Newbie from Chicago!

[Nate]

Welcome from Indiana

[MarioG]

A warm welcome from the Northern Suburbs/Libertyville, IL.

[myndcraft]

My wife used to work out in the Libertyville area, now I'm just out there on occasion to hit up Neumanns cigar lounge =)

[Breadhead]

Welcome to the Pit...👍

[Huskee]

myndcraft Besides Blanton's, what are a few of your favorite every day sippers?

[Advantage49]

Blantons is a wonderful drink! One of of my all time favorites. I've recently discover black maple hill and four roses

[myndcraft]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome here thus far. Nice to see a few fellow Illinoians.

Huskee gosh, that's a loaded question… some of my everyday sippers are Four Roses Small Batch, High West American Prairie, Elijah Craig 12 Year, 1792 Small Batch, Buffalo Trace Eagle Rare, and Breckenridge

[Mr. Bones]

Huskee gosh, that's a loaded question… some of my everyday sippers are Four Roses Small Batch, High West American Prairie, Elijah Craig 12 Year, 1792 Small Batch, Buffalo Trace Eagle Rare, and Breckenridge

Great answers on th' Bourbon !!! Reward

[myndcraft]

Hahaha, thanks =)

[DWCowles]

Welcome myndcraft

[Amajeff99]

Welcome from CT

[HJS]

Welcome! I'm a KY transplant but lived in Chicago for 10 years before finally settling down in Elmhurst IL.

I own a 22.5 in WSM and I flipping love it. Practice practice practice, and get a good coat of smoke in there to take off the sheen of being brand new. Your temps will be much more consistent after 5 smokes or so. Don't get too frustrated at first because it takes some work. Also, don't sweat minor smoke leaks like I did. It isn't designed to be completely air tight. It will still run excellent without any mods at all. Wait 6 months before you decide if you really need to mod it.

​​​​​​​Change your vent settings and wait 30 min, don't fiddle with it too much. And when it gets to 200-210, start throttling down the bottom vents to get to 225-250. It's normal for it to fluctuate 10-20 degrees or so. Again don't fiddle so much with the vents like I did when I first bought it. It's not an oven. Also, expect a longer stall on larger cuts of meat than other cookers and smokers or there due to the low air flow, but once you get these l those vents set you're golden. Go enjoy your Saturday once you get it right.

[myndcraft]

Great advice here thank you! What brought you to IL from KY? Me and the wife are thinking of heading South East in the next 2-3 years (although even more so than KY)

[HJS]

Wife is from River Forest. That's how I'm up here. Highly recommend South Carolina or North Carolina as I have family from both areas.

[Danjohnston949]

myndcraft, Welcome to "The Pit"! You are Now Entolled in the BBQ Univ.! Attendance and Participation are Mandatory!
Enjoy "The Pit"!
Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

[Black99vette]

Welcome from Aurora IL. I have a WSM 18.5 as well. You're in for some fun and good eats!

[myndcraft]

Welcome! I'm a KY transplant but lived in Chicago for 10 years before finally settling down in Elmhurst IL.

I own a 22.5 in WSM and I flipping love it. Practice practice practice, and get a good coat of smoke in there to take off the sheen of being brand new. Your temps will be much more consistent after 5 smokes or so. Don't get too frustrated at first because it takes some work. Also, don't sweat minor smoke leaks like I did. It isn't designed to be completely air tight. It will still run excellent without any mods at all. Wait 6 months before you decide if you really need to mod it.

Change your vent settings and wait 30 min, don't fiddle with it too much. And when it gets to 200-210, start throttling down the bottom vents to get to 225-250. It's normal for it to fluctuate 10-20 degrees or so. Again don't fiddle so much with the vents like I did when I first bought it. It's not an oven. Also, expect a longer stall on larger cuts of meat than other cookers and smokers or there due to the low air flow, but once you get these l those vents set you're golden. Go enjoy your Saturday once you get it right.

I'm planning to do my first "Last Meal Ribs" next weekend and am wondering what wood people recommend? I was planning to grab some Weber Wood Chunks, my local Home Depot carries them, but if there's something better I should be on the look out for please let me know!

[Advantage49]

Hickory and cherry chunks, i put them side by side is how it in my kettle w/sns

[Advantage49]

Welcome from Milwaukee! I'm a former Chicagoan and visit the city once to twice a month. You will find lots of helpful information here. You will also notice your monthly grocery bill going up 3x to try all the recipes.