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Thursday, April 12, 2012

$10,000 From a WSM and 1 Bag of Charcoal

My Favorite BBQ Smoker
I have been cooking bbq on my Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) since 2001. I get extremely consistent results from the WSM and if I was competing this weekend, I would still prefer to use the WSM for brisket versus any other bbq smoker I own.

Many have said it before me and I've been saying for 11 years on the web - "It's not the cooker, it's the cook."  If you give 10 bbq cooks the same smoker and the same recipe, I'd be willing to bet you that there would be 10 different types, styles, and flavors of bbq results.

You don't need a $100,000 RV, a $25,000 catering trailer, or three or four different bbq smokers, etc. etc. to win a professional bbq contest. Don't believe me?

Slap Yo Daddy BBQ won a large bbq contest in Las Vegas earlier this year using 1 WSM and 1 bag of Kingsford charcoal for the event. From SlapYoDaddyBBQ.com:


Our continuing efforts to use only one WSM and one bag of Kingsford for each contest is working out as most of the choreographed ballet steps trying to cook four meats on one pit have been worked out.

So while some guys are out there ordering $15,000 custom bbq smokers mounted on trailer along with every new gadget, accessory, training class, book, DVD, etc. Slap Yo Daddy is keeping things pretty status quo (for them) and concentrating on executing bbq at a consistently high-level from contest to contest and collecting prize money. And if you've been following their results like I have, you know that they've been collecting a lot of grand championships these last few years.
Maybe it's time to return to basics and K.I.S.S.

I cooked this brisket on my WSM.



5 comments:

Jeremiah Red Johnson said...

It's goes to show you that a good recipe and the right equipment can make the best final product.

Tips for BBQ said...

Great post. I run Tips for BBQ.com and I've had a hard time getting this through to some.

Just talking about newcomers it's interested to see some hold out in getting started because they've been told 'buy this and not that'. Go buy a reliable WSM, build an ugly drum or find something that will just get you going until you can afford the custom-built or whatever you have your eye on. Chances are you'll figure out just what you've said. It's the cook - so learn to cook!

Rusty

Chris said...

That's a pretty darn good return on investment!

Lance said...

If you ever get a chance to see the WSM that Harry uses it is quite a sight. He estimates that it has traveled over 250,000 miles. The only thing that had to be replaced are the legs. I'm still shocked Weber would not sponsor him. He has handed them thousands of sales of new WSM's over the years. Maybe soon?

Grill and Barbecue said...

Looks like a great BBQ smoker to hold on to! I also believe that the result depends on the cook, not on the equipment.