I am very interested in buying a 18.5. However I am living in Japan and have neighbors very close by. A weber bbq grill is definitely out of the question due to the smoke it produces. I got to thinking that since there is a water pan and drippings fall into that, the smoke produced would be much less than a grill. Can anyone shed light on the topic?
How much do they smoke?
- Thread starter John Weil
- Start date
Geir Widar
TVWBB Wizard
I'm sorry to say, if a "normal" charcoal grill is out of the question because of the smoke, I'm afraid a smoker is something that you can forget. As others have mentioned, the smoke, and the smell of burned wood is quite strong. Add the fact that you often use the smoker for many hours when you use it, often six hours or more, and it will bother your neighbors much more than a charcoal grill.
Lawrence M.
TVWBB Super Fan
What type of living space do you have? Can you vent the smoke out somehow? Perhaps your japanese neighbors would be more understanding of a Kamado
I live in a typical small house in the city. I have a very small yard, but the other houses are very, very close. Don't think I can vent the smoke, though. Nothing like traditional Japanese food cooked on a real kamado! I'd love to get a Big Green Egg or Kamado, but I hate to think what shipping to Japan would cost!
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
Other than what you get from lighting a chimney to start a cook, if you use nothing but lump or natural briquettes (with no wood) the smoke is actually pretty minimal. As least if your smoker is fairly clean and there's water in the pan. You can light a few starter cubes mixed in the charcoal ring and the smoke won't be near as strong as using a chimney.
yes, the wsm does smoke, but it defintely produces far less smoke than a traditional kettle would if you were to grill on it. if your neighbors are outdoors and grilling then you would produce no more smoke than they would. i think you may be overthinking it a bit. the smoke is more prominent in the beginning of the cook but does taper off, and again i repeat, it still produces less smoke than a kettle grill would. keep in mind that the big green egg still emits smoke as well. i say go for it and enjoy.
Dave from Denver
TVWBB Wizard
The recommendation to use lump charcoal is a good one. Kingsford blue really stinks for the first 60-90 minutes. Lump is not nearly so bad.
Just checking back in. Had my first smoke on the 18.5 WSM. This photo is ribs about 2 hrs. in. They turned out well for a first smoke.
Ran into my landlady just after this photo was taken. She said that she thought there was a fire and was going to call the fire department, but another neighbor recognized the smoke as smoker smoke, not fire smoke! Guess she knows the difference now. The smoke did die down after about the first 45 mins. Can't wait to do it again!
Ran into my landlady just after this photo was taken. She said that she thought there was a fire and was going to call the fire department, but another neighbor recognized the smoke as smoker smoke, not fire smoke! Guess she knows the difference now. The smoke did die down after about the first 45 mins. Can't wait to do it again!
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
Cool, John. Since you're going light on the smoke, you might try a clay pot base and cook with no water. I find I get more smoke flavor and better bark that way, although I don't cook without water unless foiling the ribs during the cook. Congrats on your ribs! Share some and I'm sure you'll keep the neighbors happy enough to let u use more smoke in future cooks.
