The Bullet!

Welcome to my BBQ site:

Brand New Weber Smoky Mountain 22"

This blog has information based on my research and experience using the Weber Smoky Mountain BBQ. My model is the 22.5", which allows plenty of room for a mess of ribs or big hunks of pork shoulder or beef brisket. Also nicknamed 'The Bullet' in reference to its shape, this design works extremely well in cooking authentic BBQ. A lot of what I am posting here will apply to any smoker BBQ or even a gas grill where indirect heat is being used. I have successfully smoked ribs on a gas grill using smoke boxes or wood chips/chunks wrapped in foil with a few holes poked through. In the end, it's the meat that you're using and the slow and low technique that makes it all taste good.

I had looked at getting a decent smoker BBQ for a few years before deciding on this model. My only experience with real BBQ was on my Weber Genesis Natural Gas Grill, using cast iron wood chip boxes or having soaked wood chunks wrapped in foil and having the meat teetering in a pan over indirect heat. Temperature control and smoke loss were the big limitations. There's a big difference between barbecue and grilling, all to do with temperature. BBQ uses lower temperatures and way longer cooking times than grilling. Grilling is all about searing and sealing whereas BBQ counts on the flavour of the smoke to penetrate and permeate the meat. You can actually finish ribs on the grill once they've been given a good slap of sauce on them so that they caramelize a bit for true BBQ taste.

Another feature of low and slow cooking is that relatively inexpensive cuts of meat that are usually tough become as tender as the most pricy tenderloin. My first pork shoulder was so tender after 20 hours in the smoker that the blade bone was pulled out from the hunk of meat with no effort at all.

There are other BBQ setups available on the market, including bullet style smokers, offsets, the ceramic 'eggs', or just a large kettle BBQ where you simply pile the heat source to one side and the food on the other. Each will work well once you get to know how to use them.

Some smokers, like the Weber that I have, benefit from some sort of initial 'seasoning' before the first smoking session. There may be a factory residue left on the interior metal that needs to be burned off in order to avoid any nasty industrial flavours. Some folks, however, don't bother with seasoning. After a few sessions, the smoker will have accumulated a nice layer of smoke and grease which will not only give food some extra depth of flavour, but allow better control of internal temperature as the shiny, reflective interior no longer a factor.

	Pork Shoulder and Sausages

Fuel and Smoke

To start, you'll need to choose what to burn. Lump charcoal or briquettes? There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Lump charcoal is real wood and therefore has real wood smoke and taste, but it doesn't burn as long or as hot as briquettes. Briquettes are manufactured from wood but don't seem like real wood to purists, but do burn longer. What do competition winners use? Either one. Briquettes will give a good, steady amount of heat and adding wood chunks will give the necessary smoke for flavour. There are websites out there that compare the multitude of brands of briquettes and lump charcoal. A lot of my choice is based on availability. One thing that I've noticed is that big box stores like Lowes, Costco, or Home Depot have fantastic sales before the big American holidays such as Memorial Day or July the 4th, in which case I stock up.

Lump Charcoal

I like to use a combination of briquettes and lump charcoal, usually in a 3:1 ratio. In that way, I get the advantage of long burn times with the former and the flavour of real wood smoke with the latter. After a number of BBQs, I have found that Kingsford's Professional (once branded as Competition) briquettes are pretty good. They are ready in a very short time frame and burn for a long time in a smoker, perfect if you're doing a brisket for over 12 hours. I also noticed that the Professional briquettes leave very little ash after a smoking session. Regular Kingsford Blue are fine, but the premium briquettes are worth the small bump in price.

Cowboy Brand Hickory Chunks

As far as smoke is concerned, this becomes a matter of personal taste although there are certain 'rules' for matching the species of wood with the type of meat or regional style of the BBQ dish. The most popular choices usually boil down to either hickory or mesquite. I tend to use hickory for pork shoulder, either beef or pork ribs, chicken, and sausage. Mesquite is the choice wood for Texas style BBQ, which also tends to focus on beef, such as brisket or beef ribs. The flavour of mesquite is more pronounced than hickory, but I've found that a big brisket can handle it quite easily. I haven't experimented with fruit wood or oak, but that's due to the lack of availability of those woods where I get my supplies.

