I'm just curious, I have been cooking on my WSM for a couple years now
and have received the basic instructions from the virtual bullet site
and many tips from you folks.
90% of the time I use the Virtual Bullet Minion charcoal method with a
few lumps of
wood for smoke and a sand filled water pan. For both large Brisket and
Pork Shoulders I will set my top vent wide open and the bottom 3 to
about a 1/3 openening and walk away for 8 hours.
The next morning or afternoon I will stick a thermometer in the meat and
it is either done or in need of another hour. The meat is moist and
delicious every time.

Have I just been lucky? I have never had a thermometer to tell me what
my cooking temp is and have always had great results. What is the
advantage to making hourly air/fuel adjustments? I know on larger cuts I
add some coals after 8 hours and go 12 to 14 but they come out great
too. I will fire up another chimminey of well lit coals and lift the
entire barrel up and set it down on bricks to throw in new coals. I stir
in the new coals and place the cooking barrel back on the fire. Even
with this short/abrupt change in temperature it always settles back down
and continues to cook.

Are there any other WSM users that cook like this? I think the only
thermometer I would like to have is some kind of digital or remote gizmo
so I don't need to lift the lid.

"Sonoran Dude" > wrote in message
...
> I'm just curious, I have been cooking on my WSM for a couple years now
> and have received the basic instructions from the virtual bullet site
> and many tips from you folks.
> 90% of the time I use the Virtual Bullet Minion charcoal method with a few
> lumps of
> wood for smoke and a sand filled water pan. For both large Brisket and
> Pork Shoulders I will set my top vent wide open and the bottom 3 to
> about a 1/3 openening and walk away for 8 hours.

thats my method too! guess I should have copyrighted that method<LOL> Use
to wish that there was a bigger WSM available but instead bought a Backwoods
Smoker--now its possible to do the same with lots more meat at one time

Buzz




> The next morning or afternoon I will stick a thermometer in the meat and
> it is either done or in need of another hour. The meat is moist and
> delicious every time.
>
> Have I just been lucky? I have never had a thermometer to tell me what
> my cooking temp is and have always had great results. What is the
> advantage to making hourly air/fuel adjustments? I know on larger cuts I
> add some coals after 8 hours and go 12 to 14 but they come out great
> too. I will fire up another chimminey of well lit coals and lift the
> entire barrel up and set it down on bricks to throw in new coals. I stir
> in the new coals and place the cooking barrel back on the fire. Even
> with this short/abrupt change in temperature it always settles back down
> and continues to cook.
>
> Are there any other WSM users that cook like this? I think the only
> thermometer I would like to have is some kind of digital or remote gizmo
> so I don't need to lift the lid.
>
>

2fatbbq wrote:

>
> "Sonoran Dude" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I'm just curious, I have been cooking on my WSM for a couple years
> > now and have received the basic instructions from the virtual
> > bullet site and many tips from you folks.
> > 90% of the time I use the Virtual Bullet Minion charcoal method
> > with a few lumps of wood for smoke and a sand filled water pan.
> > For both large Brisket and Pork Shoulders I will set my top vent
> > wide open and the bottom 3 to about a 1/3 openening and walk away
> > for 8 hours.
>
> thats my method too! guess I should have copyrighted that
> method<LOL> Use to wish that there was a bigger WSM available but
> instead bought a Backwoods Smoker--now its possible to do the same
> with lots more meat at one time
>
> Buzz
>
>
>
>
> > The next morning or afternoon I will stick a thermometer in the
> > meat and it is either done or in need of another hour. The meat is
> > moist and delicious every time.
> >
> > Have I just been lucky? I have never had a thermometer to tell me
> > what my cooking temp is and have always had great results. What is
> > the advantage to making hourly air/fuel adjustments? I know on
> > larger cuts I add some coals after 8 hours and go 12 to 14 but they
> > come out great too. I will fire up another chimminey of well lit
> > coals and lift the entire barrel up and set it down on bricks to
> > throw in new coals. I stir in the new coals and place the cooking
> > barrel back on the fire. Even with this short/abrupt change in
> > temperature it always settles back down and continues to cook.
> >
> > Are there any other WSM users that cook like this? I think the only
> > thermometer I would like to have is some kind of digital or remote
> > gizmo so I don't need to lift the lid.


