Smokey Joe vs Jumbo Joe mod=Jumbo expensive
I've been researching these two mods quite a bit and I've come to this conclusion. The mini Smokey Joe mod is the better deal. Basically it comes down to fact that the Jumbo Joe mod doesn't scale well in the conversion. Here are the numbers, based on Amazon/Target/Home Depot etc. prices.
Smokey Joe $30
32 qt stock pot $21
Extra Grill $8
Total $59
WSM 14.5 $200
% ratio 29.5% the cost of the 14.5 WSM
Jumbo Joe $60
80 qt pot $103
Extra grill $14
Total $177
WSM 18.5 $300
% ratio 59% the cost of the 18.5 WSM
I did not include the bolts and screws because those are items that many of us have laying around and are a very small percentage of the total mod. Same goes for terra cotta pot saucers and steamer pans/diffusers. The problem here is the pot. The large 80 qt pot has to be special ordered, and the larger the pot the greater the cost. Now Craigslist can provide some deals, but you'll rarely find a Jumbo Joe and an 80 qt stock pot that would actually fit the JJ. Smokey Joes can be scored for $10 quite commonly on CL, yard sales or thrift stores, JJ not so much. One can also go into Target tonight and assemble to the entire suite of materials required for the Smokey Joe mod. After finding a JJ at Target the other day for $40 I'd considered the Jumbo mod, but when I ran the numbers I realized that it just wasn't a good deal, especially since there were two WSM 18.5's on CL, one for $120, the other for $150. I'll keep the JJ cause I think it stands well on its own, but for now I may build the Smokey Joe mod. However, I'll keep my tape measure in my pocket in the highly unlikely event that I see a big stock pot that might fit the Jumbo Joe.