First Time Out On My New WSM!!!

[Ol Skul '66]

Hi Folks, I am a newbie to this site and to smoking. After following several BBQ experts and expert home cooks on YouTube, I decided to purchase a new WSM 22.5-inch version. Prior to purchasing the WSM, I used my charcoal BBQ for cooking ribs, chicken, etc. Well, no more!!! The WSM is amazing. I didn't have any trouble getting the WSM to the temperature I was aiming for, 220-230, nor did the cooker waiver from those temps. I was so impressed. It really was a set it and forget it experience. I used regular charcoal briquettes from the Kingsford blue bag and applewood chunks. Also, I decided to use a form of the Minion method I saw demonstrated so many times on YouTube and it worked like a charm. I smoked 2 racks of baby back ribs, one rack of St Louis cut ribs, all on the lower rack...then on the top rack 14 honey garlic sausages and 4 thigh-drumstick chicken quarters. Everything came out amazingly well, better than I had hoped. I think I will be enjoying my WSM quite a bit and my new hobby as well. Thanks for all of the practical info you guys have provided. :grin:

[THoey1963]

Welocme to the forum, you'll love the WSM. Congrats on the good first cook! Next time take pics!

[KevinJ]

Congrats on the WSM for the money they are hard to beat.

[Ol Skul '66]

Welocme to the forum, you'll love the WSM. Congrats on the good first cook! Next time take pics!

You are so right, but when I thought of taking pics, the meat was already mostly gone! Next time I will do and thanks for the welcome!

[Jason TQ]

Awesome! I just used mine for the first time in a while the other week and it is just so easy to run. I liked playing with the vent to see where the different temps would settle in. Sometimes I'd run it lower and sometimes I'd see how the hotter temps did. All of them cook really well.

[Happy Hapgood]

Congratulations! I've been using mine for years. It never fails to make a good product.

[shoebe]

I love mine, enjoy

[Dmakkk]

You are going to love it. Enjoy...

[Joe Black]

Welcome from SC. It's good to have you on this great site. I know you will enjoy your WSM. I really liked mine when I had it. They are very user friendly.

[T.Mac]

Congrats! You'll love the WSM.

One modification I recommend is use 3-4 stainless hose clamps to attach the charcoal grate to the charcoal basket. That way you can lift the whole thing out by grabbing the upper holes of the basket. At that point you can easily shake all the ash off the remaining coals over a trashcan, then return the basket to the WSM to reuse the unspent coals. That little mod simplifies cleanup soooo... much.

And if you ever plan on using lump charcoal, a second charcoal grate placed perpendicular to the first helps keep those smaller bits of lump from falling through. In that case, clamp all three items together as one unit.

[THoey1963]

I wasn't going to bring up mods, as the smoker is really great out of the box, but since T.Mac mentioned it...

If you want some ideas, see the link in my signature...

[Ol Skul '66]

Welcome from SC. It's good to have you on this great site. I know you will enjoy your WSM. I really liked mine when I had it. They are very user friendly.
Agreed. Thanks for the encouragement!

[Ol Skul '66]

Congrats! You'll love the WSM.

One modification I recommend is use 3-4 stainless hose clamps to attach the charcoal grate to the charcoal basket. That way you can lift the whole thing out by grabbing the upper holes of the basket. At that point you can easily shake all the ash off the remaining coals over a trashcan, then return the basket to the WSM to reuse the unspent coals. That little mod simplifies cleanup soooo... much.

And if you ever plan on using lump charcoal, a second charcoal grate placed perpendicular to the first helps keep those smaller bits of lump from falling through. In that case, clamp all three items together as one unit.
Awesome, thanks for that suggestion!

[Inthewoods]

Congrats!
...Honey Garlic Sausage...need to know more...

-D

[Ol Skul '66]

Congrats!
...Honey Garlic Sausage...need to know more...

-D
I knew nothing of such things until I moved to Canada. 2 flavors that you will see in abundance here are maple and honey garlic! Frankly, they're pretty amazing flavors, especially in sausages.