Three and a half months after moving back from Malaysia to the US, we’re feeling a bit more settled now. We have moved into a new house in San Jose, and I have started a new job (praise God) in San Francisco with a great non-profit organization.

Since we left almost everything we had in Malaysia except for some clothes and important items, we really need to refurnish our new place with everything – dining set, sofa, TV, beds, desks – to get the House of Annie back in operation.  Fortunately, our friends have been very kind to us by donating a lot of things. But we are still missing a few things.

On Friday, I came home to find that the kids had prepared a “treasure hunt” for me, feeding me clues at each point around the house. They eventually led me outside to the shed.

What’s Behind Door #1?

I open the door, and…

It’s a Brand New Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker!

If you recall, I had packed up our old 18.5” Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) smoker to Malaysia on Annie’s urging. It was a good thing, because I was able to do a lot of barbecuing in Kuching. But we left the old smoker in the care of a good friend when we left.

Apparently, Annie and the kids decided to get me a Father’s Day gift of a new, higher-capacity 22.5” WSM! On Saturday afternoon, I unboxed the smoker.

All the WSM Parts out of the Box

How to Assemble a Weber Smokey Mountain

Assembling a WSM out of the box is easy with two people doing it. So it became a Father-Son project with Daniel assisting. The holes are pre-drilled and all the pieces you need are included. The only thing you need is a flat-head screwdriver, a small crescent wrench, and a Phillips-head screwdriver. And a bit of patience.

First, you attach the three legs to the charcoal bowl using screws, washers and nuts. Be sure to place the fiber washer between the body and the leg. Hold the screw in place with the flat-head screwdriver as you tighten the nut with the crescent wrench.

There are four Grate Supports, each secured by two sets of screws, washers and nuts.

Instead of one handle on the 18.5” WSM lid, the 22.5” lid comes with two – one on top and one on the side. Attach the two halves of the handle around the aluminum strip, insert the screw into the hole, and tighten. You may need to have someone squeeze the handle halves together tightly so that they don’t move and pinch later.

All that’s left is placing the charcoal grate and charcoal ring inside the charcoal bowl, then putting the WSM body on top. The water pan hangs on the bottom of the grate support, followed by the bottom rack and then the top rack.

Assembling the New WSM Cooker

(See expanded pics from this post on our Facebook Fan Page )

Something Doesn’t Quite Fit

Not everything fit so perfectly, though. The draft door, made of thin aluminum, was bent a little out of shape (a common occurrence). It doesn’t fit flush with the body, leaving some gaps for air to flow in and smoke to escape. But since it’s made of such thin aluminum, it is easy to (carefully) bend back into shape. 

Still, I’m so happy with my new preciousssss…

I’m sure we’ll be having lots of delicious adventures together!

Aloha, Nate

PS: I’m not really going to name the new smoker “My Preciousssss”. How about if you suggest a name? Leave a comment below!