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I've read in forums some people remove the water bowl and cook directly over the coals, but I wouldn't want that as my primary grill. The wsm though is probably the easiest charcoal smoker you can get.
Don't overthink it. These are worth every penny. And second avoiding the charbroil crap. 
Yes I do a couple every year. I love my 18 and it's so easy to use. Smoked 2 8 pound pork butts last week and with a full charcoal ring and about a half a chimney of lit charcoal had that thing at 225 for 14 hours without adding fuel and very little adjusting. Mine's well seasoned and new ones aren't quite that efficient but I love this smoker. I've heard the 22's go through quite a bit more charcoal and I've never really had a situation where I wished I had the 22. Usually cook for 4-8 but the pork butts were for 14 people and I didn't use the lower grate so could've doubled my output. Check out the forums at virtual weber bullet...a ton of great info there.
The wsm is my only grill. Easy to cook directly over the coals without the water bowl. Fantastic as a smoker and a grill.
These guys your friends?
There are differing opinions about seasoning it first. There's a site with long-drawn out instructions about it and other people say there's no need. I did a high temp burn before actually cooking, but not the full seasoning. Just let it season naturally as you cook.
I mentioned the plastic wrap for rib prep. I prep my ribs the night before. Wrap them up tight and put them in the fridge over night. Then take them out and let them warm up to room temp while I get the smoker going.
Agree with this. Also may want to pick up the base of a clay pot to put in the water pan as a heat sink. I use this instead of water mainly because I don't want to deal with the mess afterwards...personal preference. After Pimps smoker builds up seasoning and he learns the ins and outs he won't even need that.
You mean in place of the water pan, not in the bowl, right?
When I used a Clay pot I'd wrap it in foil and put in the top of the water pan...I guess an extra buffer. Not sure why and it's probably unnecessary. I've had my smoker 5 years and now I just wrap the water pan in foil. I have no problem keeping my smoker in the 225 to 250 range without anything else.
Yeah, they're local and friends of mine. Didn't realize the shipping was that high. Yikes!
Thank you!
proninja said:
If you want something nice and short, a 4 lb pork loin will finish in about 2 1/2 hours at 225 - 240. Rub it up with a basic pork rub and smoke over hickory or apple to an IT of about 150. Slice as thin as you can.
aight bet. im going to try and get a boston butt. but if i cant find, will get a loin. Ill report back with pics.
Spray the inside of your wsm with Pam. Get it up to about 400-450° and burn it for about 2 hours.
I'm only familiar with chunks, not chips, but hickory is pretty potent. 2 lemon sized chunks are good ; 3 can be smoke overkill depending on your tastes.
Yes you will have to open the vents again to maintain your desired temp. dependent upon the weather conditions (how windy it is, air temp,rain, etc) you may have to have all of the vents open or only one or two etc. it eill take several minutes for the temp to reflect the changes to vent positions so be patient.
Ok. So i finally got the temp down to 257. But all of the vents on the bottom are still closed.
Yeah, water will help as a heat sink and will help with temp control.Ok. So i finally got the temp down to 257. But all of the vents on the bottom are still closed.
Also i have found these chips when used smoke for about 30 minutes when i use 4 handfuls. tried to find some chunk but couldnt so ill worry about that this week. I dont have any food on it so im going to sit here and play with the temp for a few hours. then toss on some chicken thighs and smoke them since they are quick...
ETA: Just added water to the water bowl.... .will see if that helps control the temp.
Many people use the lump and swear by it. But from what I understand (I've never used it) it burns hotter and quicker. Since you're just getting started, you may want to pick up some bags of briquettes until temp control is easier for you. I'm very much a newbie with about 10 cooks on the WSM under my belt. This weekend was the first time I actually felt like I had control over the temps. I'm learning patience and trying not to overcompensate in my adjustments.
Thanks. very helpful. So when you say meat can only obsorb smoke for so long, do you put the chunks on later in the smoke process? Or do you take them out?
No, the chunks go on when I light the coals (minion method) and just let them burn out with the coals.
Ill try this my next smoke! i think it was not having water that has thrown me off
I read that as well which is why i didnt use it at first. But i simply couldnt get the temp down low enough without it
