It really is a great smoker.

The two things I remember having to get a little creative with were slabs of ribs and full packer briskets. The ribs you can coil into a circle shape and pin them with toothpicks. That way they will stand up. Briskets you just have to buy smaller ones and kind of scrunch them up. I actually learned a competition trick from that. You can sort of make a thin brisket much thicker when it is cooked by doing that scrunching.
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Love my smoker, I have been cooking with it for over 3 years. Never had one meal turn out bad. I smoke brisket, chicken, pork butts, turkeys, ribs, you name it.

A few recent pics......

Trimming up a few racks St. Louis style
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Rubbed and rolled (too big to fit in the smoker until they cook down a bit)
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In they go
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Four hours of this, stopping to baste with apple juice and turn 180 degrees
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Then unroll for the last 30 minutes and brush a bit of sauce....
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Hmmmm tasty.
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A full turkey.....tasty
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Picked up my first WSM 6 months ago and went with the 22. So far for the amount of people I'm smoking for I could have got the 18. It's nice to know I have the extra room to smoke a larger amount if need be but It also takes more fuel/wood to run the 22 so In that respect I'm losing out. If you know you wont be smoking for more than just your family the 18 should be fine. I knew that when I went in and still got the 22 because I hate second guessing myself. Also I got mine on amazon the seem to have the best prices and free shipping .
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Turkey looks awesome! :-) How long did it take? Size?

Amazon still has a deal on 2008 models ($224), I ordered my 2009 at Lowes, free shipping to store. The difference is thermometer in top, handle on door, drip pan at bottom. The water pan is also 2 gal.

So far, I've used the water pan with good results. I will try the dry method to see the results.

Any tried and true suggestions on the 8lb pork shoulder tomorrow?
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4 ish hours. You run the smoker wide open the whole time to keep the temps up over 350 ish. I think that bird was 15-20 lbs, I forget. I have smoked more than one. I have a commercial size freezer and I stock up when the price falls through the floor after Thanksgiving. :-)

Fat cap face up, a good rub, low and slow. It is really hard to mess up pork in a smoker. :-)
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For a pork butt I trim all the fat off. It gives more surface for the rub. An eight pounder I would give myself 14 hours. It shouldn't take that long but you never know. I cook 'em at 220-230. When the internal temp of the butt gets to 170 it should have broken the "stuck" period when the collagen is broken down. Then I take it off the smoker, put it on two pieces of tin foil, add some apple juice, and double wrap it. Put it back on the smoker. If I am slicing it take it to 180. If I am pulling I take it to 190. Either way you want to pull it off the smoker, put it in a small cooler, take the extra space up with an old towel, and let it rest for at least an hour. You can hold them this way for up to 4 hours with no problem.

Just don't sweat it though... it really is pretty hard to truly mess on up. I'd be glad to provide phone support if needed!!
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Nice!!!!
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Now that I've had the Brinkmann electric smoker for just a month with great results I'm ready to move up to the WSM. I think I'm going for the older 18" model which is still available at a lower price than the newer "improved" 2009 18" WSMs. I don't think I need the capacity of the 22".

PDB&G will be smoking weekly...:-)
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Have the Masterbilt version, made briskets earlier this month and smoked some trout. Have smoked mussels, scallops, chicken, turkey, etc. Like mesquite for brisket, hickory for everything else but the seafood, use maple or fruitwood for those.
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just ordered the 18" off amazon. thanks for the thread and tips.
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Which one did you order, the older or the newer 18"?

Have you also visited the Weber Virtual Bullet site/discussion forum?
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I orderdered the older one I assume because it was $224 with shipping and tax. any major performance differences between the two?

haven't checked the weber forum but ill check it out. tks
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RAC Enterprise has a Memorial Day sale ending today. 18.5 $239.99, 22.5 $339.99 plus free shipping.
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mm that meat looks AWESOME!!!
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Today I got to do pork ribs on my WSM, after 4 Hrs of no stress smoking and a not to good cigar. I LOVE MY WSM!!!!!!!!!!!!:-)
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I met a guy while waiting at the local sausage counter (purchased Camel Sausage) who has a great knowledge of bbq, and is a food blogger. He suggested going to "The BBQ Brethren Forum" - http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/

Looks like he was on point for the forum.

His blog is located - http://blog.buckymcoinkumsbbq.com.
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I decided to build my own UDS. Here's an easy 'how to' thread I found recently:

clicky here
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