Total $ Investment?


 
B

Bill O.

New member
Hi All,

I'm new here and still considering a purchase of a WSM. Besides the smoker itself it seems like posts mention a lot of accessories (thermometers, rib racks...) I'm trying to get a feel for the amount of money I will spend getting started. Would anyone be willing to estimate their total dollar investment in the first month? First year?

Thanks,
Bill
 
Hey Bill,

Honnestly the only thing you really need is a good thermometer and your smoker Charcoal and wood chunks. If you own any kind of grill you should have everything else you need. Thongs, spatulla, foil, oven mitt and cooler.

Pretty much everything else you get will be more of a want than a need. The biggest cost will actually be the meats. Filling up a Smokey Mountain cooker full of ribs and brisket will cost you much more than the one time fee for a rib rack. The smokey meats are worth it though. Most BBQ meats freeze well so you can't really look at it as one expensive meal, but rather a good meal packaged with some good future meals.
 
Bill,the only things you will definately need are a good thermometer and a chimney starter. The thermometer will let you know when meats are done and will double as a probe to let you know when meats are tender. The chimney will give you a cleaner start,with no petroleum taste. While the smaller ones are cheaper,the Weber will suit all your needs. The Weber will let you light just a couple for the Minion method for low and slow,or a bunch for a high heat cook.
Also,don't forget to order through the link on this website to give Chris A.(the site administrator) some credit to help him defray some of the costs of running this great site. Let us know what you get and how it all turns out.
 
Ah yes, that's why the collective mind is always better. I totally forgot about the chimney starter. That is my starter of choice as well. The webber starter does work better.

As for your original question, "..estimate their total dollar investment in the first month? First year?"

I already had a thermometer, oven mits, spatula, foil, drip pans, hickory wood and a chimney starter. I bought a few kitchen gadgets that will also be used in the kitchen such as my immersion blender and microplane zester so I won't count them. These are the things I bought only because I got a smoker.

Rib rack from Sears =12.00$ (sale)
2 cookbooks = 30.00$ (web sales)
pecan wood chunks = 8.00$
apple wood chunks = 8.00$
extra long tongs =5.00$ (clearances)
Lodge C.I. 7 quart dutch oven = 40.00$ (off the web)
300 Lbs of charcoal = 75.00$ (memorial day sale)
Spices for rubs = (+/-) 25.00$

So I have spent a few hundered dollars. next year I will just need to get my charcoal and maybe one bag of wood chunks.

My advice is make a list of things you want, but don't need and then shop around. In time you will get those things on sale or even clearance (Aug./Sept. is a great time) and save a ton of money.
 
I had everything i needed when mine came,but first time using it i set it up behind my garage where a bunch of people,had 25 or so,running about,swimming etc.I would have kept it on the patio but knew it was going to be a 100 degree day and did not want excess heat where people would be in the shade taking advantage of the fans.....so wife saw where it was for the smoke and came up with a sturdy table from big lots that folds like an ironing board,very portable....handy,could have done without it also.If you don't have a weber chimney starter,get one.I wonder why i ever used fluid after i got one.Also find the wsm uses far less fuel than my cheap offset smoker....that 300 lbs of charcoal you have will go a long time!I value my weber chimney like a favorite knife and i am a butcher.....i think it is the first "accessory"one needs.Richard
 
As others have already mentioned, you don't really need all the 'toys' you'll read about. They just makes things easier.

A good instant-read thermometer, like the Polder Easy-Read $10 or Polder Probe $20~$25, and a Weber Chimney Starter $15~$20 is all you really need.

If you're starting from scratch, having no grilling accessories, then to the lists above add ...

Grill brush for cleaning grates- $3~$10
Cheapo cooking tools for working coals/ash - $3
Leather Welding Gloves for handling hot tools and chimney - $8

Charcoal costs would depend on how much you cook. Prices run from $.25/lb ~ $.45/lb. If you did long cooks every weekend during the 6 months of Spring~Summmer, fuel costs could run $60~$110.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bill O.:
Hi All,

I'm new here and still considering a purchase of a WSM. Besides the smoker itself it seems like posts mention a lot of accessories (thermometers, rib racks...) I'm trying to get a feel for the amount of money I will spend getting started. Would anyone be willing to estimate their total dollar investment in the first month? First year?

Thanks,
Bill </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I had a Weber Charcoal Kettle 22 1/2" when I bought my WSM in the Year 2008 so I had most of the basic tools,i.e, grill brush, Weber Charcoal Lighter Cup, variety of BBQ tools,rib racks, etc. I have since added a Maverick remote temperature gauge and Brinkman Charcoal Pan for my WSM.
 
I have not bought any "extras" apart from the chimney starter. As for rib racks and so forth, remember that you have two large cooking grates to start with. If you want and need rib racks, you are going to cook for a lot of hungry people!

The WSM costs a bit, especially here where I live, around 600 USD, but apart from that, all I have spent money on is some alufoil. Alufoil is great to clean up those grates and the inside of the top of the WSM, as well.

I bought the 22", because i asked myself "Have you ever wished for less space on a grill?" After using it several times I see that the space problem does not matter as much on the WSM, as you have no need for differentzones, such as high-heat and low- heat zones.
So,on a grill, space matters a lot, on the WSM- not so sure.
I would probably be just as happy with the small one.
But on the other hand, I have more then enough space on my patio, and for storage, and it sure looks impressive.
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1) digital probe therm, a must as everyone mentions. the mav works great if you plan on overnights because it has high AND low alarms

2) some kind of cleaning set up. I have a round tub that I can soak grates in, and use scrubbing pads. the grates (even for the 18.5") are too big to clean inside. Clean up is a drag, so anything you can do to improve it will make you want to cook more

3) Find a restaurant supply store and get a large wide roll of HD foil. It'll cost 25-30 bucks but it will last. also, pick up some disposable gloves.

