for the first cook.

 

[nomad_archer]

Congrats on the initial run! And now you know why the WSM is so loved by its owners.

Now comes technique. Here's one suggestion. When you load your first poundage of meat, resist the urge to correct for the temp drop. Think about it. Chamber was steady at 250F (or whatever) when the cold meat was loaded. The fire is still producing a heat output for a 250F chamber temp, but the cold meat is absorbing heat. Leave the vents alone and the chamber temp will rise back to 250F (or whatever) as the meat temp rises. If you try to correct for the initial temp drop, you'll end up chasing temps later, trying to bring them back down as they blow by 250F because you created a hotter fire.

Patience, Grasshopper.

Blowers are another subject entirely, but just as easy to understand.

Thanks for the tip. I probably would have chased temps if you hadn't said something. I did have an interesting temp drop of 25 degrees at about 4 hours that I had to make a minor adjustment for.

Any thoughts on water versus no water in the bowl? That also seems like a another topic.

Also I feel a bit foolish for discounting the wsm in my initial research purely based on price and appearance.

 

[noboundaries]

Water in the water pan? Here are the facts:
1. 3 gallons of water is a heat sink. It absorbs a LOT of heat energy that would better serve the meat. Basically, water in the pan is to keep chamber temps low for novice smokers that do not know how to control their vents and fire. It wastes fuel. Once it evaporates, temps shoot up.
2. Water DOES NOT keep meat moist. It DOES make more smoke adhere to the meat. You'd better know how to reach clean smoke if using water in the water pan or your meat will taste like an ashtray. I do know how to get clean smoke, but my wife won't eat smoked meat if I use water. She says it is too smoky. I've tested her without her knowing and she was right every time.
3. Some use sand, clay, or some other filler in the water pan to maintain steady temps. Still a heat sink that absorbs heat (see#1), only it doesn't evaporate.
4. A dry water pan is a good heat deflector and fat catcher. An empty pan allows quicker responses to minor vent adjustments, usually 5-15 minutes. There's no mass to heat or cool. I can make a 1/16th inch to 1/8th inch adjustment to one vent and see corrections quickly.

No water, or mass that isn't cooking, for me.

 

[noboundaries]

Things that change WSM chamber temp you'd never expect.

1. Sun/shade. My back patio does not have a cover. For an all day smoke, I see shade, sun, shade on the smoker. The chamber temp rises 10-15F as the sun hits the black smoker.
2. The stall. As the meat absorbs and eventually starts sweating, you can see a 5-10F chamber drop as water leaves the meat, increasing the moisture in the chamber. (Meat temp can drop, too).
3. Ash. Low density briquettes ash over much more quickly than higher density briquettes, insulating the hot core of the briquette. Temps will drop 25-50F+. It can happen in as little as 4-8 hours, depending the total fuel load. KBB is a low density briquette. Higher density briquettes will go 12-16 hours before you have to knock off the ash.

 

[jcam222]

Things that change WSM chamber temp you'd never expect.

1. Sun/shade. My back patio does not have a cover. For an all day smoke, I see shade, sun, shade on the smoker. The chamber temp rises 10-15F as the sun hits the black smoker.
2. The stall. As the meat absorbs and eventually starts sweating, you can see a 5-10F chamber drop as water leaves the meat, increasing the moisture in the chamber. (Meat temp can drop, too).
3. Ash. Low density briquettes ash over much more quickly than higher density briquettes, insulating the hot core of the briquette. Temps will drop 25-50F+. It can happen in as little as 4-8 hours, depending the total fuel load. KBB is a low density briquette. Higher density briquettes will go 12-16 hours before you have to knock off the ash.

Do you ever use lump Charcoal in your WSM? Just curious, it is all I use in my 270 cabinet and also my Kamado. I’ve trued a ton of brands and have settled in to B&B. It burns hot long and clean, love it. I think they make briquettes as well.

 

[noboundaries]

Do you ever use lump Charcoal in your WSM? Just curious, it is all I use in my 270 cabinet and also my Kamado. I’ve trued a ton of brands and have settled in to B&B. It burns hot long and clean, love it. I think they make briquettes as well.

I have used lump quite a bit; RO and Lazarri mesquite (mesquite lump is everywhere here in the West). I know I can get B&B from Ace Hardware, and I've only seen good things about their lump and briquettes.

I go through about 500 lbs a year, so I prefer cheap, effective, tasteless, adaptive for hot/fast or low/slow, and long lasting. I've tested the marketing claims of "long-lasting" by a popular brand and found it to be marketing BS.

RO Ridge fits my desired profile, so I no longer stock lump. When I can stock up Ridge for 19-24 cents a pound, I load up the garage.

 

[nomad_archer]

I took noboundaries advice and am using RO briquettes. Im not going to complain the local lowes has them for 5.99 a bag. I might just pick a few more bags up just to be on the safe side.

I am going to do a few cooks but am seriously considering the gasket kit. I have some leakage but its not terribly bad.

 

[gmc2003]

Depending on where it's leaking and how bad - after a few cooks it will be seasoned and probably seal itself up. Also remember the WSM wasn't made airtight. A small leak here or there isn't going to affect anything.

Chris

 

[SmokinAl]

You bought a great smoker! Personally I use water pans in all my smokers, even my Lang offset. I think it gives a better result. But that's just my opinion. I came to that conclusion after hundreds of cooks & found that a pan of water in any smoker helps keep the chamber moist & keeps the temps more stable. The only time I don't use a water pan is when I'm making sausage or bacon. Then the temps are either cold smoked or under 170, so a water pan is a waste of time.
Al