Another 18.5" vs. 22" Thread


 
G

GreggP

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I know this issue has been beaten to death, so I understand if I get moderated. I haven't found the exact answer to this question, though.

My beloved 18.5" WSM has found a new home with my parents. Long story short, it's difficult to travel with a baby and a WSM so the WSM loses out.

The good news is that SWMBO, likely in a pregnancy-induced haze has authorized the purchase of a new WSM. I am faced with the dilemma of picking the size.

I like the idea of the 22.5" because of the interchangeability of the grates with my Performer. I HATE cleaning the grates (I use Greased Lightning and a garbage bag). With a 22.5", I can just swap between my Performer and the WSM and burn off the dirty grates on my next grill.

The concern I have is fuel consumption - My 18.5" did a great job of holding temps for 12 hours on a single ring of charcoal. I'd like not to give that up.

Is it possible to use the same amount of fuel and less water to achieve the same fuel life?

On an unrelated note, how are people foiling the larger water pans without having grease wick through?

Thank you!
 
I have only had the 22.5 so I can't compare the two.

Fuel - I have heard the 22.5 uses more fuel to maintain temps; that only makes sense when you consider the increased space to heat. However, I smoked a full packer brisket on Wednesday last week (temp held at 225 by my Auber ATC) and starting with a full ring unlit, 1/2 chimney lit, I went 15+ hours and still had fuel left over. It was in the 40's outside and a little windy, too. I foil the water pan. I use three strips overlaping; some grease does get through but it is minimal.

I have no regrets with getting the bigger WSM. I almost did though...this past summer some friends had a friendly "competition" BBQ party, and I lugged the 22.5 over to their house. Taken apart and wrapped in garbage bags, I could JUST barely fit it in my Mazda 3, which is a pretty small car.

In general, people who "go big" rarely have regets, but those who get the smaller one sometimes do have regrets. YMMV.
 
Gregg, there are basic physics to consider as well. The larger WSM has a larger volume, and thus, a better ability to hold stable temps. The larger the volume, the more effects that are required to make changes. The 22.5 will take longer to come to temp, but will hold that temp longer. It will also be affected less by ambient temps.

As for fuel consumption, I made a 12 inch charcoal ring to use for shorter cooks while maintaing the depth of the coals in order to better control the temp using the "minion" method. I made the ring 6 inches deep instead of the 5 inch depth of the 18 inch diameter OEM ring.

I have used everything from standard R2D2 smokers to barrel type offsets, to my Bandera. The 22.5 WSM is by far the easiest to control, the easiest to use, and cooks the most predictable.
 
Fuel - I have heard the 22.5 uses more fuel to maintain temps; that only makes sense when you consider the increased space to heat.
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I'd expect the larger surface area to be the long pole in the tent. I suspect most of the heat of the fuel is travelling right through the thin, metal (high thermal conductivity) walls and heating the air outside.
 
As for fuel consumption, I made a 12 inch charcoal ring to use for shorter cooks while maintaing the depth of the coals in order to better control the temp using the "minion" method. I made the ring 6 inches deep instead of the 5 inch depth of the 18 inch diameter OEM ring.
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very nice idea.
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Have you seen the 22" in person? It's huge. It took about half a second for me to determine the 18 was the way to go.
 
My smoker is the WSM 22.5 inch. I am building a mini from a Smokey Joe Gold right now. Project is about 40% complete. Perfect for small, short cooks.
 
Gregg,

Grates – When your done with your cook (22” or 18”), pull the middle section and place your grates on top of the charcoal ring. Let it burn up for a minute, put the middle section back on, and shut it down. When you go to clean up the pan, take a brush to the grates. I have found this is the easiest way to clean your grates. I was throwing my 3 grates (I have an added middle grate on my 22”) on my performer to burn everything off, but it’s much more effort than above.

Fuel consumption – Yes, the 22” burns a little more fuel due to the larger surface area. If you are doing a small/short cook, make a smaller charcoal ring. I do not use water, but if you use less water then you are just going to have to add it more often. I usually get 15 hours out of load of fuel (20# of Kingsford) and that’s cooking several butts at a time. I have got up to 19, but that was in the summer. Learning to cook without it solves that problem (I use a clay saucer). For me, the fuel consumption isn’t a deciding factor.

