First Cook on the 22.5 WSM

[wittdog]

Ok I got up this morning and had a cup of coffee

rubbed up the meat�




Then set up the 22.5 WSM for its maiden voyage�.That is a coffee can I use to keep the lit charcoal in the middle of the grate�.look how small it is�

The bottom grate�I think I measured it to be 21in�

The water bowl is HUGE�.

All loaded with Charcoal�

Chimney Shot

Full Packer Brisket�.Fat side down�

Ribs�.

And a Couple pieces of chicken for snacking�.


Shiny


Ok couple of observations�Again everything is big about this unit..The charcoal ring..the water bowl..the grates�
I used 2 big bowls of water to fill the water bowl to an inch away from being full�.

I used about 2/3 of a bag of lump between loading up the double deuce and the chimney and had 4 good size chucks of wood..with 2 extra pieces to go on top of the light charcoal..

I would forget about putting handles on this unit�you would be asking for trouble the size and wt of it loaded up it wouldn�t be a good idea to move the middle and top sections with it loaded..

One other observation for those of you with wooden decks�it was fairly windy here today�not like yesterday but fairly windy�after I dumped the charcoal and loaded it up with the meat I had the bottom 3 vents wide open per the MM because of the bigger holes a and the holes being on the side of the unit I got a pretty big size lit coal that blew out the hole�.Just something to think about�

15 min after dumping the lit and assembling the unit it was up to 200* and I shut the vents down to 1/3 open�like I would for my old WSMs�.

From what I can tell this is another top notch Weber product�seems like they got the packaging right�nothing was crushed�all the pieces were there�it was easy to put together�It probably took be 2 beers (20min) to put it together�

The sections were round�.they don�t seem to fit as snug as my other WSMs�but they might be just be that there isn�t as much goo built up�the looser fitting sections might be a good thing as well�with that big of an area�more airflow might be desired..I still wish the door was made out of a little heavier material�but the way it stays on when you need to reload is cool�Quick update the sections are not leaking�I�ve got a normal amount of leakage from the door�and some condesation coming for underneath the therm�.

Any of you local guys that want to take a road trip�.I�ve got half a mind to toss a couple of logs on the firepit and have a little breaking in the WSM party�.
As a special bonus we had homemade donuts for breakfast today�..as fast as the wife could fry them�the kids were hammering them�

[wittdog]

Chicken is done�it�s a little dark..which is my fault�. I had to much wood going on at the beginning of the cook�..it still tastes good just a little dark�
The Chicken passed the kids test�they both ate 2 pieces�all I heard when I walked into the dinning room was Yum Yum�and some lips smacking�I had to reload the water pan�take a look at how the door stays attached�

The Mrs got these for Xmass�collapsible bowls�Santa figured they would be good for comps and camping�


And because I know its coming..here is the link to the bowls..
http://www.legourmetchef.com/Temp_Produ ... Strainers&

Mikey liked the chicken

About 3 hours in�flipped the ribs around in the rib rack�




Once the ribs are done I'm going to add more chicken for smoked chicken lagasana later in the week...stay tuned
About 5 hrs in it was time to check the ribs�.

Once the smoke clears



Almost there

So far so good�once I got the temp dialed in it�s stayed where it should have�.I was surprised that the water need to be replaced after 3 hours�but it seems to have leveled off now..

Its nice that after the ribs shrink up that you can get 3 racks on the grate�.

[wittdog]

Around 6 hrs Ribs are done


Chicken is on for smoked Chicken Lag asana later in the week�.(That�s a family pac minus 6 pieces)


So far so good�.I�ve got no complaints�I didn�t check the factory therm for accuracy but going by the cook times so far it seems to be pretty close�or as close as I need it to be�..It been holding a steady temp�has recovered well from when I�ve had the lid off�after the chicken is done I�ll bring the brisket up to the top grate and stick a therm in it and make some decisions as to foil or not�

[wheels]

As usual, Superb Wittdog.

[wittdog]

Second batch of chicken is done�.

And the brisket has moved up to the top shelve�.Brisket flat is 155*

To foil or not to foil�.

[lemonD]

Witt,
Think Bark..

