# 26" Kettle or 22"WSM



## Buckeye02 (Mar 31, 2021)

About a month ago I purchased my first 22" kettle. I also purchased the SNS. After smoking on the kettle both my wife and myself prefer the flavor we are getting from the kettle with wood chunks. But on the weekends I regularly cook for 8-10 people in the summer time who come over to swim. I've been watching numerous videos and reading reviews on both the 26" and the WSM. Ive order the rib rack to use for the 22". But this past weekend I made 10lbs of chicken quarters and a few lbs of thighs. I used my pellet for the quarters and the 22" for the thighs. The main thing that's drawing me away from the WSM is I'm not liking the idea of having to remove whatever you are smoking on the top grate to get to the bottom grate. Hoping to get some advice from some hands on users of both!


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## JCAP (Mar 31, 2021)

I guess it depends on what your main goal is. If it's to grill things like chicken, burgers, dogs, steaks etc. then the 26 is probably the best option. The added advantage is that you can also cook low and slow on this kettle. If your main goal is to cook lots of meat and will load up cooking space, then the WSM might be better for you since it has a bigger cooking area overall with the two grates. You could do more direct grilling on this too but not as easily as on the 26in. 

I actually find that I do more on my kettles (22in) than I do on the WSM. That's probably just my preference and is not a statement on which is better. Others will chime in and give you other things to think about I'm sure. But you can't go wrong with either choice IMO.


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## Buckeye02 (Mar 31, 2021)

JCAP said:


> I guess it depends on what your main goal is. If it's to grill things like chicken, burgers, dogs, steaks etc. then the 26 is probably the best option. The added advantage is that you can also cook low and slow on this kettle. If your main goal is to cook lots of meat and will load up cooking space, then the WSM might be better for you since it has a bigger cooking area overall with the two grates. You could do more direct grilling on this too but not as easily as on the 26in.
> 
> I actually find that I do more on my kettles (22in) than I do on the WSM. That's probably just my preference and is not a statement on which is better. Others will chime in and give you other things to think about I'm sure. But you can't go wrong with either choice IMO.


Thank you! Yea I would say the main goal for the addition cooker will be with mostly smoking in mind. But being able to throw the chicken thighs over the SNS when they were about done made the skin a perfect bite through with just enough char for a good extra flavor


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## chopsaw (Mar 31, 2021)

I'm for the 26 all the way . My wsm is a 14 . I love it . Really fun to cook on , but the 26 is awesome . 
I have a 22 " Performer deluxe that I grill on . Do long smokes on the 26 . 
If you could access the lower grill easier on the wsm , that might change my mind . 
Full spares on the 26 .


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## Buckeye02 (Mar 31, 2021)

chopsaw said:


> I'm for the 26 all the way . My wsm is a 14 . I love it . Really fun to cook on , but the 26 is awesome .
> I have a 22 " Performer deluxe that I grill on . Do long smokes on the 26 .
> If you could access the lower grill easier on the wsm , that might change my mind .
> Full spares on the 26 .
> View attachment 491274


That picture and everything you said is exactly why I made this post. Thank you for the help!


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## chopsaw (Mar 31, 2021)

Good deal . Sounds like you have other options also . I made a proto type " 2nd floor " for my 26 . 
Haven't used it yet . Needed the pipe parts for some tables I was making , so I took it apart .
There's an idea there somewhere though .


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## BGKYSmoker (Mar 31, 2021)

There are more accessories for the 22 than the 26


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## Buckeye02 (Mar 31, 2021)

chopsaw said:


> Good deal . Sounds like you have other options also . I made a proto type " 2nd floor " for my 26 .
> Haven't used it yet . Needed the pipe parts for some tables I was making , so I took it apart .
> There's an idea there somewhere though .
> View attachment 491304


Any idea even though it's only 3" what the temp difference is from grate to grate? Surely couldn't be much?


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## gmc2003 (Mar 31, 2021)

Here are my thoughts. I have all three. A 26" kettle, 22" kettle and the 22" WSM. The 26" has become the workhorse. It gets used 95% of time. The 22" gets used when I do high heat cooks using the Vortex, and unfortunately  the WSM hasn't seen the light of day in a year or so. The 26" is just so convenient. 4 inches may not seem like a big difference, but the 26" is close to 40% bigger then the 22". 

Cubic inches of cooking space on the 22 = 363, on the 26 = 508. 

Here's a couple of shots: 

26" vs. 22" 






A pic of a 5 pound meatloaf, 5 pound shoulder, and 20 pork shots on the 26






And a rack of spares on the 26"









SWFLsmkr1 said:


> There are more accessories for the 22 than the 26



I'm not sure this is true anymore.

Chris


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## chopsaw (Mar 31, 2021)

I agree Chris . They're making everything for the 26 these days . 



TGRIMMOSU#1 said:


> Any idea even though it's only 3" what the temp difference is from grate to grate? Surely couldn't be much?


I'm not sure , but has to be close or the same on average . Like I said , there's an idea there somewhere . Needed some tweaking with the legs .


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## Buckeye02 (Mar 31, 2021)

gmc2003 said:


> Here are my thoughts. I have all three. A 26" kettle, 22" kettle and the 22" WSM. The 26" has become the workhorse. It gets used 95% of time. The 22" gets used when I do high heat cooks using the Vortex, and unfortunately  the WSM hasn't seen the light of day in a year or so. The 26" is just so convenient. 4 inches may not seem like a big difference, but the 26" is close to 40% bigger then the 22".
> 
> Cubic inches of cooking space on the 22 = 363, on the 26 = 508.
> 
> ...


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## WeberBlackStoneYoder (Mar 31, 2021)

Love my 26" Weber.


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## meatallica (Apr 2, 2021)

26" all the way


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## bregent (May 4, 2021)

How long of a cook at 225F can you get on the 26" , and what methods are you using (SNS, Snake, etc)  .
From the photo's, looks like some might be using the 22" SNS on it?
Can you fit a 18lb brisket and 8-10lb butt at the same time?


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## Buckeye02 (May 4, 2021)

bregent said:


> How long of a cook at 225F can you get on the 26" , and what methods are you using (SNS, Snake, etc)  .
> From the photo's, looks like some might be using the 22" SNS on it?
> Can you fit a 18lb brisket and 8-10lb butt at the same time?


I can't speak on the brisket and butt. I don't eat brisket. But over the weekend I did a 5hr smoke with the SNS for the 22" and didn't have any issues. I filled it about 3/4 maybe a tad bit more and the ribs were at 197 when the temps started dropping on the kettle. But it maintained 245-260 for 5 hrs with next to no help once I got it set.


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## chopsaw (May 4, 2021)

bregent said:


> How long of a cook at 225F can you get on the 26"


I use the snake method on my 26 . I've gotten 8 to 10 hours at 260 . I don't fight it . I let it run where it wants .


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