Weber smokey mountain cooker vs. Char griller super pro offset smoker

[s2k9k]

Read through some of the threads on the link above.

 

[steve-o90]

Ok thank you

 

[dward51]

And with a WSM you have two options, 18.5" or 22.5".  Depending on your family size and if you entertain large amounts of friends, the 18.5" may be plenty and would save some money.

 

[wade]

I have cooked on both sizes and although the 18.5" is a reasonable size you will probably find that the 22.5" is more versatile - however it is obviously more expensive.

There is a less expensive bullet smoker of similar design from ProQ that I have also used. If price is an issue then it would be worth considering - although you do get what you pay for with Weber. I found the ProQ had a lower build quality than the WSM and the door catches were quite flimsy and quickly distorted. It is still worth a look though.

 

[smoke slinger]

I have never owned the WSM, but I have had the Char-griller and I would not recommend it unless you are just wanting a charcoal grill as many have mentioned. You will put some money and time into it to get to perform like a smoker should. Just my .02 cents.

 

[steve-o90]

The only problem I've had outa my char-broil is tht it has a gap in the lid to barrel n it's hard to keep temp set so I'm constantly goin to check it n it's every 10-15min thing lol

 

[jirodriguez]

.... also if you ever have a quality issue with your WSM, Weber is really good with their customer service. We had one member that when it wa shipped to his house the center body was out of round a bit. Weber just shipped him a brand new center, no fuss. Several other members have also talked to Weber over the years and had great customer service. It's always nice to work with a company that stands behind their products.

 

[james74]

The more I read, the more I think I've taken the right choice.

 

[fpnmf]

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/135116/how-i-start-and-use-my-wsm

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/94076/wsm-mods

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/85924/the-minion-method-explained-w-tutorial

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/tipsfaq.html

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/newsearch?search=a+tale+of+two+butts

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/49892/finishing-sauce-for-pulled-pork

 

[den60]

I bought the 22.5" WSM a year ago and haven't looked back. You will be very happy with it. Great smoker that is very easy for beginners to master (and you get a lot of help on here when you need it). The only question is how big to go. If you have any doubt then go with the bigger one. I've never complained about it being too big. Once you get a few smokes in it it will hold a very consistent temperature (which is probably the most important part of smoking). I don't consider it to be too pricey either given the quality of the product.

 

[den60]

Make sure you read about breaking in the WSM. You need to heat it up (to burn off the chemical residue from the manufacturing process)before you ever use it for cooking. I made the mistake of putting the water pan right on top of the charcoal ring the first time (been a gas guy for too long) so realize that the water pan hangs just below the lower grill (I felt like a total frigidiot doing that). Some will say to get a real fatty meat (to throw away after) to do your first smoke to get the layer of fat on the smoker for it to work well but I sprayed Pam on it and did pork spare ribs the first time. It takes a few smokes to get the WSM seasoned so don't expect it to be great at holding temps right out of the box. The one mod that you have to do is to create a way to insert the probes for a temperature monitor (I really recommend, as do most on here, the Maverick ET-732 for monitoring temperature).

You made a good decision and have fun with your new smoker!

OK: I have just read on here that you do not need to heat your WSM before use nor do you need to spray Pam or smoke a fatty meat. Weber says the WSM will cooking hotter until the inside gets a layer of smoke over the shiny surfaces but that should not be an issue.

 

[james74]

Thanks for the tipps. I appreciate them.

Now I am wondering how that smoker works, and how to cook Turkey, brisket or pulled pork bbq.

Here we don' t have a smoking tradition.

I hope not to ruin too many chickens trying to figure out how to do it well, until I can reach one 1/10 of the late Jean Nugent's level ( my host father from Rogersville AL. One of the best guys I've ever met)

You guys are used to smoking, or at least seeing how it is done, but for me is like learning chinese.

 

[den60]

I use Jeff's book (this is his place by the way): Smoking Meat by Jeff Phillips. Gives you the basics on smoking and some recipes (including recipes for rubs, sauces etc). Also, just go into the forums here and you will get a bunch of help. I just did a turkey for the first time today (I've only been smoking a year) and asked a question or two and got someone to give me direction. This is a great resource.

By the way, I did a prime rib on my WSM for Christmas Eve. It was a $125 piece of meat. It came out perfect, better than my Mom ever did in her oven (and she is a helluva cook). It was perfectly pink from end to end. I was amazed at how easy it was. I was scared to death to ruin the meat but after smoking other things prior I realized that smoking is very forgiving because you cook low and slow. About the only part that is hard is timing the meat to be done at the right time.

If you don't know anyone that smokes then trust me when I say you better prepare to be very popular. Just make sure you post pictures on here on what you make.
 

 

[james74]

Thank you for the help.

 

[den60]

Just keep us updated on what you're doing. I will say my first turkey came out the best I have ever had. My friends absolutely raved about it and I've been getting turkey sandwiches this week.
 

 

[dward51]

Just keep us updated on what you're doing. I will say my first turkey came out the best I have ever had. My friends absolutely raved about it and I've been getting turkey sandwiches this week.
 

Flashback to 2006.  First turkey I ever smoked and it was on my 18.5" WSM.  Wife thought it was burnt for sure.  Her brother brought a oven cooked turkey to the family gathering.  Needless to say all my turkey was eaten and they did not even cut the oven cooked one.  Not sure why it came out so dark, but it was very good (it was the apple brine recipe from TVWBBB site).  Used cherry hardwood chunks in with the charcoal.  (note:  The pop-up thingie never popped, but it was done by internal temp with a good thermometer).

I've done several since and none came out as dark as this one, but they all tasted great.

100_1969.jpg

• dward51
• May 18, 2013

 

[den60]

Flashback to 2006.  First turkey I ever smoked and it was on my 18.5" WSM.  Wife thought it was burnt for sure.  Her brother brought a oven cooked turkey to the family gathering.  Needless to say all my turkey was eaten and they did not even cut the oven cooked one.  Not sure why it came out so dark, but it was very good (it was the apple brine recipe from TVWBBB site).  Used cherry hardwood chunks in with the charcoal.  (note:  The pop-up thingie never popped, but it was done by internal temp with a good thermometer).

I've done several since and none came out as dark as this one, but they all tasted great.

100_1969.jpg

• dward51
• May 18, 2013

Damn, that looks like some of the 60 year old beach babes I see around here, minus the wrinkles of course. I would have panicked if mine turned that dark but it only got dark on the normal places so I used foil. Was your smoker new for this? If it was then perhaps the heat reflecting off the interior gave you the color.

My turkey had one of those pop up things but it said it would activate once it reached 180. I took the bird out long before that. I did put the thing on the grill and it did pop out a few minutes later. I will be doing another turkey again soon. I used apple with my bird.

 

[dward51]

WSM was well broken in (you can see the smoke buildup on the side in the photos).  Never had one turn out this dark since, so I'm not sure what happened.  It tasted great though. If I recall correctly the skin was not crisp (which is common in a WSM due to the lower temps), so we did not eat the skin.