question for the WSM operators

[soafung]

...where is my smoke ring?  i have used the 22.5" WSM twice now and i love the simplicity of operation, but i'm missing the deep smokey flavor and smoke ring i use to get from my offset. i put 6 tennis ball sized chunks in the first smoke. i used almost 10 tennis ball sized chunks on the second smoke and still no smoke ring to write home about. what am i doing wrong?

 

[rp ribking]

Try adding some meat to your smoker HA! HA!.

Sorry I could not resist that.   

RP

 

[jirodriguez]

How long were the smokes, what type of wood, and what type of meat? On a short smoke like chicken you might not get much of a smoke ring, but you should see it on the longer ones. When I am doing a long smoke I put one layer of briquets on the bottom of my ring, then put 5 or 6 chunks of wood. Then I fill my ring the rest of the way up and put another 6 or so chunks on top.

 

[soafung]

i did spare ribs, brisket and turkey legs the first smoke. the second go, i did spare ribs and chuck roast. just my usual rub. the wood is not old. use apple on the first smoke and pecan on the second smoke.  i put the meat in cold the first smoke and around room temp on the second smoke. noticed the ring was deeper the first time around, but even at that it was only an eighth of an inch or less. i'm new to the WSM, not bbq cooking. i understand smoke ring doesn't equal smoke flavor, but the smoke FLAVOR was not there either. i like a fairly deep smoke ring for appearance purposes. i have operated it as suggested by others here and from other bbq forums.

 

[ga.rick]

i havn't used my bullett but twice first was a bostbutt 2nd was a couple of

whole chickens, started off with 4 fist sized chunks of hickory then added

a couple here and there. both times had good pink in them.  hmm!

 

[soafung]

loadin up 3rd attempt.  2 racks of spares and 2 chuckies.  i'm gonna use mesquite this time and see what happens.  i really lik ethe ease of operation, but i have be dissappointed with the que that has come off of the WSM.  i'm using my remote thermos and the racks are staying in the 225 - 250 range the whole time.  i could have gotten a lemon

.

 

[soafung]

little up date here.  after running for an hour, i've decided that the bottom grate in my WSM is useless.  i've got the top grate at 245 and the bottom is at 215.  all intakes are 100% open (exhaust is 100% open of course).  i think i'm gonna be happier with the out come this time, i just can't believe that the bottom grate is gonna run 30 degrees cooler.  if i loaded my WSM up with ribs (my 2 rib racks allow a total of 12 racks of spares), then i'm only gonna get half of my load cooked properly.  we will see how the smoke ring/smoke flavor turns out in about 5 more hours.

 

[rp ribking]

Soafung,

The bottom grate runs cooler than the top grate. If you are smokin' a brisket and a butt for instance, then put the brisket on top (to get done sooner) and the butt on the bottom, and then when you take the brisket off then put the butt on the top grate.

When I smoke butts, the temp from the top grate to the lower grate is normally 10* off.

If the WSM is for sale email me.

RP

 

[jirodriguez]

I suppose you could close down the top vent to 75 or 50 percent to keep the smoke in the chamber longer. That would intensify the smoke flavor for sure. Another option might be to place some larger chunks of wood or a split on the outside of the charcoal ring. It would eventualy get hot enough to smoke and since it is out of direct contact with the coals it should burn for quite a while.

 

[soafung]

well, the 3rd times a charm.  the WSM stays!  this cook turned out the best que i have ever produced.  this thing is gonna be super helpful in the comp. i'm gonna do in september.  my lid thermo doesn't work at all.  i had read that others can use it.  for the first 3 hours the bottom rack was 30 degrees cooler than the top.  it finally settled out to a 15 degree difference.  now that i know that, things should be turning out great.

 

[soafung]

not the best pic, but you can see the pink smoke ring.

WSM = WIN!