Should I go with the 18.5" or 22.5"?


 
I will play around with it, I usually have trouble keeping my temps below 250 in the 22. I have tried only lighting 1/3 of a chimney to put in the middle minion method ( i use a can in the middle of the coals to put the lit)

I have some time today, I am going to take the charcoal ring from my mini and put it in the 22 and load it up and see what happens just to see.
 
I own both and use both. I love the 22 for all the reasons mentioned in this thread. But, the 18 is enough for the majority of the cooks. Just like the 22" kettle is enough for most of my cooks, but it's really nice having the 26'er when I need/want it. The 22 eats more fuel than the 18, but KBB is cheap when it's on sale. :D
 
Since getting the 14 other than T-day all my cooks have been on that, but even if I only use the 22 once a twice a year it doesn't go bad. My 22.5 OTG I use about every other year, I have vowed to use it more often but the propane Silver B is so much faster to use (I light it go in and get the meat and throw it on all within 5 minutes).
But I got a Rib-u-lator and the ring for the 22.5 or OTG 22.5 so it will get use this year.

as said I will be running a test this afternoon on the 22
 
I got the 18.5"wsm over a year ago, and I love it! At first I had some buyers remorse, because ribs are a bit of a pain if you don’t use a rack if your doing more than one rack. Baby backs fit better than spares. I have a friend with the 22.5" and he would often be upset with the amount of charcoal he'd have to use on one rack of ribs. If your going to be cooking a lot of people maybe the 22 is your best bet, but the 18.5"wsm can do a lot of meat too. Rarely do I fill it to capacity. Either way, your going to love the Smokey Mountain! Remember to take some pictures and share.
 
You can do 4 racks of ribs on a 14.5 but they have to be cut in half. I don't have a problem with that because I tend to cut them when I serve them, some may not.



 
I had my 18 for roughly ten years, when I had to replace it. It was blown over in a storm, and parts of it went missing. I bought another 18, and never considered going with it's bigger brother. Sure I cut my ribs in half, but I never found anything else that won't fit.

You can do 4 racks of ribs on a 14.5 but they have to be cut in half. I don't have a problem with that because I tend to cut them when I serve them, some may not.
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I initially bought the 22, works great. Then I found a great deal on a CL 18, works great. I find I use the 18 more than the 22, but as stated, it's nice to have the big boy when needed.
If I were to do it again, I would buy both again, but go to CL for both instead of full price. just my opinion.

Ken
 
I bought my 18" at the beginning of last year. I bought a used 22" the beginning of this year for full racks of ribs and big briskets. I use the 18" charcoal ring in it for ribs. If I build a charcoal ring the same size as the 18" my wsm 18" will be for sale and I will replace it with a 14".
 
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M Crooks said:
I bought my 18" at the beginning of last year. I bought a used 22" the beginning of this year for full racks of ribs and big briskets. I use the 18" charcoal ring in it for ribs. If I build a charcoal ring the same size as the 18" my wsm 18" will be for sale and I will replace it with a 14".
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What is the diameter of the actual charcoal ring for the 18?
 
RichieNJ said:
I have the 18.5" and have zero regrets! It's only my wife and I (for now, she's pregnant) and I way overcook most times with plenty of room to spare.
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Yeah, I'm the same way with my 18.5" There are three of us at home (btw congrats on the pending baby), but my daughter is still a toddler. I've gotten out of the habit of thinking of it as "overcooking" as much as it's just cooking for the week. Actually, now that I think about it, the last few times I've made ribs we've shared them with friends, and whenever I make a shoulder the plan is to eat some that day and use the rest for tacos or enchiladas or some other type of meal. Either way, it's no longer "why did I make so much food" but "look honey we have plenty of yummy smoked meat for you to use in other meals".
 
I actually went the opposite way. My wife got me a 22 about 2 years ago that I just sold. Picked up the 18 a few days ago. The 22 is huge and uses a LOT of fuel especially here in Kansas (wind, cold, etc). We're a family of 3 and rarely have more than 10 that I cooked for. So most of the 22 was wasted space for us. The 18 is going to be perfect. Even just the seasoning process used a noticeably less amount of KBB than the 22. Just my $.02
 
Grant said:
I actually went the opposite way. My wife got me a 22 about 2 years ago that I just sold. Picked up the 18 a few days ago. The 22 is huge and uses a LOT of fuel especially here in Kansas (wind, cold, etc). We're a family of 3 and rarely have more than 10 that I cooked for. So most of the 22 was wasted space for us. The 18 is going to be perfect. Even just the seasoning process used a noticeably less amount of KBB than the 22. Just my $.02
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I know that this question has been posted ad nauseum, but having both myself, I can relate. Basically, other than someone that REALLY needs the capacity to cook more than four butts at a time or half a dozen st. louies, etc, I see two kinds of BBQ guys that will benefit from the room of the 22". First, someone that regularly cooks big briskets. Secondly, someone who likes to foil during the cook. Most likely, they'll also go with a foiled dry water pan and so they won't see the full extent of charcoal useage that you can get with the 22 if not foiling and/or using water in the pan. Oh yeah, that reminds me. The guy who doesn't care how much charcoal he goes through....yes, it's relatively cheap. And if you're wondering about full slabs of ribs, they'll fit just fine on the 18". Lately I roll 'em and skewer them no matter which cooker I'm putting them on.
 
How many full racks of baby backs can you get on an 18 without cutting them? Also I tend to 3,2,1 (2 hours foiled)

I have the 22, but lately have been using the 14 most of the time. This summer will tell me if I really need the 22 or should drop back to the 18 and sell the 22. The 22 was my first smoker and I have to admit I convinced myself "better to have it than need it and not have it" I am going to try the 18 inch ring in the 22 and see if I basically can get a 22 with the coal usage of an 18.
 
Jeff Padell said:
How many full racks of baby backs can you get on an 18 without cutting them? Also I tend to 3,2,1 (2 hours foiled)

I have the 22, but lately have been using the 14 most of the time. This summer will tell me if I really need the 22 or should drop back to the 18 and sell the 22. The 22 was my first smoker and I have to admit I convinced myself "better to have it than need it and not have it" I am going to try the 18 inch ring in the 22 and see if I basically can get a 22 with the coal usage of an 18.
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Like I posted above, if you like to foil, the 22 is the way to go. Harry Soo uses an 18, but with a rib rack and he trims the slabs down.
 
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