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I finally got my 55 from Cabela's today and have started to document my journey...

Packaging
First of all, these things are packaged very well. I cut all of the straps and lifted the box off of the unit, and there it was.... glistening in the sun. Dang this thing is purdy! I got it out of the box and put on the wheels and rolled it into place. I opened up the unit and took a look at the goodies inside. It came with 12 rib hooks, Rib rub, Brisket Rub, the famous "Spicy BBQ Sauce" (can't wait to try that), an owner's manual, a cookbook, 5 pounds of hickory and the racks.

Quality
The quality of the unit was very impressive. It is built like a tank! The latches that hold the door shut are huge and very sturdy. I can't say enough about the build quality.

Break in
So I got everything ready for the break in. I filled up the wood box (it tells you to put in 10 oz to season it) and put it in. I also dropped the temp sensor from my Maverick E-73 in there to watch the temps, shut the doors and turned it up to 200 degrees. I plan on seasoning it for 5-6 hours tonight before I begin smoking my first boston butt and picnic that have been sitting in my fridge all night, rubbed down and ready to go.

Here are some pics for your and I have to tell you the smell of smoking wood is awesome. Enjoy!

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Last edited {1}
Original Post

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I will guess 6 pm tomorrow if you put them in cold and set it around the 225* mark. You didn't give details.

First thang, throw out the cookbook that came with the smoker. Trash. As far as the manual goes...well the jury is still out.

How long did it take to burn up 10 oz of wood at 200*? I am sure the manual says 200*, but I would have maxed it out. Lived and learned that.

Nice slideshow.

Congrats on a wise purchase, and good luck!

Big Grin
Still not done yet...

At 4:30 I turned it up to 250 and now at 6:50 it is 188 degrees. I'm pullin out at 195.

I was hoping to have this for supper tonight, but now it looks like it will be for lunch tomorrow.

Here's a question.

How long can I leave them wrapped up in foil and a towel in a cooler for? Or should I just pull later tonight and put it in the fridge?

I'll take some pictures when I pull them out and post for all to see. It is still below zero here.

I thawed out the next project. Three racks of spare ribs and bought 4 whole chickens and two more butts. My wife thinks I've lost it.
Just took it out at 8:30... 23 hours later at 195 degrees. I did not open the door once.

We did taste it (as you can see in the slide show) and it was good. We're leaving the rest sit in a cooler for a half an hour and then we'll pull it.

I've added some more pics of the finished product.

Thanks again to everyone who helped me out. I'm very happy with my purchase and can't wait to try the next thing which will be either ribs or chicken.
Last edited by Former Member
You're gonna love that 55 Vettman! I've had mine about 2 months now and have smoked damn near every week. I'll be putting 4 baby backs in tomorrow. We've got temps outside similar to yours, it's getting down to -10 tonight.

If you think it tasted good tonight wait until tomorrow when you warm it up, it'll taste even better. Nice job on the pics.

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