My first go with the WSM

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Captain Scarl Bart

BBQ'd Beer Chef
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
31
Location
Southern California
Thanks to the help from folks on here, I recently used my WSM for the first time. Here's a short video on my experience. I smoked a brisket. The day before the cook I applied a rub. I used garlic, onion, and chili powder, as well as salt & pepper and old bay. I did not use mustard. I used olive oil. The brisket was 5 lbs. I was able to keep the temperature at 250 during the entire cook. I wanted to cook it at 225 but I could not get the temp dowm. It was my first time so I will eventually figure out how to use the WSM much better. The brisket cooked from about 10:30am to 6:30 pm. Enjoy the video.

[youtube:1sa960uk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWb4yFI7AQQ[/youtube:1sa960uk]
 
It's hard to keep a brand-new WSM at a low temp the first couple of cooks, until the shiny inside gets well coated.
 
Nice first cook. You might want to buy a pair of Forney welding gloves from Amazon-inexpensive and much better than oven mitts.
 
ScottyDaQ said:
SMALL adjustments to the vents, and wait 20-30 minutes to let it settle in. It'll come back to temp on it's own.

I sat with the smoker for almost the entire cook adjusting the vents. There were times that I had them almost shut. The temp still kept at 250. I need to break in my WSM more and I need more practice. I'll figure it out! :D
 
I have the 22.5 WSM and I've found that the temp is a factor of what kind of fuel you're using, how much charcoal you dump on the pile to start it and how long you keep the lid off while fussing with things.

I generally use lump charcoal with a bed of Stubb's briquets on the bottom charcoal rack to keep the small pieces of lump from falling through. When I start the fire, either for beef or chicken, I only use a half chimney of hot coals and I don't put them in a hole in the coal bed, just on top of the fuel. The vent on top is always wide open and the three vents at the bottom are usually only half open. After about 10 minutes, I put the meat on the racks and close the lid.

Every time you open the lid, it allows a lot of air into the pit. The immediate result is a lowering of the pit temperature but soon after, it will get those coals going a lot hotter than you need to control a low and slow cook. Also, don't worry about keeping a consistent temp of 225 for the entire cook. I'm generally satisfied with a range between 225 and 280 or so. It's the peaks and valleys in the temperature that adds crust and character to the flavor of your finished product.

Nice job with your first brisket. You made yourself a hero in your family. It was easy to hear all the excitement in the background. ;)
 
Nice first cook. Looked good and the taste is what counts. It always tastes better when you put your hard sweat into your cook. It is a learning process you have to learn the machine. With mine there was no basic how to on it since it was custom built and I was the first owner so no history on how it cooked, but luckily it cooked like a champ right out of the chute. Congrats on your first one under your belt with many more to come.
 
Thanks everyone for the kind words and the added advise. I plan to fire my WSM back up for Easter. I'm really thinking of doing a pork butt. I'm not looking too forward to being out in the yard at 3:00am. But I'll servive.
 
Well for some reason the link to the video kept taking me to some gay porno site where some of our erstwhile cyber companions was hoppin around in bunny suits etc. Butt is a great choice for your second attempt. Very hard to mess it up. Now brisket is finicky..butt aint so much. So if you come out with an edible brisket on your first rattle out of the box that is a very good sign. I bet the butt will be a grand prize winner. Now whut is up with this Old Bay stuff? Yankees put that on crawdads or something. Get yourself a decent rub or use the recipe for Wild Willys in the smoke and spice book or Google it up. Its one of my favorites for briskets but much pefer the Southern Succor on buttsl...from the same book. I always just loved them two rubs. Hoisting a toast to the authors of the book etc. Now Tejas bbq judges do not like it for some reason.
 
Your brisket looked great ! Very good first WSM cook......

I scorched our front deck with my fish smoker :oops: ! Now I have scrap aluminum sheets under and behind (ya, I might have burned a railing once, too ) my grills and smokers....... hahaha Live and Learn !
 
Odd or not, I let the WSM roll with vents wide open. When it's done, it's done. I use lump so what the temp is a little higher at the start,so what, your putting a cold or room temp chunk of meat on. It will calm down and your fine. The WSM needs no baby sitting. Unless ya got lots of beer and want to be away from a cranky wife. :LOL: That don't work all the time for me as my wife works at a BBQ store and has her own WSM. :D

Pigs
 
Nice job for your first cook! I was looking at the video saying oooooooh shinny!

Couple things as I have a 22.5" WSM.

1. Def start the chimney starter at most half full. Doesn't seem like much but it will keep the temp lower to start.

2. Your preference of course but I have moved away from using water in the pan. I simply foil the pan. This will also keep the temp a little higher though so maybe you want to use water your first few cooks so it gets a nice coating on the inside and you get a little more practice. But since I started doing that, I think I've had better results!

3. As you go forward, you will start to notice that your temp will say 250* on the lid but if you put a surface thermometer in the grill it will read hotter on the top grill surface (say 260*-270*). Obviously while cooking different things, for timing, that's important. I try to keep mine reading 200*-220* because I know the grill surface will read 10*-15* hotter.

Again, you'll learn how your smoker cooks over time but the WSM is great and you'll get it quick! I live right on the water so I am constantly playing with the air flow. Most of the time mine are barely open because there always seems to be a wind off the water. And I use RO Lump not K so that also makes for a different cook.

Thanks for posting the video!
 
A bit of contrast with a JB video. :LOL:
Something to consider on the next brisket cook; When the internal temp hit's 170*, wrap in foil (can add a little sauce at this point) and cook till internal is over 200*. Let rest covered with towels (foil still on) for an hour.
This will be very good served up at this point, but sammys made when thin sliced cold are super after 30 seconds in the microwave.
 
Rag said:
A bit of contrast with a JB video. :LOL:
Something to consider on the next brisket cook; When the internal temp hit's 170*, wrap in foil (can add a little sauce at this point) and cook till internal is over 200*. Let rest covered with towels (foil still on) for an hour.
This will be very good served up at this point, but sammys made when thin sliced cold are super after 30 seconds in the microwave.


HEY BOY!!!
 
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