Drippings?


 
M

mike_rich

TVWBB Member
Hey Guys and Gals,
First post here after lurking for a while. I will be buying a new WSM within the next couple days and just have a few questions.
On the 22" WSM, do you have to worry about the drippings from what's on the top rack contaminating what's on the bottom rack?
I am still deciding between the 18" and 22". The WSM will be used for cooking for large groups up at my lakehouse. The groups range from 6 people to over 20 sometimes. Which do you recommend?
Thanks!
Mike
 
Welcome to the board Mike!

First of all, get a 22. I recommend bigger because it give you more room and once you get going, you are going to want to do more and more! For a little more money, get the bigger one so you don't wish you had more room and then end up spending all over again getting a big one.

Whatever you have on top will drip onto what is underneath it but that's not a bad thing! It adds to the flavor of whatever you are cooking underneath!
 
Drippings, well, sort of, at least I usually do pay some attention to that. Depends on what is cooking where. I don't usually put raw chicken or turkey above beef or pork even if they were both put on at the same time. When I do extended cooks of different items, for example when adding raw meat in conjuction with partially cooked, I rotate the partially cooked stuff to the top grate and start the raw stuff on the bottom. I have no scientific explaination for that, its just what I do.

For the size cooker, the 18 would work. Have you used one before? The 18 -might- just might be a little easier to run. I have both and both are underutilized in how much food they can crank out. With the 18 sometimes you have to get creative loading it up, and maybe run it all day/night. The 22 has more room, saves yo ua little time there, but costs more and goes through more fuel.

How important is your time, how much space, whats your budget, all of those factors should be considered.

Dennis
 
Well, my original budget was for a BGE, but after lurking here so long, I've decided to go with the WSM. I know if I got the 18, I would always wish icky the 22.
I've been smoking on my weber 26.75" kettle for the last few years, but this will be my first actual smoker.
I love the ability to cook for a ton of people without spending a ton of money.
As for drippings, I guess if I was doing chickens on top I could put them in a foil pan.
Thanks for all the info guys!!
-Mike
 
Sounds like you already understand or know what to do about the drippings, now on to the second question,get the 22.5.There are plenty of ways to use less charcoal for smaller cooks but no way to make your cooker bigger for larger cooks.
 
Thanks for the info guys. Looks like a 22" WSM will be on it's way soon. And, I'll definitely be ordering through the link here.
My mother just called and asked if I would cook up a prime rib for memorial day weekend. Looks like I have my first cook!
 
The drippings aren't an issue unless you have staggered cook times i.e. cooking chickens on the top rack that are still fairly raw when you remove whatever they're dripping on on the bottom rack.

Keep in mind that most things you'll be smoking aside from chicken and roast beef, you'll be taking to 170+ internal temperature which is more than hot enough to prevent any concerns about cross contamination from a food safety perspective. From a flavor contamination perspective is a whole other issue, but has never really been an issue for me.
 
22 hands down.. what I've found even for those that say they just cook for their small family is that once they get good... out of the blue someone aks if they can do a party of some sort...then it's the wish I had a 22 story.

I have a WSM 18, 22 Kettle w/home made smoker barrel, ranch kettle, and the Tamale Pot SJ.

For us it depends what we cook and for how many people... which cooker we use.. but for crowds bigger is better for us.

John
 
hi !

I recently bought a 18.5 and i must say that this is really big enough !!! 2 weekend ago i did 3 rack of ribs, 10 pounds of brisket, 8 pounds of pork shoulder ... and there was still room for 3-4 chicken lol !! i do not know how many person yo uwant to feed but .... we were 25 and i got plenty of leftover !!!!
 
Well, it seems like every time I make up my mind, somebody is able to change it. Now I'm trying to figure out if I can get by with the 18.
Besides cooking space, what are the other advantages of the 22?
 
Originally posted by mike_rich: I know if I got the 18, I would always wish icky the 22.

Well there ya go.
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Alot of us do just fine with the 18.5 as that was the only game in town at that time. Now that you have a choice, go with the Big Boy.
I would
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Oh and don't forget to order through Amazon on the TVWBB link to support this site.

Tim
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Timothy,
I guess the only thing that's really stopping me is the difference in price. On amazon, through the link of course, the 18" is $269 and the 22" is $345. Trying to decide if the extra space is worth the extra $76. Decisions decisions!
 
the 22 is most certainly using much more fuel than the 18 .... so it also mean more money each time you cook something !!! especially with long cooking
 
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