# One Butt on an EGG and another on my WSM (Side by Side Comparison)



## knifebld (Apr 20, 2015)

Hey all,

Spring is finally here! And with the snow just about all melted and outside temps between 30 to 50 F, I took advantage of a nice sunny weekend to compare evaluate the difference in smoking pork shoulders in the Big Green Egg vs the Weber Smokey Mountain.

So here are the Pork butts...one was about 8 lbs and the other 6 lbs. Both would have easily fit in my LG BGE or my 22.5 WSM but I have been wanting to compare both smokers for a while so decided that this weekend was it. Both butts were rubbed with a thin layer of mustard and covered in rub;













IMG_5940.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015





    













IMG_5941.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015






Woke up at 5AM to get both smokers ready;













IMG_5961.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015






*INITIAL SETUP:*

I must say that I love both these units but both have some pros and cons. The BGE was very simple to prep; toss in some lump, add a few wood chunks (used Hickory), add a charcoal starter and wait for it to hit desired temp. The WSM was a little more painful as I had to place the briquettes in the minion method, light a chimney, foil the water pan and fill it with water, dump in the chimney, and close her up and wait til it hit proper temp (some may suggest filling the water pan with sand instead...could be another option I guess).

Where the WSM shined was in regulating temp fairly quickly. Due to the full chimney, getting temperatures up to 235F was fast and only had to tweak the vents a few times to stabilize. The BGE is a little trickier cause if it rises too quickly its a bitch to get back down...which is why I use a charcoal starter rather then a looflighter or blowtorch.

Once my temperature were right, I tossed my butts on both. I used my iGrill2 probes with the BGE and my trusty Maverick ET-733 probes on my WSM;













IMG_5956.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015





   













IMG_5959.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015






*TEMPERATURE*

Was able to maintain initial temps without a problem on both units for the first 4 hours of the smoke;













IMG_5964.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015






Before this smoke I calibrated both the dome probes on both units and both dome probes ended up showing higher temps than the digital probes (I expected this, however found it curious that the BGE had a larger gap then my WSM);













IMG_5969.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015





   













IMG_5977.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015






*THE FIRST 6 HOURS*

Relatively uneventful for the first half of the smoke. I did not open the lid of either...both smelled wonderful and managed to get TBS from both. The WSM needed a few minor vent adjustments from time to time, but the BGE was steady pretty much the whole time without any adjustments. Must mention also that there was very little wind...which was a good reason why the WSM performed so well.

At around 11:45, both butts hit 165F and were ready to be panned (yup I'm a one of those!).

*THE SECOND HALF*

For the WSM...more of the same, simple tweaks to the vents to maintain proper temps.

The BGE was a little different. At some point in the afternoon, the temperature crept up past 300F...and boy was that a pain to get back down. I had to shut the bottom vent and the daisy wheel completely and even at that it took over an hour for it to get back down to the desired temp. Whereas the WSM never got hotter than 270F.

By 2pm the 8 lb butt on the BGE it 208F. I double foiled it and tossed in a cooler to wait for dinner at 5pm. Unfortunately the WSM was only done by 6pm (And I must admit that by 5pm I transferred the butt to the BGE because the full bag of charcoal briquettes that I used in the WSM was totally used up, whereas the lump used for the BGE (half bag) still had enough for another 4 or 5 hours easy;













IMG_5990.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015






*RESULT*

Both where fantastic in taste, boy have I missed that wonderful pulled pork goodness!

First for the BGE: Nice bark (even though I foiled), came apart with ease, and was very moist. However hardly any smoke ring at all.













IMG_5984.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015





   













IMG_5987.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015






The WSM was incredible. I would say a little more moist, came apart almost by looking at it, and had great smoke color.













IMG_5992.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015





   













IMG_5995.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015






*PROS & CONS*













Capture.JPG



__ knifebld
__ Apr 20, 2015






*THE VERDICT*

I love both of these smokers and can definitely see the benefit of each depending on the time I have and the weather conditions. The BGE is incredibly efficient and needs hardly any babysitting. In the case of a pork butt, I preferred the taste of the one smoked on the WSM, however the BGE is not only a smoker and will be used very often for grilling and pizza. I will most likely use the BGE for future smoke where I do not have much time or some overnight smokes...because although I do prefer the taste on the WSM the difference is not that great.

As far as the WSM goes...its just more fun to smoke on...feels more old fashion and that the small changes I make actually have an impact. This in itself seems more satisfying then the set it and forget it approach. To fiddle around with it on a beautiful summer afternoon while sucking back a few beers is the perfect day IMHO....plus the taste was out of this world.

So BGE wins for efficiency and versatility....while the WSM wins on taste and funness!

A fun comparison...and its great to be back smokin'!

Cheers.


----------



## jirodriguez (Apr 20, 2015)

I'm betting the extra insulation from the thick ceramic on the BGE vs. the WSM was your big factor in fuel consumption. I wrap my 22.5" WSM in a welding blanket for any temps below about 55° and that lets me get a good 18+ hrs. out of a 20 lb. bag of charcoal - but I also use Kingsford Blue Bag. Lump is great and I like lump, but for a long steady burn the KBB just works better in the WSM - I think it has to do with having a uniform shape and pack into the charcoal ring.

Great comparison and great looking pork!


----------



## bmaddox (Apr 20, 2015)

Really good write up. There is nothing better than getting to eat the finished product at the end of an experiment.


----------



## knifebld (Apr 21, 2015)

JIRodriguez said:


> I'm betting the extra insulation from the thick ceramic on the BGE vs. the WSM was your big factor in fuel consumption. I wrap my 22.5" WSM in a welding blanket for any temps below about 55° and that lets me get a good 18+ hrs. out of a 20 lb. bag of charcoal - but I also use Kingsford Blue Bag. Lump is great and I like lump, but for a long steady burn the KBB just works better in the WSM - I think it has to do with having a uniform shape and pack into the charcoal ring.
> 
> Great comparison and great looking pork!


Thanks for the comments.

Definitely the thick ceramic walls are built to keep heat...so it was not much of a surprise the the egg consumed less fuel. And I agree that I welding blanket would make the WSM much more efficient, but since I own both I might just use the BGE during the cooler months and enjoy the WSM during the summer. I tried a few long smokes during last winter on the WSM and it was a real pain...the blanket would be an idea but for the PITA factor I will stick with the egg.

Thanks for the info on the KBB, gonna try it for the next one!

Cheers.


----------



## b-one (Apr 21, 2015)

Great read thanks for sharing! I smoke year round with my WSM it sits just inside the garage and most of the smoke sucks right out the overhead door never tried wrapping it up and usally only use one vent set and forget water or no water may have to reload some coal but not a whole bag maybe I'm glad I bought the 18.5 after all!


----------



## okiedave (Apr 22, 2015)

knifebld said:


> Thanks for the comments.
> 
> Definitely the thick ceramic walls are built to keep heat...so it was not much of a surprise the the egg consumed less fuel.


I suspect that's also why the BGE had less of a smoke ring.  Less fuel burned means less smoke produced, which means less smoke absorbed by the meat.


----------



## knifebld (May 1, 2015)

A few days after the smoke, the wife made an amazing Quesadilla casserole with the leftovers....Wow was it ever tasty!













IMG_5996.JPG



__ knifebld
__ May 1, 2015





   













IMG_5997.JPG



__ knifebld
__ May 1, 2015


----------



## carbine1koos (May 1, 2015)

knifebld said:


> A few days after the smoke, the wife made an amazing Quesadilla casserole with the leftovers....Wow was it ever tasty!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks awesome!!


----------

