Upsized WSM


 
Lew Newby

Lew Newby

R.I.P. 1/26/2024
I've been away from the forum for way too long. Time to get back to it.

A while back my son called and asked me if I wanted his 2 year old 22.5" WSM - as a gift. My practical side told me to say no. I'm 75, my 18.5" WSM is great, That big sucker is heavy and I'm not as strong as I once was. I don't need the capacity, and it's a charcoal hog. I almost always listen to my practical side but not this time. I just wanted that big boy. I like the idea of smoking ribs flat on the cooking grate.

I've had it for a while, made all the mods I want, and cooked on it enough to get it partially seasoned. He had barely used it. Yesterday I did a test cook with my old Auber ATC and found that the 6.5 cfm stokes the big boy just fine. Cooking on it is just like the 18.5 only on a bigger scale.

I have a new toy and no regrets. Who says we get smarter with age? :wsm:
 
The 22WSM is indeed a beast. I wanted one forever and got one this past Christmas. I've only cooked on it a few times and I need to fix that. Wonderful smoker. Congrats Lew!
 
I don't know if the ATC affects charcoal usage or not. Putting the gasket kit on the 22" WSM definitely helped in that area. I didn't gasket my 18.5 because it was tighter when new than the 22 was.

I've had my Auber for 6 years and it may be the first model for the WSM. Other than knocking ash off the coals every once in a while it's pretty much set and forget. It's a basic controller and holds temp very close to the set temp. My model is no longer on their website. Their customer service is great.

I use a Maverick ET 732 to monitor temp while I stay in the air conditioning.

Hope that helps but I'm sure I left something out.
 
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I have a WSM 22.5 with a gasket kit added too. I use the DigiQ and have had no problems keeping long temps. I'm quite happy with it.
 
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