Hello from the suburbs of Chicago

[erik2173]

Just wanted to do the customary introductions here.

I just started on my Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker this past weekend.
I tried a couple of times to make ribs to my liking on my Jenn-air grill and found I couldn't do it just right, and while I still love my stainless steel propane grill, I thought I needed to go to charcoal for my BBQ. My dad has the GOSM and I thought I'd do something a little different so we could compare and contrast.
I started off easy with a couple of split chickens which I thought turned out pretty good, didn't do alot of fire control just wanted to get the first one under my belt.
I've already found alot of useful info here and am well on my way into the state of obsession.

 

[up in smoke]

Welcome Eric, I really believe you will really enjoy this site! These guys & gals are great and they know what theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re talking about. Make sure you take Jeffâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s Smoking Basics E-Course which will give you an excellent insight to what this is and all the stuff these guys & gals are doing…so crack a cold one , kick back and get ready for some fine eatin'!! :D

 

[joed617]

Hi Erik, welcome to SMF .. I hope you enjoy your time with us .. great bunch of people even though thier all smokers .. :) This smoking doesn't stunt your growth .. kinda expands the middle section .. grab a beer and a chair and have fun.

Joe

 

[erik2173]

Thanks for the welcome. Now my biggest problem is figuring out what to smoke next. I'm leaning towards doing some more chicken, or maybe a turkey breast, but salmon sounds good too. I don't think I'm ready for an all night smoke yet, I need more practice with fire and temp control first.
I know salmon will be soon, the smoker was an early birthday present, I got it early with the stipulation that I'd smoke some salmon prior to my birthday which isn't for a month. What a sacrifice huh. I do have my work cut out for me though, my wife wil be comparing it to the smoked salmon we had when we were in Alaska a couple of months ago which was by far the best I have ever had, must have been the fact that the fish was so fresh.

 

[meowey]

Welcome Erik,

I hope you enjoy your new toy. Check out all the forums here and ask lots of questions. The friendly folks here know smokin'.

Regards,

Meowey

 

[joed617]

Erik.. kinda funny, a birthday gift with a string attatched. Something like being married, A ball and Chain attatched <kidding> . So is this Salmon completely cooked .. or was it of the lox type?

Joe

 

[Dutch]

Erik, Welcome to SMF. So you're in a dilemma about what to smoke next. You could make a list of everything and then when your done, close your eyes and run your finger down the list and stop. Wherever you stopped at is your next smoke assignment.

 

[erik2173]

I think I'll take a trip to the store and just pick what looks good at the time, Unfortunately for me I'll be going to costco which usually has good ribs and really good wild salmon fillets so I don't know if it will be any help.

The one thing I have had trouble finding in my area is good sized wood chunks. I found decent hickory chuncks but I wanted some apple, cherry etc. There is a place that carries wood chuncks around me but the seem a bit small to me. What size are the chuncks you typically use. I keep reading about fist sized chuncks. I'm 6'5" so maybe my fists are above average in size but I haven't found anything close to that big.

 

[Dutch]

Most of the chunks I use is 2 1/2 - 4 inches in dia.
If you can find a deal on split logs, you can always make your own "chunks" with a saws-all or a small chain saw.

 

[cajunsmoker]

Welcome ERIK2173,

Glad to see you found us.

I'm 6' 4" and most of the chunks I use are about half the size of my fist. If that helps any. :D

 

[ultramag]

Welcome to SMF Erik!!! I'll be looking forward to hearing about your WSM as you learn with it. That has been a pretty neat looking smoker to me for a while and most everyone that has one seems to love it. Hmmm...maybe I need another smoker. :shock:

 

[erik2173]

Well I went shopping last night and my decision was made for me. They were out of the salmon but had some decent looking baby back ribs, so now I know what the next smoke will be.
The chuncks of hickory I have are about the size everyone is describing, the other woods are smaller, I just figure I might have to either add more at the start or add them as the smaller chunks burn up.
Thanks for the welcome everyone.

 

[smokemack]

Welcome Erik! Good luck with those Baby Backs! I'll be smoking BB's and chicken on Sunday. Plan to start at about 10:30am. I'll post lots of pictures and detail it all for you. Check in if you would like. Again welcome, and enjoy!!

 

[willkat98]

Welcome Erik

I'm out in Aurora

Hope you survived the storms and funnel clouds tonight.

Good to see another ILFo.