Greetings all from KC! (Overland Park)

I made up my mind about 6-7 months ago that I was going to buy a smoker for my B-day this year after having some smoked turkeys last year for thanksgiving and observing some people in my family smoking various meats. Being in my late 20's I want another hobby.

I started my research about 3 months ago thinking that I wanted to get an offset smoker. Then I came across some youtube videos on people smoking with a wsm that they swore by. So I found this site and have been stalking the discussion boards and reading about the ease of operation. I was pretty much sold after that.

My next tough decision was whether to get an 18" or 22". I thought for sure that I would want the big one to start with. Again after reading through the boards and seeing pictures posted by members on how much capacity an 18" actually has, I figured that would meet my bbq'ing demands. I can always get another one :-)

I have been looking on craigslist hoping to find a steal on a wsm, but to no avail the last month or two. So I just ordered an 18" off of amazon yesterday. Can't wait to get it and actually smoke something after doing all of this research. Nothing better than hands on learning.

Derek

Welcome aboard Derek!

IMO you made a good choice with the WSM over an offset. Offsets are great smokers, if you don't mind fiddling with the fire constantly.
At least that was the case for me with my NB Bandera.

Good luck with your first smoke on the WSM!

Welcome to the BulletBoard Derek! As Bob said, you've made the right choice with the WSM. You're ABSOLUTELY gonna LOVE that thing AND we're looking forward to your posts especially those with photos!
Enjoy

Welcome to the WSM family Derek, looking forward to hearing about your experiences with your smoker.

I will post my first try when I finally get around to giving it a go in the next few weeks. Not sure yet, but pretty sure I will start with something easy like a Boston Butt. Pretty hard to screw those up.