Weber vs. El Cheapo


 
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Can someone give me some insite as to why the Weber Bullet is so much more expensive than the $30-$60 Brickman(?) and other smokers on the market? At $179, the Smoker is twice what Weber charges for their basic grill. Is there a cheaper Weber smoker? Is it really worth it for a novice BBQer? I am a fairly accomplished cook and griller, and I realize you get what you pay for, so I am inclined to belive that it must be worth the price, but what exactly is it that makes it SO much better?

Thanks from a newbie!!! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
I believe that if you see the ECB and the WSM side by side the reasons are obvious. The WSM is made of much heavier steel with a baked on porcelin finish versus a flimsy painted steel unit for the ECB. I've had my WSM for over a year now and it looks just as good now as when I bought it. If you've ever seen a older ECB they usually look like they have been through WW III. The WSM is also much tighter with infinitely better heat control. It's almost like that TV infomercial "set it and forget it". The ECB has basically no heat control. There are no adjustable vents for inlet or outlet and the fire is in a charcoal pan with no grate. I believe part of they reason for the high price of the WSM is due to a much lower volume of sales of these units compared to other Weber products. IMHO the WSM is worth every penny that you pay for it just for the ease of use and its durability. To qoute Chris Allingham "buy the best and only cry once". All that being said, good BBQ can be made on almost anything, but the experience will be much better on quality equipment. Good Luck, Don
 
Even if you do all the mods to the Brinkman that can be found on the Web, it still will not perform as well as the WSM right out of the box. The Brinkman is fondly referred to as the El Cheapo Brinkman (ECB) and does work fairly well, after modifying. Compare the two and you will see a definite difference in quality of material and workmanship. The three air controls on the bottom of the WSM make it very easy to control. I agree that it seems to be a bit overpriced, however, it has the reputation that supports the price. Is it worth it for a novice? Success inspires one to continue with a new endeavor. The WSM helps a novice be a success.
 
tmador, I bought an ECB(El Cheapo Brinkman), used it a few times and turned out some very inferior product and was very disappointed. About that time the internet came into mainstream use and I was able to find a lot of info about modfiying the ECB to make it better. I spent 20-30 dollars modifying it and was able to turn out much better product. Still, the ECB required almost constant attention to keep the temp at good smoking ranges. I kept looking around the internet and after much research finally decided to bite the bullet (pun intended) and plunk down 179 on the WSM. Like you, I thought it seemed very over priced. I have now had the WSM 2 years, and I can say that I have never regreted my decision to buy it. So if you know that this is something you like to do and will use a lot, I would get the WSM. If you are not sure and just want to try something out, maybe the ECB with mods is worth investigating. Good luck to you.
 
Being a new WSM owner I will say that it is worth every penny. This is my third smoker. I use to smoke a lot of fish on the cheap cookers. There is no comparison. I have already done a half dozen cooks and the WSM runs great. I did a butt for 17.5 hours at 220-235 grill temps with one batch of coal and 4 adjustments to the vents. I use to have to adjust temps by amount of coal used and constant attention. Add in the build quality and tell me how it's not worth it!
 
I had a ECB several years ago used it twice. Then threw it away. Took me awhile to decide to try the whole smoking thing again. I stared out looking at offsets and came across this great site
After several hours of reading i decided to try it again and bought my WSM last Fri. Night & Day is an understatement when comparing the two. I'm so glad i did not buy the offset it was $1058.00 with shipping. You need to realize that a WSM will burn for long periods of time unatended that is where the WSM really shines.the biggest problem with the ECB is temperature control. It has no vents on the bottom to regulate the amount of air going inside.(atleast mine did'nt)I did not even consider one when looking for a smoker Just my opinon. Hope you take the plunge. Happy smoking
 
Thanks for all the input. I agree that it is probably the best option out ther, but I can not believe that there is no mid-range, $100 smoker out ther for someone like me who is not sure, but still wants a quality smoker. Anybody know of one, cause I haven't seen it
 
tmadar.....

First of all, I own 2 WSM and love them to death! They have been consistent winners for me on the BBQ competition trail. I no longer yearn for that big off-set like I once did.

Here is one alternative for you(I apologize up front to Chris for the following)...........

You can buy a CharBroil ELECTRIC unit for $70 at the big box stores. This is how I started smoking. It allows you to vary your heat by an adjustable temp control. Be sure you look at the CharBroil as it is the ONLY one that has this feature.

Do NOT buy the charcoal fired units, they simply do not work. Do NOT buy any other brand of electric as they all come with only one seting.

The nice thing about the electric unit is that you can concentrate on preparing your meats and not have to worry about fire control. If you find you don't like this smoking stuff, then you are out only a few bucks. However, you can still use the electric unit for drying all your other foods...garlic, cherries, peppers, etc.

If you DO like this smoking stuff, you can go buy the WSM and still use your electric unit for the jobs I listed above.

