Just purchased 18.5'' WSM

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mule86

Fire Starter
Original poster
Feb 15, 2010
51
10
Never smoked before, but have been researching for a few months now and have always come back to the WSM. It sound's like it is foolproof and that's what I need being a beginner. It's the new model and I picked it up for $239 shipping and tax included. I couldn't find it for less than $299 anywhere else.

Are there any easy mod's that I will need to make to the WSM in order to make the process easier?
 
Congrats I'm sure the WSM guru's will be here shortly
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Those that have them sure seem to like them a lot good luck with it
 
congrats.........never used one but hear good things about them.
 
congrats, I love mine, got rid of all my other smokers I like it so much.

no mods or seasoning needed, pop it out of the box, assemble it, and get ready to eat.

It will run hot for the first 2 or 3 cooks, but soon you will have no problems runnin 9 hours plus on one ring of fuel with the temp pinned where you want it. Mine likes 230 degrees.


I use lump most of the time, and some use briquettes, both seem to work good, although lump burns hotter, and creates less ash.

good luck with your new purchase.
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It's official, I have smoker envy. I'm going to do my best and hold out for a WSM on Dallas' Craiglist.

Congrats - Jim and The Dude are huge WSM proponents.
 
Great purchase at an excellent price. I don't own a WSM but if I was to buy a charcoal smoker it would be an WSM.

Enjoy the fun and Q...


I think you will be waiting for a long time. Aside from new WSMs at a slight discount, after a year of looking I haven't see a WSM, and I search Craigslist nationally frequently.
 
I just got a WSM also, you are going to love it. You may want to replace the stock thermometer. Mine runs about 20* hotter then what the thermo says. Otherwise, check the door to make sure it fits fairly snug and check that the vents don't leak too much air. If they leak, you will have a difficult time choking out the charcoal after a smoke, or even worse keeping temperatures down. Mine arrived without any air gaps, but I have read about fellow smokers who had to do a little bending of metal to get theirs to run properly.
 
Thanks for the info. The order has already shipped FedEx so who knows, I may be smoking by Sunday?!?!
 
that $207 shipped deal is a great price,

however, when looking @ the Drugstore.com website it did mention free shipping, but that the WSM could be(most likely be) subject to a "special shipping charge". which is $.99/lb for standard ground service(more for air options). So tack on another $48 for the 48# unit it comes out to about $250 which is still a really good price, about what I paid for mine @ a semi-local hardware store.
 
It is here.

Pretty amazed that I got it in 48 hours.

It's assembled and ready to go. Have a small dent in the bottom of the bowl assembly. Little disappointed, but it'll never be seen.

One question? The center section does not fit really well into the bottom section. It doesn't lift on and off easily, and there is a gap at the bottom, like it doesn't fit very tight. I kind of squeezed it to try and reshape it, and I think it's a little better. Will this get better over time? Should I be concerned about it leaking heat/smoke?

It looks great and I'm excited to use it, probably on Sunday for some ribs.
 
I just got off the phone with Weber customer service. They are FedEx'ing a new bowl to me. Great experience with them.
 
Webers customer service is top notch. As far as the out of round, the metal is thin enough to stretch a little if needed. However these smokers are not designed to be air tight. The only times it would cause a problem is when it is windy (you can and should build a wind break of some sort), or if you were trying to snuff out the fire when you are done cooking (close all vents) to save coals.

Great cookers you will love it.

Jamie
 
The new bowl came today and it's a perfect fit. The old bowl was definitely out of round as it rocked back and forth and would get ''stuck'' on and the new one raises on and off with no sticking or rocking in the bowl. Great customer service from Weber. I'll be a customer for life.
 
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