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IowaWildHogsBbq

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Need some input. I am looking to upgrade my smokers and looking at getting two 22.5. I was wondering I am using one for pork butts the other for briskets. Do you need to refuel during these long cooks? What kind of charcoal do you use? I was also thinking about getting gurus for both of them. Just want to know what everyones exp is with these. I know alot of teams use them for comps very popular. What about smoking when it is cold how do they do. Thanks everyone.
 
You already know what I think :grin:.

Anytime you want to try out my 18 you are welcome to come get it for a few days. I do think I am going to end up ordering the BBQ Guru PartyQ in December unless I can afford to go ahead and get a 22.
 
i need to refuel. usually after @ 6-7 hours. i cook @ 275. i use stubbs.

i stopped using the stoker this spring...so we'll see how they do in the cold.
 
I had an 18 & then sold it to upgrade to the 22.
Using both, I never had to refuel.
I did, howerver, load that charcoal pan completley full. Nearly busting at the seams.

I use Kingsford Blue Bag.

I do mostly overnight cooks & I live in the Northwest (Seattle area), so I would say that it does fine in cold weather
 
I have the 18.5 and I have never had to refuel for anything when using a full load of Kingsford Blue. I have run it for over 16 hours on multiple occasions without touching the charcoal.
 
JMSetzler said:
I have the 18.5 and I have never had to refuel for anything when using a full load of Kingsford Blue. I have run it for over 16 hours on multiple occasions without touching the charcoal.
Click to expand...

agreed, but i can keep my "kettle" at 500* for 3 hours or 275* for 6 with only like 25 briquettes.

point being, the 18 and 22 are very different animals.

it takes alot more BTU's to keep a 22 hot. it is quite a bit larger than an 18.
 
You could also by the Cajun Bandit High Airflow Expanded Charcoal ring that will hold a full 22lb bag of BBKingsford.

IMG_1554.jpg


IMG_1566.jpg


just sayin'.

http://cajunbandit.com/wsm-parts-mods/
 
You should be able to run for 16 hours on one load of lump or briquettes in the 22.5. I've never used one, but they are very similar in fuel efficiency to a UDS, and most UDS can go for 16-18 hours on one load of fuel.

Maybe it's a water pan issue, if using water in the pan, try foiling it with no water. I know a huge mass of water will suck BTUs. A pan full of sand will take longer to get to target temp, but will hold that temp, instead of fighting it.
 
swamprb said:
You could also by the Cajun Bandit High Airflow Expanded Charcoal ring that will hold a full 22lb bag of BBKingsford.





just sayin'.

http://cajunbandit.com/wsm-parts-mods/
Click to expand...


I see Cajun Bandit has a "bundle deal" for $65 for the SS door and this ring - might be a very good combo deal !! I May consider placing an order.

Does this ring have higher walls or more/bigger holes (or both) ?

What do they mean by "eliminates problems of vent jamming w/ the original ring " ?
 
MilitantSquatter said:
I see Cajun Bandit has a "bundle deal" for $65 for the SS door and this ring - might be a very good combo deal !! I May consider placing an order.

Does this ring have higher walls or more/bigger holes (or both) ?

What do they mean by "eliminates problems of vent jamming w/ the original ring " ?
Click to expand...

If i remember correctly the high flow ring was because the vents on the original 22 were in a different location. I think they changed it. read it somewhere. Vinny you might want to go on over to the virtual webere bullet site and ask for a mod job there:rolleyes:
 
Sledneck said:
If i remember correctly the high flow ring was because the vents on the original 22 were in a different location. I think they changed it. read it somewhere. Vinny you might want to go on over to the virtual webere bullet site and ask for a mod job there:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Looks like you're right.. not needed for new 22's.. The SS door though looks like an improvement and can be ordered separately.

i'll send in my resume :wink:

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/partstrouble.html#tab

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Damper Won't Close Fully Because Tab Hits Charcoal Grate (22-1/2" WSM only)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Editor's Note: Beginning in early 2010, owners have reported that this design issue has been fixed in new 22-1/2" WSMs. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]The 22-1/2" WSM is designed such that a damper tab may hit the charcoal grate when the damper is in the closed position. This prevents the damper from closing fully.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Click this photo for a larger image; the problem area is circled in yellow.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]The easiest solution is to break off the offending tab with a pair of pliers. The three remaining tabs are more than sufficient to control the open/close position of the damper.[/FONT]
 
I think you get longer burns if you use no water and a clay pot bottum as your heat sink.
 
Sledneck said:
If i remember correctly the high flow ring was because the vents on the original 22 were in a different location. I think they changed it. read it somewhere. Vinny you might want to go on over to the virtual webere bullet site and ask for a mod job there:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

MilitantSquatter said:
Looks like you're right.. not needed for new 22's.. The SS door though looks like an improvement and can be ordered separately.

i'll send in my resume :wink:

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/partstrouble.html#tab

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Damper Won't Close Fully Because Tab Hits Charcoal Grate (22-1/2" WSM only)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Editor's Note: Beginning in early 2010, owners have reported that this design issue has been fixed in new 22-1/2" WSMs. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]The 22-1/2" WSM is designed such that a damper tab may hit the charcoal grate when the damper is in the closed position. This prevents the damper from closing fully.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Click this photo for a larger image; the problem area is circled in yellow.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]The easiest solution is to break off the offending tab with a pair of pliers. The three remaining tabs are more than sufficient to control the open/close position of the damper.[/FONT]
Click to expand...

