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We use this smoker constantly. There is nothing better on the market - the bigger size is great. Simply the best.
2) Hard a tough time keeping the temperature in the 200-250 degree range. Really like the smoker. Two issues: 1) The door doesn't seal tight and lets smoke out and air in. I suspect that the "leaky" door may be the problem by letting air in even when the other vents are closed.One suggestion also, the owner's manual says you need about 300 brickquets to cook a rack of ribs. I've only cooked ribs once, but I suspect you could get by with 1/2 that amount.
This is one of my favorite purchases I have ever made. It is easy to use and has great results.
Cooker holds temps for long cooks, but you will need to purchase an additional thermometer. The one in the lid runs actually lower than temps taken at the grate (it should be higher). Remote thermometers like the Maverick ET-73 will give you accurate temperature readings and you won't have to use the one in the lid. This cooker will hold a lot of food and is good if you do competition BBQ.
The WSM almost feels like cheating. I am cooking ribs on my 22" WSM as I type this. The design is excellent, the build quality is excellent, the instructions and support from Weber - all excellent. But temperature control is what makes this unit great. There is a wealth of knowledge there and you can get questions answered by professionals as well as pit master wannabes who are just starting out and learning too.I would recommend starting with a Weber Smokey Mountain, a high-quality, easy to use smoker, rather than wasting money on a cheaper one only to realize later that it's too frustrating to use and then have to break down and buy the good one later. But after all this "hype" the reason I only gave it 4 stars out of 5 is because, as good as it is, I believe Weber has over-priced it somewhat.
It's as easy to keep it "locked in" at 200 degrees as it is to keep it at 325. This will be my third time cooking since I received it a few weeks ago and the results I've been getting have been some of the tastiest barbeque I've ever had. Once you get it set, it just seems to stay locked into a very narrow temperature range requiring very little adjustment as it cooks. I would have expected something of this size and quality to be priced closer to $350 or so.Anyway, the good news is, the key to successful barbeque is temperature control. I threw away money a few years ago on a cheaper smoker in which it was almost impossible to control and ruined several dollars worth of meat trying. However, there are a few little tips and tricks of the trade to cooking on a smoker and barbeque in general that require a little research, trial and error, and discussion with experienced "pit masters." For this I highly recommend The Virtual Weber Bullet website and The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board.
That would be the MOST expensive way to get into barbeque at home.
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