Which would you keep Brand new modded 18 vs used 22


 
Charlie L

Charlie L

TVWBB Super Fan
The age old dilemma is always which WSM to get 18 or 22, but that's not my dilemma, I now have both. My question is which to keep.

In March I was given a $250 lowes gift card. Lowes didn't carry the 22" so I used that 250 and bought an 18" WSM for very little out of pocket and I've been happy with it for six months but my one gripe is that I need to cut rack or roll ribs on the 18 and I know I wouldn't have to if I had a 22.

Well a 22" came up on CL nearby and it was too good a deal to pass up so I grabbed it today. It's a 2011 in really good shape. The grates are a tad bit rusty but it's solid otherwise.

So here's my dilemma, which do I keep? I CANNOT KEEP BOTH. I don't need two and don't have the space for two with my other grills. Whichever I keep will be paired with my pitmasterIQ 110.

The 18" is six months old and I've done some mods: gasket on door and both ends of mid section as well as charcoal grate mod with a perpendicular second grate and u bolts for sifting coals. Since its newer It has the temp probe port and factory lid therm that the older 22 doesn't. I also added the garage door handles

The 22 had the space advantage buts a bit older, doesn't have a temp probe port and the therm that came on it is was added by the former owner ( looks like a brinkmann). Obviously I can upgrade these both myself.

I know many people feel the 18" is more fuel efficient but is the consumption that much higher in the 22"?

I would likely be able to sell the 22" for more so that can fund other future BBQ projects.

I would love some feedback and opinions on which you would keep and which you would sell. Maybe I list both and let the market dictate?

Again I can only keep one. Thoughts?
 
I always answer this the same way. 22.5" for the very reasons you cite: more room for ribs, packer brisket, etc. I am not concerned with a slight increase in fuel consumption.
 
I have an 18.5 and it's all I need for the two of us. I mostly do baby backs and a rack will fit just fine on the 18.5, if I do spares or SLs I just cut them and put them in a rack. I guess it would be how much you need to cook at one time and how you want to present it. The mods you did on your 18.5 can easily be done on the 22 with out to much expense if you desire.
 
Since you have been using the 18 1/2 for a while, make several cooks using the 22 and then decide. More specifically, smoke the ribs since that is your issue with the 18.5 and see how the 22 works for you.

Personally I would go for the 22. The best of both worlds would be to keep the 22 and later get a 14.5. You would then have one for small cooks and one for large cooks - the best of both worlds.
 
If you list both, then you should be prepared to sell both.

You can't predict future usage 100%, but you should keep the one that you feel would get the most usage. Also the 22.5 will cover 100% of the 18.5's cooking capacity (and more, obviously), but the converse - the 18.5 covering 100% of the 22.5's capacity - isn't true.

So if you plan a lot of bigger cooks, then the extra capacity of the 22.5 becomes a key driver in your decision. If you see most, if not all, of your future cooks being covered by the 18.5 then your best bang for the buck may be to sell the 22.5 to fund those future projects. Being that you bought the 22.5 used, you will likely get more of your money back with the 22.5 than you would out of the 18.5 that you bought new and have invested additional $$$ in mods and time.
 
There's no single correct answer for your question. It comes down to which one will make you the most happy in the long run. We have an 18.5" and I've never wished for the 22 but that's just my preference. I've seen this question go both ways. There's fans of both. There's owners who started with a 22 and sold it to get a 18.5, and owners who started with an 18.5 and upgraded to the 22. Personally I like my 18.5 for long low and slow smokes. Think pork buttes and beef briskets, and I really like my 26.75 kettle for ribs, turkey, rotisserie, or anything of less than 4 hours cooking time. The best ribs I've done came off my 26.75 kettle! So sell the 22 and get a 26.75 kettle!
 
I read your first post once.

My first impression: From your post, you want the 22. You won't be happy if you sell the 22.

Sell the 18.
 
I've got all three and I would vote for the 18 to stay. Yes the extra capacity is great with the 22, but honestly I had my 22 first and probably wouldn't have bought it knowing what I know now. it has been collecting dust since finding the 18. I do like the 22 for cooking ribs flat, but I also have the 26.75 for shorter rib cooks. If you do a lot of ribs or really large cooks then perhaps the 22 is the way to go, but you've had the 18 and know what it can hold. Good luck...
 
Unless you are cooking for large groups .. the 18.5 is a great size. I don’t mind cutting my ribs in half if they don’t fit as they get cut up for serving anyway. You can separate the point from the flat on a large brisket and it will fit fine. I think the 18.5 is the perfect size for a small family.
 
Thanks for all the feed back guys.

Funny all the first posts were pro 22, the latter were all pro 18.

I listed on both on craigslist hoping that having some money on the table one way or the other would sway me but no takers yet.

I think i will try harder to sell the 18 and keep the 22. After my initial post i thought long and hard about it and came to the realization that once i got my 18" i haven't touched my Mini WSM. With a 22" and an 14" mini there are very few cooks that will fall into the category of "too big for the mini and too small for the 22".
 
The Market has spoken, a buyer took the 18 yesterday. Looking forward to getting the 22 cooking. Going to keep it mostly unmodded as is for a while and see how it cooks. Its a few years old so the gasket may not be required. I think i will add some SS bolts to the charcoal and lower cooking grates for lifting and that's it for now.
 
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