eddiecalder you may be the man to talk directly to since you have both!! What is your preference, what is the taste profile of one compared to the other? Capacity similar on each? You say you tend to use the PBC more just because it's smaller and uses less charcoal. When do you decide to utilize the WSM? Which did you buy first? Outside of the apparent MCS phenomenon, what prompted you to buy the next? Is it capacity, flavor, or the ability to control temp more directly that makes you decide to choose the WSM over the PBC when you do (Do you have the WSM 18 or 22?). Anything and everything you got, please let me know! (Perhaps message me privately in the event others are not interested).
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TheGrizMan I just cooked an 8 lb pork butt yesterday on the WSM. Put it on at 7 AM, took it off at 5:30 PM. Temp ran at 230-250 all day. I pulled the pork with an internal temp of 198. I don't wrap/crutch pork butts, either. Once I had it up to temperature and the smoke was clean, which takes about an hour, I put the pork butt on. The temp retabilized in about 5 minutes. And then I leave it alone. I don't need to add charcoal or wood, I don't need to adjust the vents.
I. Just. Let. It. Cook.
The only thing I ever have to open the WSM up for and fiddle around is brisket. That's because I wrap brisket around 170-180 (after the bark is set firmly). Otherwise, I never mess with it. The more you mess with the WSM, the more you will cause major temp swings.
I needed to run the WSM twice to get the hang of it. The first time, I ran a chimney full of charcoal until it was burned out. I ran it a hot as possible for an hour to burn out the shipping grease, then I messed around with the vents to get a sense of managing temperature. The second time, I cooked a chuck roast that I didn't care about, just so I could get a feel for how to achieve 225-250. After that, I pretty much had it dialed in.
I think you will find, whether you get the PBC or the WSM, you have a great rig and can turn out great food.Comment
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My first smoker was a WSM 18" and I recently purchased a PBC. Both are wonderful cookers that can produce outstanding flavored food. In terms of quality, the Smokey Mountain has the Weber name & reputation behind it. PBC has outstanding customer service & one of the best websites IMO. The PBC is built solid & if you follow the instructions, you'll consistently have cooking temps between 260 - 270 with little effort. The WSM requires more monitoring & adjusting to keep ideal temps but it can be done relatively easily with practice. Overall though, I give the edge in quality & ease of use to PBC.
I'm comfortable recommending both, although if I were to buy a WSM again, I would choose the 22" instead of the 18". As someone else mentioned, there have been plenty of times when I struggled fitting all of my food on the WSM's circular grates. Hanging food in the PBC which has roughly the same footprint as the 18" WSM makes for much better use of space. I have never felt that space is an issue with the PBC.
I envision myself using my PBC much more in the future than my WSM so I have to give my vote to the PBC. Hope that helps....Comment
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I have to agree with all comments thus far. I have a PBC (LOVE IT!!), a BGE-Large (LOVE IT!!) and tasted Q from a WSM (LOVED IT!!). I would suggest finding friends with each, watching them cook and then tasting the "Q." To me each has a different flavor profile and you should see which one you like best. I've found that most of the taste you get is a result of the prep, BBQ'ers technique and what the taster thinks is great "Q."The EGG is more effort to set up, but is truly "set it and forget it" with a great capacity. The PBC is extremely easy to set up (make sure you look at the lighting instructions posted on this site first!!), makes great "Q", but to me, doesn't have as much of a smoke flavor (but still great, but then again, I like heavy smoke flavor). The WSM was on par with the BGE, but required more set up time; however, once set up, it was little to no effort and made great Q. I think whatever you choose, you'll be happy and as soon as you can, you'll get the other one and join the rest of us addicts. Good luck and make sure you get back to us with pics of the first smoke.
The OmegaDogComment
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I've not had the pleasure of trying a PBC but know the characteristics of an ugly drum. If I were to want a drum, I'd opt for the PBC though given the feedback I've had from people I trust to be straight honest with me. I owned an 18" WSM but always thought I'd rather have a 22" because of capacity. My go to is a 22" kettle / S-N-S / IQ 120 combo for most smokes. If I wanted more capacity often, a 26" kettle /S-N-S/ "pit controller of your choice" would rock I'm sure.
I'm a little afraid to use my BIL's BGE……the fear is I'll have to have one.
About any quality rig that will handle the capacity you need will work great, the longer you use any particular set up, the better you will cook with it.
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For the price it's hard to beat the PBC. I've made salmon, pork butts, ribs, chicken, brisket, sausage and all have come out quite good. You can also pack quite a bit into it for bigger crowds. It's easy to set up and doesn't take much babysitting once you're cooking.Comment
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TheGrizMan I have been contemplating the same question. I currently have the 26" kettle with the original style SnS. I absolutely adore this combination, however, I am looking for more real estate especially for combo cooks. The other day while I was perusing a couple of websites my answer came to me completely out of the blue. While I have considered the Smoke E-Z for my 26, I never considered the 22.5 version until I ran across a crimson 22.5: https://www.nfm.com/DetailsPage.aspx?productid=41993775 I pretty much have the wife talked into this combination to compliment the 26" and hopefully the crimson 22.5 is still around come Christmas time.Comment
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I'll try to add my 2 cents later tonight. I'm currently swamped with work.Comment
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I recently sold the 22" WSM strictly for more room on my deck and it is less portable than the PBC.Originally posted by TheGrizMan View Post
I liked the heavier smoke the WSM could provide over the PBC but most casual BBQ people I cook for preferred the PBC + wood and meat dripping flavour.
