WSM 22.5 with no grommet


 
C

Clint M.

New member
New board member here and complete smoker grill newbie. I have a Weber Performer grill that I use every weekend. I really want to try my hand at smoking food and I ordered a 22.5 WSM on Amazon a couple days ago. I know that the 2014 models have the new silicone grommet and I was hoping that my WSM would be the newer model. Sadly, it is not.

So here's my question for you experienced WSM grillers. Should I return the WSM and wait a little bit for sellers to go through their 2013 stock? Is the grommet worth the wait? I probably won't use the WSM for a little while anyways with our upcoming holiday travel. On one hand, for the price of the WSM, I want to make sure that I get my money's worth. On the other hand, am I squabbling over a small difference that may not be worth the trouble?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
I dont think its worth the trouble, its up to you. Those things cook so well that those gadgets are not at all needed just toys to play with ;) i wouldnt sweat it myself the wires go through the top vent easy enough, get cooking :wsm:
 
Clint,
It's a matter of preference & how you see yourself mainly using your smoker. If you think of a long, slow cook you will hopefully not be opening the lid very much if at all possibly. In that case, Grant's suggestion to pass the probe wires thru the lid is a cheap, easy solution. If you plan on cracking the lid somewhat during cooks, then you might find the wires strung thru the vent hole to be a hassle. Some folks cut a slit in the top of the center section of the WSM to cradle the probe wires & feel that it makes it easy to access the top or bottom food grate with minimal hassle. You have to have the courage & confidence to slice into your grill. If you are somewhat handy, then this option may appeal to you. I have the silicone grommet & personally I enjoy it. The only drawback being if you need to move meat on or off the top or lower grates, you will have to remove the temp probe from your meats & then reinsert once you put the meat back on the smoker.

No one way better or worse than another, just your preference. Plus, I'm a self-professed Gadget-a-holic and like to have the latest features for the dollars spent. Just my .02 ;)
 
I'm glad i have the '13 version as I don't want the grommet. I'm a huge fan of the notch and it's ease of use. If you're the least bit handy, you could order the grommet from Weber (sweet talk em and they'll probably wave the fee) and drill the hole in your wsm.
 
While I'm handy with tools, I'm hesitant to modify the center section of a brand new grill. Especially when the grommet in the 2014 model serves the purpose without voiding the warranty. On top of that, I have to figure out how to send the WSM back to Amazon. Decisions ... decisions.
 
If the OEM installed grommet is a feature that is important to you, and not drilling into your new cooker is equally important, I see no alternative but to return it and wait. Good luck in whatever you decide. ...and once you do get to smoking, we look forward to your posts.
 
I drilled all of mine and installed my own grommets made from lamp nipples that I can seal off with a cap. Some use regular pipe nipples. That said, I hardly ever use mine. I find it to be hassle when I am using the lower grate. Not a big one but you still have to remove the probe from the grommet if you want to remove the lower grate, especially if you are as big a clutz as me and my teammates. We have actually dropped pork butts off the grate into the pan below trying to tilt the grate enough to get past the probe. I know, too lazy to take probe out first.
 
Imho, if you question it now, you might as well return it, because you will be double thinking yourself forever. The cool thing is, even if you don't use the grommet, there is no negatives about having it. It does however gives you something to use before commiting to doing the notch (which I personally don't like, but many other swear by it).

Also, with the 2014, you get the handles on the lower grate, which saves you the trouble and cost of doing this valuable upgrade later too. Now, on this one, the videos on their site shows the old style lower grate, but there has been a ton of discussion here that indeed that was upgraded.

However, you now have to factor in the hassle factor of doing a return. Not sure what that entails, but I think the 2014 has some nice upgrades.
 
Clint M. said:
While I'm handy with tools, I'm hesitant to modify the center section of a brand new grill. Especially when the grommet in the 2014 model serves the purpose without voiding the warranty. On top of that, I have to figure out how to send the WSM back to Amazon. Decisions ... decisions.
Click to expand...

Clint,

I ordered my 18.5 from Amazon and they sent the 2013 version. I returned it (very easy process) and they send out the 2014 version with the grommet overnight. They picked up the old version the same time the new one got deliver.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I think Scott is right, I'm probably going to second guess myself and will probably be better served returning it for the 2014 model.

@Marc - Did you call Amazon regarding the version issue or did you use the online return process?
 
Clint M. said:
Thanks for the advice everyone. I think Scott is right, I'm probably going to second guess myself and will probably be better served returning it for the 2014 model.

@Marc - Did you call Amazon regarding the version issue or did you use the online return process?
Click to expand...

I used the online return process and online chat so i could have the transcript of the conversation. The person online was able to locate their newest inventory and shipped those.
 
Cool deal. I'll work on it tonight after work. Thanks for all of the input guys. I cooked some baby back ribs on my Weber kettle grill but they didn't turn out as well as I wanted (heat got too high, hard to maintain heat). I look forward to firing up the WSM to give them another try.
 
Marc mentioned: The person online was able to locate their newest inventory and shipped those.

I will see if the amazon employee can do the same.
 
Just wanted to update this thread. I chatted with the nice amazon folks about this issue and while they agreed to ship out a replacement WSM, they could not guarantee that it would be the 2014 model. They advised that they had no way to request the newer inventory to be shipped rather than the older stock. They covered the return shipping no problem.

I rolled the dice and the new one arrived today. The only way to determine which model you have is the contents of the "Hardware Pack" (smaller cardboard box near the top of the WSM). The silicone grommet should be located in the bag of fasteners. I lucked up and received the newer model. If I had not, I would have kept the replacement and called it a wash. Here's a link to the contents of the 2014 WSM that I used to determine which version I had:

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/parts2014-14.html

Hope this helps anyone else in a similar situation. Thanks for the advice everyone. Time to get smoke'n!
 
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