18.5 vs. 22.5 I know its an old question but


 
P

Peter Wells

New member
I realize that others have struggled with the question of choosing between an 18 or 22 so I am not alone or unique. But I am struggling over the choice. The facts are:
1. I am retired and when I cook it is usually for my wife and myself
2. If I cook for more it hardly ever more than 5 - 6
3. I have only smoked on my kettle once - so I am a total newbie
4. I would like to smoke chicken, turkey as well as ribs, briquets pork
5. Money really is not an issue though $100 isn't a meaningless amount

There are probably other factors but those are the ones that come to mind.
 
Welcome to the site Peter Wells. I have a 22 WSM and am half thinking of getting a 14 or 18. Given what you have said, I would think the 18 might be your best bet given that many here use the 18 and can cook a lot of meat on them. Do you have any other Weber's currently?
 
Welcome Peter. I got the 18.5 a few months ago for much the same reason your citing, it's just my wife and I and occasionally another couple or two. The 18.5 is more than adequate for our needs. Hope this helps.
 
Between your kettle and a WSM you will be set. I agree with JR that the 18 is your best bet since you already have the kettle. Your wife will be very happy with the food you will be cooking. Good luck.
 
The 18 is your ticket,the 22 is way to big for your crowds. And I feel quite a bit more expensive to operate. So I agree with the other. Have fun!
 
I recently bought an 18 because i had lowes store credit and they don't sell the 22".

The only real issue i have is if I am smoking multiple rack(s) of ribs, I often will need to cut, bend, rack, or roll, but honestly its pretty manageable.

I recently had two rolled racks of STL spares and a 9lb boston butt all on the top rack together.

On a prior cook i had two STL spare racks mostly flat on the top rack together. they were tight but they fit.

It would be nice to be able to lay the ribs flat but have an extra $100 is nice too. The 22 uses more fuel as well, so over time there is even more savings there too.
 
Peter Wells said:
But I am struggling over the choice
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If you think even remotely that you would want a 22, then get the 22. Bottom line:

I wanted a 22, my bride insisted she would get me a WSM for my birthday, she bought the 18, I regret having the 18 but make the best of it. I wanted and still want the 22 I wanted a Genesis, my bride insisted she would get me one for Christmas, she bought a large "Q" I hate that BBQ

The lesson learned: Get what you want, because if you get what you don't want, you'll only wish you had gotten what you wanted

There's nothing you can do a 18 that you can't do on a 22...There's numerous things you can do on a 22 that you can't do on a 18, don't limit yourself, get the 22
 
Everyone has a different opinion on this subject....

I would recommend the 18. (since you don't cook for large crowds)

I owned a 22 for a few years. I just bought a 14 this week.

For me the 22 is somewhat of an event to get everything prepped/ready, and then cleaned up afterwards. Plus, it uses a lot of charcoal. I felt guilty firing up the 22 for only 1-2 racks of ribs. I'm hoping the 14 is easier/quicker to setup, cleanup, and store. Plus I can haul the 14 camping with me too.
 
ChuckO said:
If you think even remotely that you would want a 22, then get the 22. Bottom line:

I wanted a 22, my bride insisted she would get me a WSM for my birthday, she bought the 18, I regret having the 18 but make the best of it. I wanted and still want the 22 I wanted a Genesis, my bride insisted she would get me one for Christmas, she bought a large "Q" I hate that BBQ

The lesson learned: Get what you want, because if you get what you don't want, you'll only wish you had gotten what you wanted

There's nothing you can do a 18 that you can't do on a 22...There's numerous things you can do on a 22 that you can't do on a 18, don't limit yourself, get the 22
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ha. same for me. I got it as a gift and wish I had the 22!

on the other hand I've cooked for a lot of people on the 18 (once did 6 pork butts, but i must admit it was a pain), but who doesn't want more room? I rarely cook enough where i need the 22, but it would still be nice.
 
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JShoemaker said:
Everyone has a different opinion on this subject....

I would recommend the 18. (since you don't cook for large crowds)

I owned a 22 for a few years. I just bought a 14 this week.

