Gregg Orenstein
New member
I hadn't had smoked food for years, and recently had dinner with my fiancee at a BBQ. The inspiration was instant; a flood of delicious memories, unlocked by the flavors, all came back. The experience quickly became a realization that not only had I been missing out for years on some of the best food the world has to offer, but also that I wanted to learn and master that craft behind it.
That evening I knew that I needed to buy a smoker, and I started researching. After learning about smoker categories, I knew that what I wanted was something less demanding than an offset, but which still amounted to learning a skill (see ya Traeger). So, the natural choice was a charcoal-fired pit. But which one? I was looking for an entry-level price point for a solid unit (bu-bye Komodo). Harry Soo's Amazon review of the WSM made it an easy choice, and one I don't regret.
I started off with the beginner's spatchcock chicken recipe on this site, and it was a huge hit with the fam. 2 weeks later I smoked 3 tri-tips; I had to wait for a break in the rain to fire charcoal and get everything going, and shortly after the steaks were on the grill, it started up again. Ended up placing the lid from a little charcoal grill over the top vent to keep the inside dry, and it worked a charm.
What really blew me away was how absolutely rock-solid the temperature was throughout the duration of the cook; a few simple adjustments to the bottom vents kept everything exactly where I wanted it! I'd heard about the headaches and travails of temperature management, and thought I would cook at least 10 failures before having that skill developed to a half-usable degree. But with thunder and lightning, and rain pouring down, I was able to keep it in range easily.
I'm on my 3rd cook right now, beef back ribs. We'll see how it goes! But I absolutely love my WSM; the manifestation of genius is not necessarily complicated; often the simplicity of its expression belies the elegant principles behind it. So far, the WSM seems exactly that to me, as through extremely simple means it affords masterful control over the chaotic elements of fire and smoke.
Sorry for being long-winded, but I'm happy to be here. Really loving the WSM, and look forwards to being part of the community.
That evening I knew that I needed to buy a smoker, and I started researching. After learning about smoker categories, I knew that what I wanted was something less demanding than an offset, but which still amounted to learning a skill (see ya Traeger). So, the natural choice was a charcoal-fired pit. But which one? I was looking for an entry-level price point for a solid unit (bu-bye Komodo). Harry Soo's Amazon review of the WSM made it an easy choice, and one I don't regret.
I started off with the beginner's spatchcock chicken recipe on this site, and it was a huge hit with the fam. 2 weeks later I smoked 3 tri-tips; I had to wait for a break in the rain to fire charcoal and get everything going, and shortly after the steaks were on the grill, it started up again. Ended up placing the lid from a little charcoal grill over the top vent to keep the inside dry, and it worked a charm.
What really blew me away was how absolutely rock-solid the temperature was throughout the duration of the cook; a few simple adjustments to the bottom vents kept everything exactly where I wanted it! I'd heard about the headaches and travails of temperature management, and thought I would cook at least 10 failures before having that skill developed to a half-usable degree. But with thunder and lightning, and rain pouring down, I was able to keep it in range easily.
I'm on my 3rd cook right now, beef back ribs. We'll see how it goes! But I absolutely love my WSM; the manifestation of genius is not necessarily complicated; often the simplicity of its expression belies the elegant principles behind it. So far, the WSM seems exactly that to me, as through extremely simple means it affords masterful control over the chaotic elements of fire and smoke.
Sorry for being long-winded, but I'm happy to be here. Really loving the WSM, and look forwards to being part of the community.
We got a whole 0.33"
