Do I really need to get a WSM if I have a OTS?


 
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J

JHunter

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I have done over night smokes of pork but, and long brisket smokes, ribs, and even chicken on my OTS.

As for capacity, I am generally smoking 3 racks or ribs at a time, or two pork buts at a time or one big brisket at a time.

As for feeding people, the most people I have feed at once is about 10-15 and while I have to work shifts with the food with the one OTS, its always a good time.

If I want more capacity, and sometimes I do I would get the 26.75 or buy a second OTS.

So I ask, what would I gain by going to a WSM?

Thanks,

Jay
 
Enlightenment, higher social status, elevated self-esteem.

Otherwise, just get another OTS off CL.
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hehehe Travis that's what I was thinking.
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But I was hoping there was some scenario that I hadn't thought of where the weber is worth the investment.

J
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JHunter:
I have done over night smokes of pork but, and long brisket smokes, ribs, and even chicken on my OTS.

As for capacity, I am generally smoking 3 racks or ribs at a time, or two pork buts at a time or one big brisket at a time.

As for feeding people, the most people I have feed at once is about 10-15 and while I have to work shifts with the food with the one OTS, its always a good time.

If I want more capacity, and sometimes I do I would get the 26.75 or buy a second OTS.

So I ask, what would I gain by going to a WSM?

Thanks,

Jay </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Never heard of an overnight smoke on a kettle where you actually slept all night.

As for what you would gain, it's the right tool for the job. I can grill on my WSM but grilling on the kettle is better. Smoking on the WSM is better.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JHunter:
hehehe Travis that's what I was thinking.
icon_smile.gif


But I was hoping there was some scenario that I hadn't thought of where the weber is worth the investment.

J </div></BLOCKQUOTE>uh ... so I don't get my WSM Man Card revoked ...

If you find a nice WSM on CL for under $100, get it.

But there are many ~$50 'smoker' mods for the Kettles and even the Smokey Joes that can rival the WSM for small productions.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Lew:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JHunter:
I have done over night smokes of pork but, and long brisket smokes, ribs, and even chicken on my OTS.

Jay </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Never heard of an overnight smoke on a kettle where you actually slept all night.

As for what you would gain, it's the right tool for the job. I can grill on my WSM but grilling on the kettle is better. Smoking on the WSM is better. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You can make and keep a 250 degree fire in a kettle 6 hours. So its to bed at 12 midnight and up at 6am. I have only done this with butts, but want to do a brisket this way.

And yes if I see one on CL for <$100 then I am all over it...
 
ive done ALOT of smoking on the kettle, i prefer to use it for turkey-chicken. That being said I find the wsm a bit easier to maintain temps over a long period of time(8+ hours). Actually some people are smoking at higher temps(325+) for all types of meats so to me the kettle would be perfect for that. I use the kettle about 3 times a week grilling, wsm gets used about 2-3 times a month. If you've mastered smoking on the kettle the wsm would be a breeze to operate.
 
in some sitations i could see the wsm being better. at this point, i have used my wsm twice. was ok. but i now do all my cooking on my 22 silver. wellll, i actually have 4 of them and have used two at a time. i have always been cooking in the high heat category 275-350 and usually get what i'm cooking to be done around 9 hours or less. so to me, if its working for you, don't get a wsm. now if ya find one for $50 then maybe why not ? if you have just the one silver then i would get another cheap one from craigs list just in case.
 
If you have mastered your hand at controling temps on the kettle, and enjoy a bit more tending of the flame go for another kettle. If, on the other hand, you want to free some time the wsm can do that. It does what it is designed to do very well.

Gary
 
A lot depends on your cooking style, quantities and ease of cooking. I have an 18 WSM, 1-22 OTS, 1-22 Bar-B-Kettle, 1-18 OTS (just gave away today) and 2-Smokey Joes with a Tamale Pot Smoker (SJTPS).

I general the WSMs are about as close to having an oven without needing to fiddle with it much. You may have figured out how to dial in your OTS to mimic the WSM qualities but in general the WSM is easier to control temps especially longer cooks.

But the biggest advantage to going vertical is capacity potential. The 22 OTS using 2/3 the space for cooking the available space is about 280 Sq. inches. With the 18 WSM you have about 510 Sq in. with the 2 stock racks. Adding 2 additional racks for shorter items like ribs or chicken can yield 1,020 sq in. more than 3 times the 22 OTS capacity.

That's just the 18, with the 22 WSM it's 760 sq. in. with it's 2 stock racks or up to 1520 sq. in. with 4 racks, more than 5 times the 22 OTS capacity.

For me, if it's just cooking for the family (4 of us). More often than not I use the 18 WSM for grilling (burgers, steaks, etc.) and more recently the SJTPS for smoking.

