Hi everyone,
In late July, I was asked by Weber Public Relations to try out a pre-production version of a new 2009 WSM model that will be available this fall. I agreed, but was asked to do so on a confidential basis as the product had not been announced.
I received the cooker on Saturday, Aug. 9, assembled it on Sunday, and cooked on it for the first time on Monday, Aug. 11.
When the photo from the Weber Denmark site emerged, I asked Weber if I could speak about the product, and they agreed.
Yes, this is the 22" WSM you have been waiting for!
It features:<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Two 22" cooking grates - 50% larger than current WSM
<LI>Built-in lid thermometer with 1.5" stem...temp range of 100-350*F in 5*F increments
<LI>Extra lid handle on edge (it's a heavy lid)
<LI>Larger 4-1/4" vent dampers with 4 3/4" holes
<LI>Improved access door: taller, wider, with handle that indicates locked position, and a clever design that allows you to remove the door entirely or have it open downward but still attached--without hinges
<LI>Monster 3-gallon water pan with wider rim and redesigned grill straps to stablize the pan...this pan is not going anywhere once in the cooker
<LI>Sturdier 2" wide legs
<LI>Improved charcoal grate: the gaps at the edges have been closed to prevent charcoal from falling through
<LI>Really big charcoal chamber...have not yet measured capacity, but 9 lbs of charcoal looked very lonely in the bottom of the chamber
<LI>A heat shield mounted on the legs to protect surfaces beneath the cooker
<LI>A bit more headroom between the top grate and inside top of lid, and a bit more space between top and bottom grates[/list]There will also be a new 18" WSM that includes many features from the 22" cooker, like the lid thermometer (slightly different design), improved access door, 2-gallon water pan, and heat shield.
What is not included that you may have wanted?<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Handles on middle section
<LI>Probe thermometer eyelet
<LI>Handles on lower cooking grate
<LI>Connected charcoal chamber/grate[/list]But hey, you still need stuff to be able to mod yourself, right?
----------------------------------------
Test Cooks
I have performed a series of test cooks on the new 22" cooker in order to provide feedback to Weber.
View test cook photos
My first test cook was 6 slabs of loin back ribs on the top grate...4 in a rib rack and one slab on either side laid out flat on the grate. So 6 slabs cooked in flat orientation without having to roll the ribs. Without a rib rack, 3 slabs lay flat with room to spare on all sides, unlike the current WSM. (I learned later that the grate is large enough to nest 2 Weber rib racks end-to-end to create 9 slots for full and half slabs of ribs.) Temperature control during this cook seemed to be as good as the current WSM.
My second test cook was 6 beer can chickens, 3 on each grate. I used big, 5 lb. chickens and they stood on the bottom grate without touching the top grate, unlike in the current WSM. I used lump charcoal and started with a full chimney of lit over a bed of unlit. The cooker ran around 275*F for quite a while before dropping below 250*F, even with all the bottom vents closed.
My third test cook was 45 lbs. of pork butt to see how a longer cook would go. I used an entire 21.6 lb. bag of Kingsford and cooked the meat for 11-1/2 hours until tender. I was running out of fuel toward the end of the cook.
My fourth test cook was another 45 lbs. of pork butt. I wanted to see if I could get more than 11 hours out of a big bag of Kingsford. This time I used 2 gallons of hot water in the pan instead of cool water. It was also a calm, warm night, never went below 63 degree. Someone at Weber told me they got 14 hours by starting with a lot of hot coals, setting the top vent 3/4 open, and closing all the bottom vents for the entire cook. Well, I used foil to plug the gaps in my out-of-round condition and put a full Weber chimney of hot coals over the remainder of a 21.6 lb. bag of Kingsford. Set the vents as instructed. Meat sat at room temp for 1 hour before going into the cooker. I could not get it over 200*F. So I opened just 1 bottom vent 100% and it ran in the low 200's for a long time, then I ended up with 2 bottom vents open 100% toward the end of the cook. Once again, it started to poop-out at about 11 hours. The meat was done at 11-1/2 hours. I shook loose the ashes to reveal maybe a chimney-full of partial briquettes in various stages of burning.
----------------------------------------
New Product Page
I have created a product page that includes product pricing and availability (when this info becomes available), features, detailed specs, photo gallery, and photos from my test cooks:
New 18" and 22" Weber Smokey Mountain Cookers for 2009
I have also posted several videos on YouTube:
(If you have a good high-speed Internet connection, click High Quality.)
Part 1: Out of Box Experience
Standard Quality | High Quality
Part 2: Out of Box Experience
Standard Quality | High Quality
Part 3: Assembly
Standard Quality | High Quality
Part 4: Final Comments & Comparison to Current 18" WSM
Standard Quality | High Quality
Part 5: Addendum to Parts 1 - 4
Standard Quality | High Quality
Charcoal Capacity
Standard Quality | High Quality
----------------------------------------
Visit to Weber Corporate Offices
On August 25, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Weber's corporate offices in Palatine, IL.
In a series of meetings throughout the morning, I met with members of the packaging development team, the smoker R&D team, and several product managers for the smoker and for accessories. We discussed a wide variety of topics related to the new 18" and 22" Smokey Mountain Cookers, as well as some general discussion about the smoker market segment in general.
You can read about my trip and see some photos here:
Visit to Weber Corporate Offices
----------------------------------------
To sum up in one word...Wow! Hard to believe that after 20+ years of no feature enhancement, Weber turned its attention to the WSM and made many of the improvements we've all been asking for, including larger capacity. For years, I never believed this day would come. So to all you dreamers out there, keep on dreaming...because sometimes dreams do come true!
