G
Guest
Guest
Well, I finally got my birthday smoker yesterday. Unfortunately, it seems it was damaged in shipping. The bottom bowl was badly chipped in one area, had a couple of scratches and a bent vent flange, and the main chamber was pretty badly out of round. However, when I called Weber to find out how much replacement parts would cost (I never like to tell someone who gives me a gift that it's less than perfect), they instead said they would replace them at no cost! They should be here next week.
Kudos to Weber. That is absolutely the best customer service experience I've ever had in my life.
Unfortunately, I also had about 15 pounds of various meats I'd picked up in anticipation of The Big Day, so I decided to see if I could put some temporary fixes in place to get the smoker going. The chipped/scratched bowl was mainly an issue because I was concerned about premature rusting, but the egg-shaped chamber was a bigger problem. I tried to bend it back into shape, but that didn't really work out that well, so I ended up sealing the gaps as best I could with aluminum foil.
Then I trimmed some spares St. Louis style, rubbed the daylights out of them, fired up the smoker, threw some oak and hickory chunks on, and put the ribs in. Five and a half hours later I was eating the best ribs I've ever tasted. If anyone reading this is thinking of picking up a WSM but hasn't taken the plunge yet, do it. You won't be disappointed. Even with the problems, I'd have to say it's working out to be just about the best birthday present I've ever received.
Well, I'm off to check the smoker. Today I have a pork butt and a brisket going. In fact, I actually got up at 6 a.m. on a Sunday to fire it up, which my fiance found pretty amusing given that I haven't rolled out of the sack before 10 on a weekend since, well, ever. When the "Q" bug bites, it bites hard.
Incidentally, I'm using Dave Stamper's water pan modification today, which seems to be working out very well.
Thanks again for the great site, and for the useful input on my previous questions. Also, big thanks go out to Weber for the way they dealt with my parts issues. They earned themselves a customer for life.
Rob
Kudos to Weber. That is absolutely the best customer service experience I've ever had in my life.
Unfortunately, I also had about 15 pounds of various meats I'd picked up in anticipation of The Big Day, so I decided to see if I could put some temporary fixes in place to get the smoker going. The chipped/scratched bowl was mainly an issue because I was concerned about premature rusting, but the egg-shaped chamber was a bigger problem. I tried to bend it back into shape, but that didn't really work out that well, so I ended up sealing the gaps as best I could with aluminum foil.
Then I trimmed some spares St. Louis style, rubbed the daylights out of them, fired up the smoker, threw some oak and hickory chunks on, and put the ribs in. Five and a half hours later I was eating the best ribs I've ever tasted. If anyone reading this is thinking of picking up a WSM but hasn't taken the plunge yet, do it. You won't be disappointed. Even with the problems, I'd have to say it's working out to be just about the best birthday present I've ever received.
Well, I'm off to check the smoker. Today I have a pork butt and a brisket going. In fact, I actually got up at 6 a.m. on a Sunday to fire it up, which my fiance found pretty amusing given that I haven't rolled out of the sack before 10 on a weekend since, well, ever. When the "Q" bug bites, it bites hard.
Incidentally, I'm using Dave Stamper's water pan modification today, which seems to be working out very well.
Thanks again for the great site, and for the useful input on my previous questions. Also, big thanks go out to Weber for the way they dealt with my parts issues. They earned themselves a customer for life.
Rob
