Hello all! I decided to get my father the WSM for his 70th birthday coming up soon. However, I have a few questions:

He's rib guy, so I figured the 22.5 is the way to go. I understand that the ideal temperature for smoking ribs is about 225. Some people report having a very hard time getting the 22.5 to get that low. Considering this, should I go for the 18.5? (He rarely cooks for a large group.)

Also, I want to get him all of the accessories he'll need to get started. Which of these are recommended: the Rapidfire Chimney Starter, a premium cover, a good thermometer, and a bag of wood chunks.

Thanks in advance for your advice

JM

Welcome to the forum JM!
If your pops is truly a rib guy, then the 22" er is the way to go.
I cook ribs all the time on my 18"er and
i'm still kickin' my doopa for being the cheapskate i am.
If i were to start over, the 22"er is certainly the way to go.

Butt, please don't get me wrong, ribs still turn out terrific on the 18.
As much as the 22"er not getting down to and staying at 225'F... i find that hard to believe.
After a few cooks on it, he'll find his comfort zones and it'll be like an old hat.
And all the accessories you mentioned, yes to all of them.
Not only are they accessories, butt necessaries.

I cook my ribs in the 225-250'F range. Even 275'F ain't bad either...

quote:

Originally posted by J Mattocks:
Also, I want to get him all of the accessories he'll need to get started. Which of these are recommended: the Rapidfire Chimney Starter, a premium cover, a good thermometer, and a bag of wood chunks.

Only thing I see missing is a membership (free) to this. It's been invaluable to me.

Welcome to the board!

Thankfully, the cooker will come with a premium cover, and my factory gauge was only 10 degrees off the last time I checked it.

Other than the chimney, my tools include a brass brush for the enamel surfaces, a steel brush for the grates, cooking tongs, narrow tongs (fit between the bowl and the ring for the "jumpers") for moving hot briquettes and wood chunks, some welding gloves, and a stemmed therm to clip on at the vent if you don't trust the factory gauge. Also, I use a Maverick Redi-temp to monitor butt and brisket IMT and wake me up if my charcoal misbehaves, but that's not really necessary. You can get much cheaper ones to monitor the IMT, just not remotely.

As to the cooker, I'd think hard on the big one before I pulled the trigger on it. I've cooked nine slabs of ribs in my original wsm and wouldn't hesitate to do it again if I needed that many. I'd just be sure to check the ones on the bottom in the outer rack slots and rotate once or twice. I see no reason to get the larger one if rarely smoking more than six racks at a time.

Another thing to consider is portability. I just carried my wsm in my sedan's trunk to and from Mississippi for a family reunion and still had room for all my daughter's luggage.

Like Jim said, "all of the above". But the 22" will come with a therm and a cover (as will the newer 18's). So all you need is some wood and a chimney.

Also "What Don said".

i recommend the weber chimney. all the other brands of chimneys that ive seen look cheap (poorly built).

I agree with the Lampe that your accessories are necessaries. As for nice-to-haves, a remote therm like the Maverick ET-73 is one of 'em.

Have you seen the 22.5"? It is HUGE! I'm not sure I'd buy my 70yo Dad such a large device to handle, not just weight but size. Depending on what shape he's in, if it's too awkward/difficult to assemble/disassemble and maneuver the lid, he will be less inclined to use it.

Based on my experience with the 18.5" and what others have written about the 22.5", I believe the 18.5" is more effecient when it comes to temp control.

IMO, 250º~275º is better than 225º. The best ribs I've ever produced were cooked closer to 275º.

You definitely need the Chimney Starter, a *good* thermometer, and leather welding gloves.

Travis made good points, and if your dad was ever tempted to lift the stack off to tend the coals, the orig. wsm would be much easier.

Thanks to all of you for the valuable information. I'll be sure to purchase through the link on the front page of this site.

JM

You only need a 18 WSM to get started. The 22 is for large qty's of food and I don,t believe your there. The weber chimney,hickory and lump charcoal is all you need.the finesse will come after a few trys.Leather gloves a must and somewhere safe to set the Hot chimney. let your your spice mind run wild and rub the meat. keep the temp as low as you can and water in the bowl. Your old man will be the talk of the town.

quote:

Originally posted by J Mattocks:
Some people report having a very hard time getting the 22.5 to get that low.

I've never had the slightest trouble, and it was my first smoker. In fact I've never had any trouble smoking bacon at 170 for 4-5 hours.

I think the 22" is very convenient if you're making ribs and I love mine but I'd also be a bit concerned about the extra weight.

JM - First of all...Welcome!

I prefer the 22.5" myself. With regards to the weight of the 22.5" vs. the 18.5"....I don't know about your Dad, but mine is in really good shape at almost 70. It's not like it weighs 50 lbs. (well altogether maybe) but you're moving sections of it. If you're really that concerned about the weight, the 22.5" can be put on wheels also (pretty easy mod.). Another thing I saw was your concern about getting 225 with the 22.5" - don't know about anyone else, but hasn't been anywhere even remotely an issue for me.

BTW - your dad will love whatever it is you get for him.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by TravisH:
Have you seen the 22.5"? It is HUGE! I'm not sure I'd buy my 70yo Dad such a large device to handle, not just weight but size.
Based on my experience with the 18.5" and what others have written about the 22.5", I believe the 18.5" is more effecient when it comes to temp control.

--I am 67 1/2" years young and in stable health. I bought my first WSM Classic(18 1/2") about 2 years ago and you can cook plenty of ribs,chicken,etc. on my Classic. Temperature Control is one of the things I have yet to master but I am doing a whole lot better than when I first lit up my WSM Classic around 2 years ago. It seems to me that Temperature Control would be somewhat more difficult to maintain on the bigger WSM, especially for us oldtimers.

Richard