Regards,
Chris
In late July, I was asked by Weber Public Relations to try out a pre-production version of a new 2009 WSM model that will be available this fall. I agreed, but was asked to do so on a confidential basis as the product had not been announced.
I received the cooker on Saturday, Aug. 9, assembled it on Sunday, and cooked on it for the first time on Monday, Aug. 11.
When the photo from the Weber Denmark site emerged, I asked Weber if I could speak about the product, and they agreed.
Yes, this is the 22" WSM you have been waiting for!
It features:<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Two 22" cooking grates - 50% larger than current WSM
<LI>Built-in lid thermometer with 1.5" stem...temp range of 100-350*F in 5*F increments
<LI>Extra lid handle on edge (it's a heavy lid)
<LI>Larger 4-1/4" vent dampers with 4 3/4" holes
<LI>Improved access door: taller, wider, with handle that indicates locked position, and a clever design that allows you to remove the door entirely or have it open downward but still attached--without hinges
<LI>Monster 3-gallon water pan with wider rim and redesigned grill straps to stablize the pan...this pan is not going anywhere once in the cooker
<LI>Sturdier 2" wide legs
<LI>Improved charcoal grate: the gaps at the edges have been closed to prevent charcoal from falling through
<LI>Really big charcoal chamber...have not yet measured capacity, but 9 lbs of charcoal looked very lonely in the bottom of the chamber
<LI>A heat shield mounted on the legs to protect surfaces beneath the cooker
<LI>A bit more headroom between the top grate and inside top of lid, and a bit more space between top and bottom grates[/list]There will also be a new 18" WSM that includes many features from the 22" cooker, like the lid thermometer (slightly different design), improved access door, 2-gallon water pan, and heat shield.
What is not included that you may have wanted?<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Handles on middle section
<LI>Probe thermometer eyelet
<LI>Handles on lower cooking grate
<LI>Connected charcoal chamber/grate[/list]But hey, you still need stuff to be able to mod yourself, right?
----------------------------------------
Test Cooks
I have performed a series of test cooks on the new 22" cooker in order to provide feedback to Weber.
View test cook photos
My first test cook was 6 slabs of loin back ribs on the top grate...4 in a rib rack and one slab on either side laid out flat on the grate. So 6 slabs cooked in flat orientation without having to roll the ribs. Without a rib rack, 3 slabs lay flat with room to spare on all sides, unlike the current WSM. (I learned later that the grate is large enough to nest 2 Weber rib racks end-to-end to create 9 slots for full and half slabs of ribs.) Temperature control during this cook seemed to be as good as the current WSM.
My second test cook was 6 beer can chickens, 3 on each grate. I used big, 5 lb. chickens and they stood on the bottom grate without touching the top grate, unlike in the current WSM. I used lump charcoal and started with a full chimney of lit over a bed of unlit. The cooker ran around 275*F for quite a while before dropping below 250*F, even with all the bottom vents closed.
My third test cook was 45 lbs. of pork butt to see how a longer cook would go. I used an entire 21.6 lb. bag of Kingsford and cooked the meat for 11-1/2 hours until tender. I was running out of fuel toward the end of the cook.
My fourth test cook was another 45 lbs. of pork butt. I wanted to see if I could get more than 11 hours out of a big bag of Kingsford. This time I used 2 gallons of hot water in the pan instead of cool water. It was also a calm, warm night, never went below 63 degree. Someone at Weber told me they got 14 hours by starting with a lot of hot coals, setting the top vent 3/4 open, and closing all the bottom vents for the entire cook. Well, I used foil to plug the gaps in my out-of-round condition and put a full Weber chimney of hot coals over the remainder of a 21.6 lb. bag of Kingsford. Set the vents as instructed. Meat sat at room temp for 1 hour before going into the cooker. I could not get it over 200*F. So I opened just 1 bottom vent 100% and it ran in the low 200's for a long time, then I ended up with 2 bottom vents open 100% toward the end of the cook. Once again, it started to poop-out at about 11 hours. The meat was done at 11-1/2 hours. I shook loose the ashes to reveal maybe a chimney-full of partial briquettes in various stages of burning.
----------------------------------------
New Product Page
I have created a product page that includes product pricing and availability (when this info becomes available), features, detailed specs, photo gallery, and photos from my test cooks:
New 18" and 22" Weber Smokey Mountain Cookers for 2009
I have also posted several videos on YouTube:
(If you have a good high-speed Internet connection, click High Quality.)
Part 1: Out of Box Experience
Standard Quality | High Quality
Part 2: Out of Box Experience
Standard Quality | High Quality
Part 3: Assembly
Standard Quality | High Quality
Part 4: Final Comments & Comparison to Current 18" WSM
Standard Quality | High Quality
Part 5: Addendum to Parts 1 - 4
Standard Quality | High Quality
Charcoal Capacity
Standard Quality | High Quality
----------------------------------------
Visit to Weber Corporate Offices
On August 25, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Weber's corporate offices in Palatine, IL.
In a series of meetings throughout the morning, I met with members of the packaging development team, the smoker R&D team, and several product managers for the smoker and for accessories. We discussed a wide variety of topics related to the new 18" and 22" Smokey Mountain Cookers, as well as some general discussion about the smoker market segment in general.
You can read about my trip and see some photos here:
Visit to Weber Corporate Offices
----------------------------------------
To sum up in one word...Wow! Hard to believe that after 20+ years of no feature enhancement, Weber turned its attention to the WSM and made many of the improvements we've all been asking for, including larger capacity. For years, I never believed this day would come. So to all you dreamers out there, keep on dreaming...because sometimes dreams do come true!
Regards,
Chris
