You've all given me things to consider. I thought about this overnight, talked a bit with my wife (she is tired of hearing about it), and have a few thoughts.
What I want from this new grill/smoker is this:
So, I think I'm down to the 22" WSM or 26" kettle with a Slow 'N Sear. $459 for the 22" WSM, $508.99 for the 26" Kettle and Slow 'N Sear puts the prices close enough it doesn't really matter. That leaves these questions to help me decide:
What I want from this new grill/smoker is this:
- To be able to cook 3 racks of baby back ribs, laid flat, and get some smoke flavor on them. More racks can be accommodated with a rib rack or upper rack if needed.
- If it can hold the 3 racks of ribs, pork butt, brisket etc. should be no problem.
- Convenience: This includes building and managing the fire and cleanup. The more convenient it is, the more I will use it.
- Price: It's a toy. We already have the Memphis pellet grill ($$$). I'll likely only use it a few times a month since the wife likes the convenience of the pellet grill. Therefore, it's hard to justify spending too much on it.
- Not really too concerned about overnight cooks the more I think about it. I can do pork butt in a day low and slow. Next brisket I can try hot and fast. I too like my sleep.
- Backwoods Chubby 3400: Sounds like a brilliant smoker but the racks are really small for the price. Also, the water pan can be nasty to clean up from what I've read.
- Weber Summit Kamado: Sounds like a brilliant all around cooker but it is really expensive. Too much money for a toy when we already have the Memphi$.
- 22 inch Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM): A great true smoker. Huge community. It's the convenience I worry about. The fire and intake vents are all down very low. Ash needs to be scooped or dumped out. There's also a water pan to deal with.
- 26 inch Weber Kettle with Slow 'N Sear XL: A great all around cooker. Huge community. I think the convenience beats the WSM. It has the one touch system for emptying ash and adjusting the bottom vents. No water pan, just the water reservoir in the Slow 'N Sear. I think I could just throw some foil on the open area of the charcoal grate to catch drippings. Since it's not over the heat it won't burn. Also, it has a nice, hinged stainless steel cooking grate. I love the stainless grates on our Memphi$ grill.
So, I think I'm down to the 22" WSM or 26" kettle with a Slow 'N Sear. $459 for the 22" WSM, $508.99 for the 26" Kettle and Slow 'N Sear puts the prices close enough it doesn't really matter. That leaves these questions to help me decide:
- Will 3 racks of baby backs laid flat fit on the 26" kettle with the Slow 'N Sear?
- Is the WSM going to create better food than the kettle and Slow 'N Sear?
- Is the WSM going to be that much easier to manage temperature on than the kettle and Slow 'N Sear?
- Is the kettle going to be more noticeably more convenient than the WSM?
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