PBC or WSM 22", or something else? Any and all info appreciated!

[TheGrizMan]

Greetings all,
I'm looking to purchase cooker/smoker pretty soon. I've read the reviews of both of these done by Max for the PBC and Meathead for the WSM. I appreciate that the WSM 22" only received a silver due to lack of easy low temp control and that PBC received gold.

Here's what I'm looking for: something that can do high quantity for multiple faces to feed, can also do well with low quantity, is relatively user friendly (for the novice BBQer that I am), isn't too terribly taxing on the wallet, and regularly produces great tasting foods.

Weber is Weber, and is known for it's quality.

I read a post recently made regarding the PBC that comparing it to a BGE, saying it did not produce nearly as much of a smokey flavor as the BGE. A response stated that PBC is a cooker not a smoker (this is still somewhat confusing to me, so perhaps a further explanation on this would be helpful for me). I love reading that the PBC has stellar customer service, and enjoyed seeing that it can cook two turkeys quite easily.

I'd love to hear some more pro's and con's of these products. I'm even open to the WSM 18" (how's this with quantity though?) or something else. I'm not tied down to charcoal, but enjoy the inherent smokey flavor typically associated with charcoal. Maybe there's another product I've overlooked that someone can recommend to me?

Other considerations: I do have a Kenmore Elite 550 Series gas grill, and a Weber Kettle 22" (Mastertouch I believe) and bought the SnS to go with it. I'm working on mastering pork butts (pulled pork), brisket, and pulled chicken right now. Mastery of ribs are on the horizon. I live in Maine, so it will get cold here in the months to come but I would still hopefully like to smoke during the winter months.

The more confident I can be in making an informed decision, the happier I will be. So, as stated in the posts header, any and all insight/suggestions/recommendations are appreciated! (Even if not one of these products but another, not limited to charcoal but I appreciate that I've posted this in the charcoal forum).

Thanks ahead of time,
TheGrizMan

[Huskee]

Regarding the PBC being more of a "cooker" than a smoker, in the PBC the food hangs above the coals. The meat's drippings fall directly onto the coals and these sizzling drippings help flavor the meat. In a traditional "smoker" you're cooking with hot smoky convection air, and usually only that. The WSM is oriented similarly, but the water pan adds a layer of separation between the meat and the heat. The PBC blends a grill's method of cooking & flavoring with a smoker's methods if you were to add wood for smoke (which you can do). So it's more of a "cooker", and it's appropriately named.

Were I in your shoes I'd opt for the PBC, but that's certainly not to knock the WSM at all, it's a mighty fine machine. It's just that I believe you can do what you need to do for less cash going the PBC route.

[richinlbrg]

I have the 18" WSM, but haven't cooked on a PBC, so I'll limit my comments to WSMs. I sometimes feel space constrained with the 18" and would usually recommend the 22. The metal on the WSMs is thin, so if you are smoking through the winter you'll likely want a blanket for the smoker. I have one made for the 18" but am not aware of one made specifically for the 22. I LOVE that blanket - no matter how cold, rainy, snowy or windy, cooking is easy with it.

The WSM is easy to use and highly recommend it. LOVE mine!

[TheGrizMan]

Thank you for your insight richinlbrg!

[fuzzydaddy]

If you decide to spend more, the Weber Summit Charcoal Grill has a 24" cooking grate and an optional extender grate is available to increase capacity. It's air insulated. I do not have one (yet). It's on my "I want one" list along with the PBC.

[TheGrizMan]

fuzzydaddy If this becomes a true passion, then the Weber Summit Charcoal Grill will be a future purchase in 5 or so years. Right now, I cannot validate spending that much on a grill. Especially with a 3.5 yo toddler.

[RonB]

Don't forget the 26" Weber kettle. You've already have the 22.5" and SnS and know how to to use them, so the learning curve for the 26 incher would be shorter. You have the SnS, so all you would need is the kettle, and the capacity of the larger Weber is much more. I've never used either of the others, but my thinking that the flavor profile of the PBC may be slightly different from the kettle. That may or may not be a good thing...

[TheGrizMan]

RonB I had thought about that, the 26" Weber kettle (cost wise may be the same or more with 26" WK and another SnS, but may lose some on capacity). I had not considered the flavor profile of the PBC. Worth investigating, thank you!

[ecowper]

I don't have a PBC. But what I know is that food cooked on a PBC has a different flavor profile than a traditional
Smoker.

[Gator Lau]

I only have a few words about this: "I love my PBCs" (I have two).

[ecowper]

I have a WSM 22 and love it. Cooking capacity is crazy. I have easily put 6 slabs of ribs in, laying flat. I smoked an 18 lb turkey .... Which I spatchcocked and it fit quite nicely. It's so big that one pork butt looks lonely inside. I'm including some pics for you to see what I mean.