4) leather welding gloves are helpful for moving hot grate

other than those 4 essentials, I suggest getting some nice knives. The first cooking tool ever invented was the knife, so always, like our ancestors, start there. If you do any cooking, you'll want one for each task: trimming, chopping, and slicing.
 
What digital probe thermometer does everyone recommend? I've been looking on Amazon and pretty much all of them are getting bad reviews for just stopping working.
 
I have a Maverick and so do a lot a guys here ! BUT there really inconsistent on range mine is good for about 30 ft less if its going thru a wall ! I have read were some get a LOT more and some get no more than 10 ft but the thing works good except for the range thing IMHO . YMMV

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This is what I've paid

18.5 inch WSM - $239 no tax free shipping to California (Aimtofind.com)
2 Weber Chimney Starters - $15 each at Home Depot
Maverick ET-73 remote thermometer - $40-$50
Don't use rib racks but the most expensive one I've seen was $30
Kingsford Charcoal - about 10 bucks for the big bag. Usually pretty cheap at Home Depot
Wood Chunks - prices vary but usually not terribly pricy
THIS IS A MUST HAVE IF YOU PLAN TO USE A WATER PAN - Brinkmann CHARCOAL pan (not the Brinkmann water pan - there is a difference) $13 on Brinkmann.net

One last thing - not a must have but get one if you can. Stainless steel replacement door from candcgrillinco.com - $22

I didn't buy all this stuff at once. I got the WSM first and added peices here and there. Example - I only had 1 chimney for a long time, then after a few months decided to get a 2nd. If you plan on using the WSM pretty often its well worth the dough.
 
There is an old defintition of a boat as " a hole in the water you throw all your money into". I suppose many of us could adapt that defintion to our rogues galleries of smokers, kettles, gassers, and all the doo dads, gadgets, and gotta haves we accumulate. My list of basics..Weber chimney starter, instant read meat thermometer, remote probe thermometer (IMO mostly for getting to know the temperament of your equipment)welding gloves, assorted woods, alum foil, grate brushes, and a cooler full of your favorite grill lubricant
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Amazon and aimtofind both offer very aggressive pricing, and both offer free shipping I believe. Like so many of us, its tempting to rush out and buy all the stuff we need at once. Problem is that most of what we purchase this way will not be what we really need or want in the end.
Get the wsm and give it a couple of smokes. With that under your belt, consider which items you need next.
I cooked with a fellow who uses wsm's in bbq competitions. After my cooking adventure with him, a whole new world opened up to me regarding what components and devices are necessary and whats not.
 
Just a reminder that purchasing a WSM at Amazon.com using the links on the homepage is one of the most powerful ways you can help provide financial support to keep TVWB running. Buying from Aimtofind or anywhere else does not help TVWB. Yes, it's a few more bucks, but the bulk of that difference actually goes to TVWB.

Thanks for your consideration,
Chris
 
Julien,

Can you advise me on where to get smoke wood besides for Hickory and Mesquite? I am in North Ridgeville and noticed you are in Avon.

Thanks for any suggestions,
Fred


<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Julien Gallant:
Ah yes, that's why the collective mind is always better. I totally forgot about the chimney starter. That is my starter of choice as well. The webber starter does work better.

As for your original question, "..estimate their total dollar investment in the first month? First year?"

I already had a thermometer, oven mits, spatula, foil, drip pans, hickory wood and a chimney starter. I bought a few kitchen gadgets that will also be used in the kitchen such as my immersion blender and microplane zester so I won't count them. These are the things I bought only because I got a smoker.

Rib rack from Sears =12.00$ (sale)
2 cookbooks = 30.00$ (web sales)
pecan wood chunks = 8.00$
apple wood chunks = 8.00$
extra long tongs =5.00$ (clearances)
Lodge C.I. 7 quart dutch oven = 40.00$ (off the web)
300 Lbs of charcoal = 75.00$ (memorial day sale)
Spices for rubs = (+/-) 25.00$

So I have spent a few hundered dollars. next year I will just need to get my charcoal and maybe one bag of wood chunks.

My advice is make a list of things you want, but don't need and then shop around. In time you will get those things on sale or even clearance (Aug./Sept. is a great time) and save a ton of money. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
Bought my WSM in the year 2008 and since I already had a Weber OTG I had most of what I needed to get started. I have spent approximately the following on my WSM Classic:

Brinkman Charcoal Pan: $30.00(includes shipping costs to Costa Rica)

Maverick Temperature Gauge ET-7: $80.00(includes shipping costs and Costa Rican Custom duties.
Wired Chick Racks: $25.00(bought in Costa Rica)
Each time I use the WSM I spend about $20.00 for Kingsford Charcoal which is a 9 lb bag. I have never done any smoking longer than a 6 hour period.

Richard
 
WSM 18.5 $279.99
DigiDx $179.99
Pit Viper Fan $59.00
Pit Probe $14.99
Polder Dual Probe Temp $35.99
WSM Smoking Jacket $89.00
Smoke Chips (1 bag) $5.00
Smoke Chunks (1bag) $8.00
Weber Gloves $15.00
Kingsford Charcoal $19.00
Cowboy Lump Charcoal $18.00
WSM Chimney Starter $20.00
Charbroil Rib Rack $12.00
Cajun Injector $9.00
 
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