New (to me) WSM

[kjmiller1984]

I just purchased a used WSM 18.5" off of craigslist here for 75 bucks.This is my first ever smoker. It looks in really good condition except for the door, but ill get to that later. What should I do now that i have this thing. The original owner hasnt anything to it, as far as modifications go. It has been seasoned. Should i clean this thing before i use it? if so then how do you recommend cleaning it? What should i do to it modification wise to make it as optimal as possible? I already know that i need to do something to the door because it looks warped, when latched there is a substantial gap around it.

Anyways sorry for rambling, any help will be appreciated.

 

[welshrarebit]

Clean the grills up good and reseason those. I bet you could bend the door for a passable seal. Clean the water pan and wrap with foil. That's about it I think...

Nice score!

 

[gary s]

Good Advice

 

[bama bbq]

You could get a cajun bandit door or simply "adjust" the one you have a little at a time until it looks about right.

If there's no mold there may be nothing required but buy some charcoal and cook. You might want a new cooking grate if it's nasty.

No mods required. It's a great cooker out of the box. There are gadgets and mods some folks do but i'd say they are great to have but not required. Maybe just a terra cotta flower pot saucer. Maybe cut a notch in the top lip of the center section or grommet install for thermometer wires.

 

[b-one]

$75 nice score:yahoo:
Looks like you already got good advice!

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Woohoo! I just scored one yesterday for $100 of CL! It's so new (not used) it isn't even seasoned! You're one step ahead of mine.

I'd say foil that water pan, find some charcoal and some meat and get to smokin!

 

[welshrarebit]

Just a heads up but HD has 2x18.6 bags of KBB on sale for $9.88 this weekend! I passed on those and went to the BBQ area and there were 2x20 bags for the same price... I think I have enough charcoal for the next two years! [emoji]128526[/emoji]

 

[kjmiller1984]

So I got to use the new to me WSM today for the first time. Wanted to do something quick and easy so I picked up some drummies. I only did half a chimney with a thin layer of coals in the bottom of the basket. Took a while to get the temps up and it held at 250 for a while. The drrummies turned out ok but the skin never crisped up. There was quite a bit of charcoal left when it was all said and done so I shut al the vents to completely closed thinking it would snuff them out and I would have some coals leftover. Went out a couple of hours later and it was almost 400 degrees. Did I do something wrong? I know the door needs a much better seal and there was quite a bit of smoke coming from around the lease of the lid. What can I do to fix these issues?

 

[dirtsailor2003]

One in order to get crisp skin on the chicken you need to run your smoker higher than 325.

As for sealing up the smoker, after several
More smokes the seasoning will start building up at the lid and the where the body attaches to the base. This will seal
Those up and you won't need to do anything else. The door however may need some help. I too just acquired a WSM and the door has some major gaps at the top that will need to be addressed. I plan on installing some toggles to pull the door into the body. Thin fireplace gasket could work too.

 

[cyclonefan]

I put a gasket kit on my WSM that sealed it up tight. I found the kit on Amazon. Another thing I did to mine is put caster wheels on. Makes moving it around quite a bit easier.

 

[gary s]

And to get crispy skin on your chicken have to go higher on the cooking temp or finish them at a high temp

Gary