That's pretty standard for using the Minion Method, although I always
check the temp as ambient conditions can vary. Some have increased the
capacity of the WSM by adding another barrel section to it.



Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

On 25-Oct-2005, Sonoran Dude > wrote:

> I'm just curious, I have been cooking on my WSM for a couple years now
> and have received the basic instructions from the virtual bullet site
> and many tips from you folks.
> 90% of the time I use the Virtual Bullet Minion charcoal method with a
> few lumps of
> wood for smoke and a sand filled water pan. For both large Brisket and
> Pork Shoulders I will set my top vent wide open and the bottom 3 to
> about a 1/3 openening and walk away for 8 hours.
> The next morning or afternoon I will stick a thermometer in the meat and
> it is either done or in need of another hour. The meat is moist and
> delicious every time.
>
> Have I just been lucky? I have never had a thermometer to tell me what
> my cooking temp is and have always had great results. What is the
> advantage to making hourly air/fuel adjustments? I know on larger cuts I
> add some coals after 8 hours and go 12 to 14 but they come out great
> too. I will fire up another chimminey of well lit coals and lift the
> entire barrel up and set it down on bricks to throw in new coals. I stir
> in the new coals and place the cooking barrel back on the fire. Even
> with this short/abrupt change in temperature it always settles back down
> and continues to cook.
>
> Are there any other WSM users that cook like this? I think the only
> thermometer I would like to have is some kind of digital or remote gizmo
> so I don't need to lift the lid.

I'm amazed that a hundred posters haven't jumped on you to carry on about
the multitude of things you have been doin wrong. Probably because you
killed their flame before they could get started. I don't cook with a WSM.
but I know how to cook with fire and smoke. It's nice to have a remote
probe in the meat so you can truly relax whil's drinking copious quanties
of beer. You should be able to find a rig for $25 or less that will work for
you. Check out "The GadgetSource";
http//www,gadgetsource.com/
--
The Brick said that (Don't bother to agree with me, I have already changed my mind.)

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

Dude: I've started out with a WSM after failing on my brinkmann
professional grill & use the minion method. I put a candy thermometer
in the top lid vent, but don't use any probe thermometers in the meat.
I did a 14 hour cook recently & the lid temp was 250* on the nose, for
the entire cook, & I didn't have to add any fuel, but did refill the
water pan 1 time. The advantage to having this thermometer is that you
can check in on the WSM every couple hours or so & make sure you do not
have any temp spikes....IMHO it is alot more comforting than having a
meat probe.....i didn't check the temp of my meats until hour # 14 &
the temps were right on....

Forgot to add - http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/increasecapacity.html
for increasing your capacity

dave...

you're doing things fine. i've had my wsm for about 6 months. i've
followed this guy's teaching methods

http://www.wiviott.com/

and he preaches the same things you're basically doing.

wrote:
> Dude: I've started out with a WSM after failing on my brinkmann
> professional grill & use the minion method. I put a candy thermometer
> in the top lid vent, but don't use any probe thermometers in the meat.
> I did a 14 hour cook recently & the lid temp was 250* on the nose, for
> the entire cook, & I didn't have to add any fuel, but did refill the
> water pan 1 time. The advantage to having this thermometer is that you
> can check in on the WSM every couple hours or so & make sure you do not
> have any temp spikes....IMHO it is alot more comforting than having a
> meat probe.....i didn't check the temp of my meats until hour # 14 &
> the temps were right on....
>

Drink more beer and fill your pan with sand and cover it with foil. The
meat is just as juicy with sand. I can remember those water filling
days... never again.

salchichon wrote:
> dave...
>
> you're doing things fine. i've had my wsm for about 6 months. i've
> followed this guy's teaching methods
>
> http://www.wiviott.com/
>
> and he preaches the same things you're basically doing.
>
Nice site... one tip on the rib dinner though... you can get a lot more
in the cooker when you cook them crown style. Trim the slabs nicely
then roll them in a nice crown and use wooden skewers to hold them
together. Also you don't need to flip the ribs because they cook evenly
on both sides. I've even "tin can" stacked them on top each other and
they come out perfect every time.

