Looking to Replace 18" WSM with new Smoker/Grill Combo

[capitalhockey]

after 10 yrs of WSM, I am looking for something different....where I dont have to reach down into 2nd rack and easier ash cleaning

[capitalhockey]

As an fellow WSM user, how did you like the pellet? are happy with smoke flavor? that concern has kept me from committing to pellet...I read guys have do mods for more smoke on an expensive pellet grill

[au4stree]

I’m sorry, I guess I still consider the new "kamado" version the Summit. The non-table one does not have the gas assist. $999 on Weber’s site.

[tenphases]

22 wsm for big cooks and a 22 weber for grilling and small smokes. There is not a thing I would be unable to do with those two cookers.

[jfmorris]

Those Camp Chef 16" stoves enable a lot of MCS! You got the grill box, the griddle in 3 different sizes, the pizza oven, and think of all the cast iron you can use on it!

[klflowers]

If you added a 26" kettle and kept the WSM, sounds like you would be covered. I have an 18" WSM, a 22" kettle/SNS and a Grilla Chimp pellet grill that are in regular use. I have had all 3 running at once - turkey on the WSM, ribs on the kettle and a small butt on the Chimp. I think the combination would work out well and since you are used to the vents on the WSM, setting up a 26" kettle /SNS would be pretty easy. And the kettle would handle the high heat grilling/searing stuff. That would fit the budget and leave some dollars left over for some premium proteins... Or, another toy like a propane stove or a griddle like jfmorris has mastered... Mine is this:

Just so you know, we are a bunch of enablers - we try to enable others to spend more on new toys, which in turn makes us want to spend more - it is a vicious circle...

[Old Glory]

+1 for the Weber Summit Charcoal Grill.

[jfmorris]

David, which do you use more - your griddle or your gasser? Since getting the Camp Chef FTG900, I think I've used my Weber Genesis II E-410 about 5-6 times. Of course, you have a high end gasser with side burners I imagine, versus a more basic one like mine... bet it has a rotisserie too.

[jfmorris]

Thanks for sharing your experience. You got me thinking it might be better to split my $1200 to get 2 separate units....one for great smoking and one for great grilling. That might be easier to find than one combo unit that is great at both for same price.

Do you think that is a better strategy?

I do. Having had as many as 8 cookers along with assorted outdoor burners in the backyard before, and currently sitting at 5, I feel that there are certainly some tools that are better for some jobs than for others. Right now I have an offset, a large gas grill (Weber Genesis II), a Weber Performer Deluxe, a Camp Chef flat top (FTG900) and the Slow 'N Sear Deluxe Kamado. The two that see the most use, by far, are the flat top and the kamado.

What I can tell you right now is that SINCE getting the flat top last June, as a gift from some truly great friends during a time my wife and I were going through a lot, I have cooked on the Weber Genesis II a handful of times. I find that for quick cooks, and for any type of flat cut of meat, the griddle is much more fun to cook on, and truly can produce better sears than you get on a regular gas grill. I do fajitas, hibachi style stir fry, breakfasts (4 pounds of bacon at a time!), smash burgers, thinner steaks and chops (1" or less), boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, fish, and so on. It's really hard to screw a meal up on a flat top. This is why so many commercial kitchens have them. It's my goto outdoor cooker for about anything other than smoking, or thick irregular cuts like bone in chicken.

My ideal outdoor kitchen after having had about every type of grill and smoker other than a pellet smoker would consist of a charcoal kettle or kamado, and a flat top.

I am inspired by this thread to actually build the flat top and my kamado into a nice outdoor kitchen:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...nally-complete

And if a kettle is not enough for all your smoking needs - store that WSM somewhere for the times you just gotta smoke more than 5 racks of ribs. Right now, I can tell you that I *RARELY* use my offset anymore, and if I gotta smoke more than I can cook on the kamado, I'll spill over to the Weber Performer (22" kettle) instead, as the offset is very fuel hungry and requires a lot of attention.

[DavidNorcross]

Welcome from Virginia. I just cannot stop at just one. I have a Camp Chef Griddle, an SNS Kamado and a Weber Summit Gasser. Those 3 are really a perfect combination for me.

Good luck in your research.

[Jfrosty27]

Outside his budget of $1,200 though. Right?

[au4stree]

Have you considered the Weber Summit Charcoal? It is a fine cooker, both grilling and smoking. If you can find a SnS for it(they quit making them) you're in the money.

[TripleB]

If your budget is $1200, desired equipment that will do smoke/grill and your WSM 18" is too small then I agree with other posters to go with 2 separate pieces of equipment.

1) A WSM 22" or a Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC)

2) Kettle grill with a Vortex.

You'll have extra money left over. Personally the PK360 is a great grill, but out of your budget parameters.

Also, you don't have to quote to reply. There is a comment button at the bottom of each post (except for the original poster). That way when you respond to someone they will receive a message that you replied.

[jhapka]

capitalhockey I love it. It’s got just a bit more than the capacity of a 22” kettle. I don’t cook for huge groups. The only thing that really separated it from other styles when I was deciding was cold weather performance. I did a brisket when it was -24 in February and it behaved the same as it always does after it preheated.

[TripleB]

If your budget is $1200