new owner

Hello,

I purchased the WSM this morning. I'm running a test burn right now to get a feel for tempature control. I can see that vent control for the correct tempature is going to be my biggest learning curve.

My first impressions of the WSM quality are very good.

The only exceptions are that
1) the main body is slightly out of round near the weld. The out of round condition results in a small air gap of about 1/16 of inch and about 1 1/2 inches long where the main body of the smoker meets the charcoal bowl. I'm not going to worry about this right now.

2) the top grate fits nicely within the main body but does not sit level on the flanges. Again, I am not going to worry about this right now.

The access door needed a little tweaking to fit snug against the main body but the tweaking is easy. Just be carefull on the brute force or the access door will fold up(the door is thin) and no I didn't fold it

I wish to extend a sincere thank you to Chris and all the contributers that make this web site possible and very informative.

I can't wait till the wife gets home. Look what I got for you hun! Lol.

Brian

Congratulations on your new purchase!

I would say that a 1/16" gap is within tolerance and probably not worth adjusting for. The grate can be easily tweaked for flatness at your convenience.

Have fun, and let us know how things go!

Regards,
Chris

I agree that the small air gap is within a manufacturer's tolerence for stamped sheet metal.

Now that I had some to use and contemplate the WSM overall there are two additional things that come to mind.

1) Why use fiber washers to attach the flanges in the main section? I would think the fiber washers would deteriorate quickly. Time will tell.

2) The charcoal ring extends past a "grid gap" on the charcoal grate and allows some briquets to fall through. Not a big deal but just annoying.

As for cooking, excellent!!

A rack of spare ribs and durn they were good.

I'd never thought about the fiber washers, but you're right, I wonder how long they'll last, and how would you know if they failed? I assumed they were there to keep smoke and liquid from coming out those holes, but with the build-up of baked-on stuff around and behind those brackets, perhaps the washers aren't needed after a certain point.

You're right about the gap in the charcoal grate! Too bad the grate doesn't go all the way across.