Is the WSM the real deal?


 
J

John A

TVWBB Member
I've been all over the virtual weber bullet website and have looked at some of the posts here.

I just need a little extra push over the top to convince me to get an 18 WSM.

Can anyone compare the WSM to a sidebox style smoker rig? I know the WSM is used in competition but I'm not finding much on the net about that.

So let me have it - can the WSM stand up to the big boy smoker rigs?
 
John, Let me tell you the WSM is by far the easiest smoker to use. I had a NB offset that I heavily modified (reverse flow, baffles, woodstove gasket). I smiled as it fell in the trash dumpster. I have a 22.5 WSM but they work the same. Once you use it a couple of times you will see, they just hold temp on and on and on. I get 14+ hours at 225 and do not have to mess with much (I can actually take a nap and not worry). The cheap offsets need to be watched constantly (this does not apply to the big rigs like Klose and similar, they are nice but pricey). And the one thing you will not find for any other pit sites, is the amount of step by step instructions, and great folks you can answer questions during a middle of a smoke when things go strange.

Buy one and enjoy easy BBQ for you and your friends.

Take care

Jamie
 
There was a pretty lengthy thread in the Competition section a few months ago about teams that compete using only WSM's. There were a LOT of teams doing that. I attended the Huntsville, Alabama contest last April and there were more WSM's and BGE's than just about everything else combined. Sure, there were the big pits and all that, but there were a TON of WSM's.

The WSM is indeed the real deal. Initial affordability, portability ease of use, quality of construction, customer service and the ability to produce dang fine BBQ right off the bat all make the WSM the smoker of choice for those of us who don't have to produce "mass quantities" of BBQ.

Pat
 
Hey Jamie- thanks for the quick reply.

Can you comment on the amount of charcoal required, for lets say 1 8 lb pork butt? Do you think that the amount of coals required for a 10-12 hour smoke in the 22 is significantly greater than the amount of coal required for the 18?

Also, does the temp drop much when you open the lid to mop or spray meat? How does it recover?
 
I only used about 10# of charcoal cooking (2) 7.55lb butts a couple weeks ago and it only took 7.5hrs to get them both to 190 internal.
It was about 32 degrees out.

I used to have a CQ Outlaw with SFB that I had modded out and that thing was constantly needing tending to and went through the fuel like crazy.

The WSM is a set it and forget it smoker.

When I do hourly sprays on ribs the temp recovers in minutes.
 
John, I can not speak on the 18 as I have the 22.5. The 22.5 will use more coals, but can cook allot of BBQ on there. I recently (December)had a party of 28 people, and smoked ribs and butts. I live in NH and it was around zero degrees when I started the pit. It worked perfect, no drama and people ate like they were going to the eclectic chair the next day! I had no left overs!

I’m getting hungry, I might need to fire her up soon!

Jamie
 
John, I've been cooking on gas and charcoal grills for many years and turned out some decent BBQ. After I got the WSM there was no going back to the old equipment. No babysiting - set and basically forget. Absolutley the best.
 
I recently jumped in and bought a 22.........it does use a lot of CC in my opinion (but you are cooking for a lonnnnnnnng time); however, it is EXTREMELY easy to use and everything I've cooked so far has gotten the same comments........something like, "geez, this is the best pulled pork I've ever had"......or "man, this taste like something you'd get at one of those BBQ festivals".......or "what are you cooking next weekend? I'm coming over".

you will not be disappointed.
 
Thanks guys - you're doing a great job persuading me!

Another coal question: let's say I want to cook just one rack of ribs for 4 hours - do I still load it up to the max with coals the same way I would for an o/n pork butt? Or will the WSM still achieve temp with a fraction of the coals (for just much less time)?

John
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by John A:

Another coal question: let's say I want to cook just one rack of ribs for 4 hours - do I still load it up to the max with coals the same way I would for an o/n pork butt? Or will the WSM still achieve temp with a fraction of the coals (for just much less time)?

John </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I always fire up a full load, no matter whether I'm cooking a butt, ribs, chicken, or whatever. This, to me, just removes one variable from the process. By always starting the fire the same way, I don't get much variability in getting the WSM up to cooking temperature, and so all I have to deal with is cooking time. Plus, mine seems to be pretty air-tight, so shutting off the vents puts the fire out fairly quickly, and the leftover lump is there to use next time.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Another coal question: let's say I want to cook just one rack of ribs for 4 hours - do I still load it up to the max with coals the same way I would for an o/n pork butt? Or will the WSM still achieve temp with a fraction of the coals (for just much less time)? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I think the majority do as Larry D wrote. I however differ, for a 4 - 5 hour cook I'll load about about 1/2 a ring of Rancher (I have the 18"). On my 18" I can get a 24 hour cook at 225 out of a full ring of Rancher. Full ring would be about 11 - 12 lbs.

