Just Scored a WSM 22.5 for $160! What to mod first???

el luchador said:

Heater meter . True set and forget operation

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Czarbecue said:

Get the Hunsaker Vortex basket or just the deflector.

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aerotech11 said:

Yes I used the minion method. Full basket of unlit briquettes. Made a well in the middle and lit up about 15 bricks in the chimney. When they were ashed over. About 10 minutes. I dumped them in the well in the center of the unlit charcoal. I had about 5 wood chunks spread around the top of the unlit coals. As soon as I put the lit charcoal in I threw a chunk of wood right on the hot spot. Put the whole thing back together. Initially all vents wide open until around 200 then I closed the three bottom vents to about 1/4 inch. When I reached my target temp of about 250 I took all vents down to about 1/8th of an inch. I ended up fully closing one of the vents and it ran at 247-253 for the rest of the cook. Top vent fully open the whole time. It was so steady I was even able to get some sleep. If you don’t already have one get a digital thermometer with at least 2 probes. Mine has the unit I can take with me so I can monitor temps remotely. Highly recommended.

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scp said:

I used these casters
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbil...-Brake-175-lb-Load-Rating-4031346EB/300356761

If I was to do it over I would use 4"...might roll over cracks and such better.

I used these handles
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-5-3-4-in-Black-Door-Pull-15449/202033978

This hinge kit
https://www.cajunbandit.com/Universal-WSM-Hinge-Kit-p/wsm_hingekit.htm

Also there has been some question whether the cover would still work...and yes it will..it is tight fitting over the hinge...but slides easily over the handles.

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Frank Mahovlich said:

Welcome to the Weber world! Couple things I would share with a new WSM owner based on my own experience as a complete newby to any & all things BBQ. I’m far from an expert, but here is some of what I have learned:

I totally over-thought my cook temps to start. If I found a recipe that called for cooking at 225 or 250, I spent way too much time wrestling with the temperature. I eventually figured out that 25 or 50 degrees either way really doesn’t make much difference to me.

I light my WSM using the Minion Method. Essentially, I fill the chamber with unlit Kingsford Blue charcoal, while leaving a small circular shaped depression in the middle. I also place 3 or 4 wood chunks on top of the unlit, around the outside of the center area. Then, using a chimney starter, I light a handful of briquettes. When those briquettes have heated up to the point of being totally grayed-over, I dump those lit coals into the center of the chamber on top of the unlit. Then I put the middle section of the cooker in place, put the lid on, and let it come up to temp.

Here are the variables involved in WSM temp control:
• Starting method
• How many coals are lit at start-up
• Vent management
• Weather conditions
• Water pan utilization

I eventually figure out that by adding 12 lit coals on top of a chamber of unlit, and running the bottom vents about 1/3 open, and the top vent 100% open (I almost always cook with top vent 100% open), and with an empty water pan, my smoker will settle in and chug along at 280 for about 10 hours. And for my cooking style, 280 works for just about everything I cook.

Regarding the water pan, I would only put water in it if I were trying to cook at lower temps like around 225. Otherwise, I have found it much easier for me to just wrap the water pan in foil, and leave it empty. This is purely for ease of clean-up. Some people use water, others fill their water pan with sand and then wrap with foil, still others use a clay pot base for a water sink.

*Temps are significantly easier to manage on the way up. What I mean by that is it is much easier to take the temp up on a cool smoker than it is to bring it down on a hot smoker. If I want to cook lower, like at 225 for example, I start with less lit. And if I'm still having trouble getting down to 225, adding water to the pan can help cool the temp a bit. Accordingly, if I want to get up into 325-350, I would use more lit to start and open up the bottom vents to almost 100% and adjust from there.

Early on, I would recommend keeping notes on how what you do affects your smoker temp. I would highly recommend keeping notes on your cooks, as well. There are a million ways to do most of this stuff. Like a golf swing, getting it dialed-in to a repeatable action with predictable results is the trick. I would further submit that there isn’t necessarily a ‘right or wrong’ way of doing it. Figure out what works best for you, and focus on that.

Regards,
FM

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