Anyone own a weber smokey mountain?

Williams 728
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I've had one for 5 years or so--18.5 inch model with the old tiny water pan that wasn't worth a damn. If you are at all serious, you should check out thevirtualweberbullet.com

Very cool community and lots of tips for how to cook with the smokey mountain.

I love mine--I stick primarily to briskets and butts, which have always turned out well for me.

You should look at the temp controller that Auber Instruments sells for the smokey mountain.

Good luck!
 
I also am a proud owner of a WSM. I have had it quite a while and still use it often. Salpino is correct about the online community over at http://virtualweberbullet.com/ . Like this site, it is a wealth of great info. Happy smoking!
 
I got one, excellent beginner smoker that will out preform any new smoker for a long time to come. The water pans have been redone and are much deeper now. An automatic temp controller is not needed for a WSM once it is dialed in the smoker will keep steady temps.
 
I have a silver bullet and never use it. I smoke just fine in a regular kettle grill.
 
Love mine too! There are days I wish I would have went with the 22.5 as I've packed the 18.5 full but that's not an issue now since I got an MES 30 as well! But the WSM is still my favorite
 
The 22.5 uses quite a bit more fuel than the 18 for the size. But if you need the capacity is is a great cooker.

I competed on WSM's for years and I am probably going to go back to them this year. One thing to do is fill the water pan with sand and then cover it with foil. When you are done cooking discard the foil and put new on. Makes temp control much easier and you don't have a giant pan of gunk to git rid of when you are done. We have used BBQ Gurus for years and they work very well. I also highly recommend the Virtual Weber Bullet as it is one of the best BBQ sites on the net. Hollar if you have any questions.

Mark
 
Brickman said:
The 22.5 uses quite a bit more fuel than the 18 for the size. But if you need the capacity is is a great cooker.

I competed on WSM's for years and I am probably going to go back to them this year. One thing to do is fill the water pan with sand and then cover it with foil. When you are done cooking discard the foil and put new on. Makes temp control much easier and you don't have a giant pan of gunk to git rid of when you are done. We have used BBQ Gurus for years and they work very well. I also highly recommend the Virtual Weber Bullet as it is one of the best BBQ sites on the net. Hollar if you have any questions.

Mark
Click to expand...

I don't get the sand. The water vaporizing absorbs a lot of heat, thus keeping the temp down. Sand wouldn't do that. Once the sand gets to temp, it's useless.
 
passedpawn said:
I don't get the sand. The water vaporizing absorbs a lot of heat, thus keeping the temp down. Sand wouldn't do that. Once the sand gets to temp, it's useless.
Click to expand...

Ever since I read that Harry Soo recommends that you not put anything in the pan, water nor sand, and just foil it, I've never gone back. The temp holds just fine, stays low, and clean up is a dream.

I love my WSM and would buy it again.
 
passedpawn said:
I don't get the sand. The water vaporizing absorbs a lot of heat, thus keeping the temp down. Sand wouldn't do that. Once the sand gets to temp, it's useless.
Click to expand...


I've wondered about this as well. If you're using a temp controller that learns your setup I'm sure it removes some of the guess work. Is the sand simply acting as giant heat sink?
 
I have one too and love it. I hooked up the DigiQ controller, and I can do overnight cooks in subzero Wisconsin January with no problem. It's very simple to use, and it'll last forever.
 
I have two WSM(s) (22.5. and 14.5). Love em both and run em both with a dry foiled pan naturally aspirated. I am on TVWBB. Stop in and say hi!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
Brickman said:
One thing to do is fill the water pan with sand and then cover it with foil. When you are done cooking discard the foil and put new on. Makes temp control much easier and you don't have a giant pan of gunk to git rid of when you are done.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I do. I get playground sand which is supposed to have no bad stuff in it. I also put a couple layers of heavy duty foil under the sand to keep the sand from sticking to the pan.

