How to light a Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker

[@MatthewSargeant-w6r]

As a new owner (mere hours ago) of a Weber Smoky Mountain I greatly appreciate the demonstration. Clear and concise, very well done. Great information, thank you!!

[@PaintHerWhite]

Cool as hell how he pours the charcoal briquets in while barely disturbing the already-placed wood chunks. The master's hand.

[@BigStuBBQ]

Appreciated!

[@mgorange]

Great video, no nonsense and fully informative. Thanks dude!

[@BigStuBBQ]

Appreciated and you are welcome

[@AcaciaStrain4]

Just picked one of these up yesterday. Going to fire it up in a few minutes for the first time! Great video, thank you.

[@BigStuBBQ]

Have fun!

[@masonlee7195]

Thanks so much for the video! Clearly shows how to use.

[@Dondez]

Great video. Thanks so much.

[@michaelbrennan2285]

Thank you. I just picked up a webber sm 14" today. Getting ready for 4th of July :)

[@BigStuBBQ]

Fantastic - I am sure you will enjoy it. Learn from mistakes and don't get too serious and you will have fun!

[@DaveDabomb]

Hello Stu, I just happend upon your channel. Enjoy this video I own a 22 inch WSM and I just love it. I am now subscribed to your channel, have rung the bell, and liked this video! Take care my friend.

[@BigStuBBQ]

Awesome, thank you!

[@DaveDabomb]

@@BigStuBBQ noticed it’s been a couple years since you made a video. I’m in the same situation I take care of my wife full-time and I don’t have time to make videos. I hope to get back to it sometime in the future. Thanks for replying. It means a lot. Take care my friend.

[@BigStuBBQ]

I am still here and intend on releasing more videos soon! Appreciate your support.

[@kenyettiawatson5544]

Thank you I needed this help 😊

[@BigStuBBQ]

Glad it helped!

[@azgardener79]

Nice and simple vid. Good job

[@BigStuBBQ]

Thanks 👍

[@davidghozland7004]

That was simple and informative! Thank you

[@BigStuBBQ]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kayjay1053]

Thankyou very easy to follow setup.

[@BigStuBBQ]

Glad you liked it!

[@chipandsimba]

Thank you for your time and efforts. Greatly appreciated.

[@yellowfleece]

Great video - the voiceover approach is so much better than trying to narrate in-video...

[@BigStuBBQ]

Apprectiated!

[@mrmccomas9779]

This is great! Thank you!

[@BigStuBBQ]

Appreciated! Hope it helps...

[@ryan2690]

Great video man! Going to give this a try today. Time to season my first WSM!

[@BigStuBBQ]

Good luck! It is a great smoker (in my humble opinion)

[@moneyman2595]

Great video thanks for the help!

[@BigStuBBQ]

You are welcome - good luck!

[@whawks2383]

Concise and great video! Thanks for making this!

[@BigStuBBQ]

Appreciated! Have fun with your smoker.

[@joecamel8182]

Just bought one of these. dam good video.

[@chrisc3326]

Awesome video, thanks

[@BigStuBBQ]

Glad you liked it!

[@henrypiehl4236]

Thank you for the video great quality instructions

[@BigStuBBQ]

Thanks! The WSM is a great and easy to use smoker - Enjoy!

[@tomm9493]

That must be a 22"? The access door looks huge compared to mine. A larger door must make it much easier to add fuel or water. Very nice video.

[@themeatstall9001]

Great video brother. Very informative. I just subbed

[@BigStuBBQ]

Thanks! Welcome aboard

[@marcushamp1404]

Great video. Very helpful. Thanks so much!

[@BigStuBBQ]

Appreciated! Enjoy your WSM.

[@manpawsmokin]

i live in florida where it’s very humid in the summer time, would you still recommend using water in the pan

[@BigStuBBQ]

Absolutely - the pan of water is one of the key elements to keep the temperature consistent. It absorbs and radiates heat as the temperature within the smoker starts to drift, Good luck with everything!

[@mlzz805]

Just got a used WSM 22" in good condition. Any advice on how to get a temp of 275F-285F and stable?

[@BigStuBBQ]

To obtain a temperature in that range, open the top vent fully and open the bottom vents about 1/3 to 1/2 way. To keep the temperature stable, fill your water pan at least 1/2 full. Side note - my stock weber thermometer gauge is no longer very accurate so I use a digital thermometer to monitor the internal temperature. Practice and enjoy - it is a great smoker!

[@ragtop91]

Nice job.

