WSM v. SFB smoker


 
T

T.Brown

New member
Hello all. I currently use a Char-Broil Double Chef which is a poor man's bullet smoker. I mastered that thing pretty quickly and have had a blast smoking with it. But alas, it's time for something larger and less falling apart. I imagine the transition to the WSM would be minimal, and I have no doubt that it is a quality smoker. But here's the deal, I could get a side firebox smoker locally for $299 and it is made with 1/4" steel with over 1,000 sq inches of cook area. I would also use charcoal and wood chunks if I bought it. That said, I'm thinking about getting it for two reasons:

1. More cook area.

2. Rectangle cooking grates would maximize cooking space.

In theory, since I would be using charcoal and wood chunks it should almost be as easy to control temps without constant monitoring. The ability to do long smokes without constant attention is an important consideration for me. I'm just looking for input from some of you who have experience with the WSM and a good steel sfb smoker to help with my decision, pros and cons. Thanks for the help.
 
T. Brown
I have a decent backyard horizontal smoker, with a charcoal basket, and a baffle you can get 4-5 hours with a full basket unattended. You usually can't cook a butt without tending.
I got a char-broil double-chef because I couldn't afford a WSM @ that time. It cooks great, runs good temps, & will with a few modifications will cook 10-12 hours unattended. The main problem is that without constant care I think it'll rust out in 2-3 years.
The 18 WSM is similar to your double-chef, cooks almost the same. The major difference is the porcelain coated body is much more durable! The 5 y/o used WSM I got is in better shape than my carefully cared for Double - chef.
I use my horizontal for ribs, chicken parts, shorter cooks.
I have almost exclusively used a vertical smoker for butts, briskets since I got one.
If money wasn't an object for you I'd recommend a WSM 22 in. And the horizontal.
 
Need? Well, I guess that all depends on what the definition of "need" is. The reason I want to go larger is because up til now I've only been able to contribute single bbq items to neighborhood picnics, church potlucks, cub scout blue and gold banquet, that type of stuff. I'm not able to smoke a bunch of thighs and a mess of ABTs simultaneously. Or two slabs of ribs and anything else. A large pork butt and a full packer brisket. I would just like to get more out of my smokes, and even if I'm cooking something for an event I would like to throw on an extra hunk of pork or a chuck roast just to have some bbq in the fridge. I'm certainly not catering or anything so I don't need a large smoker, but the lament of a lot of smokers I know seem to be lack of cooking space. But if the sfb burns through charcoal quicker and I'm not able to get six hours of stable temps without fiddling, then that's a big negative in my book. I was ready to get the 22.5" WSM with my tax refund until I saw the larger steel smoker for the same price. Still leaning toward the WSM, but want to get more info first.
 
Thanks John, I would love to get both but I'm afraid that's not an option. The double chef works great for single items, but it was my first smoker and I didn't take good care of it. This will be my third summer with it and I'm afraid it is in just too bad shape to be reliable. It's good to hear that the WSM will last a lot longer.
 
You'll need as large a charcoal basket as you can fit into the firebox.

You could do a WSM-style Minion Method or build a special MM basket like the one below. Some over on the BBQ Brethern site say they get up to 7hrs out of their MM baskets.

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Trouble is, all that 1/4" steel is going to soak up a lot of heat energy. I've had a couple of large offsets and the amount of fuel consumed was a major reason I switched to the WSM.
 
T. Brown -

Is that pit used? I was recently in the market for additional cooking capacity over the 18" WSM and looked at offset pits in Houston and the 20 x 36" pit with tuning plates and 1/4" steel was about $1500 (looked at Pits by JJ, Gatorpit, and Lone Star Grillz). I also got feedback from users and they indicated that they were adding a stick every 45 mins or so. I decided that pit tending was not a cooking style that I could handle after using the WSM with more of a set it and forget it. Good luck with your decision.
 
Personally, if I could get a heavy gauge offset for that cheap I'd go with what John Ford said, and get both. The cheapest decent offset I know of available around here is the Old Country 20" offset for $500 at Academy Sports, and it's probably 3/16ths, not 1/4". Regardless of the value though, the wsm is the way to go IF you're looking for a smoker that doesn't need much attention during the cook. In my bbq experience, I've used a UDS, two small offsets, a BIG one, Weber kettles, and my wsm. As for comparing an offset to a wsm when it comes to fire tending, there's NO COMPARISON, no matter what kind of charcoal basket or gauge of smoker you come up with. (Actually, if cooking on an offset, I greatly prefer to tend a small hot wood fire for how ever long it takes, but I'm neither single nor unemployed.
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As to cooking space, even the classic little wsm will cook a lot more than what you might think. Cooking two fifteen pound briskets is no problem if you use a roasting rack to cradle the bottom one, and use the top rack handles to squeeze the top one on. As for butts, four ten pounders is no problem. Nine slabs of St. Louis or loinbacks is no problem with rib racks or rolling. If you want to fit a lot of chicken pieces on, I recommend getting a Big Green Egg Extender grate to go over the top grate, do a middle grate mod, or use chicken wing/drumstick racks. I can fit four of those on my wsm and 48 wings or drumsticks is a LOT of chicken. Obviously, the large WSM is huge, big enough to do some catering if you want to.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by T.Brown:
Need? Well, I guess that all depends on what the definition of "need" is. The reason I want to go larger is because up til now I've only been able to contribute single bbq items to neighborhood picnics, church potlucks, cub scout blue and gold banquet, that type of stuff. I'm not able to smoke a bunch of thighs and a mess of ABTs simultaneously. Or two slabs of ribs and anything else. A large pork butt and a full packer brisket. I would just like to get more out of my smokes, and even if I'm cooking something for an event I would like to throw on an extra hunk of pork or a chuck roast just to have some bbq in the fridge. I'm certainly not catering or anything so I don't need a large smoker, but the lament of a lot of smokers I know seem to be lack of cooking space. But if the sfb burns through charcoal quicker and I'm not able to get six hours of stable temps without fiddling, then that's a big negative in my book. I was ready to get the 22.5" WSM with my tax refund until I saw the larger steel smoker for the same price. Still leaning toward the WSM, but want to get more info first. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You can do all of the above on a 18" WSM and even more easily on a 22" WSM
 
And don't forget that on any cooker one can cook ahead, cool, freeze or fridge, then reheat for service when needed.

I cooked on many offsets from the cheap and untuned to the expensive and tuned. Can't say I'm a fan.
 
A Canjun Bandit kit with additional rack (3 racks) should get you in the vicinty of 1100+ SQ inches of space.. or remove the mid section and still have a decent griller.

May also want to consider lookng for a used Ranch Kettle. Took me a while but picked up 2 for a little under $250.. 2200+ sq in. of grill space.

John
 
I tell you what. Pictures really don't give you a good feel for how large the 22.5" WSM is. Maybe it's because my current smoker isn't that large, but I finally found one in a local store and that thing is huge. With an extender rack, I think I'll be able to do everything I want to do.

I did take a look at the cajun bandit rotisserie ring and couldn't tell if you can add another grate on top. That would be a giftworthy option if you can.

All in all, I'm thinking I'll pull the trigger on the weber and get smoking.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Reply </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
T ...I have a Double chef for about a year now and have taken very good care of it,because I know I can't get another one.We cook year round down here in Alabama and it has been used.
I have had as many as 6 butts or 2 packers or bunch of thight or wings,I got 2 extra racks from an old cheap brinkman.
While I have never had a large offset smoker and can't comment on that...I can tell you when I have to replace my DC it will be a 18.5 wsm .
Good luck on the one you choose.
 
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