New Masterbuilt water smoker

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Have any of you seen this? There is a new smoker at our local Dallas Wal-marts here that looks like it has alot of potential. It looks a little like a WSM knockoff, but priced at $60. It's has smaller 16" grills, and is not at the same quality as a WSM, but it appears to have very good air control and would be a much better cheap entry-level smoker than the current Brinkmann water smokers (ECB):
http://www.masterbuilt.com/store/gmdcs.html

I bought one of these last month for a friend. So far he is having good results with it, but has only used it once. Just thought I would pass the info along for all of you that are looking for something cheap, or have friends that are.
- Erik in Grapevine, TX
 
From one who is on his 4th smoker (but still a sophomore at best at this stuff) it would have been a whole lot cheaper if I had known the virtues of the WSM and not spent the money on the two I bought (one was given to me) or the time and hassle I had with the other. I dont see any dampers on those holes in the bottom either yho do you regulate and restrict airflow and control temprature?

Lastly I would say If I was looking for anything to replace my WSM I would want a larger one built on the 22" weber frame !!
 
And taller.. with 3 or 4 grates, and predrilled for a 1/2"-thread thermometer, and a big old water pan, and, and... /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
I definitly hear you on the bigger smoker, and this one is not that. Surely you WSM folks wouldn't pick on a design based on it's size... /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
I would not try to imply that this would be a WSM replacement or upgrade. It is the best new water smoker design I have seen lately and the price is excellent. I bet many of you have friends not yet as dedicated as you that want something cheap and end up with a $40 ECB rather than shelling out the $180 needed for a WSM. I'm facinated by all the BBQ stuff and not just the stuff I own.
It's hard to see much detail from that photo, but those bottom air holes can definately be adjusted or closed. It has three sets of those with a sliding door in front of each to control the air flow. There is also an ajustable vent on the top and a temperature gage. The charcoal pan looks like a pretty standard porcelin bowl, but it has quarter sized holes all through it to let in air and let ash out. I was suprised that it even looks like a pretty good grill design with the middle removed (as it was designed).
 
I got a hands-on look at this Masterbuilt smoker at Super WallyWorld. It may be attributable to the store-display-item assembler, but, unfortunately, it looked like the Master was on vacation when they built this one. It does indeed have the three perforated, sliding metal strips as dampers, but when you slide them closed there is still a 1/4" gap between the strip and the body of the smoker-- not at all airtight. The door is also very small-- it would be hard to add extra coals, turn meat, or even see inside in normal daylight. There is a larger circular vent on the dome lid, a little bigger then the WSM's, and an inexpensive-looking built in thermometer. The supposedly porcelain coating looked spray-painted on. Better than an ECB? Maybe, but only marginally, in terms of functionality-- definitely not cosmetically.

Let me say it's really, really hard to be objective about lower-end smokers when you have used a WSM, but, if I only BBQed 3 or 4 times a year, I don't know if I would want to spend $180, either. I had an ECB, and produced some good results-- thankfully, BBQ is often a forgiving process-- but anything different I might personally use in the future will have to surpass the WSM benchmark.
 
I emailed Weber requesting a WSM built on the 22" frame about a month ago, but they said there are no plans to do it. What a disapointment. That would solve all of the shortcomings of the current model.
 
The reason, I believe, there is no 22" WSM is economics.

Dave Estrem (a.k.a. "Weber Dave") has stated in one of these forums that Weber does not make all that much off of the WSM. I would also venture to say that the production numbers of the WSM are low when compared to the Kettles and the gas grills.

A bigger WSM will also mean a bigger price tag...definitely over $200 and maybe even closer to $300. /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif

In manufacturing the WSM (or any smoker for that matter) you are targetting a specific group of people with not many repeat buyers. If the average Joe suddenly decides to try smoking, one of the first things on his mind will be price. The next thing on his mind will be 'how much will I use it.' Again, the average person will only be cooking for four people most of the time.

What you have now is a small market (in terms of number of people), a small food capacity requirement, and several brands (Brinkman, New Braunfels, ect) to choose from. This raises the question Weber probably researched..."Given the market, our current production of WSMs, and the price people are willing to pay, will a 22" WSM sell well enough to justify the costs of producing it?" I'm guessing that answer is no even though nearly everyone here (myself included) would be first in line for a 22" WSM. The current version of the WSM does sell enough to justify the costs of producing it and that is why Weber keeps it on the product line.

What would be really, really nice is if Weber would offer a special production run of a 22" WSM for all of us fine folks here. I imagine though that they would have to have a minimum quanity before they would do it though.

This link also sheds some light on the subject:
Give Weber your feedback
----------------------
Mark WAR EAGLE!!
 
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