WSM Smoke Day IV

Is anyone participating in WSM Smoke Day IV this weekend? I was invited to a local one for the first time this year and was amazed to learn that people all over the globe are having these events this weekend. Pretty cool.

Never heard of it.

[Jenise]

Never heard of it.

Ditto. So I googled and found this on VirtualWeberBullet.com:

Here's a little history...back in 2005, one of our members, Joel Kiess, suggested that everyone should barbecue with their WSM on the same day. Then, we'd all post descriptions and photos of what we cooked here on the bulletin board. We held Smoke Day I on May 28, 2005 and we're now in our fourth year.

Smoke Day is a great way to celebrate a lot of things...Memorial Day weekend, the beginning of summer, National BBQ Month (May), and the fun and enjoyment of WSM ownership!

Feel free to use this forum to discuss your plans for Smoke Day, get ideas on what to cook, and maybe even hook-up with someone else to cook with.

As usual, you can use the Smoke Day map to register your participation in Smoke Day IV and see where other folks will be cooking around the corner or around the world.

What's a WSM?

What's a WSM?

White single male?

What's a WSM?

Weber Smokey Mountain. It is used to smoke things like meat and fish.

[Robin Garr]

What's a WSM?

Weber Smokey Mountain. It is used to smoke things like meat and fish.

Sort of like a Kamodo without the bling?

What's a WSM?

Weber Smoky Mountain smoker.

A "bullet" or upright cylinder smoker fabricated from metal that uses a water pan. Black in color, cylindrical, 18-20" in diameter, about 3 feet tall, sits on 3 or 4 legs, has a removable domed lid, and the bottom is an upside-down dome with ports for air control. Hinged door in the side of the unit allows access to the inside. At the bottom is the fire area, above that is a water pan, and above that two cooking grates. You could smoke a ham on one level while smoking a turkey on the other. The door allows you to add fuel and replace the water.

Very popular as can be seen by viewing the web sites populated by its users. Costs about $250 I believe.

What's a WSM?

Weber Smokey Mountain. It is used to smoke things like meat and fish.

Sort of like a Kamodo without the bling?

From what I have seen, the WSM isn't close to being in the class of the Kamodo, although the basic design is very similar. In addition to the different material used to make the grills, the WSM has a water pan which I don't believe the Kamodo does. But BobH will know more about that. The WSM probably weighs several hundred pounds less.

Do all my smoking in this. And I do quite a bit of it. Never had a complaint. Have a thermometer for precise temperature control, too.

It costs pennies on the dollar compared to what a of "foodies" seem to want to spend for a smoker.

Silver Smoker.jpg

[Robin Garr]

Do all my smoking in this.

Would that be a New Braunfels Black Diamond? I got me one of those on the back deck. Well rusted but still highly functional.

These have a big following around here. Of course, that may be because they are made here in Tulsa.
http://www.hastybake.com/grills.html

Do all my smoking in this.

Would that be a New Braunfels Black Diamond? I got me one of those on the back deck. Well rusted but still highly functional.

Very similar. Apparently Char-Broil bought Braunfels. Some old Braunfels owners have complained about the Char-Broil products, but I've been happy with mine.

I scrape and spray it every year (not inside - just oil there.)

Do all my smoking in this. And I do quite a bit of it. Never had a complaint. Have a thermometer for precise temperature control, too.

It costs pennies on the dollar compared to what a of "foodies" seem to want to spend for a smoker.

Chef, I have one of those also. Bought it about a year ago and have made great ribs on it. But I have a problem with it: both the firebox and cooking chamber doors/lids are not very tight and I lose a ton of heat through there. As a result, I have trouble keeping the cookbox temp above 190F! Do you have a similar problem and, if so, how do you work around it.

Also, what are you using for a thermometer? I have a few of the CDN (and others) digitals with probes that I stick through a potato then run the cable out through the smokestack or the small rotisserie holes. Any improvements there would be welcome too.

THanks.