Capacity – This is my deciding factor. I need to be able to cook a lot of meat sometimes, and by adding a 3rd great I can fit 12x 10# butts. I also easily fit 9 racks of ribs laying flat. I cooked 2 turkeys for Thanksgiving and probably could have done 4, 2 per rack (3rd rack is useless for turkeys).

Foiling – No matter what I tired I ended up with some leaks. It probably has something to do with cooking a bunch of butts at once, which put out a lot of grease. My current method using 18” HD Foil:
Foil bottom of pan North/South and then East/West. I have only replaced that foil once this year in 20+ cooks.
Foil bottom of clay saucer. Foil top of clay saucer. Put the saucer in the water pan. The top foil catches any small leaks from the next layer and is replaced if there is a leak.
Pull 2 sheets of foil and lay them on top of each other. Starting at the top, fold them down together 1”. Do this a couple times. Then fold the fold in half a couple times. Spread the 2 sheets apart.
Holding the seam together, place the foil on top of the water pan & saucer. Start with it touching the saucer and work your way out being careful to keep the seam together. Fold the foil around the sides of the water pan.
Using this method I use 3x sheets of foil about 18-24” long each cook. I buy the foil in a box of 500’ for about $25 at Rest Depot, but you can get it online as well. Last a long time.

Hope this helps.
 
Greg, everyones useage will be different. I have both WSMs along with a couple of other grills.

For cooking dinner for the 4 of us.. I use the SJ Mini WSM-Tamale Pot more often than not.

Next up is the 22 WSM or if I need to grill I use the bottom of the 18 WSM or a 22 OTS Kettle.

18 WSM (as a smoker) and Ranch Kettle get used the least.
 
I have had my 18 inch WSM for like a 12 years now. I have never ran out of space. I have 2 other kettle grills for back up smoking and or grilling. From what I hear the larger WSM will always use more coal. If you do not mind the extra cost of the unit and the coal go big!
 
Monty, Dean if you have no smoker now and price was not an issue which would you prefer?

My last big cook I did a 40 lb box of boneless chicken leg meat. With the 22 and 3-4 racks, the cook was two leads. With an 18 it would have been maybe 3+ loads.

Earlier in the summer I borrowed a bros. 22 and did 6 full packers that would have been difficult without the two 22s.

If the 18 works for you, that's great and that's why it's still a great smoker.

But for those of use who want/need a little more room the 22 fits that need.

If I had to get rid of all my bbqs and can just keep one, it would be a 22. One can cook small or big loads yet it can also be used as a standard grill by just using the bottom section.
 
Just like I said above, if price is no issue go big I say! Most people do not cook 6 packers at once..
 
I've successfully gotten 16 hour 225 burns off one load of coals with my 22.5. There is a trick though, you gotta pack them coals tightly. Layer them by hand even, almost like a bricklayer, where you stack them neatly on top of themselves in rings starting from the outside of the ring working to the middle. When you pack the charcoal tightly like this, I've found you simply get much longer burn times than when simply dumped into the ring and lit. If I'm doing ribs, or any other food that doesn't need a long burn, I pour the coals in and light em up. But if I'm doing a butt or brisket that will require 12 plus hours, I tightly stack and pack the coals, then I light it and forget it until my meat is done.

Given that a whole bag of K is ~$8, I never worried too much if I was using a whole bag or a partial bag. With $30 or $40 or more of meat on the smoker, the ~$3 saved on charcoal isn't that big a deal, so I never saw the value in saving charcoal by using the 18 vs the 22.5.

Of course this is nothing but my opinion. For me, the 22.5 gives me the flexibility to cook for 4 or 60 people. It was worth the slight extra price to me.
 
Back in 2006 when I got my 18 I had no idea I would ever do anything more than what I could fit on the top rack.. years later I've done KCBS contests, festival vending, and catering for friends, family, and church groups.

It starts with an 18 and can evolve into a lot more which helps to have more capacity.

Greg, you may never need more capacity than the 18 but if you follow the same tract that I did, you will be glad you got a 22 instead of an 18.
 
I have had many 2002 Vintage 18" and bought a 22" last year. I would have to have some very special space considerations to ever buy another 18". The 22" is very fuel efficient in my experience. Only problem was the door handle screw did fall out. No biggie.
 
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