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The
Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker has been on my list of
must haves for awhile now. I've been a gas grill user most my adult life. My
memories of my dad using a charcoal grill are not very pleasant. He burnt
everything to crisp in 5 minutes. Unfortunately for him, he did have a clue and
didn't know where to get one.
So, you've already guessed that I don't own one. What I'm going to do is run
down the reasons why I plan to buy one. But I'll start off by saying that I
would really love to own a
Big Green Egg, but they're just too darned expensive! I know I'll break down
one day. Until then, the reasons for owning a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker
Smoker (a.k.a. WSM or Weber Bullet) are pretty powerful.
Recommended
Weber 721001 Smokey Mountain Cooker 18-1/2-Inch
First off I'm going to focus on the highlights of the newest model since it's
been redesigned and has just come onto the market (albeit a little slowly).
- The WSM comes in 18.5" and 22.5" sizes.
- Large cooking capacity
- Built-in thermometer
- Larger water pan
- An improved access door
- An improved charcoal grate
Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker Features
-
The each have 2 cooking / grilling grates
- Built-in thermometers with 1.5" stems. They each range
from 100° - 350° F - You're going to get medium heat at best, which is best
in my world.
- The 22 has larger vent dampers than the 18
- Many improvements to the access door on both, and much
larger on the 22
- The water pan in the 22 has a 3 gallon capacity and the 18
has a 2 gallon capacity.
- They both have more stable legs than the older model
- No more using two offset grates to prevent charcoal from
falling through. The new design prevents that.
- The 22 simply has more room
- There's a heat shield under the charcoal bowl to deflect
heat from your deck.
- The packaging has been much improved to protect the
product during shipping
To see more detailed specs you should visit the
Virtual Weber
Bullet. This site is dedicated the WSM and you won't
find a better resource anywhere on the Internet.
Positive Factors
The new Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker Cooker (both sizes) have been improved
in areas where it made sense. Weber doesn't want these to become something else
since they've had a loyal following for years. But, they have
listened and done things that make a lot of sense for the average backyard chef
Negative Factors of Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker
Obviously, not everyone that's been using these cookers got all of the
improvements they were looking for. But from what I've read over at the
Virtual Weber Bullet, they are
mostly minor.
It was noted that the larger model tended to use more fuel than the 18" which
is a product of more surface area (heat loss) and more volume inside (air to
heat). It might make sense to go with the 18 unless you really have a lot of
poundage to cook.
And something I thought was really cool was when they invited Chris
Allingham (TVWB) to their facility to get a tour and review before the product
was released. They listened to what he had to say as well, and that says a lot.
Obviously, this is a company that is concerned about their customers.
Recommended
Weber 721001 Smokey Mountain Cooker 18-1/2-Inch
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Weber Smokey Mountain 22 Clint Cantwell
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Man, I have looked at and have played with some cool smokers such as those from Spicewine Ironworks, the Big Green Egg, Lang, etc., but for the money you ...
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