For the money and out of the box (no mods) usability, you cannot beat the WSM, period. When I bought mine I was also looking at an offset, after further reading on another forum about the mods I'd have to do, the babysitting and how much fuel I'd have to use I pulled the trigger on the WSM no regrets.
 
My 2 cents

I bought an ECB (El Cheapo Brinkman) and struggled with it for a year and had to save up and get the WSM. If you want to do low and slow BBQ on charcoal there is no other cooker that will do it as well as the WSM in this price range. If you have a different cooker your not happy with or are just starting out this is the right tool for the job. The WSM 18.5 is big enough for my needs. I have done 6 racks of St. Louis style ribs at once or a couple of buts and a brisket. This smoker does a great job. The side box smokers at this price point are crap and need constant attention. The WSM is the gold standard in the under 300$ range. Good luck finding another smoker that will make you look as good among your eaters in this range and also allow you to be part of the party. The enamel coating is the same as on the Weber grills and it will last much longer than thin painted steel left outside. Happy shopping.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">For the money and out of the box (no mods) usability, you cannot beat the WSM, period. .... I pulled the trigger on the WSM no regrets. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'll second Larry's opinion. Before I had my WSM, I did quite a bit of grilling - but I've always enjoyed smoked food.

Once you consider how much time & enjoyment you'll probably get out of it, the difference in cost between an ECB or other "bargain" smoker and an 18" WSM is really not that much. In the end, the WSM is probably the better buy, because it will last, and with a little help from the GREAT folks here, you are bound to get delicious results.

Others have said it before, and I'll repeat it:

"Buy a Weber WSM, and only cry once - buy anything else, and you'll cry more..."

Bon apetit
 
I began my smokin career with an ECB, then an offset Charbroil ..both were charcoal and smokewood HOGS, compared to the WSMs, and also required constant fire-tending
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I bought an 18 WSM 4 years ago and discovered the joys of "set it and forget it BBQ smokin"
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...I bought a 22inch "Double Deuce" WSM last year and really dig it as well
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... Oh, by the way, if I cook 6 racks o'ribs, I use rib racks in the 18WSM ....in the "Double Deucer" I just lay em flat....in a typical 4-5 hrs cook the 22 uses about one chimney (6 lbs) of charcoal coal more than the 18. I buy <span class="ev_code_BLUE">K</span> @ Sams for $.30/lb ... soooo... it costs about $1.80 more to run the 22 vs. 18 on a 5 hr cook...negligible IMHO
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Smoke On!!
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I have both. Real deal? Yes. Can't beat them for the money. You can cook 2x as much food on an 18" as you can an XL Egg.

The 22" loves it some fuel, tho.
 
I was in the same boat and this website convinced me to go for the WSM. It is a bit expensive, but seems well worth it to me. The thing the pushed me over the edge was the passione that the people on this site have for the WSM...I didn't see that for any other smoker.
I was a complete newbie (and still am really) and have not had any problems. I quickly understood the passion and now always look forward to the next cook.

As far as how much charcoal to use for a smaller cook, I've used a full load everytime. This is mainly because in the 4-5 hours that you're doing the small butt, you can think up several other things you can throw on while the fire is still hot - just throw some more wood on and start a new round. One of my last cooks went all day - I started with a small butt and a brisket. When that was done, I did a chicken. To finish off, I threw on some haddock. For the little bit of extra charcoal, I was able to cook enough to eat for most of the week!
 
So I took the plunge! I bought the 18" a few weeks ago. Sadly the weekend after I bought it we got 2+ feet of snow with blizzard winds. Now we are getting another 1+ foot of snow.

I had to freeze my pork shoulder and rack of ribs! I can't wait to use my new toy!!!!!
 
Welcome John, I too had went through many of days browsing the internet trying to make up my mind. This last weekend I fired up my 18 at 5am and did not shut her down till the start of the game.

2 Butts, 1 Brisket, whole Chicken and lots of link Sausage.

Used 3 full loads of K every 12hrs. Temp stayed 205-240 with no trouble whatsoever!

You will love it!
 
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