[wittdog]

I decided to foil the flat..the point I cut into burnt ends�2 half pans just about fit on the lower grate�had to squish one to make it fit�





LemonD you are correct�I typically don�t foil except at comps�.but seeing how this brisket is for latter in the week and the bark would be ruined by then anyway�I decided to use the old Texas crutch�the burnt end will probably be demolished tonight..
I�m in a rush to watch the Dark Knight on the 52in LCD HD TV

[DarrinG]

Alright Witt please help me out on this.

Your ribs look great. I've being trying to do ribs for years now and I never had them turn out looking that great & tasting great. I've tried everything from rubs, marinades, s&p, saltless rubs.......

Then for cooking I've tried a little smoke, a lot of smoke, foil, foil + liquid, 321 method and so on.

Also I've even tried back ribs and side ribs. So without giving away any trade secrets please walk me through how you would prepare ribs from cryovac bag to the plate.

DarrinG

[wittdog]

Brisket is done and taste tested�







Everything came out good and I was happy with the way the new WSM preformed.

Ok Darrin first what are you cooking on? and at what temp?
I typically do my ribs on my small offset..but I guess it really doesn't matter what you are cooking on as long as you know your pit anyways this is how I do it

Out of the cyrovac and a quick rinse to get rid of any bone chips from the saw and some of the cyro stink most times water works just fine...if they are a little more stinky I give them a quick vinegar rinse (Usually Cider Vinegar)

Then I pull the membrane...I pull from the middle...

Then I pat the ribs dry with paper towels...I don't do the mustard rub or anything like that..if the meat is dry the rub will stick I rub up the ribs and then onto the smoker

I use a rub that is close to Dr BBQs Big Time Rub...IMO a rub needs to contain both salt and sugar along with other spices..the salt pulls the moisture out some and then the sugar gives you the nice bark

I then smoke the ribs with a mix of hickory and cherry wood for about 3 hours..I start with hickory then switch to cherry wood...after the 3 hours are up I just go with straight charcoal...

I try to keep the temp between 225 and 250* at grate level...measure the temp at grate level and compare it to the lid therm...I try to keep the temp around the 225* mark for the early part of the cook

I just let the smoker do its thing..don't be afraid to move the ribs around or flip them over if they aren't cooking even...you should know the hotspots or how your pit cooks...i

As the cook progress sometimes I let the temp come up closer to the 250* mark other times I let it ride where it is at...

Around the 4.5 hour mark start to check them...

Ribs have a small window of when they are done and when they are overdone

Most people I know don't cook BB as long as I do but they cook them at a higher temp and use foil...I almost never use foil...sometimes at comps I will but at home never...

Typically my BB take about 5-6 hours to get done....

It took me a long time to cook what I consider good ribs....I did a party for a friend and cook 2 cases of ribs for 2 straight days...I could only get 6 racks on at a time...that where the light finally went on for me...just being able to recognize where they were (how far along and at what stage of the cooking process they were in) One of the things I look for is when the fat on top starts to crack I know they are almost done...

Hope this Helps

[beardedwonder5]

In Britain (so far as I know) coffee does not come in cans (or tins.)

Interested Brits might try scrounging catering size baked bean or tom tins.

(Ahh, memories of wotking in the galley of a Great Lakes self-unloader, and opening tins of the world's worst coffee. It made Hills Brothers look like Blue Mountain.)

[wittdog]

Oh yeah�.the Burnt ends were worth the wait�.

[DarrinG]

Hey Witt

Thanks for the DIY on the ribs. I've got it copied down. I don't know why I've never had luck with ribs? My brisket and pulled pork get requested all the time by everyone I know but my ribs have always sucked.

Your burnt ends are they sauced? Looks fantastic. Heck I was in Toronto for 8 weeks I should have taken one of my early days and drove down.

[wittdog]

Hey Witt

Thanks for the DIY on the ribs. I've got it copied down. I don't know why I've never had luck with ribs? My brisket and pulled pork get requested all the time by everyone I know but my ribs have always sucked.

Your burnt ends are they sauced? Looks fantastic. Heck I was in Toronto for 8 weeks I should have taken one of my early days and drove down.

Were you pulling the ribs off to early?
You should have taken that trip..its only about 2hrs...you are welcome here any time
The burnt ends were not sauced