[@BigStuBBQ]

Thanks!

[@tugboat8475]

Hey nice video. So what is the difference between briquette and charcoal? Thanks

[@BigStuBBQ]

Thanks. So the term 'charcoal' and 'briquette' are often used interchangeably (especially by me). But to clarify - there are two basic types of Charcoal used in BBQ'ing - Charcoal Briquettes and Lump Charcoal. Charcoal Briquettes - pressed bits of wood, sawdust and other additives. They are predictable, easy to use and widely available. Quality can vary greatly but Kingsford makes good quality briquettes. NEVER (I mean NEVER) use briquettes impregnated with lighter fluid - it impacts the flavor! Lump Charcoal - basically whole pieces of wood that has been burned with limited amounts of oxygen. Quality is usually tied to the type of wood used. Lump charcoal used to be harder to find but is now much more widely available. Which is better? That is like asking if Ford or Chevy are better - you will hear a thousand arguments on either side of the fence. For smoking - I personally prefer Kingsford Charcoal Briquettes because they perform predictably every time. For grilling - I think there are good arguments for using Lump Charcoal but I use my Kingsford briquettes for that also because I have a lot of it in my shed. What makes a bigger difference for smoking is the 'smoking wood' that you use!

[@ChrisO_1084]

Appreciate it

[@Sylmardal]

How many pounds of briquettes do you think you used? It looked like almost a bag, but I couldn't see what the bag weighed.

[@BigStuBBQ]

The bags I use are 18 pounds; I usually use 1/2 to 3/4 of the bag - depending on how long I will be smoking. Ribs will be somewhere about 10 lbs or so - a brisket could be most of the bag!

[@menafarag2441]

Perfect video. Thanks!!

[@BigStuBBQ]

Appreciated! Enjoy - the WSM is a fantastic smoker.

[@mikesr3011]

I have the 18.5" WSM. Still trying to learn how to control the temps on it. I bought a ThermoWorks Signal and the Billows blower unit. I'll see how that works out. Gonna do a 7lb. bone in butt this week. Fingers crossed.

[@horacejones5647]

How did the Thermo Works Signals and Billows help with the temp control?

[@mikesr3011]

@@horacejones5647 Less "babysitting". Once the set temp is zero'd in, it keep the temp constant. The only time you run into issues is if you lift the cover to check your meat and the heat escapes or if you start running low on fuel otherwise it keeps on going. I like it but I would also consider the Fire Board 2 unit. Around the same price.

[@patoches]

Wouaw ❤

[@joannbalsamo9412]

There seems to be conflicting views about the fire management concerning dirty smoke .When the charcoal is red and the wood has stopped burning you have clean smoke when the charcoal and wood is smoldering it is creating acidic smoke and soot that lays on the food giving it a bitter taste. your method of choking the fire to hold the temperature with coal slowly igniting over the long cook creates this problem .This has been my experience that I am trying to correct.

[@BigStuBBQ]

Appreciate your comments and yes one should avoid smoking in heavy or grey smoke. That being said, the WSM handles the Minion Method of charcoal management quite well and is designed to be temperature controlled using the vents. Certainly has produced a lot of great tasting BBQ with no problems with bitter taste in my experience.

[@joannbalsamo9412]

@@BigStuBBQ Thanks for the reply . I have been using the CHAR-GRILLER AKORN KAMODO for a while now . My set up for a low and slow cook royal oak hard wood lump charcoal one chimney starter not lit three pieces of oak . Bring temp up slow to 275 then put meat on the grille . temp goes between 275 and 300 5 hours but still has a creosote taste. I think the slow burning of the lump charcoal to maintain the low temp is causing this problem What do you think.

[@BigStuBBQ]

Agreed. The Komodo style grills are great and the CHAR-GRILLER seems to be a good affordable option. Biggest challenge will be to get the burn correct. "White is Right / Grey is Nay" when it comes to smoke. If you are getting grey or black smoke then you will need to open the damper to get a stronger burn but watch the temps! Make a rough pile of coals, put the lit coals on the top - let them get red hot then allow them to light the coals below as it goes.. Consider your smoking wood also - Oak is strong. I prefer fruit woods - especially apple. Good luck and keep experimenting!

[@bradleytinney6969]

At 4:15 it would have been great if you fell into the pool.

[@BigStuBBQ]

Splash! Can't say it has never happened...

[@duckslayer11000]

You should have acted like you were going to get the water out of the pool 😅

[@pitbul8183]

Fire charcoal and flip flops....