Sonoran Dude wrote:
> salchichon wrote:
>
> Nice site... one tip on the rib dinner though... you can get a lot more
> in the cooker when you cook them crown style. Trim the slabs nicely
> then roll them in a nice crown and use wooden skewers to hold them
> together. Also you don't need to flip the ribs because they cook evenly
> on both sides. I've even "tin can" stacked them on top each other and
> they come out perfect every time.

Well, I agree with the crown style if you're doing a bunch but if not
why flip 'em anyhow? I've never flipped 'em. I just toss them on bone
side down and take 'em off when they're done.

--
Steve

Never read the fine print. There ain't no way you're going to like it.

Steve Calvin wrote:
> Sonoran Dude wrote:
>
>> salchichon wrote:
>>
>> Nice site... one tip on the rib dinner though... you can get a lot
>> more in the cooker when you cook them crown style. Trim the slabs
>> nicely then roll them in a nice crown and use wooden skewers to hold
>> them together. Also you don't need to flip the ribs because they cook
>> evenly on both sides. I've even "tin can" stacked them on top each
>> other and they come out perfect every time.
>
>
> Well, I agree with the crown style if you're doing a bunch but if not
> why flip 'em anyhow? I've never flipped 'em. I just toss them on bone
> side down and take 'em off when they're done.
>

Flip? Flip? What is this "Flip" of which you speak.

I flip when I grill. I don't flip when I hot smoke.

--
Matthew <mlmartin@ .com> (fill in the blank with user name)

We trained hard, but it seemed every time we were beginning to form up
into teams, we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life that
we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising, and a wonderful
method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing
confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation.

From Petronii Arbitri Satyricon AD 66 (Attributed to Gaius Petronus, a
Roman General who later committed suicide)

Matthew L. Martin wrote:
> Steve Calvin wrote:
>
>> Sonoran Dude wrote:
>>
>>> salchichon wrote:
>>>
>>> Nice site... one tip on the rib dinner though... you can get a lot
>>> more in the cooker when you cook them crown style. Trim the slabs
>>> nicely then roll them in a nice crown and use wooden skewers to hold
>>> them together. Also you don't need to flip the ribs because they cook
>>> evenly on both sides. I've even "tin can" stacked them on top each
>>> other and they come out perfect every time.
>>
>>
>>
>> Well, I agree with the crown style if you're doing a bunch but if not
>> why flip 'em anyhow? I've never flipped 'em. I just toss them on bone
>> side down and take 'em off when they're done.
>>
>
> Flip? Flip? What is this "Flip" of which you speak.
>
> I flip when I grill. I don't flip when I hot smoke.
>
Call me ignorant because I've always done my ribs the crown style
regardless of the quanity. I surely don't flip the crowns. I guess it is
a grilling flash back...

Sonoran Dude wrote:

> Call me ignorant because I've always done my ribs the crown style

Nah...

> regardless of the quanity. I surely don't flip the crowns. I guess it is
> a grilling flash back...

If I'm only doing a few I prefer to lay them flat, bone side down for
the entire cook. Great bark that way. Better than crowning them, imo but
I'll certainly crown 'em if I need the room.

--
Steve

Never read the fine print. There ain't no way you're going to like it.

On 26-Oct-2005, Steve Calvin > wrote:

> Sonoran Dude wrote:
> > salchichon wrote:
> >
> > Nice site... one tip on the rib dinner though... you can get a lot more
> > in the cooker when you cook them crown style. Trim the slabs nicely
> > then roll them in a nice crown and use wooden skewers to hold them
> > together. Also you don't need to flip the ribs because they cook evenly
> > on both sides. I've even "tin can" stacked them on top each other and
> > they come out perfect every time.
>
> Well, I agree with the crown style if you're doing a bunch but if not
> why flip 'em anyhow? I've never flipped 'em. I just toss them on bone
> side down and take 'em off when they're done.
>
> --
> Steve
>

What Steve said, but I cook in an offset. Most times I don't have to crown
or use rib racks. I never turn ribs over for the sake of turning them over. My
last cook, I had to resort to rib racks until the beef back ribs got done. After
that everything was flat, bone side down.

