1st time ever

R

rickthechef

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Well I am finally breaking out my Weber bullet that I got for Christmas. Live in NJ and it was a rough winter so didnt have the chance. Been a chef for 25 years and Im actually nervous about my first smoke ever. Doing a 9 lb brisket and 2 racks of spare ribs. Made a rub , rubbed the brisket w/ spicy brown mustard and added the rub. Going to let it sit all night and will throw it on in the morning. I guess I wont season the ribs til right before the smoke. Any chance this whole thing can be done in 6 hours? I cant wait. I also have hickory chunks and was wondering how many to use. Ill be back tomorrow with the results.
 
You can do it in 6 hours if you kick up the temp. You'll probably need to run at 325 or so. I have no idea about timing on the ribs at that temp, however.

When I cook in my WSM I bury 4 or 6 fist sized chunks at various points in the charcoal in he ring and I put one in the chimney to start.
 
Congrats and good luck! If you can get the temps up, as suggested above, that will help with the time. You may also want to foil the brisket after few hours. That will help speed things up too.
 
That is quite a 1st smoke, trying a Brisket! :thumb: Post some pic's of the cook progress.
 
Put brisket on at 11am. temps have been in 230-250 range all day. threw in some ribs at 2:30 . its now 3:45 and the temp has gone down to 200 barely.brisket was 140 and need to get it up to at least 160 before foiling. cant get it up, all vents are open. should i add more charcoal?
 
Def. want to get your temps up. How did you start your charcoal and how much did you add? Do a search for Minion Method for the best way to fire up your WSM. If you didnt start Minion, may want to add some unlit charcoal to the ring and then 3/4 chimney of lit on top. A filled water pan can also cause your temps to be low.

Are you reading temps from the lid? They can usually report higher temps than the temps at the grate, but it's not usually significant.
 
just added a full lit chimney. i think i didnt have enough charcoal originally. didnt fill it up all the way. its starting to climb. just foiled the brisket. ribs look raw still. is it ok to do ribs at 300?
 
The difference between dome temp and top grate temp can be 30 - 40 degrees, so if you are reading the temp at the dome and it is 200, your top grate may be as low as 160! The brisket will never be done if that is the case. Check you fire to see how it is burning. You'll probably have to add both unlit and lit charcoal as Mark suggested to get the temp up and keep it going long enough to finish the brisket.
 
rickthechef said:
just added a full lit chimney. i think i didnt have enough charcoal originally. didnt fill it up all the way. its starting to climb. just foiled the brisket. ribs look raw still. is it ok to do ribs at 300?
Click to expand...

Sure. They will just cook faster.
 
should i bother adding more hickory? had 2 chunks on since 11am
 
Results

Wow what a day! 1st time smoke and the results were way beyond amazing. I had a little trouble after a few hours because I didnt use enough charcoal. I used 2 big hunks of hickory and it worked out perfect.Had to add another chimney of fuel which helped the temp. Brisket @11am. Wrapped in foil @ 4pm. Took off @6 . Kept in foil, towel, microwave to hold. Sliced it up @ 730. Came out excellent. Tasted way better than I hoped. nice hickory flavor. Perfect smoke ring. Tender as hell. Made my own BBQ sauce and added any drippings.

Ribs were rubbed . Added a generous amount of brown sugar. On grill @ 2:40. sprayed with apple juice a couple of times. Foiled @6pm. Opened foil and added a little BBQ sauce @7pm. 7:30 back on grill for 15 min. Came out great. Fallin off the bone when I cut them. Probably will go with baby backs next time. Overall a great meal . Fed 7 people and they were raving.
Thanks to all you guys on here because i got a lot of ideas, and I was on here throughout the day reading everyones smoke adventures. Cant wait til next time. Probably doin a pork butt.
 

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congrats on a successful first smoke.

next time, you'll get the coal management planned out better and it will be even easier..
 
Good lookin' eats right there! Much better than my first attempt, that's for sure. You're gonna love that WSM, it's a great little cooker.
 
Great looking food- trying my first solo brisket next weekend.
 
Looks like you had a good first run. Congrats! Keep reading and using your WSM and you'll be a pro before you know it.
 
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