Let the Smoking Begin!

I saw the UPS truck pull up to the front door and I knew right away. My Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker had finally arrived. The box was well packaged, and nothing seemed broken or out of place. Although there was a “Team Lift” sticker, it was a good workout to lift for one person. Of course, you can always just slide it around if there’s a smooth surface.

Unboxing and assembling was a piece of cake. You can find more detailed product info and photos here, but I’ll just do a quick summary. Assembly consisted of attaching the bottom legs, and screwing together the grate support brackets inside the middle charcoal chamber with the included nuts, bolts, and washers. From there, it was just placing all the components together in a “stacked” format. The end result looks like a shiny and black bullet. The whole process took about 20 minutes. It’s now ready for action. Time to go buy some meat…

Lift with your knees, not with your back

All of the contents laid out

The bottom charcoal bowl

The middle charcoal chamber

The cooking grates

The water pan

The lid with built-in temperature gauge

The 3 main components, in separate pieces

The WSM fully assembled

It even includes a good quality vinyl cover

Memorial Day BBQ Wknd

I was hoping that my Weber Smoky Mountain would arrive just in time for the long Memorial Day weekend, but it’s scheduled to be delivered today (look for the “unboxing” post later). That’s the drawback of ordering online via Amazon with free shipping — I didn’t want to fork over the extra money for 2-day shipping. I figured that’s money I could use on other things like wood chips, BBQ accessories, and most of all — MEAT!

Obviously, buying meat is expensive. Everyone knows and shops at Costco, so that’s the first (and probably only) place I’ll go to for my BBQ’ing meats. Brisket, pork shoulder, spare ribs, the list goes on. You’re looking at least $20-$40 or more per item, depending on what you’re getting. I have my eyes set on smoking the brisket first and foremost.

Since my WSM didn’t arrive over Memorial Day weekend, I made the 50-minute one way trip to Phil’s BBQ to bring back for lunch. I wasn’t about to settle for anything less, like Costco BBQ ribs. Blech. I tried it once before, never again. It was mushy, tasteless, and the texture eerily resembled the McRib sandwich from McDonald’s. I brought home the usual from Phil’s — beef ribs, baby back ribs, and even a bottle of their fantastic BBQ sauce. It’s perfect combination of tangy, smoky, and spice. I can’t wait to use it on my own BBQ.

$5.95 for about a 30 oz bottle

Welcome! I Wanna Be a Smoker…

A BBQ meat smoker, that is!

After reading this article, and checking out all the the great info by the online experts, I made the plunge and ordered a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker (or, WSM for short). It’s an R2D2 look-a-like BBQ smokin’ machine. I can’t wait for it to arrive, which is hopefully before Memorial Day weekend.

Prized possessions

Most of my BBQ experience consists of grilling on a Weber kettle grill and an indoor cast-iron griddle, cooking mostly hot dogs, burgers, steaks, and chicken. But it’s about time to move up to the big boys — briskets, ribs, and pulled pork, etc. I want to cook low and slow. I want to eat tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth smoke flavored meat.

I’ll be blogging about my BBQ adventures along with some of my experiences eating out, home cooking, or just anything else food related. I’m no BBQ expert, pitmaster, or trained chef. I’m no stuck-up, wannabe food critic or restaurant reviewer using big words. Easy to read, and no dictionary required. I’m just a regular guy who loves to cook, eat, and talk food, especially when it comes to BBQ. Thanks for joining me on this BBQ journey, or simply just stopping by.