For me the 22 is somewhat of an event to get everything prepped/ready, and then cleaned up afterwards. Plus, it uses a lot of charcoal. I felt guilty firing up the 22 for only 1-2 racks of ribs. I'm hoping the 14 is easier/quicker to setup, cleanup, and store. Plus I can haul the 14 camping with me too.
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I wonder if anyone has figured out how much more charcoal the 22 uses than the 18 per say a 4 hour low and slow cook? i wouldn't think it'd be all that much more. I don't know. it's why I ask.
 
Matt H. said:
I wonder if anyone has figured out how much more charcoal the 22 uses than the 18 per say a 4 hour low and slow cook? i wouldn't think it'd be all that much more. I don't know. it's why I ask.
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I have no clue either.

But, when doing 4 pork butts a couple weeks ago....I dumped in ~20# of charcoal to start....and probably another 3-4# after the 12hr mark. It seemed like a lot, as it was $10+ in charcoal alone. (At least now I loaded up on kingsford at HD during the Spring Sale.)

The charcoal ring is huge on the 22, and can fit a lot of charcoal.
 
JShoemaker said:
I have no clue either.

But, when doing 4 pork butts a couple weeks ago....I dumped in ~20# of charcoal to start....and probably another 3-4# after the 12hr mark. It seemed like a lot, as it was $10+ in charcoal alone. (At least now I loaded up on kingsford at HD during the Spring Sale.)

The charcoal ring is huge on the 22, and can fit a lot of charcoal.
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I know some people use an 18 ring on the 22 for that reason. I don't know if that really saves you usage though.
 
I always answer this question the same way: if it's in your budget go for the biggest. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Either way you go, get the Weber Expandable rack. It takes the WSM to the next level. I use it for bacon, jerky, sausage, chicken, etc, etc.
 
Modify the question a bit. If you already have the WSM22, which of the other two, 14 or 18, would you go with, assuming the original parameters listed below still apply.
1. I am retired and when I cook it is usually for my wife and myself
2. If I cook for more it hardly ever more than 5 - 6
3. I have only smoked on my kettle once - so I am a total newbie
4. I would like to smoke chicken, turkey as well as ribs, briquets pork
5. Money really is not an issue though $100 isn't a meaningless amount
 
I have both. First i got the 18.5"wsm new and loved it, but had a little bit of buyer's remorse. That said, the more I used it the more I liked it. I got the 22.5"wsm off of Craigslist for a good deal. I really like having it cuz I've been cooking for lots of people from time to time. But given what you said I'd recommend the 18.5"wsm. Good luck and enjoy!
 
Peter, I bought the 22 WSM about a year and a half ago. I was is the same situation (as far as 18 vs 22) and went with the 22" just to be sure I always had enough room for larger groups.

Recently I realized that I wasn't using the WSM as often as I might, solely because I didn't want to fire up the big 22 for just a small group (2 - 6). As a results, I just bought a 14" WSM. I just got it today, so I can't give much of a review on it as of yet. I'm keeping my 22, but wanted something that I'm more willing to use more often.

My advise:
If you are only planning to have one smoker and don't plan on using it to feed over 10, go with the 18" WSM. The 22" is great, but it's a beast. It uses a lot of charcoal and it's not easy to move around. The 18" WSM is small enough that is uses less charcoal and is more manageable to move around, but it's big enough to cook for pretty good size groups (at least 10, if not more). I think you will be more likely to use it more often, and isnt' that what it's all about?

Good luck. I'm sure you'll be happy either way!
 
Sam B said:
My advise:
If you are only planning to have one smoker and don't plan on using it to feed over 10, go with the 18" WSM. The 22" is great, but it's a beast. It uses a lot of charcoal and it's not easy to move around. The 18" WSM is small enough that is uses less charcoal and is more manageable to move around, but it's big enough to cook for pretty good size groups (at least 10, if not more). I think you will be more likely to use it more often
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Being that this would be your first WSM......AND you won't routinely be cooking for large groups of people, I concur with Sam's statements 100%.

I've owned multiple (at least 3) 22.5 WSMs and even more 18.5s. Got rid of the 22.5s, I still have an 18.5.
 
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