I also kind of sculpt the sand a little bit so the sides slope down into a well in the center. It makes for easy cleanup and, if you are inclined to use turkey drippings for gravy, beef drippings for au jus, etc. it's really simple. (And btw, gravy made with smoky turkey drippings is friggin' awesome!)

EDIT: The sand stays in there between cooks. The only time I removed it was when I brought the smoker to a friend's lake cabin.
 
Just piling on...I have a WSM as well. It was my third smoker and I will never NOT own one again (read: I will own a WSM until I die).

They are so simple to use compared to the other two I have owned (a Brinkman bullet and a side box Charbroil).

As already posted, http://virtualweberbullet.com/cook.html is THE information source on how to cook on one.

As far as the debate about the water pan goes, I put a large cast iron pot on top of my water pan as the heat sink. The water or sand or cast iron pot is used as a heat sink during the initial couple hours, but after that it really isnt necessary....at least that is my understanding of it. I also do not believe that putting water or any other fluid in your water pan will add anything as far as flavor or moisture content to your final product. It is merely there for temp control.
 
Here's another fun thing: After a cook, there's usually a fair amount of coals left over in the basket. Guess what I use when I fire up the Weber kettle grill?
 
One thing I learned early on is that most of the directions for cooking on BBQ rigs were done at or near sea level. I cook at 5000 feet all the way up to 10,000 feet and the sand in the water pan was a requirement due to heat loss from wind and the fact that water boils at sub 200 degree levels when you get that high. The WSM is not insulated and will chase its tail if there is not some type of heat sink. However, we do cook without sand if we are using a Guru but if running off of the vents we always use sand. So I will clarify I run a just a foil lined pan if we are using the Guru.
 
DAMN!!!! I wish I hadn't seen this thread!!! Now I need a smoker!!! This community is so good at point out things that I need!
 
I love my WSM (18.5"). I've been smoking meats for 3 years or so now. It's arguably more addictive than brewing.

I said the hell with the water pan. I couldn't get temps up on my second cook, so I dumped it out and had no issue with that.

I did what a lot of guys did and buy one of those ceramic flower pot saucers and wrapped with foil, and set in the water pan. This way the pan is still blocking the fire, but you don't have this giant bowl filling with grease.

Sorry for the sidebar, but the WSM is a great smoker. I've literally done hundreds pounds of meat, most of it being really darn good
 
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Here is my tip on the water pan.
1. Foil the water pan completely with HD foil.
2. Foil a 12" clay flower pot base completely with HD foil.
3. Place the foiled flower pot base inside the water pan.
4. Place a 12" disposable foil pizza pan inside the flower pot base.

Each cook toss out the foil pizza pan and replace with a new one.

This way you have a clean grease free cooker every time you smoke and you don't waste foil. I only refoil the works about 2 times per year.

Temps remain much more steady with the clay in there. This is especially important when it is windy.

I have never used water.
 
rdarr40 said:
Here is my tip on the water pan.
1. Foil the water pan completely with HD foil.
2. Foil a 12" clay flower pot base completely with HD foil.
3. Place the foiled flower pot base inside the water pan.
4. Place a 12" disposable foil pizza pan inside the flower pot base.

Each cook toss out the foil pizza pan and replace with a new one.

This way you have a clean grease free cooker every time you smoke and you don't waste foil. I only refoil the works about 2 times per year.

Temps remain much more steady with the clay in there. This is especially important when it is windy.

I have never used water.
Click to expand...

Haha, you don't waste foil but you throw the foil pan away each time?

I do not think the clay pot, sand, or any other material is useful in maintaining temps. Once it is heated up, what good could it possibly be? Water is understandable as it absorbs a lot of heat when vaporizing, and the 212F vapors fill the smoker and keep the temps down.

I'm smoking in mine right now. I have the water pan in there, but no water. I think this is the way I'll run mine from now on. Tomorrow I'll just dump the water pan/grease in the woods, hose it off quickly. Easy.
 
passedpawn said:
Haha, you don't waste foil but you throw the foil pan away each time?

