18 1/2" or 22 1/2" ???


 
Jay

Jay

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hello everyone,i need help with an age old question thats been asked many times im sure. having trouble deciding on a wsm 18 1/2 or the 22 1/2,im in New York,so weather wise we get a little of everything,i cook everything chicken,pork butts,rarely ever do ribs as much as i should and yet to do briskets,just to give yall a run down of my cooks.is the fuel efficiency that big a diff between the two? all help in decision making will be grately appreciated,thanks...
 
Yeah, there's a bit of a difference in fuel efficiency, since there's a lot more space to heat inside the 22. You don't mention how many folks you normally cook for, but I've got both. I'd say get an 18.
 
I've fit 3 full racks of St Louis spares on top rack of 18..... Have done a full packer also ( not same cook...just giving you an idea of what you can do) can't ever imagine the need for the 22... At least for my family
 
I've cooked for ten people and has enough for all of us for a week still .. Two 8 pound butts and 3 slabs of baby backs 1 slab of spares..
 
Purchased in 2006 to initially smoke butts, my 18 WSM nowadays is used for mostly smoking bacon and beef jerky. If hindsight is 20-20, then I would have gotten the 22 inch WSM (not available at the time) in order to increase bacon and jerky quantity: more profits that way! 8^0
 
It boils down to a personal decision. I recommend checking this out to help make your decision: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/22wsm.html

If you have the space for the larger footprint I recommend the 22.5". It's true you can shoe horn all kinds of stuff on an 18" but if you can afford the initial cost difference, and the footprint, go big.

The cost to run the 22.5" over the 18" is negligible in my mind. We're talkin about a dollar or two more for an all night cook.
 
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It is a tough decision because I think both are a compromise. You'll have regrets either way. If your cooks are like mine, if you get the 18", at some point, you'll wish you had more room. If you get the 22", you'll wonder why you're wasting money on charcoal for most of your cooks when you only need the extra space occaisionally. I bought the 18" becasue for 99% of my cooks, I figured it would be big enough. I knew that if I bought the 22", I'd always have the extra room if/when I needed it. But, I'd be sacrificing fuel/money for every single cook for that 1% of the time that I needed the extra room. The other factor for me was that HD only stocks the 18". And, I had a gift card that I wanted to use on it.

The 18" has a good bit of room. But, I've had ribs that touch on both sides unless I cut them, which I don't really like to do. But, I can cut them. And, I can put another rack on the lower grate if I want to cook 2 racks. That's really been my only time I've longed for the 22. For everything else, the 18" is plenty big enough.
 
Lots of discussion out there debating the 2. I'm happy with my 18.5 and did have a 22.5 at one point. For me, the 18.5 is perfect. IMHO an 18.5 is fine for the average family and friends. If you tend to cook for large groups or do lots of meat in one cook I could see the 22.5. But for me it was just a waste of space and fuel. The only bummer is having to trim/coil full racks but in the big picture that's no big deal and you say you rarely do ribs so even less of an issue.

A few weeks ago I did an 8 lb shoulder overnight - turned out great. I could have fit another one on the top and 2 more on the lower rack. That's 32 lbs of shoulder............that's a TON of meat in my world.

On here and other Q forums there are lots of dudes that do some serious cooking in large quantities. There is often a move towards the "more is always better" purchase. Try and step back and take a REALISTIC look at your needs - and you'll make the right choice.
 
Recognizing that it is a personal decision, I really don't understand the reluctance to cut rib racks in half to smoke them. Even major BBQ restaurants (at least the ones I have been to) serve half racks. I use two Brinkman ribs racks (one on each grate) for my 18.5, my 14.5, and my Mini-Joe. The ribs are cooked perfectly from end to end of the half racks. That is unlike when I did full slabs on my OTG when the ends would typically be overcooked. That gives me a capacity of eight half racks in every smoker. That is a LOT of ribs, IMO. Others have mentioned a capacity of at least four 8-9.0 lb. Boston Butts per smoker with the 18.5. Again, that's a LOT of meat.

Bigger is not always better. If you do LARGE crowds of people on a regular basis, then, and only then, would I consider the 22.5".

As always, you only have to please yourself - it is a strictly personal decision and neither would be "wrong" but my vote in most cases will go for the smaller unit.

FWIW
Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Thanks for all the feed back,it is greatly appreciated. I forgot to mention that we are a family of five, and when my parents come by its 7 of us and I do t usually entertain large crowds but maybe 2 xs a year at the most.
 
Trust me when I say you can feed 7 people on one rack of a 18.5 by large crowds we mean a couple dozen... The problem when you first get your smoker won't be the size it'll be the fact that it tastes so good you cook way more than necessary. The 22.5 is what I thought a really needed when I got the 18.5 but now I realize that's crazy talk... I still cook way too much and get tired of eating same stuff by time it's all gone go 18.5 then if you think it's too small there's 500,000 people on here who would be glad to buy your 18.5 for a little less and you can buy the 22.5 but I bet you'll love the 18.5
 
I agree with Dwain,

IMO the size vs fuel thing is a non-issue. I have a 22.5 and even for a all night cook, the most I've used is an entire bag of lump charcoal during the winter, which can be somewhat mitigated by sheltering the smoker from the wind. So, is saving a 1/4 bag, about $2.00 worth of charcoal, per cook on a long cook, worth it, not to me. I cook about 2 weekends per month, so a smaller cooker might save me a total of $48 per year in charcoal. I much prefer the capacity and getting my meat away from the hot edge of the cooking grate.
 
sizes are an easy choice for me, I learned the hard way to buy for assumed growth and expansion - its absolutely inevitable w webers and bbqing for friends/family. so consider that one point for the 22.5. on the flip side... heheh get that 18.5 and that builds in a second pit in the future. point scored for the 18.5. either way man youre a winner with a weber.

don't lift the lid...
 
I've cooked three - four 7.5-8.5 butts/chucks per grate many times on my 18.5. (that comes to >50# with ease).

I'm not even considering a 22.5, but I am thinking about building a few UDSs for/with friends, they use 22.5 grates, the lid, etc, but they're nowhere near as friendly as the WSM, and they have no warranty.

Do you have a kettle? Is space an issue?

You'll be fine with either I'd think
 
The main reason I use my 18" for butt cooks isn't to save some charcoal. It's so I won't have to refuel with charcoal. I have to refuel more with the 22", and I read posts of folks having to refuel during long cooks on the 14". You wouldn't believe how much charcoal was left on my last butt cook on the 18"! But to add to what Robert said about ribs, three slabs rolled on the 18" cook just as evenly or maybe even more so than whole slabs on my 22". Half slabs in up to six slot rib racks cook just as evenly as well, and that' not with any rotating, either. Everybody's different, though. I save my 22 incher for briskets or REALLY BIG cooks. That's all.
 
Clint said:
I've cooked three - four 7.5-8.5 butts/chucks per grate many times on my 18.5. (that comes to >50# with ease).

I'm not even considering a 22.5, but I am thinking about building a few UDSs for/with friends, they use 22.5 grates, the lid, etc, but they're nowhere near as friendly as the WSM, and they have no warranty.

Do you have a kettle? Is space an issue?

You'll be fine with either I'd think
Click to expand...

I have 2 22 1/2 kettles,I have plenty of space also.if all goes sell this weekend I should have a meadow creek ts 120 p off set reverse flow smoker that can easily accommodate a large crowd.I'm leaning towards the 18 1/2 but kind of want the 22 1/2 lol, decisions Decisions
 
If anyone has had both sizes what's the longest cooks youve gone without having to refuel under ideal conditions?
 
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