I'm new to the WSM world (2009 18.5" model), as well as TVWB. I'm very impressed with the amount of knowledge that get's shared on these sites and it makes me think that I've been very lucky on the couple of smokes that I've done so far.
On Thanksgiving I smoked an 11# turkey that I brined the night before. We were having Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws, so this bird was just so we could have left-overs at our house and the wife could use the carcass for soup. This was my first ever smoke and I wasn't even home for most of it - just a couple of checks a few hours apart. The bird cooked for 7 hours (with water in the pan) and was delicious! It had a good smokey/bacony flavor. I was amazed how good it was considering the temp fluxuations it went through.
On New Year's Day I smoked a 9# pork shoulder for pulled pork. I used a good rub and smoked it for 10 hours - it was below freezing here in Chicagoland, but with constant vigilance I was able to deal with any drops or spikes in smoker temps with no problem. The pork was so good that I ate a meals worth just while I was pulling it apart!
Reading these forums have made me realize that there is a lot about prep and smoking that I don't know, but there is one thing I know for sure - the WSM is pretty forgiving and a lot of fun to use. The next smoke will be a brisket (with also maybe a corned beef for fun) and I plan on being better prepared for it than I have. I'd like to have some Texas type smoked sausage to go with it - does anyone have any tips for that?
Thanks for sharing. PeteH
On Thanksgiving I smoked an 11# turkey that I brined the night before. We were having Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws, so this bird was just so we could have left-overs at our house and the wife could use the carcass for soup. This was my first ever smoke and I wasn't even home for most of it - just a couple of checks a few hours apart. The bird cooked for 7 hours (with water in the pan) and was delicious! It had a good smokey/bacony flavor. I was amazed how good it was considering the temp fluxuations it went through.
On New Year's Day I smoked a 9# pork shoulder for pulled pork. I used a good rub and smoked it for 10 hours - it was below freezing here in Chicagoland, but with constant vigilance I was able to deal with any drops or spikes in smoker temps with no problem. The pork was so good that I ate a meals worth just while I was pulling it apart!
Reading these forums have made me realize that there is a lot about prep and smoking that I don't know, but there is one thing I know for sure - the WSM is pretty forgiving and a lot of fun to use. The next smoke will be a brisket (with also maybe a corned beef for fun) and I plan on being better prepared for it than I have. I'd like to have some Texas type smoked sausage to go with it - does anyone have any tips for that?
Thanks for sharing. PeteH