I do not think the clay pot, sand, or any other material is useful in maintaining temps. Once it is heated up, what good could it possibly be? Water is understandable as it absorbs a lot of heat when vaporizing, and the 212F vapors fill the smoker and keep the temps down.

I'm smoking in mine right now. I have the water pan in there, but no water. I think this is the way I'll run mine from now on. Tomorrow I'll just dump the water pan/grease in the woods, hose it off quickly. Easy.
Click to expand...

I suppose it is not as much about wasting foil but, the time it takes to do it. Plus, I do not like cooking each time with the burning grease vapors from the previous food.

We all do not live in Florida so, maintaining temps can be more of an issue in other climates. Specifically, I can maintain 225° consistently for more that 10 hours without refueling in < 40° conditions.

My opinion is that water is very messy to deal with and you have to continuously refill it during longer cooking sessions. If you use the Minion starting method then you don't need to worry about using water to keep temps down.

It is only my technique, I did not imply that it was the best way or the only way, it is just my way.
 
rdarr40 said:
I suppose it is not as much about wasting foil but, the time it takes to do it. Plus, I do not like cooking each time with the burning grease vapors from the previous food.

We all do not live in Florida so, maintaining temps can be more of an issue in other climates. Specifically, I can maintain 225° consistently for more that 10 hours without refueling in < 40° conditions.

My opinion is that water is very messy to deal with and you have to continuously refill it during longer cooking sessions. If you use the Minion starting method then you don't need to worry about using water to keep temps down.

It is only my technique, I did not imply that it was the best way or the only way, it is just my way.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I came across as critical. I appreciate your comments. And you're right, I don't know what it's like to run a smoker in cold temps. I think about that a lot when smoking (and brewing). I do admire you guys that make it happen in the cold temps.
 
Yep, it's tricky in the cold weather. My gut feeling is that a couple pounds of sand becomes a 250* mass that can help to stabilize the temps if wind starts sucking the heat away. It's totally gut feeling/anecdotal, but in the cold, a combination of sand in the water pan and a wind break make it easy to maintain temps.
 
Have used the minion method on mine from the start. Haven't really used it when it was too cold, and never have had the need to use water or sand. Only once have I put anything in the water pan and that was stock and veggies for a turkey smoke to use in a stock/gravy.
 
JonM said:
Yep, it's tricky in the cold weather. My gut feeling is that a couple pounds of sand becomes a 250* mass that can help to stabilize the temps if wind starts sucking the heat away. It's totally gut feeling/anecdotal, but in the cold, a combination of sand in the water pan and a wind break make it easy to maintain temps.
Click to expand...

But you're using energy to get that sand bed up to 250*f.

I'd prefer to use that energy to cook meat.
 
It's really only a concern on subzero overnight cooks. Like I said, it's totally anecdotal, but I tried a cook with an empty water pan on a mildly brisk fall day, and couldn't get stable temps or even temps over 200, even with the use of the DigiQ. Pan full of sand, and I have no trouble maintaining temps even if it's 0* outside.
 
passedpawn said:
...I'm smoking in mine right now. I have the water pan in there, but no water. I think this is the way I'll run mine from now on. Tomorrow I'll just dump the water pan/grease in the woods, hose it off quickly. Easy.
Click to expand...

I did that my first time, and it made a greasy nasty mess in the bowl. That's why I did the flower pot method, and cover each time with foil. Then after the thing cools and solidifies, I take the foil out and throw away. I got a 500' roll of foil from Sams for like $10. :D
 
JonM said:
It's really only a concern on subzero overnight cooks. Like I said, it's totally anecdotal, but I tried a cook with an empty water pan on a mildly brisk fall day, and couldn't get stable temps or even temps over 200, even with the use of the DigiQ. Pan full of sand, and I have no trouble maintaining temps even if it's 0* outside.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I understand, but I seem to have the opposite problem. In really cold weather if I have sand/water in the pan, I can't get it up to temps. Without sand/water, it'll get up to temps pretty quick, and haven't had a problem maintaining ~215-225 which is good for a long smoke.
 

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