New WSM

[istock74]

Well I thought it would never happen. I finally got a WSM. Just finished putting it together. I can't wait to try that baby out this weekend.
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Superior Smokers SS-One with Stoker
18" WSM With Stoker
24" x 48" Offset
UDS
Weber Performer

[Mike Lawry]

Wuts the 1st smoke plan for it?


Mike Lawry.

[istock74]

Butt and a couple fatties for the UFC fight Saturday Night.
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Superior Smokers SS-One with Stoker
18" WSM With Stoker
24" x 48" Offset
UDS
Weber Performer

[bigabyte]

You're gonna love it.
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--Chris Baker
--Mad BBQ Scientist
--When my lab fills with smoke, that means it's working!

[jrb03]

Congrats, your gonna really like it.

Make sure you visit the virtual weber bullet site and get familiar with the minion method, and all the tips they offer on this great smoker.
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Pitmaker Vault
Pitmaker Grill-Meister
Backwoods Party
Weber Performer - Blue
WSM

[USDA Monkey]

Welcome to the dark side.

Besure to let us now how much it rocks.
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The American Atomic Buffalo Turd Society of America
I Love a Good Fattie

[istock74]

Impatience got the better of me. I took the thing home fired it up and cooked up some burgers and brats on it last night. The thing was a joy to use. I lined the water pan with foil and left it empty and still had no problems controlling the temp. Really glad I got it!!
_________________
Superior Smokers SS-One with Stoker
18" WSM With Stoker
24" x 48" Offset
UDS
Weber Performer

[OddThomas]

I've never owned one, but am thinking of picking one up myself. I love Weber products in general. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

[USDA Monkey]

[rjmontana]

Whats the purpose of foil lining the H2O pan if left empty? I assume just ease of clean up of grease drippings..Another H2O pan question I had is how do you decide whether your going to use water or sand in the pan for your temp controler? Are there certain types of cooking that work best with one or the other or is it just a personal choice and whichever medium is chosen used for all cooking?

[istock74]

As far as foiling the pan goes, it is indeed to protect the water pan and aid clean up.

As far as what, if anything to use in the water pan, my understanding is water or sand will aid in temp control. There are some here that have been using the wsm for a long time and will be better equipped to answer your question in detail. For me, I figured I had more than enough experience controlling temps on my offset so I just skipped the water and went with the empty pan.
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Superior Smokers SS-One with Stoker
18" WSM With Stoker
24" x 48" Offset
UDS
Weber Performer

[bigabyte]

I fill my pan with sand for a heat sink. It takes the WSM about 2.5 hours to get fully up to steady temp due to heating all this sand as well, but the benifit is steady temps even in windy conditions, and a quick rise back to temp after peeking due to that big old pan full of hot sand being in there. Also, after peeking, extra air gets into a WSM causing the fire to spike which without a heat sink would mean a lot of heat going up onto the food while it settles back down. With the heat sink that heat has to transfer into the sand before it can really affect the food, and since this takes a long time the temps are actually steady in the end overall. I do notice that over time the initial starting WSM cook temp will rise over the next few hours sepending on how often I open it, but you can always adjust the vents later on if needed. The time lost at the beginning to heat up the pan is recovered at the end because as the coals start to lose strength, that pan of sand will keep those temps up for a couple hours.
_________________
--Chris Baker
--Mad BBQ Scientist
--When my lab fills with smoke, that means it's working!