Any Weber Smokey Mountain Fans?

[-Wildcat-]

Thinking about picking up a WSM as a smoker for get togethers with family and friends. This is perhaps one of the most popular smokers in the universe, with a huge following and a top-notch website.

http://virtualweberbullet.com/

Question is... anyone here use one? If so, what do you like/dislike about it?

 

[KSGuy]

Haven't used that brand but had something similar and it's very hard to control the temperature. I have found that temp control over a long period of time is key to getting good consistent results. Nothing worse than starting a big brisket, going to bed and wake up to a smoker 100 degrees + higher than where it should be or very low and nothing cooked.

I posted before about Green Mountain. They are an improved Traeger version are a bit costly but to me well worth it.

 

[morrismike]

Thinking about picking up a WSM as a smoker for get togethers with family and friends. This is perhaps one of the most popular smokers in the universe, with a huge following and a top-notch website.

http://virtualweberbullet.com/

Question is... anyone here use one? If so, what do you like/dislike about it?

Get your beef/pork, apply a dry rub on thursday night and refrigerate. Friday evening put a bag of charcoal in the bottom and light it, add water tray and fill, add meat, install lid, close bottom vents, and open top vent. Before you go to bed add some water soaked wood chunks. It will stay smokey at 200F until you wake up. Wake up remove your meat, wrap in foil and finish in the oven at 325 for an hour (200F isn't hot enough to completely break down fat). Its just that easy. I make my own pastrami from boston butts (be sure and remove external fat for penetration of pickling salts) and beef brisket. Several of my Jewish coworker (one from NYC) tell me my pastrami is better than you will find in any NYC deli.

I've cooked ten 11 pound plus boston butts at once in the 22.5" model.

 

[Live2Hunt]

Wildcat, I do not own a WSM.
I do own a Weber kettle with propane ignition and a propane gas grill.

I can describe my opinion is two words. LOVE THEM.

If I am short on time I go to the gas. If I have the time. I go to the kettle every time.

Now the WSM is an elongated Weber kettle, as I am sure you know. What I do like is the quality Weber puts into the unit.
I have seen fellas trying to use a knock off version of the kettle and the biggest issue they seem to have is temperature control.

I smoke:
Salmon.
Turkey
Pork Ribs
Chicken
Brisket
Venison
Pheasant.
on my Weber kettle. (not trying to sound vain) but I have people come over with the meat and tell me. You do it, it just tastes better. And I tell everyone. It is not me it is the grill.

I would go for it. Fire the new grill up. Season it a bit. Than grab a cold drink and enjoy the flavor.:cheers:

 

[Live2Hunt]

Get your beef/pork, apply a dry rub on thursday night and refrigerate. Friday evening put a bag of charcoal in the bottom and light it, add water tray and fill, add meat, install lid, close bottom vents, and open top vent. Before you go to bed add some water soaked wood chunks. It will stay smokey at 200F until you wake up. Wake up remove your meat, wrap in foil and finish in the oven at 325 for an hour (200F isn't hot enough to completely break down fat). Its just that easy. I make my own pastrami from boston butts (be sure and remove external fat for penetration of pickling salts) and beef brisket. Several of my Jewish coworker (one from NYC) tell me my pastrami is better than you will find in any NYC deli.

I've cooked ten 11 pound plus boston butts at once in the 22.5" model.

Never tried a Boston Butt Mike, but I am going to now. Your technique is very similar to how I do my brisket.
On your brisket. Do you remove the fat before smoking? Myself I leave the fat on and put that side on the top. I feel it allows the fat that does melt to work its way through the meat.

 

[-Wildcat-]

Thanks for the feedback fellas. That's exactly what I'm looking for, without spending the coin on a pellet smoker. I'd like to go to bed not worrying that I'll wake up to a bunch of charred meat. I'd also like to use it for competitions as a back up, warmer, or just something I can have at a different temp as the cooking schedule in cookoffs get pretty strict.

Me and some buddies have this monstrosity, but at times it's overkill...

Gonna have to try the pastrami someday, because I just love that stuff. Any of you guys active on the virtual bullet forums? Tons of good ideas over there.

Oh, and definitely cook the brisket fat cap up. As the cap renders, it bastes the meat - but sounds like you're already aware of that! :thumbsup:

 

[Phil V.]

Wildcat; That looks a lot like the one a friend of mine made. His is big enough to do half a beef on a rotissurie set up. He has a small gas motor to run it.

 

[Live2Hunt]

"at times its overkill"

LOL my God man, I think you could feed a small village with that thing.

:cheers:

 

[morrismike]

Never tried a Boston Butt Mike, but I am going to now. Your technique is very similar to how I do my brisket.
On your brisket. Do you remove the fat before smoking? Myself I leave the fat on and put that side on the top. I feel it allows the fat that does melt to work its way through the meat.

