I just picked up a new WSM and want to cook some ribs this weekend but I’m debating whether I should season it first. What do you guys think? Is it worth seasoning it before a first cook?
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Brand new? You ever cooked with one? I don’t know what constitutes seasoning (though the answer is probably here somewhere) but I did do a dry run to figure out how to hit and maintain 225. I would say you should at least experiment with that to know what method works best.Last edited by Andrrr; November 11, 2019, 11:34 PM. -
Congrats on the new cooker. Good times ahead.
Season with salt and pepper ☺Comment
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I didn’t season, but did do a high temp run to burn off any lingering packing grease and other remnants. If you have the time, I don’t see the downside of seasoning.Comment
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Nope. went right at it. wasn't an issue.Comment
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It’s always a good idea to burn it in. Probably not a big deal if you don’t but like others have said you get a chance to observe and play with the functionality of the cooker. You also burn off any oil that may be on the parts from the manufacturing process.Comment
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As others say, wash the grates and anything the food touches with soap and water. Then fire it up with a chimney of charcoal to burn off any manufacturing oils and residue for an hour at high heat (open all vents wide open). After that, cook as you normally would.
This advice is pretty much what I follow for all new grills. I might not go a full hour on a new gas grill, but those tend to get hotter (like 700 degrees on my Genesis II), so 30 minutes was enough.Comment
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The Big Gator looks like you found the stuff from Harry Soo that I was having trouble finding. Personally, from the viewpoint of the WSM itself, i.e. longevity of the metal, so on, no need for seasoning beyond a burn off of manufacturing residue, but if you want to seal up things with some greasy gunk, to make the temps more controllable, then following Harry Soo's advice makes a lot of sense. Or... just consider this first rib cook your seasoning run... ribs can take some heat up to 275 or 300, they just may get done faster at the higher temps.Comment
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I did. I followed the Soo method and it was beneficial because it both insulated the inside of my cooker and gave me a chance to experiment with fire management. The latter helped me figure just how to build a fire and work the vents so I could get it to 250-275 and pretty much leave it alone until I burned through a whole basket of fuel. I think by the fourth or fifth time I had gotten it seasoned and dialed in just right.Comment
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I didn’t season mine...because that never occurred to me back then. Doh!
i just used it, and swore a lot whilst chasing temps, until I got the hang of it and it was probably well seasoned. LOLComment
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I’m thinking of getting a CyberQ for it to help with temperature control. I’m hoping for a Black Friday deal. 🙂Comment
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I used a bunch of bacon and ran the vents wide open without water. Seemed to break it in!Comment
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I’m seasoning my new WSM it for the first time today. I’m impressed that it is holding at 375-380°F with all vents open. It’s a rather breezy cloudy day, cool for central Florida in upper 60’s. Rock-steady at that temp so far.
I’m using a full load of Royal Oak Classic with a few hickory and apple wood pieces. Not cooking anything. I’m also very impressed that the temp difference between the bottom and top grate averages around 1-4°F. Only thing different from stock is I am using the shallow aluminum deck protector on the bottom of the WSM as the water pan. Harry Soo suggested to use that because he doesn’t like how deep the water pan on the newer WSM’s are. Wrapped it a couple of times in aluminum foil. I did not put any water in.Last edited by The Big Gator; November 16, 2019, 10:58 AM.Comment
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