The SJTPS is not just for small cooks, with 4 racks I can cook 4 full chickens (spatchcock), 16-20 leg quarters or two 7 lb pork butts. With the SJTPS I have 265 sq. in. with 2 racks and 530 for 4.

If I need more capacity then I switch over to the 18 WSM for smokes and the 22 for grilling.

If I just had one 22 OTS and wanted a little more capacity or flexibility at a reasonable price point, I would make a SJTPS and if I still needed more capacity I would buy a Cajun Bandit conversion which will give me the qualities of a 22 WSM and can still be used for grilling or one can buy multiple OTS at garage sales or CL for real cheap.

One thing which I believe is undeniable is that once one goes from kettle to WSM (or SJTPS or Cajun Bandit) for smoking they rarely if ever go back to using a kettle. That may be one reason used WSM are very hard to find and as a bonus keep their value much better than kettles.

John
 
J Reyes

Thanks for the response. Capacity is certainly one to consider, and the longer/oven type cooks. How long can you keep a WSM at 350 degrees?

Jay
 
Jay, I'm not the best person to ask that question. I only cook chicken at that high a temp and it's done in a about an hour or so. I get there by propping open the door to allow more air in.

I don't cook briskets unless it's a KCBS competition because of the price in my area and preference. In my area best price is about $1.99 a lb for packers and with all the fat it turns out to more like $3+ a lb. At that price point I prefer buying chuck roast or tri tips, which in my opinion is both easier to cook and better tasting than brisket (just my preference).

Ribs and pork shoulders I usually cook in the upper 200s, 280ish. That seems to be where my WSM settles without having to prop open the door much. Propping the door open gets temps into the 300s.

Hope that helps, but I believe most WSMs won't cook at 350 unless moded by propping the door or adding vents. There's a recent post discussing that here:
http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/...9052/m/636100486/p/2

John
 
John,

Your responses are exactly what I was looking for. I cooked a 3lb flat brisket at 250 for 7 hour on the weber grill. I did not need to add fuel. When the brisket finished, I opened up the vents to get the temp to 300 to finish of some baked beans for another hour.

That's 8 hours at 250, that's all I need.

I concur about the brisket, it cost me about $3 per pound. Thanks for the other thoughts on beef. I need to cooke something besides burgers, steaks, and brisket...

The one thing I am always pleased about is how much this simple kettle can do. I cook a ton of stuff on the grill, pizza, pancakes, eggs, (going to do cookies soon).

Thanks again.

I am still stunned
 
J-

I've been asking myself that same question for quite some time now (as I'm in the same boat you are), and I think for me, it simply comes down to capacity. Yes, I've been able to maintain a 250 temp on my 22.5 OTS for 6+ hours without adding any additional fuel, and have been able to smoke all kinds of good things. And, I'm also a person who doesn't need any more than 6 hours of sleep, either, so overnight cooks work with my schedule.

While I know the WSM can free up more of my time, I still enjoy hanging by the grill almost the entire time (or maybe it's because I can't let my baby go for any more than an hour before I find myself running out to the patio yelling, "I'm here! I'm here! Don't worry; daddy's here!"...it's a control issue, I think).

My family is also still very young (2 boys, ages 3 & 6), and they don't eat much. We don't entertain a lot, either, so there's not a lot of need to smoke any more than what can fit on my OTS. Once my boys get older and begin to really scarf down my smoked eats, I'll most definately check in to a WSM...
 
I agree with J also.
I decided yesterday to smoke some left over salmon on my Weber Performer for the first time.
Had some left over used K blue charcoal in the grill from previous nite.
Shook the ash off and added a pile of about 15 light pieces of Trader Joe's charcoal. Used fire bricks, foiled off the indirect side and put water pan over the coals. When it got to 270 degrees left the bottom vent wide open and moved the top vent to 7/8 closed.
Maintained 270 degrees for 6 1/2 hours without adding charcoal. Even opened the both vents and cooked hot dogs half hour later without adding more.
Just with the wife and myself it's going to work out fine.

guy
 
Hey Jay, there is no question that the kettle is like the swiss army knife when it comes to cooking. You can indeed do anything and everything on one grill. If you can afford it though, I would recommend the wsm for capacity as well as control. I have cooked many butts on my kettle and as good as it is, the wsm is much more forgiving. I found that a slight change to my OTS would give much bigger swings in temp than the same change in vents on the wsm. For one, each vent is separate, allowing for more control. Do you need a WSM if you have an OTS? No, but if you get one you won't regret it, especially if you get the 22 and have all that room. Good luck.
 
Since writing this, I have REALLY been contemplating building that SJS/Tamale Steamer smoker. It would be the perfect accessory to go with my regular kettle.

Smaller Grill
Smaller smoker
and
Portable... (I like to cook for friends)

I think that's what I am going to get for Christmas...
 
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