Tom Platz
New member
Greetings to all the TVWBB dudes! 
Being from Kansas City, I've grown up loving BBQ, and always wishing I could do it myself. Last year, I decided to get serious about it, but still reluctant to completely dive in with a new smoker purchase, I opted to get the Smokenator and PartyQ for my existing Weber 22" One Touch Gold kettle that I've had for years.
The Smokenator and PartyQ combo really worked well with my kettle, and I was able to produce some quality cooks with it. Temp control was fantastic. Only issues really was hourly charcoal and water pan maintenance, which of course disturbed the temps each time, and it wasn't really good for cooks over 5 or 6 hours. Simply not enough room for charcoal (even with hourly replenishing), and the batteries in the PartyQ would be going dead by that time.
I am forever grateful for the Smokentator/PartyQ combo though, as it gave me the confidence I needed to know I could produce quality BBQ, quite a tough thing to do in a town like Kansas City, where great BBQ is all around you! I'd like to give props and thanks to Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn over at AmazingRibs.com. His site was of immense help to getting me started in the wonderful world of smokin' and quein'.
So with a successful season of smokin' under my belt, I decided to move on up to a WSM.
Order for the 22.5" has been placed, and I should get it this Wednesday, enough time to get a practice cook or two in before Memorial Day weekend. 
I'm looking forward to being a community member here, and hopefully being able to contribute back to other newbies as I gain some experience this summer.
Thanks for reading, and great smokin' to all!
-Tom
Being from Kansas City, I've grown up loving BBQ, and always wishing I could do it myself. Last year, I decided to get serious about it, but still reluctant to completely dive in with a new smoker purchase, I opted to get the Smokenator and PartyQ for my existing Weber 22" One Touch Gold kettle that I've had for years.
The Smokenator and PartyQ combo really worked well with my kettle, and I was able to produce some quality cooks with it. Temp control was fantastic. Only issues really was hourly charcoal and water pan maintenance, which of course disturbed the temps each time, and it wasn't really good for cooks over 5 or 6 hours. Simply not enough room for charcoal (even with hourly replenishing), and the batteries in the PartyQ would be going dead by that time.
I am forever grateful for the Smokentator/PartyQ combo though, as it gave me the confidence I needed to know I could produce quality BBQ, quite a tough thing to do in a town like Kansas City, where great BBQ is all around you! I'd like to give props and thanks to Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn over at AmazingRibs.com. His site was of immense help to getting me started in the wonderful world of smokin' and quein'.
So with a successful season of smokin' under my belt, I decided to move on up to a WSM.
Order for the 22.5" has been placed, and I should get it this Wednesday, enough time to get a practice cook or two in before Memorial Day weekend. I'm looking forward to being a community member here, and hopefully being able to contribute back to other newbies as I gain some experience this summer.
Thanks for reading, and great smokin' to all!
-Tom