Prepare Meat
Trim fat so it is very thin.* Where fat is exposed make a lot of cuts into it. For brisket or butts trim fat very thin.
*
*Dry Cure mix
1/4 cup Morton Tender Quick
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed (I use raw cane sugar)
1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons granulated garlic
2 Tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons fennel seed
2 tablespoons crushed bay leaves

I put dry cure on everything and place inside a 3 gallon ziplock (hardware stores have these) and turn it once a day. It will take a week.*


Liquid injection (I don't liquid inject - you'll need to do this on pork loin - dry cure doesn't penetrate this cut)
After dry rub is applied, then add 2 lbs. of Tender-Quick per gallon of water for meat that is to be used within 30 to 60 days. **Bring the gallon to a boil let it cool and mix the 2lbs of tender quick.* Freeze what isn’t used (to keep sterile).* Inject the meat and put inside of those huge 2 or 3 gallon ziplocks you buy at menards.* I’ve got huge syringes and you’ll just need a marinade needle.* The Amount of Tender-Quick pumping pickle to use is 1 to 1 1/2 oz. of pickle per pound of meat.* Put meat in fridge and rotate daily.
*
Prep for cooking
Remove meat from fridge the night before, wash off dry rub and soak in water for an hour to remove pickling salts.* Pat meat dry apply dry rub and cook the next day.*

Dry Rub
4 parts ground peppercorns
4 parts ground coriander seeds
2 parts Turbinado sugar
1 part ground onion powder (I leave this off)
1 part thyme, ground
1 part paprika
1 part ground garlic powder
1 part ground ginger
1/2 part ground cloves (be careful with cloves)
1/2 part ground nutmeg
2 parts garlic
½ part fennel seeds
½ crushed bay leaves

Get the bullet goings and put meat in and cook at 200F until the charcoal gone (try at least 10 hours add more charcoal if needed). Periodically add wood chunks. Pull meat, wrap in foil and finish in oven at 325F for an hour.

 

[JMc]

Not a WSM but a Smokey Joe with a modified tamale cooker. Runs @ 250 for 5 hours. No problem with adjusting the heat.

 

[OKIEGunner]

Not a WSM but a Smokey Joe with a modified tamale cooker. Runs @ 250 for 5 hours. No problem with adjusting the heat.

JMc

I'm disappointed, I thought you boys down there in TX built things bigger and better

 

[Live2Hunt]

Prepare Meat
Trim fat so it is very thin.* Where fat is exposed make a lot of cuts into it. For brisket or butts trim fat very thin.
*
*Dry Cure mix
1/4 cup Morton Tender Quick
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed (I use raw cane sugar)
1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons granulated garlic
2 Tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons fennel seed
2 tablespoons crushed bay leaves

I put dry cure on everything and place inside a 3 gallon ziplock (hardware stores have these) and turn it once a day. It will take a week.*


Liquid injection (I don't liquid inject - you'll need to do this on pork loin - dry cure doesn't penetrate this cut)
After dry rub is applied, then add 2 lbs. of Tender-Quick per gallon of water for meat that is to be used within 30 to 60 days. **Bring the gallon to a boil let it cool and mix the 2lbs of tender quick.* Freeze what isn’t used (to keep sterile).* Inject the meat and put inside of those huge 2 or 3 gallon ziplocks you buy at menards.* I’ve got huge syringes and you’ll just need a marinade needle.* The Amount of Tender-Quick pumping pickle to use is 1 to 1 1/2 oz. of pickle per pound of meat.* Put meat in fridge and rotate daily.
*
Prep for cooking
Remove meat from fridge the night before, wash off dry rub and soak in water for an hour to remove pickling salts.* Pat meat dry apply dry rub and cook the next day.*

Dry Rub
4 parts ground peppercorns
4 parts ground coriander seeds
2 parts Turbinado sugar
1 part ground onion powder (I leave this off)
1 part thyme, ground
1 part paprika
1 part ground garlic powder
1 part ground ginger
1/2 part ground cloves (be careful with cloves)
1/2 part ground nutmeg
2 parts garlic
½ part fennel seeds
½ crushed bay leaves

Get the bullet goings and put meat in and cook at 200F until the charcoal gone (try at least 10 hours add more charcoal if needed). Periodically add wood chunks. Pull meat, wrap in foil and finish in oven at 325F for an hour.

Thank you Mike for sharing that. I am going to try that on a butt once it gets a tad bit warmer in my neck of the woods :thumbsup:

 

[JMc]

I've got bigger but I'm no sure I've got better...that little dude can cook!

 

[Thrasher]

I bought one of these last year after getting fed up with trying to maintain the cooking temp at 220. I have an offset smoker. It worked great as long as you sat outside with it and constantly monitored the temp. With this burner all I have to do is prep the meat, heat the smoker, put the meat in, and add wood every few hours. The wood goes into a coffee can that sits on the flame. I have smoked 4 briskets with it and it turns out better before.

http://gassmoker.com/h-burner.htm

 

[JMc]

My Mini UDS at work and with Armadillo Eggs as an end result...mmmmmm, here's the recipe:
Combine
1 pound breakfast sausage
2 pounds 85/15 ground beef
1 pkg of lipton onion soup mix
---
10 jalapenos (cleaned: boil in sugar water for a minute or two to take bite out)
Cheese (I use the kraft cubes, one orange one white)

Fill jalapeno with two cubes and wrap meat mixture around in an egg shape. Smoked at 275 - turn every 15-20 min until all four sides are cooked. Enjoy!

Red, Hot, and Blue Potato Salad...(Google It)...it's great.

 

[onpoint]

I just got about a 100lbs of home made meat sausage(beef, pork and venison) and 30lbs of bacon out of the smoker.

Here's a pic

 

[JMc]

Yum...looks tasty!

 

[onpoint]

My Mini UDS at work and with Armadillo Eggs as an end result...mmmmmm, here's the recipe:
Combine
1 pound breakfast sausage
2 pounds 85/15 ground beef
1 pkg of lipton onion soup mix
---
10 jalapenos (cleaned: boil in sugar water for a minute or two to take bite out)
Cheese (I use the kraft cubes, one orange one white)

Fill jalapeno with two cubes and wrap meat mixture around in an egg shape. Smoked at 275 - turn every 15-20 min until all four sides are cooked. Enjoy!

Red, Hot, and Blue Potato Salad...(Google It)...it's great.

That looks positively a 10 on the yum meter JMc