You are correct sirs!

The high flow air ring has tabs on it that sit on the bolts and raise it above the vent holes.

IMG_1555.jpg


We did a mod from tvwbb, JD cut and drilled some round stock and we added them to the charcoal ring bolts on the Gen1 WSM's to raise the ring higher in the bowl.

IMG_1556.jpg


IMG_1551.jpg


Here is a shot of the Cajun Bandit and the stock WSM ring inside it-doesn't look like much, but there is a difference.

IMG_1558.jpg


I've heard of people ordering new 22" WSM's and getting the old stock bullets and there is a difference that I've noticed between the two- arched door on the center section, intake vents located higher in the bowl and a wider leg stance on the new 22's.

So if you do end up with a 2010 and newer bullet, you are set as far as mods go. I just bought a used 2011 bullet and pimped it out here:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=117848&highlight=another+week+another+wsm

The Pimp kit from Cajun Bandit is a pretty good deal.

IMG_4358.jpg
 
I run an 18 and 22 for comps. I use a homemade controller attached to one of the vents on each

I use the 22 for brisket and butts overnight and the 18 for ribs. I usually start the 22 at about 8:00-9:00pm and run it through the night until the meat comes off sometime around 10:00-11:00am. The only time I've had to add fuel was one comp where the wind was blowing like stink. Cold doesn't seem to affect it very much but then I don't cook when it's below feezing.

I use U.S. Royal Oak.

Russ
 
I recently got the IQUE110 and the Cajun Bandit door for my WSM, and doing so has cut my fuel consumption in half. I did a 6 lb top round roast and 2 Smithfield pork loingback ribs on it last week with 2 chimneys of unlit kingford blue and 1 chimney of lit KB, running 5 hours at 225-245 and it looked like I still had half that fuel left when I removed the meat from he smoker. It was a windy day, but since the IQUE requires you shut the vents down (close two on the bottom, and leave the top vent merely a sliver open, closed if you have air leaks) it didn't appear to affect the smoker.


Yesterday I did 2 turkeys with 1 1/2 chimney of unlit Royal Oak and 1/2 chimney, and while it took an hour to get up to 300-325 before addding the turkeys, that was plenty of fuel for a 3 hour cook.
 
NS Mike D said:
I recently got the IQUE110 and the Cajun Bandit door for my WSM, and doing so has cut my fuel consumption in half. I did a 6 lb top round roast and 2 Smithfield pork loingback ribs on it last week with 2 chimneys of unlit kingford blue and 1 chimney of lit KB, running 5 hours at 225-245 and it looked like I still had half that fuel left when I removed the meat from he smoker. It was a windy day, but since the IQUE requires you shut the vents down (close two on the bottom, and leave the top vent merely a sliver open, closed if you have air leaks) it didn't appear to affect the smoker.



Yesterday I did 2 turkeys with 1 1/2 chimney of unlit Royal Oak and 1/2 chimney, and while it took an hour to get up to 300-325 before addding the turkeys, that was plenty of fuel for a 3 hour cook.
Click to expand...


Assuming you are using a Weber chimney thats about 15 lbs of charcoal for your rib n roast cook which would be a little less than what I would use in an 18" WSM for an overnighter.

The 22" WSM is a fuel Hog and I picked up on that real quick after one use and immediately made smaller charcoal rings for mine.

Just curious why you would wait an hour for an ATC to come up to temp for such a short cook?
 
swamprb said:
Assuming you are using a Weber chimney thats about 15 lbs of charcoal for your rib n roast cook which would be a little less than what I would use in an 18" WSM for an overnighter.

The 22" WSM is a fuel Hog and I picked up on that real quick after one use and immediately made smaller charcoal rings for mine.

Just curious why you would wait an hour for an ATC to come up to temp for such a short cook?
Click to expand...


The amount of charcoal I used on that first cook was from the instructions for the IQUE - which assume was for an overnighter. The instructions do suggest to use that ratio for other amounts of fuel.

So I'm experimenting to get a feel for fuel consumption with the IQUE.


As for yesterday, the instructions are to close off the vents, use the minion method to start the coals, set the IQUE temp and wait for it to run for at least 5 minutes at temp before loading the food.


I guess the fan wasn't strong enought to get me to 325 on a cool day. That wouldn't be an problem at all with full load of RO charcoal and vents wide open.

Nevertheless, I opened the vents to give the IQUE a boost which worked out well. Once at temp, I closed them down and held close to temp. The fan had to run constantly, but the turkeys came out perfectly cooked.


As for the 18 WSM, the IQUE directions calls for 1/2 the fuel load.
 
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