OH, I'm so excited!

LMAJ

LMAJ

somebody shut me the fark up.

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I get to fire up my new (to me) WSM tomorrow!!!!:becky::clap2:

I stopped by and got a bag of sand for the water pan and have a 9 pound pork shoulder ready to go - I'm thinking some Simply Marvelous Cherry Rub and cherry wood... ooohhhhhhhhh
 
Firing up a WSM really is a great feeling!

I have not tried that rub on pork yet, but is is GOOOoooOOOD!
 
WSM'ers unite!

Good luck, and don't forget to post pron!
 
Congrats! Just one thing though, why do you want to put sand in your pan?

Dave
wsm, otg, ots, chargriller stickburner, uds, smokey joe
 
Dave Russell said:
Congrats! Just one thing though, why do you want to put sand in your pan?
Click to expand...

Acts as a heat sink, but without having to deal with cleaning out a water pan full of decomposed grease droppings. You just cover with foil, then discard the foil and replace after the smoke. Clay saucer does the same thing.
 
Saiko said:
Acts as a heat sink, but without having to deal with cleaning out a water pan full of decomposed grease droppings. You just cover with foil, then discard the foil and replace after the smoke. Clay saucer does the same thing.
Click to expand...

So how does this "heat sink" help the wsm?

It's not like the slow burning charcoal is prone to temp spikes like the flaming fire from an offset. I understand how the mass of the offset helps in THAT situation (where you're putting a log on every so often), but if you're trying to cook low-n-slow, how is a pan of sand or a clay saucer gonna help you achieve that better than a pan of water that won't get over the boiling point?
 
Dave Russell said:
So how does this "heat sink" help the wsm?
It's not like the slow burning charcoal is prone to temp spikes like the flaming fire from an offset. I understand how the mass of the offset helps in THAT situation (where you're putting a log on every so often), but if you're trying to cook low-n-slow, how is a pan of sand or a clay saucer gonna help you achieve that better than a pan of water that won't get over the boiling point?
Click to expand...

First, lump charcoal IS prone to temp spikes, much more than briquettes due to the non-uniform shape of the charcoal and gaps between the charcoal chunks.

Second, it's not going to be a better heat sink than water, it's the ease of clean up. If you have ever stared down at a water pan full of congealed grease drippings that have been sitting in the July sun for a couple of days, you'll know what I mean. With sand or a clay saucer, you simply replace the top layer of HD foil and you are good to go in 10 seconds.
It's an ease of clean-up issue more than anything. It's not like the sand or clay saucer is hurting anything, it's just mass. You could stick a bowling ball in there if you wanted to.
 
Congrats indeed you are sure to have a good day with that new toy
 
Saiko said:
First, lump charcoal IS prone to temp spikes, much more than briquettes due to the non-uniform shape of the charcoal and gaps between the charcoal chunks.

Second, it's not going to be a better heat sink than water, it's the ease of clean up. If you have ever stared down at a water pan full of congealed grease drippings that have been sitting in the July sun for a couple of days, you'll know what I mean. With sand or a clay saucer, you simply replace the top layer of HD foil and you are good to go in 10 seconds.
It's an ease of clean-up issue more than anything. It's not like the sand or clay saucer is hurting anything, it's just mass. You could stick a bowling ball in there if you wanted to.
Click to expand...

"First", I've used both lump and briquettes, but prefer briquettes for more the ease of loading than the issue you raise. I was able to get long steady low-n-slow cooks if I packed the lump tight. Regarding the mass of sand, though, temp spikes in a wsm without water can be BIG spikes and the only fix is to shut the vents back. High temps are just like in a heavy offset though: If your cooker gets too hot, the extra mass will actually make it harder to get the temp back down. The mass in the offset helps hold heat between logs and after opening the lid to tend to the meat.

"Second", to the REAL reason why folks don't use water in the pan, (besides to cook hi heat.) A little foil around the top of the inside will keep the drippings from baking on the pan, and you just dump out the drippings, peel back the foil, and rinse and hit the "high spots" with a brass brush. Not a problem, it's just meat drippings in hot water, and like the cooking grates, I like to take care of while the cooker is still warm.

My apologies to the topic starter, and I hope she loves her cooker, no matter how she uses it. She could probably get her hubby to clean out the pan, though.:-D
Dave
 
What if I wanted to go bowling after the cook?

:heh:
 
LM that sounds like a great way to spend the day. Looking forward to seeing what you cook. :thumb:
 
Thanks Guys - I fired it up and it was leaking like a sieve so I plugged up the leaks with some Aluminum foil and how it is holding rock steady at 240. So far, so good!
 
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