Setup and Start

The idea is to get the heat going at the target temperature and keep it going at that temperature for as long as it takes to get the food inside the unit to the optimum internal temperature. Refrain from lifting the lid - if you're lookin' it ain't cookin'. Factors such as ambient temperature and wind can have an effect on the temperature as well as fuel consumption. Before setting up the barbecue, try to figure out the best location before adding fuel and lighting it up. Also, get all your gear nearby in order to be prepared to deal with any issues as they arise. 

In summer time conditions, I am easily able to run a smoke session in the backyard. I'll use a sheet of plywood under the Weber to protect the grass underneath. You can put a layer of sheet metal on top of the plywood if you think that there's a risk of fire. It really doesn't get very hot at all under the BBQ, but better safe than sorry. 

Sheet Metal under the Weber

In less than ideal conditions (i.e. winter or rainy weather), try to find a sheltered location under some sort of cover. I have a patio with a roof overhead that is perfect, using some plywood and sheet metal to protect the patio surface. You don't want to accidentally ruin your deck or patio - I had a friend burn a nice charred hole into his vinyl deck once (but it wasn't a Weber smoker). 

Here's a list of items that I'll have nearby using a small table next to the Weber:

- needle nose pliers for making vent adjustments
- a pair of heavy duty gloves
- remote temperature sending unit with probes
- bag of extra charcoal
- wood chunks
- a lamp (for night time sessions)
- large tongs
- a water source (usually a hose lying nearby)
- chimney starter
- rubber mallet

Before starting, take apart the unit so that the bottom section is ready to have the fuel added. Make sure the racks in the middle section are clean and set aside. Check for mould or other nasty growth on the inside surfaces of the entire unit. I will line the water pan with aluminum foil and lay a couple of clean rocks or bricks on top to prevent it floating. Then fill the pan with water. The foil makes clean up of the pan effortless. 

Water Pan being Filled

In the bottom section, set a big tin can on the grate surround with charcoal. A long smoke session will require filling it entirely while a shorter session (for example, back ribs) will require less charcoal. Insert chunks of wood in amongst the charcoal. Pack some newspaper into the bottom section of a chimney starter and then add a few briquettes. I'll pop in three starter cubes and then top up with charcoal. Set the chimney on top of the large can and light the newspaper. Within 15 - 20 minutes, the charcoal will be ready to dump into the can. Remove the can with pliers and set aside with the chimney. The lit briquettes will eventually ignite the remaining charcoal (this is called the Minion method and is widely recognized as a superior means to get up to temperature in a quick and controlled fashion. 

Lit Chimney on top of Large Tin Can

Place the middle section on top, then carefully put the filled water pan and racks in place. If using a probe, put one onto the grill. Add the meat and an internal probe, as well. Top it off with the lid and play with the vents. Usually the top vent is left completely open. The bottom vents will control the flow of oxygen and thus affect the temperature. Once you reach the optimum smoking range (ideally 225 degrees) use the vents to stay in that zone.

Modifications: I added a salvaged grate at right angles to the fire grate in the bottom section to keep smaller briquettes from falling through before they're completely done. Also, since I use a temperature probe sender/receiver, I found it useful to carefully drill a hole in order to pass the probes/cables into the smoker near the upper grate in the middle section. I found a threaded tube (used for ceiling light fixtures) with nuts on either end to prevent sharp edges from damaging the probe cables. 

Double Grate at Right Angles

Smokin'

As previously mentioned, the temperature needs to be controlled by adjusting the three vents on the bottom of the unit. Opening them up allows more oxygen in and a higher temperature, and vice versa. Of course, with a higher temperature, you'll be going through more fuel. I keep a pair of needle nose pliers handy to make adjustments if necessary. I also keep a pair of gloves nearby in case I need those, too. There is a vent on the lid which is to remain open at all times in order to keep that all important smoke flowing through the grill level of the bullet. I have, however, at times been forced to close the top vent a bit in order to slow down the air flow up from the bottom.