Mini-WSM vs Masterbuilt 7-in-1 size comparison???

[thegreatmc]

Does anyone have experience with these two side by side?  I already have a 7-in-1 and was thinking about building a mini so I had a smaller smoker for fatties/chicken, but I'm not sure there is enough of a difference in size to justify spending the money on one for now.  Eventually, sure, but right now I'm still a broke college kid so if the size difference isn't that much then it's probably not worth it, yet.  

 

[addertooth]

I would think the major advantage to building a mini-wsm would be for the difference in taste you get with charcoal/woodchunks versus gas/woodchips.  The mini-wsm also goes a long time providing smoke from the chunks, and has less need to replenish wood mid cook.  I have built a couple of mini-wsm smokers, one was on the cheap, the other was stupid fancy.  I have to say they are quite capable. 

 

[themule69]

I don't have a mini as I already have a bunch of other smokers. I had a 7-1 years ago that worked fair but the charcoal pan has a very short life ( around a year ). Spend a little time reading reviews and reading other threads on here. A little time spent reading will pay off when you shell out the bucks.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[thegreatmc]

The 7-in-1 is capable of charcoal as well as propane. I prefer charcoal but the other day the weather was crummy and I still wanted to smoke so the propane was handy. I know it's not the greatest and I'm in no way saying it's better then a mini, but I am thinking for what I do the mini won't add anything currently that I can't already do. Eventually I'll build a mini but unless I hear a great argument to do it now I'm going to save my money and wait. I'm a broke college kid so even though the mini can be built for $80 that's still $80 that could go towards a couple tanks of gas.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Here's a few good thing about the mini. You can take it with you anywhere you go. I even pack mine in my kayak when I kayak camp. We also pack it to the beach and do smokes on the beach. It is super efficient, I have had 16-18 hour smokes on one load of charcoal. You can use the mini in all kinds of weather, rain, wind, hail, snow is no match for the mini. Two chickens, two 9 pound pork shoulders, a ton of chicken wings, you name it you can cook for a crowd. High temp cooks, low temp cooks you can do it all. A friend of mine had a 7n1 and after seeing how my mini performed he built a mini and sold his 7n1.

 

[bdskelly]

Please don't leave out that building your own mini is also a very enjoyable experience!  Its not too difficult and the completed project always looks great. You get a real pride of ownership cooking on a mini you constructed yourself! b

 

[thegreatmc]

After much deliberation I have decided I'll build one. It might be a year from now before I'm done, though. I'm going to hit yard sales and watch Craigslist and see if I can't get the parts cheap. We have a huge Hispanic population so I hope to eventually stumble on to a tamale pot.

 

[rmmurray]

Sorry to come in late on this one. I'm glad you've decided to build a mini. The great thing is that you can buy parts here and there until you've collected them all. I got my SJG on Amazon for $35 and my IMUSA pot from Walmart.com for $25. Everything else just came when I needed to spend over $35 on Amazon for free shipping. Only took me about 2 months to collect everything and I probably spend $90 total on mine. Assembly was ver easy and took maybe an hour of real labor.
You'll enjoy the build and the pride of seeing and using the finished product. Good luck and enjoy.
- Ryan

 

[themule69]

I think you will be happier with the mini.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[thegreatmc]

Thanks Mule. Honestly, DS'so obsession (a very good obsession so don't be offended dirtslayer) is the biggest motivation for this decision. I've been following his stuff and my family seems to enjoy much of the same stuff as his. This will be a huge hit at the lake and elk camp. Also going to attempt a pizza oven mod.

My biggest issue with the 7-in-1 is that it doesn't seal up very well. No matter what I try I have to add charcoal every 45 minutes. Would love to actually have the snake/rope/minion method actually work.

 

[welshrarebit]

Thanks Mule. Honestly, DS'so obsession (a very good obsession so don't be offended dirtslayer) is the biggest motivation for this decision. I've been following his stuff and my family seems to enjoy much of the same stuff as his. This will be a huge hit at the lake and elk camp. Also going to attempt a pizza oven mod.

My biggest issue with the 7-in-1 is that it doesn't seal up very well. No matter what I try I have to add charcoal every 45 minutes. Would love to actually have the snake/rope/minion method actually work.

If you have a Walmart nearby you can order an imusa pot online and have it shipped to your nearest store for about $22.