Finally got the OBS

[charman03]

After a little researching, not quite as much as some, I went with the OBS.  Picked it up at BPS last night, Jimmy Houston was there giving a seminar lol.  I process a lot of deer so I'll will be trying to smoke my deer bologna.  I also plan to do some baby backs and pulled pork along the way.  Please chime in on any beginners info I may need to know and what supplies I might need.  I'm already going to get the maverick 7 and pucks, wheres the best place to order each?  Eventually down the road I'll prob get a PID, but am going to try without it first.  Can't wait to go put this thing together and get it seasoned, Oh yeah and also build a small shelterfor it.

[macattak]

Welcome aboard.  I'm not a prolific poster, but I've gained so much insight from this board, I'd never have enjoyed my OBS as much I've I hadn't found it.  I haven't built/bought a PID, added another element, or done any mods actually.  I do plan to modify the front legs to save the faceplate, but the smoker is great out of the box.

The recipe site is such a great resource as well.  You wouldn't believe how many friends and family ask be to make up some butts, fatties, shrimp, meat loaf or whatever they've had in the past.  You're gonna love your OBS!

[charman03]

what's the reasoning for wanting to modify the front legs?

[Mr Walleye]

Hi Charman03 and welcome to the forum.

For the recipe site just click on the smoker in the bottom of my post.

Here's a link that describes the front leg mod. Also, someone posted some pictures of the mod but I can't remember who.
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showpost.php?p=769&postcount=12

The front legs of the OBS are integral to the front face plate. A few folks have had a problem cracking the face plate which can allow moisture onto the circuit board and cause it to fail. Bradley is good and will replace it if this happens but a few members have done the mod and solved the problem.

Mike

[FLBentRider]

W E L C O M E  the the Forum charman03!

Rookie advice ? Leave the vent open.

Have fun and don't rush the process!

Ask questions.

[drano]

charman03
Welcome and congrats on your OBS.  You made a wise choice.
I get my spice mixes and casings from this place on the south side of Omaha NE--great products and prices:
http://www.friscospices.com/
I use their beer brat and summer sausage mix and really like both. 
And of course, check out the Sausage board below.  It has really taken off since it was added just a short time ago.
And since you are wanting to make sausage, I strongly recommend the book Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas.  It has hundreds of recipes to make from scratch, the how and why of sausage making and smoking/curing them.  Well worth the money. 
For your first few batches of sausage, I'd recommend a pre-mixed spice pack.  All the spices are mixed together and its ready for the meat.  Once you've done a few batches of these, you can decide if you want to mix your own spices per a recipe. 
If you don't have a meat grinder and stuffer, do lots of surfing to see what people like and dislike--and read/ask in our sausage board.  Hopefully you can pay once and cry once rather than start sub-par then end up upgrading.  I used a Kitchen-Aid mixer meat grinder attachment for several years, and it did the job and a good price.  My first stuffer was a Cabelas 11 lb--great purchase.  This winter I upgraded to a Cabelas 1/2 hp commercial grinder--another great purchase for my 10-20 lb batches. 
A PID is very nice for sausage because it keeps the temp very even, but not required.   I got the Auber programable plug-n-play for Christmas, and love it.
Pulled pork--230 deg smoker until meat hits 190 deg, then wrap in Foil, a Towel and put in a Cooler for a couple hours (called FTC here), and enjoy.
get smokin
drano

[charman03]

is it a big deal to use a lengthy ext cord to plug in smoker.  I don't have an outlet that close to where I'll be using and saw a few mentions on this.  Will it effect anything?

[NePaSmoKer]

is it a big deal to use a lengthy ext cord to plug in smoker.  I don't have an outlet that close to where I'll be using and saw a few mentions on this.  Will it effect anything?

I have used my smoker with extension cords many times, no problems.

nepas

[Mr Walleye]

is it a big deal to use a lengthy ext cord to plug in smoker.  I don't have an outlet that close to where I'll be using and saw a few mentions on this.  Will it effect anything?

Just make sure it's a good quality heavier cord. With a lighter cord you can lose juice through resistance.

Mike

[Smokin Soon]

Walleye has you on the right track. If you go to a Home Depot or the like you will see the difference in the light duty and the nice fat ones the construction guys use. Very often they are labled
"contractor grade extension cords". If you skimp on the cord, you will waste electricity and not get full heating.

[westexasmoker]

SS and Walleye have got ya hooked up!  I run a 25 footer, can't remember the gauge, but its a beefy one and has never given me a problem.

C

[NePaSmoKer]

Yeah i forgot to say that i use a contractor grade extension cord. It weighs like 25lbs  ;D

nepas

[Ka Honu]

... I get my spice mixes and casings from this place on the south side of Omaha NE

Who knew Omaha (or any place in Nebraska) was big enough to have a south side?

[thegozzzz]

To me, the best investment I made was the PID, it made all the difference in the world. The OBS is terrible at keeping a constant temperature. I practically wore out the slide control moving it to stabilize the temperature. The PID keeps it within 5 degrees and made smoking so much easier. I also use it on my 6 rack DBS.

[Ka Honu]

Definitely gonna get one of them PID thingies (and a thermometer I can hear) when my 101K recovers a bit. Or maybe earlier - definitely into instant gratification,