# New WSM Owner, Just Joined the Forum



## krubby (Dec 11, 2014)

OK, I'm good at following directions, so per the request here I am checking in.

After WEEKS of research (this site especially, but also Youtube videos, Amazon, other places...) I pulled the trigger and my 22.5 Weber Smokey Mountain arrived today.  Can't wait to start to use it.

I have been a lover of my Weber Genesis grill for 15 +  years.  About every main meal for parties, gatherings etc. and many many family meals come via my grill.  So I am pretty good on the grill and making foods that way.

Thought it was finally time to step up to a smoker as well and working to make wonderful meals on that.

Other thing about me is I am very into Home Brewing beer as well.  Something that I have enjoyed for a number of years.

Looking forward to spending a lot of time on here and learning about the WSM.  I believe my first step is to get it set up and do a food free (or one with some scraps) to start the seasoning...

PS in Central Ohio, so anticipate some cold mornings with my new toy for a few months


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## jirodriguez (Dec 11, 2014)

Grats! Welcome to the Evil R2D2 club.... lol. You will really like the WSM, just remember they run hot the first half dozen or so smokes so damp it down early so the temps don't get away from you. I suggest doing chicken a few times to get a feel for temp control.


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## loock28 (Dec 11, 2014)

Welcome to the forum this is the place for great info and even nicer people. I have a WSM also and love it super easy to control temps. have fun and enjoy


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## krubby (Dec 11, 2014)

Thanks.  Yes I was anticipating a few Chicken meals mainly because I think it might be a bit more forgiving. Quarters or maybe some whole chickens.   Plus cheaper until I get the hang of it.  Maybe a Pork Butt in there as well though only because my wife loves pulled pork. I better make something to sell her on this fairly quickly, for now I am still getting the eye rolls and "I can't believe you have yet another toy" look.

I'm saving the ribs and a Brisket try until I get the feel and I get it seasoned a bit.


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## loock28 (Dec 11, 2014)

Pork butts a one of the most forgiving cuts you can do very hard to screw up and if the wife is happy life is loads easier


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## krubby (Dec 11, 2014)

Great - I was hoping that might be the case. 

A man volunteering to stay out of the house for a good portion of the day AND make and serve dinner.  How mad can she really be with that anyway...


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## gary s (Dec 11, 2014)

*Good afternoon and welcome to the forum, from a rainy and cool day in East Texas. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about  everything.*

*Gary *


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## themule69 (Dec 11, 2014)

Glad you joined the group. The search bar at the top of any page is your best friend.
About anything you wanna know about smoking/grilling/curing/brining/cutting or slicing
and the list goes on has probably been posted. Remember to post a QVIEW of your smokes.
We are all smoke junkies here and we have to get our fix. If you have questions
Post it and you will probably get 10 replies with 11 different answers. That is
because their are so many different ways to make great Q...
Happy smoken.
David


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## bama bbq (Dec 11, 2014)

Welcome aboard. I also run a WSM and like to brew. You've come to the right place for great ideas.


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## welshrarebit (Dec 11, 2014)

Welcome! 

Now you're gonna have to build yourself a mini-WSM for those smaller cooks...


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## noboundaries (Dec 11, 2014)

Welcome KRubby to SMF and the WSM world!  You'll have that baby mastered in just a smoke or two.  Better watch out though, she'll figure out how much you love smoking meat and suddenly you're doing ALL the cooking!  I speak from experience, and wouldn't have it any other way. 

Glad you're here and looking forward to sharing your WSM creations.

Ray


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## shoebe (Dec 12, 2014)

Welcome.  Best watch  out you just might get hooked on making sausage for your homebrew as well....

Love my WSM, best gift ever


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## jirodriguez (Dec 12, 2014)

One trick I use with my 22.5" WSM - plan a big smoke once or twice a month, then vacuum pack it into 1 lb. portions and toss them in the freezer. Makes dinners super easy!

To reheat you just put the vacuum bag of meat in a pot of almost simmering water and let it hang out till its hot and juicy, open bag and enjoy! It also maximizes your fuel use if you fill the smoker when you light it.


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## krubby (Dec 12, 2014)

That is a great idea - if I am firing this thing up might as well do a few meals on it and use the space.

Yes sometimes I will be using this for larger gatherings, but at least 1/2 the time just to cook something up for my family of 5 (2 of which are pre teens that don't eat that much anyway...)

Vacuum bag sealer and bags might be a good Christmas gift for the wife.  BTW we have been married for 19 years, we are way past the "wow, that is not very romantic" phase - a vacuum bag system would be much appreciated by her.  We gravitated towards practical years ago.

I am very much looking forward to warmer weather where I can sit out and be smoking meats and brewing beer all at the same time.


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## jirodriguez (Dec 12, 2014)

.... for those large family gatherings you will love it. My folks remodeled their house and had me provide the smoked meat for a Christmas party for the contractors and their families: (4) 10 lb. pork butts and (3) 15 lb briskets all at the same time on my 22.5" WSM!













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## krubby (Dec 12, 2014)

UGH... I decided to start a new thread so I can get advise on that one, but as you can see I was super excited about my new Weber.  Went to put it together tonight and it is all kinds of bent up.  at least the middle section and maybe the door and top grate

The middle section (I think) is so bent I can't get the top lid to sit inside the ring.  Door is also bent up and top grate is bent to the point it rocks back and forth about 1/3 of an inch.

I tried and tried to bend but it is really bad. 

anyway, I don't want to repeat all this on another thread.  just frustrated a bit.  I know bigger things in life to worry about, but I was really excited about the quality of Weber (paid more in my opinion for the quality).


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## bama bbq (Dec 12, 2014)

Don't get frustrated.  I know it's a disappointment but let Weber make it right.  They will.


