Can you explain why I need at WSM?


 

Greg Y

TVWBB Pro
Since I joined this site I have learned so much and I have created some absolutely wonderful food with my Performer. For some reason, I am thinking about getting a WSM, but the logical side of my brain says that I do not need it. I can do some wonderful smoking and low and slow BBQ on my Performer.
Can you guys convince me that my next purchase should be a WSM (I'm thinking 14.5"?) instead of a 26.75" kettle?
 
Performer is 22. WSM SHOULD BE 22 too. But, if you move to 26 OTG .....well in this case I could prefer the 26. It has much more square inches to cook. You can smoke, bbq or grill without any problem. With the WSM you have 2 racks and very simple water smoker for real L&S. But no grilling except you move away the mid section. What to do finally. For sure, for me, never move to 14.5 WSM!!
 
For your next purchase, have a look at the ceramic egg/kamado style cookers. You can do low'n'slow, hot'n'fast, pizzas at crazy temps and they're really efficient when it comes to charcoal consumption.
 
I was in the same dilemma on whether or not to get a 22.5" WSM b/c I own a Ranch Grill and smoked on it all the time. I bought a WSM this summer and love it. I use to babysit the Ranch on long cooks and now I get the WSM dialed in and go about my business around the house and just check on it every so often. Plus, I find it very useful to use as a drum smoker or PBC. Large cooks on the WSM - no problem. Fun on the WSM. Definitely.
 
I started smoking meat on my 22.5 performer, did a 20 pound turkey on it, but it was a lot of work refueling the fire and wood. With the WSM 22.5 I just set it and go, no way would I have wanted to put the effort in doing a pork butt on the performer, but with the WSM, the butt goes on at 10 pm and goes all night and all morning without touching it.
 
It's just easier to smoke food on the wsm. Once loaded with charcoal you can go hours smoking.

I would smoke on my kettle performer. It's was fun but then I had to monitor the kettle all the
Time.
 
Horses for courses. Sure I can grill on the WSM and smoke on the Performer (or even my gassers), but as in the weekend carpenter syndrome "when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail", the devices do different things better. True BBQ is simply better in a smoker.
 
It's just easier to smoke food on the wsm. Once loaded with charcoal you can go hours smoking.

I would smoke on my kettle performer. It's was fun but then I had to monitor the kettle all the
Time.


I was going to say the exact same thing, its just a lot easier. I have a 26.75 in Weber and don't use it a whole lot. If we have guests over and I need more room I'll break it out, or sometimes I'll use it to grill up some ribs since a rack just fits a little bit bet on it than my Performer. If I didn't have it I probably wouldn't miss it much though. But if Weber ever comes out with a 26.75 Performer, I gonna be one of the first ones on the waiting list.
 
So many choices, it's great to be an American!
I've thought about a kamodo, but they are so expensive and heavy.

I have no trouble doing pulled pork using the snake method on the Performer overnight. I start it and set the temperature in the evening and it maintains it all night. I check it if I get up to pee (I'm old), but I usually don't have to adjust anything once it gets rolling.

So the main difference between the WSM and the Performer for smoking is no so much performance, but ease of use?
Also, my space is limited, as my grills are in the screen room on the back of the house. I have too many now, but wouldn't mind getting something different just to see what all the hoopla is about.
 
I have a 18.5 WSM and it works like a champ but I'm always wishing I had a little more. The 22.5 would be my first choice but 14.5 would be a no go. Go big or go home!! ;)
 
I'm going to be contrary to some of my brethren, here. I have an 18.5" and it is a great smoker. However, since I built my Mini-Joe Gold and bought a 14.5" I haven't used my 18.5". It is not for sale (a couple of times a year I need the capacity of the larger smoker) but using the smaller smoker (14.5) I can do two Boston Butts (8.0 lbs each) or 8 half racks of ribs (using a rib rack) or LOTS of chicken parts. That's really a good bit of meat at a time. If you really need the larger WSM, then get it. The smaller units use less charcoal and do just as good a job.

However, all of us can genuinely differ in requirements. Buy what you genuinely need but keep in mind that too big is really just as bad as too small. Get the size that best serves your needs most of the time.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
It's a personal choice.

Pro for a 22: Space.
Con: you have to heat that space. (It burns a little more charcoal).

Pro for an 18: less charcoal used.
Con: Space. See how folks do a packer or three pack of ribs. See if you're good with that.

Other than that they all pretty much do the same thing.
 
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The largest thing I have ever cooked or plan to cook is a turkey. I do not like ribs (I know, I'm weird that way).
 
Greg, my thought would be to build a Mini from a Smokey Joe first and see how you like it. For your turkey you can still use your kettle.
You can build the Mini for much less money than the WSM 14.5 and customize it as you would like as well. Lots of threads on this forum about
them. I have a Mini and the WSM 14.5 and they both cook about the same. Lots of guys want the WSM 22 or 18 but they both use a lot more
charcoal and usually are not used at full capacity. Enjoy whatever you choose!
 
you dont have to babysit a WSM like you do a kettle. WSM is 100 times easier to do low and slow. I have an 18.5 inch WSM. I have never needed anything bigger than the 18. Ribs, brisket, chickens etc fit into the 18. Unless you are regularly feeding big groups of people the 22 is overkill in my opinion. I have built a mini WSM and use that if I am just doing a small batch of sausages etc.
 
I'm going to buck the trend here as well, & agree with Mr. McGee.
The 14.5"-er is a cracking wee smoker! I can feed six people nae bother!
FWIW, I haven't broke out the 26.75 OTG since buying the SJG & JJ. That's a beast of a kettle!
But great when the troops stop by for a feed.

Oh, I forgot. Greg. Bend some coin, and get yerself a WSM. You won't regret it!
 
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You can hang meat in a WSM (need to make a hanger, see Jim Lampe's for a good example) You can cook over fire in a WSM (not enough distance in a kettle) And like many said, it's much easier to slow cook in a WSM, as they pretty much are on auto-pilot once you reach your desired heat
 

 

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