Hello from the ATL


 

Marnie Loomis

New member
I’ve been lurking and learning here for a bit and finally bit the bullet (all pun intended). Order my 14.5 WSM from Morgan Ace Hardware in downtown Woodstock on Monday, June 2nd. Stopped by on Thursday to see if by chance the truck had come in early - no dice. At 9 am Friday received a call from the kind folks @ Ace asking if they wanted me to have them assemble the little beauty. I said “sure and I’m on my way to accept delivery!”

Things I could have done differently – while I like supporting local stores, I could have ordered via here (Amazon). I would have received the WSM 2 days sooner being a prime member and secondly I could have helped support Chris and his wonderful efforts here. The reason I backed off from ordering via Amazon the picture of the WSM did not show a lid thermometer. I’ve read lots of posts / articles about how some folks consider them horribly inaccurate while others show side by side comparisons with a digital read out and the two are separately only by a degree or so. Given this is my first venture into smoking I thought the lid thermometer was essential for getting me started and I didn’t want the hassle of having to potentially return something and pay for the shipping. The picture didn’t call it out so I decided to be safe and put my eyeballs on the actual product locally. I did see where I can make it up to Chris by ordering a flag – so I’m on it! Hopefully that is a win win win for me – the local Ace and supporting this great site.

Little bit about me – I am a huge Weber fan and thoroughly enjoyed my Smokey Joe my parents gave me in 1987 (she lasted a LONG TIME!) - then the step up to Genesis Silver B (which I still use today and love) and my Genesis E-310 (purchased in 2012). I read someone’s tag line that Webers were pack animals. I had never thought of it like that but it appears to be true for me as I write this confessing to owning four – three of which are functional today! I’ve tried unsuccessfully to achieve true smoking and thus the purchase of the 14.5. I brew my own beer and love the similarities of grilling / smoking and brewing. All are about temperature control, ingredients, trial and error, the thrill of planning, the joy of the doing and the addiction to start the cycle over again – they are part chef, part scientist, part chemist and oh so social – and all require an unending supply of cash to support the various “necessities”!

I’m looking forward to being a part of this community, learning more and hopefully contributing to others along the way

Marnie
 
Hi Marnie, I think it's good that you're testing out your dome thermometer. I ended up buying one of the digital monitors because I found mine to be pretty inaccurate. A friend of mine has a 24.5" WSM and we've found his to generally be within 5-10 degrees of the digital read-out.

Point is, just like most products, I think each one is unique and you really have to get used to it. Obviously, I'm pretty new here as well, but like you I've been reading a lot. Always good to have another Atlanta area person on board. Look forward to hearing more from you.
 
Welcome from a fellow member from the metro ATL. Looking forward to hearing how things work out with your new WSM. I just made a pork butt using a mini WSM earlier today so believe me the little smokers can produce some great food.
 

 

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