GWiv/Gary Wiviott has been around since Christ was a corporal. Yes you
can depend on what he tells you. Gary really cooks and the people that
have eaten his food have not died, at least not soon after. Although Gary
hasn't posted in this group for quite a spell, he remains an honorary
member.
--
The Brick said that (Don't bother to agree with me, I have already changed my mind.)

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

Sonoran Dude wrote:

> I'm just curious, I have been cooking on my WSM for a couple years now
> and have received the basic instructions from the virtual bullet site
> and many tips from you folks.
> 90% of the time I use the Virtual Bullet Minion charcoal method with a
> few lumps of
> wood for smoke and a sand filled water pan. For both large Brisket and
> Pork Shoulders I will set my top vent wide open and the bottom 3 to
> about a 1/3 openening and walk away for 8 hours.
> The next morning or afternoon I will stick a thermometer in the meat and
> it is either done or in need of another hour. The meat is moist and
> delicious every time.
>
> Have I just been lucky? I have never had a thermometer to tell me what
> my cooking temp is and have always had great results. What is the
> advantage to making hourly air/fuel adjustments? I know on larger cuts I
> add some coals after 8 hours and go 12 to 14 but they come out great
> too. I will fire up another chimminey of well lit coals and lift the
> entire barrel up and set it down on bricks to throw in new coals. I stir
> in the new coals and place the cooking barrel back on the fire. Even
> with this short/abrupt change in temperature it always settles back down
> and continues to cook.
>
> Are there any other WSM users that cook like this? I think the only
> thermometer I would like to have is some kind of digital or remote gizmo
> so I don't need to lift the lid.
>
>

I have a dial thermometer that is at top grate level. For Q'ing, I have
always wanted to know what the cooking temperature is. I am much more
comfortable cooking when the fire gets to a certain temperature, than
saying start cooking when the fire is warm, not hot, not cool, but warm.
That range is probably 225-325° depending on the person. Saying
around 275° and being able to see that it is 275 makes cooking easier
for me and explaining to others too.

I also use the thermometer to observe if it's getting hotter or cooling
down. If I want my cook to be at 275° and it hits' 300° and I think
it's going to continue to climb I will shut down the vents a tad or so.

My experience with the WSM is that leaving the bottom vents 1/3 open,
you will get a temperature well above 300°. Summer time, I can have a
vent closed down and the other 2 open about 1/4 or less and get a pretty
stable temperature around 260° - 275°.

I don't make hourly adjustments if I see the temp is holding. I might
open the access door and stir things around a bit. If I need to add
coals, I will use the chimney to get them started. Putting on coals
without starting them first takes a long time for the temperature to get
back to where I want it. Starting them first alleviates this precious
time !!!

Winter time Q'ing, gauges are necessary. I use a Taylor probe for the
meat and can observe it from my kitchen window.

You method works well for you. That's the important part.

BBQ

"Steve Calvin" > wrote in message
...
> Sonoran Dude wrote:
>
>> Call me ignorant because I've always done my ribs the crown style
>
> Nah...
>
>> regardless of the quanity. I surely don't flip the crowns. I guess it is
>> a grilling flash back...
>
> If I'm only doing a few I prefer to lay them flat, bone side down for the
> entire cook. Great bark that way. Better than crowning them, imo but I'll
> certainly crown 'em if I need the room.
>
> --
> Steve
>
> Never read the fine print. There ain't no way you're going to like it.
What's" crowning "? Is that rolling the ribs up like a jelly roll? Thanks
Jim

jim wrote:
>
> What's" crowning "? Is that rolling the ribs up like a jelly roll? Thanks
> Jim
>
>

Sort of, but don't roll them tight, just into a circle and "truss" them
with kitchen string. That way you can stand them up and fit more on the
grates.

--
Steve

Never read the fine print. There ain't no way you're going to like it.