So very confused (tire kicking/window shopping)

Baychilla said:
Part of it could be in my head but I think I can taste the briquettes (KBB) on the finished product. The other part was needing to refill the water pan and spend a good chunk of time monkeying with the vents (wind and fog weren't kind to it) which also led to increased fuel consumption which lead to needing to add more fuel which... I figure if I'm going to have to baby sit it as much as a stick burner I may as well get a stick burner. Or go in the totally opposite direction with pellets.

I put a Guru on it and while the babysitting needs have gone down some the taste still has me :mmph:
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el luchador said:
I suspected as much(briquettes)
Some people can taste the briquettes some cannot. Obviously you can. I stopped using briqs because I could taste it too.

Your problems are easy to solve.

1. Don't use briquettes , use lump. No off taste i can guarantee that.

2. Don't use water in your wsm. Some use a foiled pan, some use sand in the pan and some use no pan at all.
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I've been cooking with KBB for over 40 years ,fed hundreds of people and never had a complaint about charcoal taste.
Bought a Primo XL a few years ago. My wife hated anything I cooked on it.
Tried 4-5 different brands of lump. I sold it last week and ordered a Blazn Grill Works Grand Slam.
I think the smell when you lite the charcoal gets in people's head.
 
Big Frank said:
I've been cooking with KBB for over 40 years ,fed hundreds of people and never had a complaint about charcoal taste.
Bought a Primo XL a few years ago. My wife hated anything I cooked on it.
Tried 4-5 different brands of lump. I sold it last week and ordered a Blazn Grill Works Grand Slam.
I think the smell when you lite the charcoal gets in people's head.
Click to expand...



My buddy cooks on a kettle with briqs every week and I get to taste it and it usually has that chemical flavor signature that I've come to expect from his cooker.

I also believe that, like ptc, some people can taste (smell) it, some cannot. If you can't that's absolutely great
 
Op buy a stick burner.

You can't describe snow to someone who has never seen snow, not can you describe an apple to someone who hasn't tasted one. Some like snow and some hate it. Same thing with apples. Buy a stick burner and find out for yourself if it's all it's cracked up To be. Some love them, some don't. Only you can decide and only after you've used it for yourself.

Me I wouldn't use a stick burner if you gave it to me but some wouldn't use a wsm even if it were free but one thing I do know, most people who have a stick burner also have a charcoal cooker and frequently use it
 
I started on a WSM18. The food I put out was ok in the beginning, but like anything else, only got better over time. I tried briquettes and didn’t like the flavor. RO lump was where it was at for me. I had to fiddle with the air intake less and less the more I used it, but it was never set it and forget it. My #1 complaint was real estate. Then I upgraded to a Stumps. Much more room, truly set it and forget it (with a pit controller). Is my food better on the Stumps? Yes, but I’m not sure the cooker deserves all the credit. I’m getting better all the time, and I expect to keep getting better throughout my journey. I haven’t used the WSM in a while, but I’m going to soon just to confirm that my food will be just as good as on the Stumps. Honestly, at one point when money was tight, I lamented the fact that I dropped several grand on a new cooker when I could’ve got a WSM22 and tricked it out for a fraction of the price. I dont feel that way anymore and I’m very pleased with my purchase, but It was a luxury, not a necessity. The WSM is more than capable of putting out great food BUT as good as a stick burner? I’m not sure. I’ve become so passionate about this hobby that I recently placed an order for a top quality stick burner. I want to start playing with fire and I tend to believe that It will put out a better flavor profile than what I’m currently using. I could be wrong. In the end, If you want great food you dont need a stick burner. If you want ease and convenience certainly don’t get one. If you want to play with fire and cook in a more “traditional” way, then by all means go for it. I’m sure you’ll put out great food no matter the direction you take. BTW, its 0500 here now and I’ve been outside since 0400 cooking a brisket on a set it and forget it cooker. I just enjoy the early mornings and smell of burning wood. Can’t wait for my stick burner to give me something to do OTHER than typing long winded posts on this forum..LOL.

