How have you improved your WSM

[HankB]

There's no competition, but I do think that the WSM is not all that it could be.

This is a quote from the "return of red" thread and I'd like to explore it further but it seemed off topic in the other thread.

I look at it as "what can you/have you done  do to improve your WSM. The flip side, I suppose, is what deficit does your WSM have that you have not figured out a way to overcome. I'm mostly interested in cooking improvements. Casters are nice if you want to roll it around and building it into a nice cart like the Performer is very cool, but neither contribute to the cook.

I'll make no secret that I think it's a pretty darn good smoker but it would be foolish to assert that there is not room for improvement.

I'll start. 

When I first got my 18.5 WSM, I had difficulty controlling temperature. It would roll right along at 250°F with all bottom vents closed. I felt that it was drawing in too much air around the bottom section seal so I ran a bead of high temperature silicone along the bottom edge of the mid section. That solved the problem for me. (I learned later that this issue tends to correct itself after several cooks and some smoke buildup.)



The next update was to install some ordinary brass grommets for thermometer probes. (Note, one is enough for most applications     ) I know some guys like to buy the expensive ones, but I'm happy with these which probaly cost me less for the pack and can do all of my and my friend's cookers. (Note to self, bring to meet up in June.)





This last one is more an accessory rather than a modification. I made some racks to hang ribs and other meat from after hearing (on BBQ-Brethren) how great the Pit Barrel Cooker was.







The ribs did come out good and I'll give this another try the next time I make ribs. Maybe I'll suspend a chicken above the fire one day as well.

[pbe gummi bear]

That hanging rack is awesome, Hank. Do the ribs cook evenly with one end so close to the fire? Any chance of having a rack fall apart?

I haven't modified any of my WSM's for cooking short of adding grommets. I have also added handles to the center section.

[Heyjude]

I added the SS Door from Cajun Bandit. It sure helps with the air flow aka temp control. Thats the biggest flaw that I have seen.  In my opinion the WSM is not air tight and it can be very diffficult to keep the temps from getting out of control. 

[HankB]

That hanging rack is awesome, Hank. Do the ribs cook evenly with one end so close to the fire? Any chance of having a rack fall apart?

They cook pretty evenly!



And they stay juicy.



The short one in the first picture... the rest dropped onto the coals! It was surprisingly good. Caveman ribs! I'm the kind of guy who closes up the cooker and doesn't look until I think it's done. And I don't usually open to mop or sauce or wrap or anything like that. I have no idea how long the ribs were sitting on the coals. I'll be inspecting them more carefully in the future. I believe that this one might have had a cut in it that caused it to let go.

[DoppelBock]

I have an older 18", the only mods I've done so far is the installation of a TruTell thermometer and two long screws on the top of the door. I use the door upside down so it can be propped open with the screws to increase the heat for high heat cooks. My next mod will be the grommets for the temp probes. I also have a Pro Q stacker, but I don't use it on the WSM, it's a royal pain to get the lid off and I don't like the mess that seeps down the side from the lid.

[Bman]

Added handles to the lower cooking grate
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Added a charcoal grate from an 18" inside the charcoal ring, anchor bolts for handles, and wired it all together.
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Handles on the body
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A CB SS door
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A notch for the maverick probes.
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[Bman]

And a freakin' lid holder!
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[DoppelBock]

The Bman is serious about his wsm!

[mike.stavlund]

It's funny, I dig right into mods on my 18 WSM, but I can barely think of putting a drill to any of my kettles.  It's like they are holy or something.

I added a modern lid thermo to my 2008 WSM, plus 4 vertical Genie garage door handles.  I did one of those threaded lamp tube grommets for the temp probes, and I wired the coal ring to the coal grate.  I was going to add a third shelf, even bought the hardware and everything, but never got around to it.  Oh, but I did make a small table that mounts to the garage door handles.  It's PVC, and just provides enough space to hold my Maverick away from the heat. 

[pbe gummi bear]

I totally forgot about my Stoker! That's a cooking mod right?



Center handles added to the 22" I'll add them to the 18.5" one day.



Dog supervising the install

[HankB]

I was going to add a third shelf, ...

Oh, yeah... I did that one on my 18.5 as well.

Cute Corgi pbe! Our son has one and he stayed with us for a week while the son and his wife headed for Cancun. He was a super house guest and a joy to have around. He's really obedient and never got into any trouble.

[Harbormaster]

I add handles to the center section of my WSMs as well as an additional charcoal grate.
Since mine are all pre-2009 I have also drilled the dome and added thermometers to most of them.
Handles on the lower cooking grate have been added to some as well.
That's all I think they need, but that's just me.