I've been cooking on my 18.5" for around 15 years, and needless to say I love it. I need to order a new charcoal grate (I burned it through in a couple spots), and I think I will replace my cooking grates at the same time. I use it mostly to cook Pork shoulders for pulled Pork. My family loves it, and I typically cook 4- 8 lbs. shoulders at once. This gives us several good meals, and some freezer stock for sandwiches.
I'm considering adding the 22.5" to my collection. We have an annual 4th of July party, and I cook 6- 8 lbs. shoulders, and every piece gets eaten. To cook 6 shoulders, I use my 14" to cook 2, and my 18.5" to cook 4. This is where I think the 22.5" might be better for me. I really like the 14" for chicken, and other smaller meals that require less cooking time, but I struggle with the 14" doing shoulders. My shoulders typically take 12-14 hours, and it seems like the ash catcher and the charcoal area is not as big proportionately as the 18.5". My charcoal only lasts 8 hours or so, and It seems like the ash from Kingsford piles up so high in the 14", that it chokes out the air flow, reducing the heat, if I don't scoop out the ash mid cook. I'm not a fan of scooping out that ash mid cook.
Here's where my main question comes in with the 22.5". Can I put 6- 8 lbs. shoulders on it, load it up with charcoal, and let it run 12-14 hours? Is the ash catcher big enough to hold all that ash and not choke out my fire if I need to refill my charcoal a bit to finish out the cook?
What other things should I be considering before making the jump to 22.5"? Give me all the pros and cons from your experience.
Like I said, I really like the 14" for shorter cooks, and I think it really saves money on charcoal compared to cooking chicken on the 18.5". I just wonder how the 22.5" compares. Thanks for the help and advice.
I'm considering adding the 22.5" to my collection. We have an annual 4th of July party, and I cook 6- 8 lbs. shoulders, and every piece gets eaten. To cook 6 shoulders, I use my 14" to cook 2, and my 18.5" to cook 4. This is where I think the 22.5" might be better for me. I really like the 14" for chicken, and other smaller meals that require less cooking time, but I struggle with the 14" doing shoulders. My shoulders typically take 12-14 hours, and it seems like the ash catcher and the charcoal area is not as big proportionately as the 18.5". My charcoal only lasts 8 hours or so, and It seems like the ash from Kingsford piles up so high in the 14", that it chokes out the air flow, reducing the heat, if I don't scoop out the ash mid cook. I'm not a fan of scooping out that ash mid cook.
Here's where my main question comes in with the 22.5". Can I put 6- 8 lbs. shoulders on it, load it up with charcoal, and let it run 12-14 hours? Is the ash catcher big enough to hold all that ash and not choke out my fire if I need to refill my charcoal a bit to finish out the cook?
What other things should I be considering before making the jump to 22.5"? Give me all the pros and cons from your experience.
Like I said, I really like the 14" for shorter cooks, and I think it really saves money on charcoal compared to cooking chicken on the 18.5". I just wonder how the 22.5" compares. Thanks for the help and advice.
