Buying my FIRST smoker. Was ready to pull the trigger on the WSM 18in but saw it potentially struggles with Brisket? What are your experiences?

[Kangabolic]

Hi Everyone,

I have never smoked a thing in my life, and am looking to purchase my first smoker this week. I was all ready to pick up a WSM 18in Smokers after seeing the platinum award given here but then ready that regarding full racks of ribs and briskets things get tight.

Regarding ribs, I am assuming I can always half-rack them? Which I'm guessing isn't a big problem (or is it?). Then I also read that it isn't quite big enough to smoke a whole brisket without part of it needing to be leaned over/on a piece of wood with a drip bowl or something to that nature? Is it a huge "no-no" to cut a brisket to make it fit?

I then thought I'd just spring for the 22in to solve these problems, but the 22in only has been awarded a silver medal due to the heat being challenging in that model to get down below 275 degrees. I feel it is more important to have a smoker (at least my first one) that is easier to regulate the temp in than not?

Just looking for your experiences and recommendations.

Cheers

[Richard Chrz]

I would recommend the 22 wsm. It has far more capacity ( I’ve had 8 pork shoulders on my 22 at one time, it’s worth the upgrade. You can fix a few of the issues with some easy mods.it does take more fuel

it’s not a huge no-no to cut a brisket, heck many briskets can benefit from trimming it down to a more even cook size, then use trimmings for burger,etc…

[Andrrr]

Yup

[JLR]

Welcome to the pit. You will probably want more surface area than an 18” offers. (We ALWAYS want more area!)

BTW, you don’t have to buy a dedicated smoker to get great smoked food. There are a lot of options. The Weber Premium and the SnS are great for smoking and grilling and rotisserie and just about everything else. I prefer ribs on something like that rather than my offset. It’s much easier and much less work. If you have a propane grill, you can also get great smoked ribs and brisket on those. I did it for decades before I had my offset. The key is learning and understanding the two zone system.

[ecowper]

I have 3 different cookers ..... Each fulfills some of my needs

1. Hasty-Bake Gourmet - I can direct grill, smoke, and do indirect high heat .... it has a lot of capacity. But it also uses A LOT of charcoal. However, if I want to cook a turkey, for example, it is my best option. Or enough chicken thighs for teriyaki for a dozen people.

2. SnS 22" Kettle with SnS insert - I can do the same 3 things like the Hasty-Bake, but much smaller quantities. It doesn't have an external firebox door letting me reload charcoal and such without impacting my cooking. And I need to reload it with charcoal more often.

3. Weber Smokey Mountain 22 - This is purely for long, slow cooks .... a true dedicated smoker. I can get even the biggest brisket on it, I have done a 22 lb spatchcocked turkey on it, and can get 12 or so racks of ribs on using vertical rib racks. This is my big beast for 12 hour long cooks without reloading charcoal and let's me cook food for an army.

If you are thinking WSM 18, spend the extra $100 and get the WSM 22. You won't regret it.

[Kangabolic]

What temperature do you tend to smoke at using your 22in WSM? Again, I know nothing much at the moment. Looking at the review from this sight they say this...

"Like the original 18.5″ WSM, this big unit cooks at a remarkably steady temp for hours and raising or lowering temp is fairly easy by opening and closing the vents. Problem is we had difficulty getting it down under 275°F."

Do you find this to be accurate?

[ecowper]

Kangabolic I find that my WSM 22, the way that I set it up, runs around 245F pretty steady. Bear in mind that I live in the Pacific Northwest and I have a cover over my BBQ area that keeps direct sun off the WSM … that said, getting the WSM to run at 250’ish is all about how you build the fire and manage it.

[ecowper]

Kangabolic there are a bunch of threads on fire management and the WSM 22 by the way

[Clark]

I agree with the idea of a 22" SnS Deluxe kettle. It works great as a smoker and it holds temp right where you want it, after you READ the instructions that come with it. I am always amazed at how I can hold 225 when smoking and it doesn't use a lot of charcoal.

They tell you how to build a fire for low/slow and also for high temp fires. You can also grill on it at high temps for steaks, etc.
It has a few features that are not on Weber kettles such as a smoke hole, 4 legs for more stability, and a folding shelf.

[WayneT]

I owned the 18” WSM for 5+ years and had some great successes on it. If I had to do it over again, I would definitely go with the 22”.

[radiodome21]

I have the 18 WSM that I got through my work for free. I’ve done everything on them. Mostly ribs and pork butt though. The 22 wasn’t an option for me but I wish it was. I’ll never buy another 18 inch cooker. I saw a Kamado Joe at Costco last year and I happened to have a brisket in my cart (still in the package) and it didn’t fit on it. They’re too small. The ribs come out to the edges when you first put them on but they’ll shrink. Yes I did put a wood chunk under my briskets that I’ve done it but I’ve also used chunks for the same reason my pellet smoker as well, and that’s a lot larger. But no one ever says they wish had a smaller smoker.

[JackSea]

I have a 18.5” wsm and always wish it was 22” for smoking ribs and brisket out flat. Here in the PNW, always use a fan to keep it at temp the whole smoke.
Jack

[Bkhuna]

I used this smoker for many years. It has limitations as far as size and the amount of futzing with it during the cooking process. It's very good for the price but I think there are alternatives that are just as economical.

YMMV

[drobinson]

I've been using the WSM 22" for decades. Never had a problem with temp control. I recommend using Lava Lock gaskets. Capacity is not a problem with two grates and hooks. Good smokin"!

