WSM 18.5 with Auber control

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Mychops

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Oct 11, 2018
87
38
After having a cookshack deal fall through, I added a WSM to my arsenal. I haven’t cooked on this smoker so any advice is helpful.
It came with an Auber control unit 6.5 CFM. The smoker is in good shape. He gave it to me for $150 with the Auber, two bags of wood, a bag of charcoal and a caddy. I feel very lucky!
Any experience running the Auber?
Thanks!
 

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YEAP! Good deal for sure. I have no experience on that type of controller. Did you try a quick Google search on it?
I may add, I have a controller for my WSM also. (Bbq guru) And I only use my controller for over-night smokes. Majority of the time I use my WSM by vent control. The WSM is very low maintenance when it comes to controlling the temps.
Enjoy your new WSM! You will love it!
 
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YEAP! Good deal for sure. I have no experience on that type of controller. Did you try a quick Google search on it?
I may add, I have a controller for my WSM also. (Bbq guru) And I only use my controller for over-night smokes. Majority of the time I use my WSM by vent control. The WSM is very low maintenance when it comes to controlling the temps.
Enjoy your new WSM! You will love it!
Thanks! I’ve done some research on the Auber and they’ve been primarily negative.
 
Nice score on that 18. I run my 22 naturally aspirated so I can't offer much in the line of advice. Looking forward to seeing it in action. If you have any questions on running it w/o the auber fire away.

Chris
 
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Nice score on that 18. I run my 22 naturally aspirated so I can't offer much in the line of advice. Looking forward to seeing it in action. If you have any questions on running it w/o the auber fire away.

Chris
Thanks Chris! I’ve previously used no water pan though may have a cooking sheet/deflector in that spot. Do you use a water pan?
 
Thanks Chris! I’ve previously used no water pan though may have a cooking sheet/deflector in that spot. Do you use a water pan?

If i'm shooting for a temp in the range of 200* to 230* then I'll put boiling water in the pan. Most of my smokes are done in the 250* range so I just wrap the pan in foil and use it as a deflector plate.

Chris
 
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Can't speak to the Auber but i run my WSM with a partyq and its mostly set and forget. Probably would be set and forget had I decided to go with a digiq (still might eventually). I personally haven't had much luck with my WSM staying set an forget without a controller but with one it's been pretty rock solid. I'm starting to look into more set and forget stupid proof smokers but I won't say the WSM can't fall into that category, its just stuff like the new MB560 and some of the pellet options have less setup or takedown work that's starting to get my attention.
 
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If i'm shooting for a temp in the range of 200* to 230* then I'll put boiling water in the pan. Most of my smokes are done in the 250* range so I just wrap the pan in foil and use it as a deflector plate.

Chris
Thanks for the rec Chris!
 
Can't speak to the Auber but i run my WSM with a partyq and its mostly set and forget. Probably would be set and forget had I decided to go with a digiq (still might eventually). I personally haven't had much luck with my WSM staying set an forget without a controller but with one it's been pretty rock solid. I'm starting to look into more set and forget stupid proof smokers but I won't say the WSM can't fall into that category, its just stuff like the new MB560 and some of the pellet options have less setup or takedown work that's starting to get my attention.
The guy I bought the WSM off had a Yoder pellet smoker and that thing was humming. Those are good looking grills
 
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The guy I bought the WSM off had a Yoder pellet smoker and that thing was humming. Those are good looking grills
I can say that in running my WSM 2 days ago it was a breeze after setup. So i may just need to start commiting to setting up the WSM the day before a cook so that the day of the cook all i'm doing is firing up a chimney and dumping it in.
 
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I've smoked on a 22" for years and never found the need to buy one. I've done overnight cooks and it performed just fine on it's own. As an example, I threw a brisket on at 11:00pm with the temp @ 250° and at 8:00am the next morning it was 225°. Now I can't tell you what the temps were overnight but my guess is it never went above 275 or under 225. The brisket was awesome !
 
I've smoked on a 22" for years and never found the need to buy one. I've done overnight cooks and it performed just fine on it's own. As an example, I threw a brisket on at 11:00pm with the temp @ 250° and at 8:00am the next morning it was 225°. Now I can't tell you what the temps were overnight but my guess is it never went above 275 or under 225. The brisket was awesome !
That's awesome but I can't say I've had the same experience with my 18.5". While I can get it to run consistent at times it'll have a bad tendency to either spike in temp or nosedive. and this is during 6 hour cooks. the Guru has saved me the headache
 
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I can say that in running my WSM 2 days ago it was a breeze after setup. So i may just need to start commiting to setting up the WSM the day before a cook so that the day of the cook all i'm doing is firing up a chimney and dumping it in.
This makes that morning of grogginess much easier as you can sip your coffee while the chimney is firing up
 
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First smoke on the new to me WSM.
Ribs on sale for $1.99/lb.
Fired up the smoker at 11 AM and the ribs were on at 12 pm
-uncovered for 3 hours
-wrapped in foil and butter with rub for 1 hour
-uncovered and smoked for 2.5 more hours
-pulled off grill at 6:30 (190 IT)
-sauced and broiled for 3-4 minutes
notes: temp control took a bit of learning though held stable temps with some poking in the charcoal tray after 4 hours.
 

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Ribs look awesome! Sounds like you had success and you are learning your new setup. Like any smoker setup it takes some tinkering to figure it all out but I bet you get it dialed in and working like a champ in no time :)
 
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Ribs look awesome! Sounds like you had success and you are learning your new setup. Like any smoker setup it takes some tinkering to figure it all out but I bet you get it dialed in and working like a champ in no time :)
Thank you! The coals required some stirring which seemed odd given I had the blower attached. I used a minion method.
 
Thank you! The coals required some stirring which seemed odd given I had the blower attached. I used a minion method.

I wonder if some coals were blocking the fan air from making it all the way in. I wonder if building your minion pile a little differently to allow the fan to blow deeper into the smoker will help. No idea never done anything with your type of setup but just some food for thought :)
 
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