I am cooking ribs on my 22" WSM as I type this. This will be my third time cooking since I received it a few weeks ago and the results I've been getting have been some of the tastiest barbeque I've ever had. The design is excellent, the build quality is excellent, the instructions and support from Weber all excellent. But after all this "hype" the reason I only gave it 4 stars out of 5 is because, as good as it is, I believe Weber has over-priced it somewhat. I would have expected something of this size and quality to be priced closer to $350 or so.
Anyway, the good news is, the key to successful barbeque is temperature control. I threw away money a few years ago on a cheaper smoker in which it was almost impossible to control and ruined several dollars worth of meat trying. But temperature control is what makes this unit great. The WSM almost feels like cheating. Once you get it set, it just seems to stay locked into a very narrow temperature range requiring very little adjustment as it cooks. It's as easy to keep it "locked in" at 200 degrees as it is to keep it at 325. However, there are a few little tips and tricks of the trade to cooking on a smoker and barbeque in general that require a little research, trial and error, and discussion with experienced "pit masters." For this I highly recommend The Virtual Weber Bullet website and The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board. There is a wealth of knowledge there and you can get questions answered by professionals as well as pit master wannabes who are just starting out and learning too.
I would recommend starting with a Weber Smokey Mountain, a high-quality, easy to use smoker, rather than wasting money on a cheaper one only to realize later that it's too frustrating to use and then have to break down and buy the good one later. That would be the MOST expensive way to get into barbeque at home.
This is a great cooker , I've cooked on a lot of smokers and this one is the best.
First cook was 2 pork shoulders and it could not have gone better.
You can dial this in to 225 degrees and it will hold that temp overnight.
Put the pork on at 9 pm and it was ready to shred at 9am. The best part?
I did not have to get out of bed to check on it! Kudos to weber on the WSM !
Buy Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker 22.5 inch Now
This new cooker by Weber will quickly become a classic just like the smaller one has. Nice construction and easy to assemble. As a competition cook that got rid of a trailer mounted offset to go with a couple of these, I gotta tell you how happy I am. Once I got the temp settled in, I didn't touch them (I got two) until the pork butts were done 11 hours later. I HIGHLY recommend this cooker for experienced smokers and especially for those that are just starting...
Read Best Reviews of Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker 22.5 inch Here
This is the best smoker available in this price range. I've been cooking and winning with the 18" model since 2002. The big free bonus is great internet websites that will help you answer every question you have. 4" difference may not seem like a lot but in reality it's twice as big as the 18" and will hold twice the meat. Unless you never ever plan on cooking for more than a small group the 22" is a better choice than the 18". I only have two complaints. Amazon is bundling this with a cover, when every WSM ships with a FREE quality cover from Weber. Some of the Amazon bundling makes no sense like this cover or batteries that are the wrong size bundled with a product. The side door is a good fit but would be better is it was a 1/2" wider. You need to pay attention that it is not slipping in the opening when you latch it. It may not look like a classic smoker but the WSM can cook all night un-refueled and the classic looking smokers in this price range can not do that straight out of the box. This is first and foremost a smoker that will cook amazing Brisket, Ribs and Pork.
Want Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker 22.5 inch Discount?
There are a lot of positive comments about this smoker and most people go to great lengths to explain their happiness. There's a good reason. I've been grilling for a very long time but barbeque wasn't done much over the years because the results just weren't worth the effort. Now I understand that the proper equipment is essential. You'll have a very hard time making good barbeque in a $50 Brinkman. If you're talented enough to do that you're probably not cooking on one of those anyway. This smoker isn't cheap but it also isn't a Big Green Egg or a decent side smoker in terms of expense. Most of the side smokers are hard to regulate and most don't cook evenly without some extra work. Find a blog on side smokers and you'll find lot's of "fixes" and "fiddling" to get the heat even.
This Weber is really easy to use for low and slow cooking and it doesn't require much "tending" on a 10-12 hour cook. By the way, you definitely can use a couple of Weber chimneys to get a good, quick start on the fire without petroleum based fluids if you opt to buy one of these. Lighter fluid is generally a bad thing. You either have to burn up a good bit of your fuel to get all of the lighter fluid gone or, even worse, you stink up your food with it.
We've been using this smoker for about a year now and I'm happy with the purchase. The 22.5 is a surprisingly big boy for sure when you take it out of the box but now I can do 8 racks of ribs if I want. If you don't ever need to do that much, the smaller one may be a better choice for your needs but they both do the same work in the same way. If you've ever seen a Weber kettle grill (and who hasn't?) this equipment will be very familiar to you; same porcelain on steel construction, same vents and still made in the US when I got mine.
Several people mentioned being disappointed with quality of the access door and I agree with them that it should fit better out of the box but, with some careful bending you can get a good seal and then you don't have to fool with it again; it stays put. It's made from fairly thin stucco embossed aluminum that you can easily shape with with your hands. Just take your time to get it shaped a little better to the smoker barrel and you're all set from then on. After getting used to tipping it sideways to remove and replace the access door, it really does work quite well and the size of the opening makes it easy to add fuel or wood chunks during the cook.
I've eaten barbeque from Texas to Virginia and it's always a favorite choice when traveling somewhere because it's all a little different. I've had dry rub ribs at the Rendezvous in Memphis and wet ribs in St. Louis and pulled pork at Dreamland in Tuscaloosa and chicken and rib plates at Johnny Harris' in Savannah and I like Luther's in Houston for brisket! My point is that I've had some REALLY good barbeque but now I can duplicate what the Rendezvous serves right on my patio. My pulled pork is as good as anything I've had in ANY restaurant; ever. The best barbeque I eat is at home now. The restaurants just aren't likely to take the time to do what you can do with this smoker and maybe Big Bob Gibson's book on how to do it....which is well worth the $16 in my opinion.
If you want to do some truly great barbeque at home, spend the money for good equipment and take just a few minutes to learn some rubs and sauces. If you can read, measure and tell time, you can make some excellent smoked meats without buying someone else's WONDER SAUCE (aka ketchup, vinegar, salt and a few minor spices)to slather on the meat and call it your own. What you can make from scratch is cheaper and better than most of what you would buy. And, when you're done, you'll be justifiably proud of YOUR barbeque and probably a very popular cook with the people who get to eat it.
I mean, they're just not going to be getting any peach roasted pork shoulder anywhere but your house......Lord that's a good recipe from Big Bob's book! As we say in parts of the south, "that stuff is so good it'll make your tongue slap your brains out."
Get the smoker, get some books and have some FUN if you like to cook outside and show off a little. You'll be famous and popular in no time.
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This pan does not have the copper/aluminum/stainless steel bottom like the rest of the Nouvelle line.
