Proud, fairly-new owner of a Bronco here. I looked at all three cookers before I bought. The decision came down to versatility and price for me. All the tools needed to hang, grate, or grill meat were included in the box. This slightly edged out the WSM and the PBS. It was an extra purchase for tools to hang meat in the WSM. As far as I know there is not an easy way to set up the PBS as a grill. When I am done a long cook and the meat is on hold, I can put the charcoal on top of the heat diffusor and grill a few appetizers. It's a nice convenience and I don't have to start another fire in my kettle.
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I have or have had all three. They all allow you to smoke and grill but the grilling on the PBC and to a lesser extent the OJB is a bit more difficult. Cleaning the WSM is easier. The OJB can occasionally be had on the cheap (I paid 149$ for mine at Wally world). The PBC and OJB are perfect chicken cookers --- you wont go wrong.Comment
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I would give the advantage to the OJB over the PBC and WSM due to the shelves, wheels, and slightly easier charcoal reloading process (not a fan of kneeling/crouching).
Many have suggested the SNS Grill and I would also add the Masterbuilt Gravity 560 but the advantages there are primarily due to their versatility (grill and smoke). They would not be better smokers than the OJB in my view. Plus, if you want to smoke during the winter, the OJB would be better insulated than the SNS for sure.
One outstanding smoker that is also very well insulated and cheap is the Akorn. It is a great kamado. If you ask me, your decision is between the OJB and Akorn and your decision would really depend on personal preferences as both would meet your needs well.
https://www.chargriller.com/collecti...-kamado-grills
Last edited by STEbbq; November 12, 2021, 03:55 PM.Comment
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I have a PBC and it's awesome.
I have an SnS kettle, and it's awesome.
I have a Broil King gasser, and love it. You can also smoke on it, if you take the time to change the set up.
If I only had one apparatus to cook meats over fire, it probably wouldn't be the PBC. If I'm just grilling fajitas, or doing a quick cook, that's not the best tool. It's doable, though.
The PBC and the gasser is a good combo. Can do almost anything between those two.
The SnS is real handy. It can get most things done, especially since it's just the two of us. I did pork chops last night, hot n fast. I've got a tri tip, smoking now.
I'd say, buy something well made. Learn to use it. Ask questions here. You won't go wrong.
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I've got a WSM 22, an SnS Kettle + Insert, and a Hasty-Bake Gourmet. We will just eliminate the Hasty-Bake from consideration since you can't get it, even used and needing lots of TLC, for $500. That leaves the WSM and the SnS Kettle.
Each has pro's and con's .....
WSM - Upside: it's about 90% set and forget for 12 hours or so. Upside: massive capacity compared to the OJB or SnS kettle, a PBC might give it a run for its money on capacity. Upside: There is a massive community to help you out, including here and Virtual Weber Bullet, for starters. Upside: It turns out great tasting food very consistently.
WSM - Downside: It's not a grill. Downside: You're going to want some sort of temp monitoring and that will take the WSM 22 over your $500 budget. Downside: It doesn't look as nice as the OJB and it doesn't have the cool factor of a drum smoker.
SnS Kettle - Upside: It's about 90% set and forget for 6 hours. Upside: it's also a grill. Upside: It's amazingly easy to learn to use. Upside: there's a massive community of kettle users of all sorts to give you support. Upside: When smoking/cooking for 1 adult and 2 kids, it is fast and easy to setup and has plenty of room food for the small crew.
SnS Kettle - Downside: much smaller capacity than a WSM 22, WSM 18, or PBC. Not sure compared to OJB. Downside: It's a grill, and you already have a grill.
For what it's worth, that's my thoughts on it.Last edited by ecowper; November 12, 2021, 05:37 PM.Comment
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I've thought about these 3 some (I have an older weber kettle and need/want an easier to use smoker). Here are my thoughts:
First off, I'm going to assume you have a grill that does everything you need it to, including having enough capacity for whatever cook outs you do, so these are just smokers.
SNS Kettle - Easy to setup and run, but it loses capacity due to the insert and you don't need the grilling capability. If the capacity isn't an issue, it's a good choice... but not the one I'd do in your place. Kettles like this are awesome first units since they can grill well, smoke well and there are a ton of accessories, e.g. the Vortex, rotisseries, etc. If you needed a grill this would be my first choice. If you just want a smoker, it's not (unless the accessories are really attractive to you).
PBC - Lots of people love them and it has capacity for days. BUT, from I've read here, it really likes to run at 275F. Most things smoke just fine at that temp, but I don't like not being able to run significantly lower if I want. For example, I want to run bacon as close to 200F as possible to lengthen the time it spends in the smoke. Fish, too, is nicer lower since you have more control. Bottom line, I don't like a cooker that I can't control well and seems designed for one set point.
