Hi folks - newbie here. Budding self-taught chef for the last 10 years and now at the ripe old age of 23 I decided to get a smoker as I love the pulled pork/ribs style of food, and honestly I'm bored of pasta and "normal" foods!
I got the latest model and it has the temperature probe hole which I know a lot of people were complaining about on the older models.
I will hopefully be firing this beauty up tomorrow if my Maverick 733 and Thermapen get delivered as they should.
Thought I would share a couple of pictures for others who are undecided if they should take the plunge on this model yet. I'm no expert, but it is a gorgeous machine - and definitely well built.
Obligatory box picture. This thing is big! The TV behind is a 55" and it is dwarfed by this box.
Charcoal grate and the two cooking grates. The grates are very sturdy.
Middle, bottom and top pieces respectively. The 47cm seems to be a great "middle" size for couples and small families.
Bottom section completed - I missed the heat deflector, but sorted it out later on in the build!
With the charcoal grate and metal ring that keeps the charcoal off the actual external metal dome. The grey thing inside is the bottom heat deflector that should go under the feet - I fixed it later on!
Middle section with the grate brackets installed. The included water/sand pan fits on the bottom, with a cooking grate sitting about 4-5cm (2 in) above it. The primary cooking grate sits at the very top on the inverted L part of the bracket. The grate doesn't sit perfectly on my one - perhaps its due to the screws slipping in the holes slightly - the grate sits about a mm (1/16in) or so off the 4th bracket.
Top down view of the brackets. There is a good 1 inch circle around the water pan once installed.
The included temperature probe hole and the rubber grommet. The grommet is good quality and there is no leakage.
The included water pan. Honestly wouldn't mind some advice here as some suggest using a tin roasting pan to put the water or sand etc on, but how?
Completed model with the bottom heat deflector installed correctly! Doh
The dome temperature gauge. Some have said it is normally wildly off, so I'll reserve judgement until I fire this bad boy up and can check it.
Looking cute with the official cover on. The cover has two strong elastic pieces at the bottom and wraps down to the feet, so there is no way this cover is going to come off, even in high wind.
So that's it. Hope to fire it up tomorrow for the first time and am going to smoke a pork shoulder for some pulled pork. Have read many reviews saying that the WSM doesn't need seasoning, but I'll just spray a bit of cooking oil on the inside on the first fire up, then get the shoulder on once it is looking good.
Any further advice for a newbie?
Thanks for reading!!
