# Weber Smokey Mountain 18”?



## WV_Crusader (Dec 18, 2020)

So being as I’m always looking for options with my cookers and being a pellet head for over a year now and not remembering the last time I actually used propane, lol, I’ve started to research the WSM 18”. Anyone have this cooker and run it in cooler to cold climates?
I’m also curious as I seen where ThermoWorks Billows will work with it....not that I wanna go that route because I’d rather be naturally aspirated.
So anyway thoughts, suggestions, recommendations?
I was considered the Pit Barrel until I seen the temp control was more less just set for me at 1/4”.


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## chopsaw (Dec 18, 2020)

I have a 14 wsm.  Love it . So much fun to use .


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## JCAP (Dec 18, 2020)

I have the 22 and it runs fine in the winter. You could get a welding blanket to help hold the temp or save some fuel. 

I also have the PBC and it’s more set and forget with temp. It’s a great cooker but with less control.

And if you just take the waterbowl out of the WSM, you have a cooker just like the PBC but much easier to control temps.


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## WV_Crusader (Dec 18, 2020)

Are you guys using any special baskets or anything in yours? Sorry just see fancy stuff kinda like going into Cabelas!


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## chopsaw (Dec 18, 2020)

Mines stock .


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## JCAP (Dec 18, 2020)

Nothing fancy here except I replaced the stock door with one from Cajun Bandit. Don’t think it’s super necessary though.


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## bill1 (Dec 18, 2020)

Putting it in a tall cardboard box helps with insulation too.  Of course you'll need an opening at the bottom and the top for air flow/draft.


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## WV_Crusader (Dec 18, 2020)

Thanks for the replies as always and if you think of any tips or tricks you can share I’d appreciate it!


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## FFchampMT (Dec 18, 2020)

WSM 22 here, in the Yellowstone Valley in Montana. 
I put the lid hinge kit on, as well as the gasket kit. The hinge is priceless, a little finicky, but well worth it. Gasket kit is... meh. I made a rib/bacon hanger at work that fits where the upper rack goes. I'm new to the smoker, but I love it coming from a pellet smoker. 

I use a welding blanket wrapped around it with a ratchet strap in the cold and wind. I don't think the cold is as much as a problem as the wind. A small OBS 3 sided shelter might work too. 

I also have a Signals and really like it, it's not as 'set it and forget it, 3 degree temp swings' as you'd think, but not fiddling with vents is nice. You can see it hooked up in the picture. 

If I get another mod it will be the expanded mesh coal ring. It's taller to hold more fuel, and I think it would help the fan out.


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## 1MoreFord (Dec 18, 2020)

To cook in cold climates get a 55Gal drum and cut out both ends.  Drop the drum over the WSM and support the drum on some bricks or the like to form a jacket around the WSM with clearance from the ground for air flow.


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Dec 19, 2020)

If add a BBQ Guru will control temperature like a pellet smoker.  I used mine as is for over 20 years and is a great smoker.


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## Millberry (Dec 19, 2020)

What?  Please explain.   Thanks,Charlie


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## WV_Crusader (Dec 19, 2020)

Millberry said:


> What?  Please explain.   Thanks,Charlie


What do you mean?


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## Millberry (Dec 19, 2020)

Bill was saying he put his WSM  in a cardboard box to smoke/???


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## gmc2003 (Dec 19, 2020)

He's using the cardboard box as a windbreak. 

Chris


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## Millberry (Dec 19, 2020)

*thanks*


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## bill1 (Dec 19, 2020)

Millberry said:


> Bill was saying he put his WSM  in a cardboard box to smoke/???


Windbreak _and _thermal insulation.  At temps <275F, it can actually touch the unit and not even brown.  (Fahrenheit 451 is a bit of a stretch but most paper products can take 300F no problem.)  

I use the box a child's car seat once came in but any near-square tall box will do.  I cut off one of the 4 flaps at the bottom of the box and duct-taped the other 3 together to form a stand. (So one side is open for air inlet)  The top 4 flaps I taped together to extend the height of the box another 8".  I use another small flattened box at the top to cover the top opening except for an adjustable triangle at a corner.  That top "shelf" is good for holding probe readouts/transmitters at modest temps.  If I need to tend the fire or add water to the pan, the box lifts off easy.  (A 55-gallon drum sounds pretty heavy...a galvanized trash can I could probably handle.)   

If you think about it...the design of corrugated cardboad is not just great for cushioning but for lightweight thermal insulation as well.  

And (full disclosure) it's a highly-modified El Cheapo Brinkmann generic bullet smoker, not a high quality Weber.  Have pity on the poor.  :-)


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## Millberry (Dec 19, 2020)

Learn something everyday...Thanks Bill


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## WV_Crusader (Dec 19, 2020)

Great ideas, thanks. Probably going to order one tomorrow.


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## Millberry (Dec 20, 2020)

*And (full disclosure) it's a highly-modified El Cheapo Brinkmann generic bullet smoker, not a high quality Weber.  Have pity on the poor.  :-)*
[/QUOTE]
Amen--these folks wave around Waygu beef like we would a Pork Shoulder.........LOL


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## hawtsauc3 (Dec 20, 2020)

I used an 18” WSM. Got a party q and recently upgraded to a FireBoard drive 2. It will run naturally aspirated fine but adding a controller really makes it set and forget.


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## acidcat (Dec 21, 2020)

I have a WSM 18" and am in what would be considered a cooler temperature zone. I am on the west coast in Canada and, typically, we get snow about 1-3 times per year, which is usually melted by the next day but will sometimes linger for a week or two.

The WSM was so far my only true smoker (I did some smoking on my Weber Kettle before with great success) and so I had no choice but to use it through the summer and winter. The person I bought my WSM from had installed insulation around the lid and door; I removed the lid insulation but kept the door insulation. He had only used the smoker 2-3 times so, for all intents and purposes it was brand new.

What I can tell you is that, in the beginning, it was very hard to maintain any good temperatures in any climate, in part because I was likely doing something wrong but also, perhaps, because there was no layer of stuff built up on the inside from all of the smoke. What I can tell you is that, now after about 2-3 years of use, on a typical winter day (2 to 8 degrees C) it operates pretty much the same as it does in the summer to get it up to temp. The difference is in running it for extended periods: in the summer I have one vent fully closed and the other two vents with barely a sliver; in the winter, all three vents are open but usually only about 1/4 to 1/6 of the way open and every so often I still have to close one vent. As well, I find that, in our typical winter day, I don't have to monitor the temp as much as it seems to maintain at a steady temp. Keep in mind that I always use a full water bowl but boil the water before dumping in: in the summer, I can bring the temp down by adding cold water which is preferable to closing all 3 bottom vents and risking snuffing out the fire and in the winter it helps to already have some heat in the drum. As well, the heat sink helps to keep the temp even.

Now... for the colder days, being 1 to -5 degress C, in the beginning it was very hard to keep hot but now I find that I just need to play with the vents and am able to run it no problem.

There is a huge caveat: my ideal temperatures are typically never above 275 degrees F and usually in the 210-250 F range. I have attempted temperatures greater than 275 F on a few occasions (usually poultry) and, in the summer, it's easy to run it above 275 F for a few hours without a second thought. In the winter months, I had some issues getting the temp above 275 F but was able to do it for about an hour or so with constant monitoring and additional lit charcoal added.

So, in a nutshell, if you are living in a cooler climate, the WSM will work just fine for all your needs but if you are in a very cold climate, you may face some issues but should be fine. Give it some time to work itself in and to learn how to control the temp, and by next winter you shouldn't have any issues.


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