OJB - This is what I'd do. Plenty of capacity for me (check it out for your needs), it seems very much set and forget once you get used to it and people seem to be able to dial in a wider range of temps than the PBC.
WSM - The 22 has far more capacity than I need. I'll look at the 18 in the spring when I do this, but I'm leaning to the OJB
Akorn - intriguing, but I don't smoke that much when it's cooler/cold out. If you do, worth a lookLast edited by rickgregory; November 12, 2021, 06:42 PM.Comment
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It is interesting to see the disparities in BBQ forums sometimes. For example, the Akorn has over 35,000 posts (the Kamado Joe has over 45,000) at Kamado Guru suggesting it is a massively popular kamado compared to relatively scant posts here. Yet, after spending a lot of time there reading before buying my Akorn, I actually got much better and more useful advice here.Last edited by STEbbq; November 13, 2021, 08:43 AM.
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Each person has different items on their decision making matrix based on their perceptions of need and their experience(s). So I'll frame my comments with the idea of throwing several alternate perspectives on value elements. I'll mostly compare PBC to OJB, but some will also go to bullet smokers like the WSM.
If portability has any kind of appeal or need, the PBC is the hands down winner. At under 50 pounds and not many features it's modest in size and weight which makes it easy to toss in even a smallish trunk or hatchback to transport. That's the singular advantage it has on the OJB. The OJB is nearly three times the weight because of heavier material and more features.
Now, if you've done much research you'll see where PBC fans talk about various mods they do to improve the user experience. They talk about ways to place bricks or other weighty objects to hold the lid down better for sealing. The OJB has a hinged lid with a quality woven seal that does that standard. The PBC folks have a variety of innovations for controlling temp that include diddling with the rebar rods, corks, foil fashioned plugs and the like. The OJB has adjustable flaps on the intake and exhaust to do those adjustments built in. These relate to the temp control discussions. By design the PBC operates in a pretty narrow range. That's accurately pitched as a feature for it's simplicity. You mentioned seeing comments about how the OJB takes a learning curve to figure out which superficially makes it seem "complex" for temp control. The reality is that that point of view shows the difference of operator temperament and/or experience. You get to control the OJB over a much wider range of temps for a variety of cook scenarios because of the damper design. For some that's a big advantage, for others it's confusing because of the wide range of options. Kinda like standing in front of a display case with a huge number of confection choices................which to I choose? Info/choice overload. Not everyone processes info at the same rate/volume, so know yourself.
You'll also see PBC folks get creative for ways to add extra grate levels, side shelves, wheels for mobility on the patio, and methods of capturing ash. Each of those mods requiring additional cost/effort, and each already included in the OJB. None of those are knocks on the PBC, they're just things that should be considered within a decision making process for potential added value.Comment
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What about the new Masterbuilt charcoal smoker,,,,
looks pretty nice for an affordable charcoal smokerComment
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I recently purchased a PBC (Junior). Only have done one cook, a bird so far. It turned out delicious. All I can say is temperature control was easy for the cook. I'm sure whichever way you go you won't be disappointed. Good luck with your purchase.
Oh, Welcome from Western Massachusetts.Comment
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I am a PBC owner because I too wanted a set and forget it cooker, and it's simplicity made it the choice for me.
The PBC is a load with charcoal, light it, add food, put in rebars...or not and put lid on. If I want a short cook I use less charcoal, if I want a long cook I use more. If I want a standard PBC cook, I leave in both bars, if I want a hot cook I put in one.
At the time I bought the PBC, I had a Weber Kettle and it let me play with temps during the cook. I now have a PKO and that gives me something to play with when I want to control temps.
Hanging food in the PBC is awesome! Brisket, Pork Shoulder, Ribs, Sausage, Chicken, it's all great!
Good luck in your journey for a new cooker!
TheComment
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Get a pellet grill. Sorry just had to.Comment
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For me, it would be the WSM. Relatively easy to use, can be pretty much set & forget once it’s dialed in. Low maintenance. Incredible amount of user resources and with a couple of accessories it can behave like the PBC, and a controller can be added later if one feels the need. I never had a controller for mine.
I personally like the versatility of the WSM. It can do low & slow or hot & fast…your choice. I think there a reason why guys like Harry Soo use them, and win, in competitions.
With that, I’ll add that I’ve only SEEN an OJB once, and have never used one or eaten anything made with one. Same goes for the PBC except that I never actually seen one of those in person.Comment
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IMO for the money I would get a weber 26" kettle....easy to use and gives you a fair amount of cooking space.Comment
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