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## krubby (Dec 12, 2014)

Bama BBQ said:


> Don't get frustrated.  I know it's a disappointment but let Weber make it right.  They will.


yes I should of just kept to one thread but what is nice is I don't NEED this immediately.  Would of most likely been next weekend before I could season and then maybe next day smoke with it. 

So I have time and I am sure can work with them

thanks so much for the quick replies.  this place rocks


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## caarong25 (Dec 13, 2014)

Weber will make it right...they have helped me in the past!!  I too have a new 18.5 and  I gotta tell you I am totally impressed with this smoker.  Gotta love this food.


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## donnieonfire (Dec 14, 2014)

That's looks great, at what temp and for how long did you smoke that? Did you run it up to 200 degrees?


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## donnieonfire (Dec 14, 2014)

JIRodriguez said:


> .... for those large family gatherings you will love it. My folks remodeled their house and had me provide the smoked meat for a Christmas party for the contractors and their families: (4) 10 lb. pork butts and (3) 15 lb briskets all at the same time on my 22.5" WSM!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This looks awesome, at what temp and for how long did you smoke this? Did you run it up to 200 degrees?


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## jirodriguez (Dec 15, 2014)

Donnieonfire said:


> This looks awesome, at what temp and for how long did you smoke this? Did you run it up to 200 degrees?


Sorry forgot to get back to you over the weekend. Smoker was running about 240° and the meat was on for approx. 10-12 hrs. for the butts and 13-15 hours on the briskets. I started checking internal temps around the 10 hr. mark 1 but was ready to come off, the other two were closer to the 12 hr mark. 1 brisket finished around the 13 hr. mark the other two went to 15 hrs. Here is the thread:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...ion-how-much-meat-can-you-put-into-a-22-5-wsm


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## gary s (Dec 15, 2014)

Right there is an excellent example of why not to use cooking time as your only guideline. Looking at your pictures butts were similar in size as were the briskets but all were different cooking times. Sometimes it just takes longer because of the type, age feeding, care and makeup of the animal.

Good job all looks tasty

Gary


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## jirodriguez (Dec 15, 2014)

gary s said:


> Right there is an excellent example of why not to use cooking time as your only guideline. Looking at your pictures butts were similar in size as were the briskets but all were different cooking times. Sometimes it just takes longer because of the type, age feeding, care and makeup of the animal.
> 
> Good job all looks tasty
> 
> Gary


Yup, the butts were all within about 1 lb. of each other, and same with the briskets. I think the biggest variance I had was two 10 lb. butts, one took 10 hrs. the other took 16 hrs., amazing the variation you can get.


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## lance916 (Dec 16, 2014)

Congrats on the WSM!  I recently got the 18.5...wish I had sprung for the 22.5!  I haven't been smoking too long, but I do know that the WSM's are a remarkable product!  They are used in competition bbq and maintain a very consistent heat when used properly.  To maintain an even more consistent heat, try using good old Kingsford blue.  I really love the flavor that Royal Oak Hardwood Lump charcoal imparts to my 'que, but when I'm looking for a long, consistent temp, I use Kingsford.  It's not as "set it and forget it" as an electric smoker, but I swear it comes pretty darn close.  Hope your matters on your bent WSM get settled soon so you can start enjoying using this product!


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## krubby (Dec 16, 2014)

Lance916 said:


> Congrats on the WSM!  I recently got the 18.5...wish I had sprung for the 22.5!  I haven't been smoking too long, but I do know that the WSM's are a remarkable product!  They are used in competition bbq and maintain a very consistent heat when used properly.  To maintain an even more consistent heat, try using good old Kingsford blue.  I really love the flavor that Royal Oak Hardwood Lump charcoal imparts to my 'que, but when I'm looking for a long, consistent temp, I use Kingsford.  It's not as "set it and forget it" as an electric smoker, but I swear it comes pretty darn close.  Hope your matters on your bent WSM get settled soon so you can start enjoying using this product!


thanks for the wishes.  Came home today to find a huge box with the NEW center section waiting for me.  Before I connected all the hardware (this time...) I was smart enough to try the lid on.

Fits like a glove.


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## jirodriguez (Dec 16, 2014)

Woot! Grats, always nice to see a company stand behind a good product. You will really like your WSM, mine has never let me down.


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## torp3t3d0 (Dec 17, 2014)

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I am new to the forum....did just about all the research on smokers that you would want and then bought the WSM 22.5 model.   I already have a barrel “offset” smoker that I did all my smoking on before….I think I did a good job with it.   Also have a 18.5 weber kettle and a large gas grill.   My most cherished Weber is a “Huge” kettle I bought in 1979 in the Navy Exchange in Naples IT.  I have used it to do tailgates at the Redskin’s games where the original hogs and “Art Monks” joined in the fun.   It still holds up but I have relegated it to be a “fire pit” as it has considerable age in it.

I am a retired Submarine Officer, a past member of the US Military Vets MC (had a Harley Electra Glide Ultra and a chopper I built)…..no longer a member due to desires of my wife, children and grand kids.

I came here to find a way to smoke my homemade polish sausage (yes I make 5 different sausages) in the Weber Smoker.   Now I’m trying to make bacon but my first batch was only salt pork…threw it away because you folks scared me about the possibility of “excess nitrates”…Trying to do Canadian bacon and hoping it too is not salt pork.

Presently live in Northern VA and work to support the strategic submarine program office.   Wife and I now spend out time riding our tandem bicycle (trips to Elba, Tuscany and Chianti one year, Northwest Ireland the next and riding down the Rhine rive the next….this next year we are riding the Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans using the Delta Queen as our Hotel)

Lived in Naples for almost 3 years and learned to cook Italian food like the Italians do.  Collect wine too.

Would like to become a member….need some help getting things right…


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