Does size matter?


 
Gary London

Gary London

TVWBB Super Fan
I bought a 22.5" WSM earlier this year. Thought about the 18.5" but got a better discount on the larger one.

I haven't used it much (but used the 22.5" kettle a lot) but have had some success with slabs of ribs.

First full packer brisket planned for this weekend for a special dinner party (I love taking risks!).

Anyways, I find the size of the 22.5" WSM a bit overwhelming and wonder if people find the 18.5" a more practical size to work with?

I might sell the larger one and downsize. The space is good for lots of ribs but if smoking a single full packer brisket or pork butt feels like the 18.5" is better.

One consideration is the U.K weather and whether the larger WSM is more difficult to control with unreliable, changeable conditions.
 
First of all welcome to the forum. The debate about WSM sizes will always be alive and well. I have a mini and a 18.5. 99.9% of the time it's just me and the wife and the mini gets the call unless I'm doing a couple of racks of ribs then I use the 18.5.
The mini is super stable and very fuel efficient, the 18.5 is pretty good also and really will hold a ton of food. Until recently I had to move my grills around a lot and a 22.5 would just be to much and I can smoke on my 22.5 performer if I need the room, but it does require a lot of hands on with temperature control. The 18.5 is also great for doing high heat chicken buy removing the water bowl and letting the chicken juices fall directly on the coals, the chicken is to high up to get burned by the flames but the taste is just unbelievable.
Your question about changing conditions, I live in the mountains where we have lots of wind and changing conditions. I've found temps don't much matter but the wind does, so a good wind break will be your WSMs best friend.
Hope that helps.
 
I had a 18.5 and sold it to get a 22.5. Hated that I couldn't get racks of ribs to fit without cutting or curling them and that big packers wouldn't fit very good either. I love my 22.5. Any of the WSM's will be great cookers, you just have to decide what is best for you.
 
I have a 18.5 and have no plans on upgrading unless one just fell in my lap... It's all about personal preference. If you feel 18 is better sell that 22 on craigslist and use money to find a nice used 18 wsm
 
I agree it's personal preference and it's good to determine what you'll be cooking most often, and how much.

Full disclosure - I'm new and haven't even had a single cook yet. But, I went through the whole "which size" debate, and read threads on several forums.

You'll see lots of people saying to get the 22.5 because it's better to have the extra space, and bigger is always better.

However if you pay attention, you'll also see a lot of people who have the 22.5 and hardly ever need that much space, and don't like the extra work and charcoal it takes to fire the beast up for a "small" cook.

I ended up getting the 18.5 instead of the 22.5 because:

I have a family of four, and rarely cook for many more.
I would probably cook for 12-15 maximum, and again, that would be rare anyway.
I don't really plan on cooking ribs often, and don't think cutting them in half would bother me.
I think it would be rare for me to cook a brisket larger than 12-13 lbs.
I don't want to waste charcoal or effort.
I will probably keep the WSM on the porch or in the garage, and would bring it to the yard for cooks, so smaller is better.

Those things were enough for me to decide that the 18.5 was big enough for me. That plus the fact that my local Wal-Mart had one on clearance for $199. If any of the factors above were different, then my decision could have been different.

Maybe going through a similar mental checklist would be helpful for you.

All that said though, you already have the 22.5, so you have that to factor in (will you lose money on it, regret selling it later, etc.).
 
I had a brand new 18 and liked it just fine but 7 months later a 22 came along cheap locally and i upgraded and i am glad i did. the 22 allows way more flexibility IMO then the 18 did. I dont see the fuel consumption issues some people do but ive only done a few cooks on both. I wonder if those folks who note that compare the amount of meat they are cooking when they make those comparisions.

my first big cook on the 22 was two racks of STL ribs and 10 lb butt all on the top grate. no grate swapping needed. I couldnt do that all on one grate on the 18.
 
Great replies and advice, thank-you. Clearly there is no right answer and it depends on personal preference and circumstances.

I need to pluck up the courage to tell the wife the 22 is here to stay but we actually need a smaller one too. That's in addition to another 22.5" Weber kettle (which I love) because the old one is slightly dented and lid not fitting as well as it should.

I will start another thread to report on smoking my first full packer this weekend. Fingers crossed.
 
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