14.5 to 18.5 or 22??


 
B.Lasky

B.Lasky

TVWBB Super Fan
Right now I have the 14.5 WSM. Love it. Most of the times it's fine. Sometimes for family gatherings I need to cook a bunch of ribs. Tried the racks in the 14.5, not really thrilled. So do I get the 18 and run both or just bite the bullet (slight pun intended) and get the bigboy 22. Thought about the Cajun Bandit stack for the 22 kettle, but temp control
 
If money is no object, then depending on how many ribs you plan on cooking I say the 22.5.

Generally speaking, always err to the side of largest you can afford. :cool:
 
After I moved from a kettle, had a 18" WSM = 1995. This was the only available size at the time. Awesome cooker. However, even with company, I always thought it was bigger than needed, for most of my cooks. I'd normally cook for 20 people or so. The key question is what you like to cook and how many times will you do it? First off, ribs are not the easiest cook to do all at once for a bunch of guests, if you only do it occasionally. Cooking real time I mean = a lot of work. If I intended to have a lot of people for ribs. frankly I'd cook and foil them ahead of time, then just warm them up. Cook something easy on the smoker, or appetizers on whatever grill you have. Good ribs are good ribs and will let you enjoy your company and reduce the workload. My .02c I never had a 22", but understand the coal use is exponential compared to it's smaller siblings.

Dave

Dave
 
Really can't say because I have a mini and an 18.5 which suit our needs 99.9% of the time. On the rare occasions I need to do a couple of racks of SL spares I use my performer and use the snake method, works perfect. Although the performer isn't as steady as the WSMs and needs to be watched a little more we can't detect any difference in the way the ribs turn from one to the other.
 
The 22 is all I've even known...so I cannot offer any comparison. But my biggest concern before going into the WSM, was the amount of fuel a 22" would eat up. And I'm sure it's more when compared to the 18 (even more to the 14), but I was pleasently surprised on how little fuel it actually went through.

Just under half a ring for ribs, a full ring and a half-chimney for all the 15+ hr smokes. Short of the 15+ hour cooks, I typically have charcoal left over for the next cook.
 
I have a 14.5" and 22".

I also don't like doing ribs in the 14.5" either. At least a high volume of them. I've only done 4 racks 1x, and they turned out pretty bad. I'll use the 22" for anymore higher volume rib rack cookes.
 
If you are going to keep the 14.5, then that with the 18 would be good. I do ribs in the 14.5 with no problems
The Brinkmann rib racks work fine and using both grates is not a big deal. I see more used 22's for sale from people
who thought they need the space and then find out that they really don't.
 
Bob H. said:
If you are going to keep the 14.5, then that with the 18 would be good. I do ribs in the 14.5 with no problems
The Brinkmann rib racks work fine and using both grates is not a big deal. I see more used 22's for sale from people
who thought they need the space and then find out that they really don't.
Click to expand...
Yup definitely keeping the little guy, perfect for the wife and I. I tried the Brinkman racks. I all that cold meat overwhelmed the little guy. It all worked out with help from other grills. The 18 might be the sweet spot.
 


That's 3 racks in each of 4 food saver bags. I have standing instructions from the neighbors.... "If you're gonna be cooking anyway,...." So I tack on 10 bucks per rack and donate the profit to the Block Association coffers. I pack the 22 more often than not. My 18 has been largely relegated to large cuts like brisket, butts, and roasts. My new little 14 is now my choice for dinner for me & my wife.
 
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