New and need help


 
R

RyanC

New member
Hello I am Ryan. I am from Long Beach Island, NJ. I love cooking. Started out cooking in an Italian restaurant out of high school. Learned a lot of things in that kitchen. Grew up watching my grandfather and father master the charcoal grills. I have plenty of them and use them all the time. Exclusively webers and pretty much always use KBB.

Now on to where I need help. Can't decide between the 18.5 or the 22.5 WSM. Cost isn't an issue. Cost to run the bigger one cause of more fuel isn't an issue. I have plenty of space for the larger one. I don't throw huge parties, but once or twice a year we have 20 or so people over. Please give me some pros and cons of each. I am just worried that if I buy the 18, I will need the bigger one at some point.

Thanks
 
If cost is not an issue which it wasn't for me, I got the 22.5 so I'm not able to comment on the 18.5. I don't think that the 22 needs more fuel than the 18 and of course the 22 can hold more food. I'm also over 6 feet tall, so when I was looking at the 18 and 22 side-by-side, of course I went for the 22.

Welcome to the site Ryan, please stick around and educate us with some of your experience.
 
I can feed 20-30 people off my 18.5 WSM,no problem. People love my pulled pork and even more when I throw a brisket on too!
 
Welcome aboard Ryan!! For the record, I went with the 22. Works great whether I am cooking for a few people or a crowd. And I just wanted it. Great to have you.
 
Thanks guys, keep the info coming. I am thinking the 22 is will be my choice. Is it hard to get them up to 350? I love spatchcock turkey and chicken and like cooking at that temp.
 
RyanC said:
Thanks guys, keep the info coming. I am thinking the 22 is will be my choice. Is it hard to get them up to 350? I love spatchcock turkey and chicken and like cooking at that temp.
Click to expand...

For high heat 350 deg, I stay with my Performer. Use my WSM for low and slow. Learned a long time ago that you should always use the right tool for the job. As an example, would you carve a turkey with a butter knife? Last Thanksgiving I tried to use my WSM for the turkey at high heat. I found it was to hard to maintain 350. Much easier to maintain 350 or higher on my Performer.

Just my 20 cents (factored in inflation).
 
I'd go with the 22; it really doesn't use any more fuel than the 18, and it will be extra cushion when you have 20+ people over.
as my wife has said, figure out the size you _think_ you need and go one size bigger. you'll be pleasantly surprised later.
 
Hey Ryan... I went with the 22 WSM and have no regrets. A year or so later I bought the 14 WSM for the smaller cooks. They are both fantastic! Whatever you buy, you will be happy. Oh yeah, welcome to the group!
 
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