I NEED a smoker

[jminion]

pacanis
I call cookers pit, smokers or by their name depending on my mood, but then I'm a yankee.

Been known to cook on a WSM a little, some of the best advice I can give you is keep it out of the wind. The wind will shorten cooking times and use up a lot of charcoal. There is a fireup method you want to look up, google "minion method" it will make your cooking experience much easier.

Jim

[pacanis]

Thanks Jim.
I notice now that even on the smoking sites, it is OK to refer to them as smokers. At least nobody seems to mind because they know what you are talking about.

[love2"Q"]

good luck on that briskett today , pacanis ..

[pacanis]

Thanks Q.
My trial burn didn't go very well yesterday, so I'll need it.
Tonight's dinner will either be brisket...... or frozen pizza (lol). The coleslaw I made a couple hours ago should be good though.

[suziquzie]

I'm jealous.
I was REALLY hoping the trash can version would work!!!!

DH still wants to build one...... but when this gets in his brain we spend lots of $$ on "NEEDED" tools for said project....
and would've spend less buying said piece of whatever we have to build....
Don't get me started on the aquarium..... the new motor in the car...... the front steps at the old house.....
Ok. Shutting up now.

[pacanis]

Believe me Suzi, for the fiasco this has been turning into, right now I am really wishing the trash can version would have worked. I could have upended the whole shebang and set it out with the garbage tonight.

I've been going back and forth on a Q site and all I keep getting is "relax", it will turn out.... ask away, someone will answer your questions.... I'm getting close to this belonging in the vent thread, but for a first time charcoal user/smoker, this is getting pretty frustrating. My meat didn't even hit the stall period temp when it started cooling down I've been friggin with this tupid smoker trying to dial in the target temp, only to find out 5 hours into my burn that I can be off by 30 degrees
OK, maybe this does belong in the vent thread.

[QSis]

Hi pacanis!

Working with a WSM is far from exact - being off 30 degrees in the cooker is not really a big deal. The internal temp of the meat is a better indicator of done-ness.

Briskets take a long time - at least 8 to 10 hours, depending on the size of the brisket, the temp of the cooker and the air temp.

If you started with a full ring of charcoal, you should be able to go about 8 hours without refueling, if you've been able to use the air vents so she cruises at 250 or so.

If you want to speed it up a bit, wrap the brisket in double foil and put it back on. Pouring in a little beef broth will ensure it's being moist and tender.

Don't get discouraged, Fred - there's a learning curve with using the WSM, but once you get it down, it's remarkably easy to maintain!

Lee

[suziquzie]

Fred I really hope it works better for you!!!
I know trying it on the charcoal grill was not a calming experience....

Boy I hate to make you my guniea pig....
:)

[pacanis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by QSis Hi pacanis! Working with a WSM is far from exact - being off 30 degrees in the cooker is not really a big deal. The internal temp of the meat is a better indicator of done-ness. Briskets take a long time - at least 8 to 10 hours, depending on the size of the brisket, the temp of the cooker and the air temp. If you started with a full ring of charcoal, you should be able to go about 8 hours without refueling, if you've been able to use the air vents so she cruises at 250 or so. If you want to speed it up a bit, wrap the brisket in double foil and put it back on. Pouring in a little beef broth will ensure it's being moist and tender. Don't get discouraged, Fred - there's a learning curve with using the WSM, but once you get it down, it's remarkably easy to maintain! Lee

Hi Lee

Everything I have read up to now said 12-18 hours on a ring. 4-6 just on a chimneyful.
Also, very general but, 1-1/2 hours per lb of brisket. I've got a brisket on that weighs 2.6 lbs and isn't more than an inch thick anywhere. It's been on for 13 hours now..... Just hit 160.
I was shooting for a target temp of 225 at the grate, again, something I read in a smoking forum.

Yeah, I'm frustrated a little. My first burn isn't going at all as planned. Not that I'm going to give up smoking entirely, but I wasted an absolutely beautiful fall day babysitinig something that I guess I could have just let go and would have been further ahead. That upsets me a little.

That and my Ducane keeps trying to trip me every time I walk by it

[Grillncook]

Hey Fred,

You found a good site in Barbecue Bible, I've been hanging around there for 4 or 5 years. "The Virtual Bullet" a great site The Virtual Weber Bullet - For the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker enthusiast for novice WSM users. The Professor takes you through 5 cooks on this siteProf. Wiviott's WSM Course I'm interested in your experiences with the WSM, as I've been toying with the idea of getting one.

You mentioned that your "Brisket" was 2. something pounds. That's no brisket, it's part of a brisket, probably a "point" which is a cut off tip of a whole brisket and ABSOLUTELY the worst part of a brisket to try and cook by itself. There is no fat on a point and it's usually tougher than an old boot in January. The trick to cooking a brisket is partly the fat cap and cooking it low and slow, you can't rush it, if it takes 20 hours, it takes 20 hours, you can't do it any quicker and get it right. There is a place, when cooking a brisket, where it reaches a temperature plateau, usually between 150 and 160 degrees, where the temperature rise just stops. If you haven't experienced it, a rookie will either pull the meat off the heat, thinking that it's done, or pour the heat to it and push through the plateau. This is a very critical point in the cook, you just maintain your smoker temperature and let the brisket work it it's way through. This is where all the magic happens, the meat gets tender and juicy, the muscle relaxes, the planets align and all is good in the universe. Every WHOLE brisket you cook will be different, I've done briskets that fly through the plateau in a couple of hours, and I've done briskets that take 4 to 6 hours just to start rising in temperature again. I pull a brisket when it reaches 190 and foil it for an hour.

Remember, only cook whole briskets, usually 10 to 15 pounds, you will have much better success and you have to be patient. Let the heat do the work however long it takes. Your job is to feed the fire and keep the beer cold.