A classic win-win scenario.
 
I agree that the BEST is usually best, but unfortunately, my finacial situation dictates that I be somewhat frugal at the moment. I had been looking forward to experimenting with 'slow and low' cooking, but I don't know if I can afford the investment at this point. Should I just wait until I can afford it, or try the ECB and see what I can do with it?
 
Thanks Kevin, that may be the way to go. i will look into the Char-Broil Electric
 
Something to consider is that the WSM is much more efficient than the ECB in charcoal usage. If you use your cooker on a regular basis, you will quickly make up the initial price difference with the savings in charcoal. The WSM will pay for itself in the long run.

Steve
 
With the high cost of good meat why would anyone want to take a chance at buying a smoker that would not insure success? If you blow a couple of cooks you made up for the difference in cost.

I first bought a WSM to do overnight cooks. What is a good nights sleep worth?

Just wish Weber would use a Brinkman charcoal pan and a good quality thermo in the lid. We end up spending an additional $52.00 on each WSM on thermos and new pans.
 
tmadar
You can spend less money and fight to try to use it. If you have a lot of problems making it work, chances are you will not cook because of the fact you won't be able turn out the BBQ you want.
With a WSM, using Chris's info on the site and asking questions, you have a very good chance to turn out good BBQ from the start.
WSM is user freindly and you can spend your energy on what rubs, sauces, and techniques.
Good luck
Jim
 
If you are willing to wait a while longer, then you can probably get a good deal on a WSM late this summer or early fall. Retailers and E-tailers will be clearing out summer merchandise such as grills/smokers and prices will drop.

I purchased my WSM online late last summer for around $135 ( including delivery ). The WSM is an all-weather machine, so you can still enjoy cooking into the fall and winter and maybe save some $$$ too.
 
If you can only afford something below $100, another option would be to buy a 22" Weber One-Touch Silver kettle grill for about $80. You can make some kick-*** BBQ on it (with more effort than on the WSM, of course) and it's an excellent grill, too.

Just a thought,
Chris
 
Tmadar,
A lot of us spent our formative years rasslin' ECB's into producing something edible. The results were (for me, anyway) highly variable. The damned things just can't be controlled reliably, even when modified. That's why nobody in this thread has recommended the ECB. Here is another suggestion: While you are saving for a WSM, get a 22" Weber kettle (used, if you can find one) and cook indirectly. Of course, it's not the same as the WSM, but it's better than an ECB, as you can control the temperature. A lot of people swear by this method, especially for chicken. Just a suggestion.

To answer your question, the WSM is SO much better because it WORKS. The WSM excels at two things: 1) holds a steady temperature for a long time, and 2) doesn't need to be stoked with fuel continuously. Other than the big-ticket machines, nothing else comes close.

George
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris Allingham:
[qb]If you can only afford something below $100, another option would be to buy a 22" Weber One-Touch Silver kettle grill for about $80. You can make some kick-*** BBQ on it (with more effort than on the WSM, of course) and it's an excellent grill, too.

[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I would agree with that recommendation. The vast majority of outdoor cooking is better done at higher temps, anyway -- either grilling or roasting. About the only things that would be clearly better on the WSM would be long-slow items like ribs, pork butt, etc. For hamburgers, steaks, fish, seafood, chicken, turkeys, roast beef, pork loin roasts, grilled veggies -- the kettle grill is going to be a better choice. With a couple of fire bricks and a little creativity, you can press a Weber kettle into doing an OK job smoking ribs and pork butts -- small fire off to one side, piled up behind a couple of firebricks, food on the other side.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> fish...chicken, turkeys...
-- the kettle grill is going to be a better choice... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I hate to disagree with you there, Webb. But... /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

I'll give you hamburgers, steaks, shellfish, and vegetables. But in defense of our beloved WSM:

I prefer chicken and turkey cooked on the WSM.
Roast Beef was a huge hit for me the last two years at Christmas.

And as for fish, you're right about most of them, but smoked salmon on the WSM has to be tasted to be believed.

My experience has been that, on longer cooks (1 hour or more) that involve roasting (325*F or less), the WSM with the Minion Method gives you a level of temperature control that is hard to beat.
 
I'm not taking anything away from the WSM. However, this was an either/or situation. If I had to choose between having a Weber kettle OR a WSM, I'd have to go with the kettle. There are some things that a WSM clearly does better, but looking at the totality of outdoor cooking, I would have to say that the kettle is a more versatile tool and will probably get more use.

Obviously, the best solution is to have both tools at your disposal. My "WSM" is actually a cooking chamber addition to my kettle grill. I would say that I use the kettle grill by itself without the "smoker" attachment about 75% of the time.

For example, tonight I'm cooking a seared flank steak topped with grilled red peppers and vidalia onions. This requires high grilling temperatures (600+ degrees) and would be difficult to do if a WSM were your ONLY outdoor cooking appliance.
 
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