I found the WSM quite easy to get control and keep stable, low temps on. There are several things to do that make this happen easily. 1. The door leaks like crazy, allowing a lot of air into the fire. So, I replaced the door with a Cajun Bandit door that seals. You could just add a gasket around the door opening, though. 2. Charcoal method .... I totally ignore how Weber says to do this. Instead, I use Harry Soo's method - create a donut of charcoal, pour 40 lit coals in the donut hole. 3. You need to cook on this a couple times, as well, as get some gunk and smoke built up on the inside. The interior is IR reflective when it's clean and new, and that probably adds 30-40 degrees of heat. I have no problem running the WSM 22 between 225 and 250 for 12 hours.

If you are looking for traditional BBQ flavors, ease of learning, a group of folk in the Pit that use WSM's and are happy to share knowledge, and immense capacity, the WSM 22 is the beast. From everything I know, the PBC is pretty comparable in capacity and ease of use ... And there is a big group of PBC folks here in the Pit also.

Pictures, from top to bottom - 18 lb turkey, spatchcocked. 6 slabs of back ribs, 3 on top grate, 3 on bottom grate. 1 8 lb pork butt.

[TheGrizMan]

Those look mighty scrumptious ecowper! Thank you for sharing! I'll need to look into the cost of a Cajun Bandit door.

[ecowper]

The Cajun Bandit door was $40, I think

[Nate]

My vote is for the PBC. You can add some chunks of wood if you want to give it a smokey flavor. I've used the PBC in little competitions and have done well with it. Yesterday I cooked 3 racks of ribs and 2 chickens each split in half and had plenty of room to spare!

Either way I'm sure you will be pleased. Both quality units. Lots of folks here and on another PBC group I use have a PBC and kettle... Seems to be a great backyard combination.

[richinlbrg]

Yeah, hard to see how you can go wrong with the WSM 22, 27" kettle or the PBC.

Such a great problem to have!

[JeffJ]

The Weber kettle 26 + SnS is a killer combination. It can't match the PBC capacity for ribs but it has a ton of capacity for everything else. Plus, it rocks for weeknight dinners - 4 burger patties, a veggie roaster filled with brussels and a bunch of potato rounds for 4 - can't do that in the 22 kettle and certainly can't do that in the PBC.

If massive smoking capacity is paramount - the PBC and the WSM 22 (the WSM costs more but can do more - in terms of overall versatility) are a better choice over the big kettle. Otherwise the 26 with the SnS just nails it, for all sorts of cooks.

[FireMan]

To answer my wife as l fed my MCS, "why did you need that (the Sn'S), when you have "the smoker" (a PBC made by a friend of mine)? The answer is because! She did'nt like the answer. So, l explained, if l wanted to smoke a little bit, as a single rack or a chicken or two l use my Weber 22", for large quantities, 4 whole racks of spare ribs, l don't buy St. Louis cuts, I use my PBC. It's amazingly simple, I just set it & forget it.
l don't have all the probes, etc, save for a chef alarm to check the temp in the drum ( l 'm a cheap addict ). Followed as much info as l could available (read Katheryn's & others info) on this site. I don't know what kind of large quantities you speak of, but that PBC is a work horse and really easy to use, & for the money (mine was free) the PBC is really the way to go.

[BigBear]

I have a Pit Barrel Cooker and love it. Very easy to use and consistently produces great tasting food. I have owned a BGE and much prefer the PBC over that.

[HawkerXP]

Something to tempt you, Cabelas now has the PBC and if you enter the coupon code 6TENOFF at checkout its $269.99 still with free shipping.

[HawkerXP]

Just order one for me.

[TheGrizMan]

Guest Awesome find, that's an amazing price point, I may have to pull the trigger! Gah! The promo ends in an hour and a half at 11:59pm Eastern!

[eddiecalder]

How can anyone say the PBC is easier to control temp then the WSM 22". The entire allure of the PBC is that you don't control the temperature (it runs where it wants between 265F and 325F).

I could easily set the WSM up for any temp (225F to 325F for 8+ hours).

I have both but use the PBC more just because it's much smaller and uses less charcoal.

[FireMan]

I just did a cook on my PBC & it ranged from 249 to 256. I guess l could have gotten mine up to 325 but l would have to work at it.

[eddiecalder]

Perhaps I was not very clear in my post.

Once the PBC locks into a temp it is very consistent. It has nowhere the ability to change temps like the WSM. My PBC like to cook around 265F +- 15F which is fine with me.

[ecowper]

And on a WSM, you can fairly easily increase/decrease the temp depending on where you want it and what you are cooking. I understood your point. :-)

[TheGrizMan]

All, thank you for your shares and thoughts! I'm leaning towards the PBC at the moment. With an active toddler, the thought of setting and letting it do all the work is certainly a high appeal (does WSM 22" have this, too, setting it and letting it do the work for several hours for you?).

A few more questions specific to the PBC, I've read how amazing it is with ribs. I'm not to ribs yet. I'm obsessed with the pulled pork, pulled brisket, and pulled chicken right now. How does it do with these? What sort of combos can you create to maximize variety of these items in the PBC during one cook/sitting? Feel free to post photos or direct me to other posts with photo's descriptions.

Thanks, all!