Although I am extremely fond of my Chargriller Smokin’ Pro™, I must say that the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker™ (WSM) is my favorite smoker. The WSM packs the same (and in some cases better) BBQ punch as many very expensive smokers priced into the thousands of dollars! At just under $200, the WSM is not only a bargain but it is also one of the greatest smokers you could ever own. On a couple of the BBQ forums I frequent, I often mention how the WSM does not get the press it deserves. It is great for home smoking but it is also a proven championship cooker that competes very well with larger more expensive smokers.
Don’t let the size fool you either. The WSM’s capacity is very impressive. I have cooked 2 7-8 lb. pork butts and two 7-8 pound brisket flats at one time in the WSM. On another occasion, I cooked 3 slabs of spare ribs a brisket flat and a pork butt at one time. I have also cooked some amazing chicken and sausage in it as well. I plan to compete in several BBQ competitions annually beginning in 2006 and I will use two WSMs and my Char-Griller Smokin’ Pro.
In this article, I will cover some things that have been helpful to me as a WSM owner. Before I begin, I would like to express gratitude and appreciation to all of my cyber friends on The Barbecue Bible site and those on The Virtual Weber Bullet site who have helped me in many ways. Their responses to my questions, their suggestions and their support have helped me turn out the kind of BBQ that has my family, friends and neighbors waiting anxiously for me to cook again! These people are patient, informative and always very friendly. They really make this sport a worthwhile venture. Thanks to you all!
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The WSM is a very well designed and constructed smoker. Part of that design is an easy to clean interior. All you have to do to clean the inside is basically wipe it down with a damp cloth while the smoker is warm to remove any grease build up. If there is any baked on material, a stiff brush will get rid of it readily. After each cook, close all the vents (top and bottom) to smother the fire. When the smoker is cooled down you can remove the top and middle sections so you can dump any ashes that have fallen through the charcoal grate. If you have coals left over you might be able to reuse them, but I don’t recommend it. Once coals have been partially heated and burned, there is no way to estimate how long they will burn when lit again. This could cause you to experience spikes and dips in temperatures. Charcoal is relatively cheap, I just throw away the used coals and start with fresh ones each time.
Lastly, WSM grate cleaning can be a snap. After your grates cool off, spray them with oven cleaner and put them in a plastic trash bag over night. This will make them very easy to wash down the next day.
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The exterior of the WSM is baked enamel. This make for a very polished looked even after years of use and it also a good heat retainer of heat for cooking. While this is a very nice feature, I have to remember that baked enamel will chip and degrade the overall functionality of the smoker – be careful. The really nice thing about the WSM’s finish is that it is extremely easy to clean. Just wipe it down with a damp cloth and you are ready to go! The vents can sometimes build up smoke residue and turn brown, in these cases, I use an S.O.S. pad or some other soft abbrasive like that to remove the stains.
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One of the biggest factors in making great barbecue is the temperature at which you cook. Real barbecue is cooked low and slow at temperatures below 250° for long periods of time. Preferably, I like to cook between 225° and 235°. How do I know what the temperature is with the WSM? I am glad you asked! Unfortunately, the WSM does not have a built-in thermometer for measuring temperatures in the smoker. There are several options you have to overcome this problem.
One thing you can do is permanently mount a thermometer in the lid of your WSM. This requires that you drill a hole in the lid of your WSM to mount an industrial grade thermometer that will keep accurate temperature. While this is a very well accepted approach, some don’t do it because of the permanent physical change to the smoker. If you ever decide you don’t want a mounted thermometer – too bad, you’re stuck! I chose not to go that with that option.
Another option is to use a probe thermometer such as a Polder Probe to measure the internal temperature of the smoker. You can insert the probe through the top vent of the WSM and be sure to get very accurate readings. You must remember though, that the lid temperature is usually 15° hotter than the temperature at the grate. This means if you want to cook between 225° and 235° you have to make sure the thermometer reads between 240° and 250° in the lid. You can also insert a Taylor Candy thermometer in the top vents as well – this is what I do and it works great. The Taylor Candy thermometers are even dishwasher safe, though you may need to use a soft abrasive such as an S.O.S. pad to remove all the cooked on smoke residue. Just don’t use the abrasive on the tip of the thermometer and you will be just fine.
