Beginner Here!

[hornbri]

I am just starting out in this world. I have previosly only smoked with friends where they were leading the way.

I am about to get a grill but I really dont understand the benfits of using a WSM vs. a Bandera or Silver smoker (offset smokers).

Can anyone give a newbe some advice.

[Bigdog]

Here is the skinny:

A WSM is one of the best smokers money can buy. Many BBQ contests are won using them.

Offset smokers are the King of Smokers. Horizontals like the Silver Smoker are good but are limited by their size and are much hotter near the fire box.

Bandera are vertical smokers with a large smoke box. They are the favorite of many, but not all of us here at the brethern. I like mine for its versitility, size and value. You can even grill and smoke at the same time.

[rusold]

I have a question for everyone - I had a WSM and did a ton of Q on it but I could only fit wood chunks or chips in. This was before I found out about blue smoke (thanks guys). So, how should you use wood in this type of cooker - with no place to preheat and small firebox?

r

[Solidkick]

First off, WELCOME Hornbri!!

Everything BigDog told you is dead on the money. I've been to a few competitions where these guys come rolling in with the big rigs, then use WSMs to cook some of there turn in products in.

It kind of comes down to a couple of variables. (1)How many are you cooking for and (2) how much do you want to mess with the fire.
To reference one, if you are only cooking for you and your family and you want a pretty much "set it and for get it" type smoker, the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) is by far the way to go. Load her up with charcoal and product and get a good burn for 6-10 hours.
Check out this site about the WSM:
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/
To reference two: Offsets and verticals that you buy at your local hardware store tend to need more of your attention with fire control. I'll probably get an argument or two here, but I think it's because these units lack the the thickness in metal to hold the heat. Still good units, but just require more attention, and most need some type of modifications that experienced users have come up with to make the cooking experience better.
If you got the money to spend, a Klose or Gator pit is made of very heavy gauge metal and holds the heat much better with small fires.
They are more expensive, and you can buy backyard versions of these units, they don't have to be competition size cookers.

Hope you find the info useful. Fellow brothers, chime in and shed some more light for Hornbri. I've learned the majority of what I know from hanging out with these guys!
:wink:

[willkat98]

Welcome Horn, you'll get some great tips here.

Files section has the BBQ FAQ in it. Great way to brush up on smoking in general, as well as spme specifics in there (some a little too specific) but a great resource none the less.

R,
I could not think how all wood on a WSM was possible, or even desirable, unless you got one of them micro-fan thermometer dealies that Greg posted he saw Tom from BBQ Fools using at a competition.

The best aspect of the WSM is the set and forget that you get with Kingsford and a nice long even burn.

I got mine going now. about 6# charcoal mixed with hickory chunks, then a full chimney of mostly charcoal, an a few hickory chunks. Just laid them on top.

That was 3.5 hours ago, and I go out there and see just a faint wiff of smoke, but plenty of wood "smell" at the top.

Now with the Dera, and a fire I fark with and preheat wood and all, then I get the blue. Thats the instant ignition of the splits and chunks.

I don't mind a little bit of white at the beginning of a WSM session. It quickly goes and the hands off fire tending is awesome. I would have been in and out the back door like 20 times already fire farking.

Only went out once so far, and that was to pick up dog ****.

Just my long winded opinion, and a shout out to Horn, that the WSM is a great little smoker, which can be shelf mod'ed to increase space if needed.

Welcome!

[BigAl]

The link that Solidkick poste shows how to use Wood chunks with WSM, I don't have one because of :shock: problems with a WSM lookalike that I won at a Golf Tournment, but have new respect for them after seen the Post here. I bought the Bandera because it looked more versitle that most, smoke brisket and grill SPAM at the same time! :D

[hornbri]

I went ahead and placed a order on amazon for the WSM this morning. Thanks for all the good advice. With a little luck next weekend i will try my first smoke.

[BigAl]

I am just starting out in this world. I have previosly only smoked with friends where they were leading the way.

I am about to get a grill but I really dont understand the benfits of using a WSM vs. a Bandera or Silver smoker (offset smokers).

Can anyone give a newbe some advice.

Most of my freinds that I previosly smoked with are in Jail :!:

Welcome to the joint :!:

[cabo]

Or recently paroled. Hello from SC

[BBQchef33]

I got all 3, so heres my 2 cents.

Silver Smoker/Hondo Horizontal cookers. These have thin metal and give away a good amount of useable space to the hot spot near the firebox. I used my silver smoker for a few years with great results but it takes alot of fire tending and has a very small firebox. Horizontal cookers have a longer learning curve than the vertical. IMO. Aside form fire tending, theres gonna be food tending cause ya gotta move the fpood around becsue of that hotspot.

I got the vertical(bandera) after the Hondo. Temps are more even in the box, the firebox is much larger and takes larger logs(splits). I produced significantly better resaults in the vertical with less food tending which meant less opening of the pit which meant shorter cooking times.


The WSM is a great cooker. But in my opinion, takes away alot of the fun of BBQ. Its like using the Kitchen oven, but with smoke. You fill it with charcoal, add a batch of chunks scattered throughout the charcoal and forget about it for 8-10 hours. Open it up and ya have great results. BUT.... As a BBQ nut, I like tending a fire, and splittin the logs, and messing with the dampers to get control of smoke or temperature.