The PBC was a Cooker I kept at my In-laws for something to do on weekends when we visited. It eventually made its way to my deck when I had a larger rib cook.
The WSM had much greater control for temps but the PBC seems to like 270 which is perfect for me. If I leave the lid ajar I can get 325 for chicken.
The PBC is a great value at $300 shipped and is hard to beat.
If you have access to drums the BigPoppa kits look amazing and more versatile than either the WSM or the PBC in my opinion.
Eventually I will probably get a 26" kettle with a Slow n Sear and sell my 22" kettle and PBC.
When all said and done I will have paid $0 for my BBQ after all the trades and craiglist purchases.
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eddiecalder Thank you for your input, invaluable! I will certainly be trolling Craigslist... though my preliminary searches haven't rendered much here in Maine in terms of BBQ cooker's for sale. Thanks for taking the time to respond!
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All, thank you for ideas, suggestions, thoughts, two cents, and everything and anything in between. I did end up following HawkerXP recommendation/find for the PBC through Cabela's on Monday night. Saved 10%, bringing the total down to $269.99 + tax, ended up being about $284 after taxes. Simply cannot beat that price! Should arrive 4-7 days from purchase, so, anytime between Friday and Tuesday. I'll be sure to make some posts with photos of the new PBC and the end product of my cooks. Thanks again, everyone!Comment
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Congrats TheGrizMan on the PBC and that's a sweet price. I'm looking forward to your pictures. Now, the wait...Comment
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Have not used the PBC, buy very much enjoy the passion displayed by the enthusiasts here!
Do have a pair of 22.5 WSM's in the driveway, and a 3rd out on load to my apprentice...Love them! I can get them to do whatever is needed. Read through the posts on the Bullet Smoker page and you will get lots of setups and outcomes on the big WSM.
I'll admit it here: It is SUPER HARD for me to post any significant comment and not attach a picture of delicious Barbecue! So, here are some WhoDat ribs on the WSM's, one set in a rack, another on the grate.
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TheGrizMan I owned both and had to choose one before I packed up and moved the family to Louisiana two years ago (I had the 18" WSM and not the 22" version, though). If you are looking for true set and forget cooking then go with the PBC. Mine ran inconsistently when I tried to use wood chunks, but I was able to impart good smoke flavor by using chips and pellets. Knowing what I know now I may have tried CeramicChef 's hack for his ceramic (he places a quart cast iron pan filed with wood chunks and pellets, covered, directly on top of his bed of coals. The pan has 3 holes drilled in the bottom to let in just the right amount of heat). However, I was always 100% satisfied with the PBC as a BBQ machine. You get an extra dimension of smoke flavor with the juices dripping directly on the fire. Pork ribs on the PBC? Supreme. LOVE hanging the ribs. As a rib maker, it beats the WSM hands down (although the 22" version may mitigate this criticism some). The PBC also wins the cool factor - horseshoes welded onto the barrel as handles? Awesome.
On the other hand, the WSM is super efficient and versatile. You can play around with fuel types and use wood chunks with either lump or briquettes (the PBC is designed to run with a full load of briquettes), and you can adjust your temps much easier on the WSM if you want to cook hot and fast vs. low and slow using the minion or snake methods. You can also grill on it by removing the mid section, or remove the water pan and cook over coals like you do with the PBC. The PBC, on the other hand, is designed to cook at one temp. The WSM also gives you the option of using a water pan, which also acts like a heat sink to hold temps steady for hours, and hours, and hours. In my opinion, it's superior to the PBC for long cooks and does a better job with pork shoulder.
When pressed, I chose the WSM when the chips were down because it gave me the ability to tinker with my craft. But I sure miss my PBC. The PBC is foolproof, but keep in mind that neither cooker is hard to master.Comment
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Congrats on your purchase, TheGrizMan , you won't regret it, I'm sure. I always recommend that folks start out on the PBC following Noah's instructions in his videos on setup, lighting, and recipes for various meats.Originally posted by TheGrizMan View Post
If you start with chicken, you'll love it--chicken on a PBC is stellar. Plus it's a quick smoke, which helps when you're learning the basics. When I first got my PBC I smoked 2-3 batches of chickens a week, sending my husband over to friends' homes with freshly-smoked chicken. It helped me get the hang of things and understand how my PBC in particular wanted to perform. It didn't take long for me to start tweaking Noah's methods to suit my needs and my cooker better. However, I was always happy to have started with Noah's methods as the basics and to change one parameter at a time for each subsequent cook until I had them nailed.
You'll be cooking on that PBC by the weekend, no doubt. Have fun!
KathrynComment
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