New WSMs for 2009


 
Chris,
I sent an email to Weber Customer Service the other day suggesting they might consider offering special deals to current WSM owners on improved parts from the new 18" model if they will fit current 18" WSMs, i.e., new lid with thermo or larger water pan, etc. I told them I learned about the upcoming new 18" & 22" models from The Virtual Weber Bullet web site. Their response was that they did not even know about the new WSM models coming out, but instead went to the Virtual Weber Bullet site to confirm my information. The cs rep indicated in the email response to me that training for them in a couple of months would likely cover the new WSMs. You have us so far ahead of the curve that we all actually now know more than Weber. Great job and thanks again.
 
Originally posted by Tom Murtiashaw:
You have us so far ahead of the curve that we all actually now know more than Weber.
Click to expand...
The news broke much earlier than Weber corporate wanted. If it hadn't been for the photo popping up on the official Weber Club website in Denmark, you probably wouldn't have had an official announcement until October.
 
Someone in the previous 10 pages of this thread mentioned a stronger top grate. I am getting ready to cook 45 lbs. of pork butt tomorrow night, so I thought why not see if the top grate can hold all that weight.

No problem. See photo.
 
No problem indeed. I can't wait to get my hands on one of these. Thanks for all the pics, and info on the new Gigantor WSM.
icon_cool.gif
 
Originally posted by Bruce Rich:
Mr. Haskins writes, "I'll be putting in my order tomorrow". Please explain, I want the 22 inch wsm now but can it be got?
icon_smile.gif
Click to expand...

In addition to the BBQ institute, I teach classes at a big Weber dealer in eastern WA. I put my order in. When I get it will depend on when Weber ships.
 
Chris,

Have you seen how hot the new 22" runs wide open with Kingsford? Not doing anything special like using mesquite or propping the door open.

Thanks,

Konrad
 
Originally posted by Konrad Haskins:
Have you seen how hot the new 22" runs wide open with Kingsford? Not doing anything special like using mesquite or propping the door open.
Click to expand...
No, I've not done this.
 
Originally posted by Lonnie Mac:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mike A.:
Chris -
2) I sometimes set up my WSM for grilling (charcoal in middle section). Does it look like the new 22 will support that scheme?

Thanks for the early look!
Click to expand...

I did this as well, until I purchased the Steroid mod for the WSM... Now it is a great little grill as well! Looks like all the mods will transfer over just fine though. The Guru eyelets, smokey joe on steroid mod, and my door prop mod!

Please tell me Chris...
icon_smile.gif
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Where can you purchase the "steroid mod" I'm interested
 
I am blown away by how thorough this website is put together. As soon as it is available I will be purchasing the 22" WSM. How well will your extensive cooktimes/recipes apply to this unit? Have you had a chance to determine how quickly it goes through fuel compared to the 18"?
 
Originally posted by Justin Toomer:
How well will your extensive cooktimes/recipes apply to this unit? Have you had a chance to determine how quickly it goes through fuel compared to the 18"?
Click to expand...
These are good questions that I don't have answers to yet. It looks like the new unit consumes more fuel, which you would expect when heating up more meat, water, etc., but the one I got is a little out of round so the temp runs a bit high and closing the dampers doesn't put out the fire right away, so the leftover fuel burns down more than I'm used to. I have a feeling that cook times won't change, but amount of fuel used and vent settings will, depending on quantity of meat and water.
 
Just heard back from my source.

The September show sheet that retailers get show the NEW 26" One Touch Black, & NEW 22.5" Smokey Mountain Cooker with the earliest ship by date of 12/1/08.

EDIT

Sorry I should have asked MSRP. I'll fix that ASAP.
 
Dang - go away on vacation and another few days getting my son back to college and bam - Chris demo's a 22" SMC!

Great news. As for me, heck I like my 18" and just bought a stacker. Going to order a set of Pro Q fish/meat hooks so I can smoke the long stuff like fish and sausage.

So although I am REALLY excited about the new model smokers AND the OT grills I am much more interested in seeing if I can mount a 22" mid section on top of my Performer in the future. That will be really cool and in my case better than having two cookers. That means I can stop looking for an 18" Platinum to add a cart to my WSM.

Looks like the future may offer the opportunity to mod my Performer to a 22" SMC with a rolling card and starter.

The mind reels with opportunities. I do like the heat shield along with the wider straps and better door handle, thermo, etc , etc.

It will be interesting if Weber offers upgrade kits for those with the older WSM's.

Weber has done a good thing. And Chris brought it to us first!

Love this site!!
 
After witnessing the aftermath of the collapse of the legs on a Pro-Q smoker, I have deduced another function of the heat deflector pan on the bottom of the new WSMs.

Because of the additional stresses on the legs of the large WSM caused by it's increased weight, the pan was added to tie the three legs together. This will prevent lateral forces from causing the legs to bend outward under load and will mitigate the potential for collapse of the 22" WSM under the failure mode witnessed for the Pro-Q. A fine job of subtlely executing this design by Weber's engineers.

