Reflections on my 22.5"


 
J

John Moncrief

New member
I have had this smoker for about six years. When I bought it I thought bigger is better. On reflection, I wish I had bought an 18". Why? Because I think it uses too much charcoal and the temperature is harder to control, particularly in cold weather. Not to say I have not had many successes with it. And there is no substitute if you have a big crowd. Yesterday I had to smoke a small pork butt (3.8 lbs) as that is what my wife came home with. I followed the slathered mustard recipe. I was afraid it would dry out before it reached 190. I had to take it off after 7 1/2 hours at around 185 as dinner had to be served and it had to sit. . It was quite delicious (yummy bark) and five adults consumed every morsel. But I used 3/4 or so of a bag of Kingsford regular charcoal..five chimneys or so. Sure, the coals continued to burn for a number of more hour but that is what I needed to keep it at 225 to 250.
 
Ooof. Sounds like a charcoal hog. High temps even worse? Does it maintain temp well? Water in the pan? Hot water?
 
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I have a 18” and 22” wsm and the charcoal burn efficiency difference is noticeable. For that reason I use my 18” wsm most of the time.
 
I've got the 22.5", and wish I had an 18" ALSO (maybe even a 14" instead).
I'm planning on doing at least two large packer briskets this weekend, and the 22.5" is perfect for that. When I'm ramping up to do 12 full racks of ribs, the big one is the way to go.
but there are times when I'd just like to do one, lonely 8 pound pork butt, and I hate sacrificing that much charcoal for that small amount of meat. Ugh. She'll never let me get another one.
 
I had two 18s when the 22 came out. I gave one to a friend while the other sat on the side of my house for 12 years. Your 22's charcoal usage does seem excessive. You mentioned cold weather. Cold weather and wind are the bane of all WSMs regardless of size. Was it also windy that day? How cold was it during the cook? You mentioned keeping it at 225-250, was that the temp measured by the lid thermometer, or did you have a thermometer probe clipped to the cooking grate?

One thing I'm thinking of trying to increase charcoal efficiency of my 22 is to use the lower cooking grate as my primary cooking grate with the water pan installed (either full or empty depending on the cook). The pit temp probe for my ATC would be clipped to the lower grate near the meat. Whenever I have used both grates, the lower grate is always hotter. So if I do a single packer on the lower grate at 250, it should theoretically use less fuel than cooking it on the top grate at the same temp.
 
J Grotz said:
I had two 18s when the 22 came out. I gave one to a friend while the other sat on the side of my house for 12 years. Your 22's charcoal usage does seem excessive. You mentioned cold weather. Cold weather and wind are the bane of all WSMs regardless of size. Was it also windy that day? How cold was it during the cook? You mentioned keeping it at 225-250, was that the temp measured by the lid thermometer, or did you have a thermometer probe clipped to the cooking grate?

One thing I'm thinking of trying to increase charcoal efficiency of my 22 is to use the lower cooking grate as my primary cooking grate with the water pan installed (either full or empty depending on the cook). The pit temp probe for my ATC would be clipped to the lower grate near the meat. Whenever I have used both grates, the lower grate is always hotter. So if I do a single packer on the lower grate at 250, it should theoretically use less fuel than cooking it on the top grate at the same temp.
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It was not cold...upper 70's maybe. Not windy. It maintained fine, just needed a refill too soon. I have my arm in sling so I did bother with pit probe or the fan device I had bought. Used the lid thermometer which I replaced last year. I was wondering about the lower grate. Worth a try with my fan device on.
 
I was all set on the 22 until I saw Chris' advice on this site. 18 was the right choice for me:

The 18.5″ WSM seems to satisfy the needs of most people, most of the time, when cooking in the backyard.

With the ability to easily handle 2 briskets or 4 pork butts or 4 chickens or 8 rolled racks of baby back ribs, the 18.5″ WSM provides the cooking capacity that most people need at home. It’s also very fuel-efficient relative to its cooking capacity.

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Which Size Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Should You Buy? - The Virtual Weber Bullet

How to select the right size Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker that meets your needs. It's all about cooking capacity, space requirements, portability and price.
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i also agree on the 18in have had mine for many years it is very fuel efficient and works just fine for me.
 
Only thing the 18 doesn't do is let you lay multiple full rack of ribs out on the top grate.

the 22 should only use about 50% more charcoal than the 18, if you're using more than that then it's not sealed up.

Chacoals cheap too at least you know Kingsford is.
 
Anyone up for a little contest....
An 18.5" WSM against a 22.5" WSM
The 18.5" WSM must use the water pan filled with water.
The 22.5" WSM must use the water pan with NO water.

I'm betting the 22.5" WSM will use the same or less charcoal than the 18.5" WSM.
 
When I use my 18's I never fill water in the water pan but instead I spritz my meat directly with much success. As for charcoal use it depends on the fuel. I find KBB uses a lot of fuel with a lot of ash. I have my best success for me is B&B orange bag and it burns well.
 
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