Differences Between the 18 & 22?


 
J

Jim Creasy

TVWBB Fan
Kids,

I got my 22.5 last Winter and have completely enjoyed it. Great food and really has opened up my cooking experiences. (This board has been a help too).

Question, I am now able to buy a second one for my dad's cabin the mountains. I am thinking of the 18.5 since I will rarely cook for more than just my family.

Do they cook the same? Are there any performance differences or quirks I need to be aware of? I assume I could switch back and forth between the two, but thought I'd ask.

Thanks in advance,

JKC
 
Not sure if I can give you an accurate answer, but after cooking with a 18.5 for 4+ years, I used my new 22.5 for the first time yesterday and seemed as easy to control, and maintain temps. Brisket and ribs were awesome on the on cook I had.
 
Thanks Dennis,

I think that tells me what I need to know. Plus, I saw from your other post that you had been away from cooking on your 18.5 for 7 months while on deployment, so, you were not exactly back in the groove of smoking yet, and you still didn't have any "... oh yeah, I get it" moments.

Thanks for your service, by the bye, and welcome home. Nothing like American BBQ to get back in the swing of things.

JKC
 
How many pounds of pork shoulder can be smoked on the 18.5 for one session?


How many pounds of pork shoulder can be smoked on the 22.5 for one session?
 
I dropped 4 10 pound butts on my 18" last night. It was pretty full looking. If you had smaller butts and were good at balancing you might be able to do 3 per rack with them standing on their ends.
 
its more about fuel consumption for me as the difference between the two. I'm hedging doing three buts on the top rack of the 22 tonight just to see how long before i have to refuel. The 18 is more economical on fuel. I predominately use my 22 for ribs and then I'm usually using the charcoal ring from my 18

I've had three 18's (down to one and one on long term loan) and the 22 love em all!!

As for numbers of butts the max I could get into an 18 was 4 so thats roughly 30 lbs.

in the 22 one could easily get 3 per rack and probably easily get 4 (i'll check it out tonight and give you a better idea when I put the three on)
 
I think 4 butts on the top and 4 on the bottom max out the capacity for the 22 and half that for the 18 as I previously stated.

so for lbs thats 60 lbs vs 30 lbs precooked weight roughly
 
My personal experience, the 22 uses more fuel than the 18 for the same meat, which is expected. More space to heat. Either is similar to control the temps though.

I have done 120lbs of butt on the 22. I do have an extra rack on top and did have drying/overcooked issues but mixing well and finishing sauce fix any problems, plus it was for a fundraiser in an area that has NO barbeque. I would say with three racks that 70-80 lbs of butt would be easily done.
 
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