Owners of the Mega-WSM and Pro-Q Excel 20 should be cautioned about placing these smokers on low-friction surfaces. I believe the use of such a surface combined with rainfall contributed to the failure of the legs of the Pro-Q (it was not heavily loaded when it collapsed, only 2 butts and 1 brisket). A mod may be needed to physically tie the Pro-Q's legs together to prevent possible failure and catastrophe.
 
Test #3 photos

I have posted some photos of my test cook of 45 lbs. of pork butt. I trimmed some fat and tied the boneless roasts to keep them compact, net weight was about 42 lbs. going into the cooker.

I used an entire 21.6 lb bag of Kingsford. 2 gallons of water in the pan at the beginning and never refilled it. Used foil to fill the gaps between the bowl and middle section due to out of round condition.

Cooked the butts for 11-1/2 hours. Kingsford was starting to give out after about 9 hours. I stirred the coals a couple of times and nursed the fire so that I could get these butts over the finish line, but pretty much consumed most all of the Kingsford in the process.

I pulled 1 butt for myself and gave the other 5 to a local food kitchen. Just happened to see an old friend there who said the food kitchen was really hurting due to lack of donations. Please help your local food kitchen if/when you can.

I have also posted a quickie video showing how much charcoal this cooker will hold:

Charcoal Capacity
Standard Quality | High Quality

Regards,
Chris
 
Originally posted by JRPfeff:
After witnessing the aftermath of the collapse of the legs on a Pro-Q smoker, I have deduced another function of the heat deflector pan on the bottom of the new WSMs.

Because of the additional stresses on the legs of the large WSM caused by it's increased weight, the pan was added to tie the three legs together. This will prevent lateral forces from causing the legs to bend outward under load and will mitigate the potential for collapse of the 22" WSM under the failure mode witnessed for the Pro-Q. A fine job of subtlely executing this design by Weber's engineers.
Click to expand...
From where I sit, it looks like the legs on the Pro-Q are both poorly-placed and inherently incapable of holding the weight of the cooker under load. I don't see any correlation therein to the Weber re-design. Looks more like Weber was just thinking smart by adding the pan/shield, and someone else (Pro-Q) just wasn't thinking.
 
Originally posted by Chris Allingham:Charcoal Capacity
Click to expand...
Yeah, but will it hold 20# of hardwood lump? *gd&r*

It would be nice if you would do a lump test, for those cyber lumpies that might be interested in that!
wsmsmile8gm.gif
 
Originally posted by Doug D:
From where I sit, it looks like the legs on the Pro-Q are both poorly-placed and inherently incapable of holding the weight of the cooker under load. I don't see any correlation therein to the Weber re-design. Looks more like Weber was just thinking smart by adding the pan/shield, and someone else (Pro-Q) just wasn't thinking.
Click to expand...
Doug,

I agree that the legs of the Pro-Q are less than optimally designed. It's been a long time since I performed any civil design analysis (college sophomore year), but plate aluminum or steel is not the best choice for structural members in compression. In this case the legs are also in shear, and the only force to resist this shear force is friction between the tips of the legs and the surface they are placed.

For the same reason I also believe that the redesign of the WSM legs to give them a wider footprint puts them at higher risk of failure than the current design. Combine this with the increased weight of the unit and the larger meat, water and charcoal capacity of the 22 inch WSM and the risk can become substantial. Even using a oil drip pan like Chris did here could become problematic if the pan gets wet while cooking a large load.

When I buy my 22" WSM, I will find a way to add members to the legs to resist the shear forces. Perhaps an aluminum brace like this red line between each of the legs.

Jim
 
Originally posted by Doug D:
From where I sit, it looks like the legs on the Pro-Q are both poorly-placed and inherently incapable of holding the weight of the cooker under load. I don't see any correlation therein to the Weber re-design. Looks more like Weber was just thinking smart by adding the pan/shield, and someone else (Pro-Q) just wasn't thinking.
Click to expand...

I agree with Doug on this one. I think after looking at the smaller ProQ and the WSM that the WSM was much more stable. I have seen the larger ProQ and the leg straps were wider as they should be but really can't make a true comparison with the 22" SMC of course. But best guess is the SMC legs seem wider to me.

I'll have to stop by Fred's BBQ on my way to Reading this week to check the leg straps out a bit closer on the larger Pro Q. But those straps on the SMC look really wide and heavy.
 
Chris,
Like you, I don't like the idea of not being able to clean the heat shield, and the leg tabs seem to be in contact with the bottom bowl. The thermo is a nice change, but it tops out at 350 degrees. Sometimes I go a little higher for turkey, and high temp brisket flats.
I am looking forward to this behemoth of a vertical water smoker. It looks like I do almost twice as much Q in one session.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top