Now.. hate to offer this after ya allready order theWSM, but just wanna go off on a tangent...

The summer days spent in my pit drinkin cold Beers while tending fire and messing with the dampers to control heat and smoke. Adding a split and waiting for the sweet blue, sprayin the ribs and and sampling the brats and wings while sausage is cooking to have in an hour.. batches of turds coming out every 45 minutes.. going to bed smelling like smoke and waking up to soot stains on the pillow. ... Now thats BBQ'in Brethren style.!!! Cant do that in a WSM.... I woud never give up my WSM, its got its place in the pit as a set and forget cooker .. it enabled us to have Q when it was 9 degreees and I didnt want to tend a fire every hours. But the real fun comes with a big firebox, load of logs and enough food packed in that chamber to feed 20 hungry friends for 16 hours straight.


Just MHO.. :)

[Solidkick]

But the real fun comes with a big firebox, load of logs and enough food packed in that chamber to feed 20 hungry friends for 16 hours straight.

Amen, Grand Poobah!!!!!!

[cabo]

Amen!!!
Preach it brother!!!

You are absolutely right!!!!
That's why this site rocks!

[parrothead]

yeehah!!!!!

[willkat98]

Great buy Horn!

Phils tangent spoke for the hard core.

As a beginning cooker, the WSM is AWESOME.

I (and a few others) started off using the Brinkman Bullet, which is far inferior to the WSM which is the same type of smoker.

Once you have mastered the WSM you'll move on to different toys, but what a great first smoker!

Congrats

[chad]

Welcome to the BBQ Babel group!

We've got opinions about everything - including bbq :D

The WSM will serve you well - especially at first. It's forgiving and will let you have some easy(er) successes earlier in your "career"!

You'll probably do like the rest of us and move on to another cooker after a season with the WSM - for me it was an ECB (El Cheapo Brinkmann) and then my New Braunfels offset. I still use the ECB for a single pork butt or chicken - I like the offset for my ribs because I can leave 'em in full slabs.

I just add a couple of fist sized oak chunks while starting the first charcoal chimney and then maybe add one or two more chunks when I pour the hot coals over the unlit charcoal (al a Minion method). If I have to add charcoal later (with an ECB you will!) I'll add another piece or two of oak.

Good luck and, again, welcome. This bunch is like the high school roughnecks your mother warned you about! :mrgreen: We are guilty of drinking, smoking, cussing, dipping, spitting, scratching, and any other disgusting habits/traits you can think of -- and we piss each other off, regularly! Of course we then apologize and have a virtual beer - or real beer if we get together at a Bash!

[brdbbq]

Speak for yourself, I have not pissed off anyone today. :wink:

[chad]

Brian, your forgot "yet" as in: "I have not pissed off anyone today, yet!" :mrgreen:

[brdbbq]

Is the Warden off today ?????

[chad]

Is the Warden off today ?????


Nope, but Tallahassee farked up the Exchange server so badly a week or so ago that they are in "don't do anything mode" - as in don't touch anything and maybe it'll just keep working. :D

It's so bad that they are making the Data Processing Managers (DPM), about three levels up from my position, responsible for the Exchange server and Outlook. Now this might make sense if (1) the servers were where the DPM could physically be responsible (they moved all the Tally about 18 months ago), (2) the DPM knew anything about Exchange (we have two Exchange MCPs but all they do is account setup - even though one of them was the Exchange Admin that setup our server 2 years ago), (3) they would have actually had a backup!! :D

[chad]

Hornbri:

Didn't mean to hijack the thread :oops:

Use your WMS for a while and see if you need to move up to a larger cooker. Some don't need the size. Phil is right in that fire management is therapy for a lot of us :D

Also, the WSM gives you a chance to convince the family that you "need" a bigger cooker! :twisted: and let's you keep them enticed while you shop for the "big" cooker.

Just be careful - things have a way of getting out of hand! Phil has a BYC and is or is considering ordering a bigger custom cooker from David Klose, Parrothead/Greg just got is slightly oversized BYC, Buzz (2Fat) has a Southern Yankee (for sale, I think), and I'm looking for a cooker large enough to do brisket for 400.

Refer to Bill's Christmas card pic when you "feel the need" for another cooker. I'm not in Bill or Phil's class but even I've got my ECB, New Braunfel's offset, turkey fryer, Coleman four burner gas grill, 2 burner gas grill, Coleman camping firepit, Brinkmann portable gas grill, etc. and during the year I use them ALL!

[willkat98]

I'm not in Bill or Phil's class but even I've got my ECB, New Braunfel's offset, turkey fryer, Coleman four burner gas grill, 2 burner gas grill, Coleman camping firepit, Brinkmann portable gas grill, etc. and during the year I use the ALL!

Hell, I have no class.

Only thing I bought in my picture was Mama Cass Iron Pot from Al, the Little Joe, and Gassy the gas can.

Everything else was a gift from one person or another.

[chad]

Bill;

Having custody is all that's required! :D

As far as class: You're in a class of one - especially with your corner on the peanut futures!! :twisted:

[Solidkick]

We are guilty of drinking, smoking, cussing, dipping, spitting, scratching, and any other disgusting habits/traits you can think of -- and we piss each other off, regularly! Of course we then apologize and have a virtual beer - or real beer if we get together at a Bash!

I resemble that remark, but don't tell the pastor.