One more thing.....I’ve always used my water pan on the WSM. Weber designed it that way for a reason.
 
shares said:
You and Baychilla miss the point entirely. Just do what you've already decided to do, why seek validation?
Click to expand...

I got your point. You tried to claim "its the indian, not the arrow". Thats just not true.

Let me know when you open your BBQ joint using propane and wood chips. I think the Dickies franchise owners will want to know there is new competition in town.
 
NYC ‘Que said:
I started on a WSM18. The food I put out was ok in the beginning, but like anything else, only got better over time. I tried briquettes and didn’t like the flavor. RO lump was where it was at for me. I had to fiddle with the air intake less and less the more I used it, but it was never set it and forget it. My #1 complaint was real estate. Then I upgraded to a Stumps. Much more room, truly set it and forget it (with a pit controller). Is my food better on the Stumps? Yes, but I’m not sure the cooker deserves all the credit. I’m getting better all the time, and I expect to keep getting better throughout my journey. I haven’t used the WSM in a while, but I’m going to soon just to confirm that my food will be just as good as on the Stumps. Honestly, at one point when money was tight, I lamented the fact that I dropped several grand on a new cooker when I could’ve got a WSM22 and tricked it out for a fraction of the price. I dont feel that way anymore and I’m very pleased with my purchase, but It was a luxury, not a necessity. The WSM is more than capable of putting out great food BUT as good as a stick burner? I’m not sure. I’ve become so passionate about this hobby that I recently placed an order for a top quality stick burner. I want to start playing with fire and I tend to believe that It will put out a better flavor profile than what I’m currently using. I could be wrong. In the end, If you want great food you dont need a stick burner. If you want ease and convenience certainly don’t get one. If you want to play with fire and cook in a more “traditional” way, then by all means go for it. I’m sure you’ll put out great food no matter the direction you take. BTW, its 0500 here now and I’ve been outside since 0400 cooking a brisket on a set it and forget it cooker. I just enjoy the early mornings and smell of burning wood. Can’t wait for my stick burner to give me something to do OTHER than typing long winded posts on this forum..LOL.

One more thing.....I’ve always used my water pan on the WSM. Weber designed it that way for a reason.
Click to expand...


Well said.

I think some people think throwing money at a problem will cure it, when in fact it's the cook and not the cooker.

In another hobby I have, which is a competitive sport, some people will spend hundreds and hundred of dollars on equipment and still routinely get beat by some one using $5 of equipment who practices every day.

I've seen shootouts where an electric beat out both an egg and a down east beast? so that tells me it's the cook and not the cooker.

Give Aaron Franklin a wsm and I bet he still puts out world class q.
 
Rockinar said:
I got your point. You tried to claim "its the indian, not the arrow". Thats just not true.

Let me know when you open your BBQ joint using propane and wood chips. I think the Dickies franchise owners will want to know there is new competition in town.
Click to expand...


:pound:
 
It's such an individual thing, and it just boils down to what you like. I have a Traeger pellet smoker and a Backwoods smoker, and I love them both. The flavor profiles I get from each is different, but I get excellent results with both of them. I used a cheap offset stick-burner way back and loved the meat that came off it, but I got really tired of making mods to it to get it to work better and I don't always have the time to babysit a stick burner.

I'm currently looking at (and drooling over) an M1 grill/smoker. This will give me the trifecta of options between pellet, charcoal, or stick-burner. It also gives me a badass grill to replace my old char-griller that's ready to retire.

If you really want to get into a stick burner, then that's what you should do. I wouldn't go for a cheapo, entry-level model though, because it's going to be more of a headache then it's worth. There are a ton of good ones out there. Just do the research and pick the one that will work best for you. Good luck!
 
Here's a cheap experiment you could run to improve the BGE smoke - just to see whether it does it for you. This is from member CeramicChef.

Get a 2 quart cast iron dutch oven (with a lid). Drill 3 1/8" holes in the bottom. Fill with the wood you want for your smoke. Then place it directly on your coals and cover. It should be producing smoke in a few minutes.

This works on the same principle as the KBQ - the smoke passes through the coals and gets cleaned in the process.

If the 2qt is too big, you can use a 1qt (the one I'm planning to use is only 3/4 qt).
 
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