Do all my smoking in this. And I do quite a bit of it. Never had a complaint. Have a thermometer for precise temperature control, too.

It costs pennies on the dollar compared to what a of "foodies" seem to want to spend for a smoker.

Chef, I have one of those also. Bought it about a year ago and have made great ribs on it. But I have a problem with it: both the firebox and cooking chamber doors/lids are not very tight and I lose a ton of heat through there. As a result, I have trouble keeping the cookbox temp above 190F! Do you have a similar problem and, if so, how do you work around it.

Also, what are you using for a thermometer? I have a few of the CDN (and others) digitals with probes that I stick through a potato then run the cable out through the smokestack or the small rotisserie holes. Any improvements there would be welcome too.

THanks.

Haven't had any temp problems like those you describe. Are you using lump charcoal?

Now, about the thermometer - I am really confused. I went to their web site and spent about ten minutes trying to find the thermometer I bought from them - online. It's the one that fits the hole on the cookbox. It simply isn't there anymore. They now want to sell you a 40 dollar digital. I think the one I have cost ten or twelve bucks.

I have pretty much the same smoker as Chef, but it's Brinkmann rather than New Braunfels.

I bought the thermometer that fits into the hole in the front of the cover, but I don't use it anymore. Instead I use an electronic probe-type thermometer. I use a couple of corks to keep the probe off the grill surface, then I lay it on the grill platform next to the meat, with the cable going under the smoker's front cover. I found that the standard thermometer wasn't accurately measuring the temperature at the cooking surfaces--it was measuring eddy temperature in the air above the food.

-Paul W.

Chef, I have one of those also. Bought it about a year ago and have made great ribs on it. But I have a problem with it: both the firebox and cooking chamber doors/lids are not very tight and I lose a ton of heat through there. As a result, I have trouble keeping the cookbox temp above 190F! Do you have a similar problem and, if so, how do you work around it.

That seems very odd. If anything, I have the opposite problem--keeping the temperature low enough. I burn lump charcoal and wood logs.

If you have a place that sells wood-burning stoves or supplies for same, I'd ask them what you can do to better seal and insulate your smoker. It does sound as though you have excessive leakage. I have some leakage at the join between the firebox and the cooking chamber, but only a few wisps of smoke, nothing major or worth fixing.

-Paul W.

I have pretty much the same smoker as Chef, but it's Brinkmann rather than New Braunfels.

I bought the thermometer that fits into the hole in the front of the cover, but I don't use it anymore. Instead I use an electronic probe-type thermometer. I use a couple of corks to keep the probe off the grill surface, then I lay it on the grill platform next to the meat, with the cable going under the smoker's front cover. I found that the standard thermometer wasn't accurately measuring the temperature at the cooking surfaces--it was measuring eddy temperature in the air above the food.

-Paul W.

Had a Brinkman before this one.

I have pretty much the same smoker as Chef, but it's Brinkmann rather than New Braunfels.

I bought the thermometer that fits into the hole in the front of the cover, but I don't use it anymore. Instead I use an electronic probe-type thermometer. I use a couple of corks to keep the probe off the grill surface, then I lay it on the grill platform next to the meat, with the cable going under the smoker's front cover. I found that the standard thermometer wasn't accurately measuring the temperature at the cooking surfaces--it was measuring eddy temperature in the air above the food.

Paul, you have just described my setup to the last detail: Brinkmann smoker, digital meat thermometer. Our smoker is now about 10 years old, still going fine... but I'm going to have to replace the grill platform as the wood's succumbed to the elements. I'll probably try that recycled plastic deck stuff this time 'round.

Mark Lipton

Do all my smoking in this.

James-
WOW! You must be a very petite person.
Bill

I've had to downsize. There's hardly anyplace for us smokers now.

(Psst, don't use my spy name - I've bamboozled the folks here into calling me Joseph.)

(Psst, don't use my spy name - I've bamboozled the folks here into calling me Joseph.)

Sorry to have blown your cover.