[jfmorris]

I wish my smoker had less space for meat.... said no one ever!

As others have pointed out, the WSM 22 can hold a LOT LOT more food than the WSM 18 can. And there are ways to manage the fire, and/or to add relatively inexpensive gasket material to help the door and such seal better. There are even after market doors and such. And you can buy a hanging kit for the WSM 22 that will turn it into a barrel smoker where you can hang stuff from hooks. I think it would be a very flexible cooker.

While I do not have a WSM, I do smoke on a Weber Performer (22") with the Slow 'N Sear, and a SNSGrills Deluxe Kamado, also 22". My son in law has a Vision kamado with two levels of 18" cooking grates. While that 4 inches in diameter doesn't seem like a huge difference, it really is. I just did the math, and its 49.4% more cooking space. Not to mention the issue of being able to fit larger briskets and multiple racks of ribs without trimming on two levels of grates. I think without trimming, you could do 3 to 4 racks of ribs on each cooking level. Or one full packer brisket on each level.

On my Weber Performer 22" using the SNS insert, which means I can only use about 2/3 of the cooking grate, I often fit as many as 5 racks of ribs, untrimmed, standing on edge using a Weber rib rack. And I have done briskets as big as 20 pounds, untrimmed, on the 22" grate, or even a 20 pound turkey, spatchcocked. My son in law with his 18" kamado has to either cut the ribs in half and use a rib rack, or curve them into pinwheels held by wooden skewers.

[CandySueQ]

I have a WSM 22" and 14", wish I still had my 18" (gave it to a friend in B'Ham and it was victim of a hurricane)!

I found that the 22" held temps better with an 18" fire ring and flip the stock door over where the top latch is at the bottom (seals heat in better).

My very first first place brisket was cooked on an 18" WSM. I cooked two packer briskets and they were just choice back in 2004. Still a good looking turn-in box.

[fzxdoc]

Wow. No wonder you won.

Kathryn

[Mosca]

I have the LBGE, which is 18” diameter. Although it is great, and I’ve been able to make it work for anything I’ve wanted to cook, it was very soon after I got it that I knew I should have gotten the 22” XL. Larger units can always do smaller cooks, but smaller units struggle with larger cooks.

Regarding reports of this unit or that unit struggling with certain cooks: while I wouldn’t totally disregard them, I wouldn’t make those reports a basis for a decision without more research. Even among Weber Kettles, the most respected do-it-all cooker out there, you’ll find variations. Mine runs rock solid at 245° just on the leaks around the rim, someone else’s will shut down completely set like that.

Furthermore, all these units have been around a long, long time, and there is an incredible wealth of support, from the manufacturer, from general bbq sites and forums like this one, and from brand specific forums like The Egghead Forum, The Virtual Weber Bullet, etc. There isn’t a problem in the world that hasn’t been uncovered, and addressed, and solved, by long time users of whatever it is, from a $25 Aussie Walkaround to a $10,000 Komodo Kamado, and north of that as well.

Every single cooker is a solution to a problem, involving a set of compromises. The fewer compromises, the higher the cost… making money spent the compromise for that particular unit. Likewise buying more than one cooker is a compromise of money and space available. I have the BGE for low and slow, and a Kettle for chicken, burgers, and dogs, and a griddle for breakfasts, smashburgers, cheesesteaks, etc, because while each of those will do all of those things with compromises, I chose to compromise with my wallet and deck space, and have three units that are each biased toward a particular strength.

Which is a long winded way of getting to: buy the 22” Weber Bullet. Five years from now you won’t remember the extra cost, but if you get the 18”, five years later you will still be thinking you should have gotten the bigger one. (It’s 12 years for me on that BGE.) You will very quickly figure out how to use it. I’m an idiot and I’ve figured out the BGE. If I can, you can, too.

People ALL OVER THE WORLD are making briskets on 14”, 18”, and 22” Weber Bullets, RIGHT NOW. They’re also making briskets on $10,000 Komodo Kamados, and on $25 Aussie Walkarounds. Never underestimate human ingenuity. Never underestimate desire.

[Murdy]

Well said. I've done pretty much everything on a Weber Kettle 22, though I can't honestly say that I recall doing a brisket on one. I have, however, done a couple briskets on a gas grill back in the day with with an A-maze-n Tube and a wood-chip box that came out pretty good.

[Uncle Bob]

You mention in your initial post that temp regulation is a priority. One cooker that has way more versatility than most people believe, if they've never actually used one, is the Oklahoma Joe Bronco. Can't believe this thread has gone this long with so many alternative recommendations without the Bronco being listed, but such is the world. Lot's of demonstrations and discussion on The Pit of features and functions beyond the simple assumptions......enjoy the search.

[Panhead John]

+1

[Steve R.]

I replaced my WSM 22" with the Bronco Pro. I don't regret doing that, but you can't go wrong with either of those.

[shify]

I agree with the others (to an extent) that more often than not, if you go smaller at the outset you'll likely come to regret it. That happened to me but it was because I got the 14" WSM when I first moved to the burbs. After a few years I outgrew it and switched to the PBC and couldn't be happier.

Obviously the 18 inch will be much bigger than that but if you do intend to cook a decent amount of briskets or host a bunch of people or like to fill up your freezer, then go for the 22 inch. However, if you will only occasionally be doing larger cooks, then its worth considering if the 22" is worth it. It will obviously cost more upfront and burn more fuel for each cook; however, I can't tell you how much that would really be in actuality.

At the end of the day, if after you consider everything you are still worried about space, then don't hesitate sizing up.