Howdy!

[chrisarm22]

Hi everyone, 

My name is Chris, I live in Lee's Summit, Missouri which is a suburb of Kansas City, and I have been a long time lover of grilling and have always wanted to make the jump to smoking meat. I recently was given a Brinkmann AKA ECB for Christmas this past year.  I read up on a bunch of forums on how to modify it to make it a better smoker. I used it recently to make pulled pork, which even with the modifications was still quite a pain to get the temperature right. After further investigating I decided to upgrade to the 22.5 WSM and I plan on smoking 6 chicken quarters and 1 whole chicken this weekend for my test run. From what i have read online, the WSM runs hot the first few smokes which will be fine for this smoke since I want it to be hotter to make for better skin.  I have read there are a few different mods that can also be done to the WSM (better door, Grommets for temp pass thru, etc.) has anyone done any of the mods and have they noticed a difference? I have attached my first shot at smoking and I also made it my avatar pic since that is my only smoking experience. 

Thanks, 

Chris 

 

[stovebolt]

 Welcome, Chris. I've never used a WSM but they get great reviews so I'm sure you will like it. I started with an ECB and made a bunch of great food with it, but with lots of work.

 I'm down in the SW corner near Neosho. Glad you joined us.

Chuck

 

[hambone1950]

Hi Chris. Welcome. I have a WSM and it rocks right from the box! ( I love poetry)
Don't kill yourself doing mods right away. I never replaced my door. The one they gave me works fine..... I did do the grommet mod. It is very handy , but if I was doing it over , I would just cut the slot in the top rim which you will see if you study all the mods. I think that's the best way to go.
I would wire the charcoal ring to the fire grate. That makes clean out a lot easier and I did add handles to the bottom grate for ease of handling.
Cook on it a few times and you will see what needs to be done. You own one of the best charcoal smokers on the market , brother. Have fun with it. And post some pictures! :grilling_smilie:

 

[seenred]

Welcome to the forums, Chris!  Glad you joined us.  You've found a great place to learn and share ideas on our favorite pastime...Smoking and Grilling great food!  Lots of friendly and knowledgeable folks here who really enjoy helping one another.  Congrats on that new WSM, and good luck with the chicken smoke!  Be sure to post more pictures.  And just ask when you need help and you'll get plenty.

Red

 

[s2k9k]

Hi Chris! :welcome1: to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 45,000 members who just love to share their experience and over 900,000 posts describing it!

The search bar at the top can be your best friend when you are trying to find answers to your questions but you can still ask too if you want!

You might want to check out Jeff's Free 5 day E-Course, it will teach you all the basics plus a whole lot more!

 

[kathrynn]

to SMF!  We are so glad you joined us!

If you didn't read the "Terms of Service" notes.....please do.  There are a few things that everyone should know about those pesky little rules before plunging into the forums. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/terms-of-service

If you need any help roaming around the forums....just holler!  Happy to help out!

Kat