The thermometer is only half of the process. Once you have a way to measure the temperature you have to be able to control it as well – this is where the WSM really shines! In offset smokers, controlling the temps can be a chore at some times. Don’t get me wrong, it is possible to get long, steady temps from offset smokers; I know, I have one. You do have to stay on top of the temps because offset smokers are vulnerable to temperature spikes and dips; however, when you get a steady temp, you can keep it fairly consistent for 4-6 hours – but keep your eyes open just in case. With the WSM, you have a relatively air-tight cooking unit. You controll the amount of air that flows into the smoker by adjusting the three vents in the bottom of the smoker. The wider they are open, the more air that flows in and the hotter the coals will get which increases the temperature of the smoker. The less these vents are open, the less air that gets in and; therefore, the cooler the smoker will get. Basically, you keep the three vents wide open until the smoker heats to the desired temp, then you close the vents about 50% to cause the temps to remain constant. You may have to adjust the vents depending on outdoor temp and wind conditions, but when you get the temp steady, you can go watch a movie, read a book or even go to bed on overnight cooks!
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I absolutely love my WSM. Let me give you my approach for doing ribs on the WSM (which; by-the-way, are always a huge hit). I use kingsford charcoal. Lump is fine too, but I am partial to kingsford because it burns long hot and stable for me. I use only hickory on my ribs. The intense smoke flavor is a huge hit in these parts. Not bitter intense, but smokey none-the-less.
- First I prep my ribs the night before by removing the membrane and rubbing them generously with my 11-spice all purpose rub – I mean generously too!
- The next day when I am ready to cook, I fill my charcoal ring to the hilt with unlit kingsford coals.
- I then light about 15 coals in my charcoal starter and when they are ashed over, I evenly place them on top of the unlit ones. This is the typical Minion Method.
- I then place the middle section on the bottom section, put in the water pan and fill it with water (about 1 gallon). For short cooks (4-6 hours) you will not have to refill it, but for longer cooks (6+ hours) you will have to refill at least once so watch your water pan.
- Next, I put my meat on the smoker immediately! – Before it gets up to the 220-225 temp, and then I put my wood on the coals and open all three bottom vents 100%. The top vent should ALWAYS be open 100%. This allows my meat to be exposed to the smoke for a fairly long time before its internal temp reaches 140 degrees; the temp where the smokering ceases to form in meat.
- When my Taylor Candy thermometer which is inserted through the top vent reads 240-250 degrees, I close the bottom three vents all to 50%. The reason I aim at 240-250 is because the lid temp in the WSM is 15 degrees hotter than the grate; therefore, 240-250 on the thermometer in the lid is actually 225-235 degrees at the grate level. Now, depending on the weather conditions, you may need to adjust the vents until the temp stablizes. Once the temp is stable, then you can let that baby do her thing! It will stay dead on temp for the whole cook. With a full ring of charcoal using this method, the WSM will cook stably at low and slow temps for 20+ hours! My longest cook on a single load of charcoal was 22.5 hours. Remember, closing the vents shuts off the flow of oxygen to the coals and cools down the smoker and opening the vents increases the flow of oxygen and makes it hotter – it always works on the WSM – always!
- I use the 3-2-1 method for ribs, so after 3 hours in the smoker, I foil my ribs and put them back on the smoker for 2 hours, then unfoil them and put them back on the smoker for 1 hour, and then I call the Sherriffs Dept. to guard my house from hungry family, friends, and neighbors!
Ok, that last part was a hoax but it makes for a great tale huh?
Using this process has given me perfect ribs everytime on the WSM. I hope this helps and good Q’n to ya!
