WSM comp cooks

[Sledneck]

Ok let me change this up a bit. No figuring cost, have any of you cooked and compared the difference between a uds and a 22 wsm?

 

[Funtimebbq]

I have one for each size WSM. I use them for every cook regardless of the weather (which is not usually an issue in SoCal) to make the fuel last longer. Yesterday, I used 2/3 of a 20 lb. bag of regular Kingsford for a brisket and two butts in the 22". I placed 11 lit coals on at 7:30 pm Wed. I let the Stoker System bring the coals up to 216 degrees and put the meat on at 8 pm. The brisket came off at 9 am the next morning. All that without adding more fuel. I give credit to the Guru covers for making the fuel last that long.

Benny

 

[JD McGee]

I've read this criticism more than once re: the 22. I don't get it. You can cook twice as much meat, of course it will take more fuel

If you're lookin' for a fuel miser for comp cookin' then you may want to go with an insulated smoker...Backwoods, Stumps, Superior, Spicewine, BGE, Primo...etc...for me I fill mine to the brim and don't sweat the small stuff! For each comp I cook two butts on an 18, 2 briskets on a 22, 6 racks of ribs on a 22, and 12 chicken thighs on an 18 using 2 1/2 20lb bags of Kingsford. Sure...I can do a whole comp cook on 2 22's...but I like using different smokewoods for different meats...thus the different smoker for each meat.

 

[big brother smoke]

Ok let me change this up a bit. No figuring cost, have any of you cooked and compared the difference between a uds and a 22 wsm?

Ain't much when you use a deflector in the UDS. The difference is portability IMHO!

 

[ique]

If you're lookin' for a fuel miser for comp cookin' then you may want to go with an insulated smoker...Backwoods, Stumps, Superior, Spicewine, BGE, Primo...etc...for me I fill mine to the brim and don't sweat the small stuff! For each comp I cook two butts on an 18, 2 briskets on a 22, 6 racks of ribs on a 22, and 12 chicken thighs on an 18 using 2 1/2 20lb bags of Kingsford. Sure...I can do a whole comp cook on 2 22's...but I like using different smokewoods for different meats...thus the different smoker for each meat.

Yeah I'm not too worried about burning an extra 1/2 bag of charcoal

 

[RangerJ]

Ok let me change this up a bit. No figuring cost, have any of you cooked and compared the difference between a uds and a 22 wsm?

As mentioned, if you use a deflector in your UDS, not much difference at all.

Portablility, yes. Easier to load the WSM than hefting the 55 gallon drum in the truck.

Cleaning the WSM is obviously much easier as I did not have any mods on my UDS that allowed me to get the ash out with anything but a pooper scooper. A new one of course...

From what I can tell the spike in temperature is greater on my UDS than it is on the WSM. That being said, I started competing on UDS's and worked with alot more meat, and was generally much more disorganized so I believe my lids were probably off longer.

Care must be taken during transportation as you can get the center of the 22 "out of round". Whereas, nothing short of a wrecking ball affects the UDS.

The access door on the WSM comes in very handy, whereas on my UDS I would have to remove the entire top rack for access to additional meat if loaded up.

As far as quality of the cooks..well, I've walked using both and gone home empty handed with both. Which probably goes back to the "its the cook, not the cooker" saying. I like the WSM no doubt about it, but there are times I wonder why I retired my drums.

 

[Kit R]

For you guys that use the BBQ Guru smoker jackets on your WSMs what are your opinions of them. Thinking about getting these, but would like to know if you that have used them regularly feel that they are worth the investment.

I used one for the first time on my 22" last weekend in Lynchburg (nothing like trying one out in one of, if not the, mother of all battles).

I've been having problems all year maintaining temp in my 22" WSM with a full load of ribs. I've been reduced to opening the side door, letting air in and then leaving it cracked a bit. I'm sure it plays havoc with the algorithm or whatever you call it in the CyberQ controller, but sometimes you have to resort to desperate measures. Anyway, on Saturday I woke to frost and near freezing temp, so I decided it was time to give the blanket a try. I tossed a full chimney of lit charcoal on a 2/3 full ring of briquettes, buttoned everything up, sat the temp on the Guru 15 higher than my cooking temp and dropped the blanket on. I put my ribs on 30 minutes later and replaced the blanket. Temp dropped about 50 degrees, then slowly rose to target and stayed within 5 degrees of target for the rest of the cook. I was pretty pleased with the end result, too as we got our second call of the day with those ribs (10th place).

I'm going to play around with the blanket some more over the winter, but it carried the day for me last week.

 

[atvalaska]

well i'm still on the 18" band wagon...don't own a 22" wsm, just get them/use them , from a buddy when i'm cooking butts for more than 400 folks at a time when doing that many butts i size them ....big on top shelf and small on bottem.. setting the butts on edge i can really load the 18" up... the surface area of the 22" tends/tended to cool/codense the water inside the cooker a bit more ..even with the same amout of "food "in each....maybe it has some thing to do with living near 2000' on a mountain top, and a millon lakes out in the backyard...just sayin.....:tape:

 

[swamprb]

Ok let me change this up a bit. No figuring cost, have any of you cooked and compared the difference between a uds and a 22 wsm?

I'd been cooking on UDS's for a couple years before the 22" WSM came out and used them in competition as well. Many times I dragged along an 18" WSM to comps and never fired it up.

At the time I wasn't hip to turbo cooking, when in fact that is pretty much what I was doing cooking direct on the drums. I wasn't foiling, and my heavy meats pretty much went from the cooker to the Cambro. I was middle of the pack with Chicken & Ribs and cellar dweller with Brisket & Pork.

Comment cards were not kind either, I'd get feedback like like "too much Creosote" or "tastes like Liquid Smoke", I just thought the CBJ's were not used to the flavor of the fats dripping on the coals and the layer of flavor the drums imparted.

But a couple seasoned WSM Mentor teams were talking to me about my drums at a comp and they confided to removing the waterpans and cooking direct and getting the same responses.

So I figured if I wanted to play the game, it would be easier to change my cooker and cooking style than to change the judges minds and palates with the drums.
Anyway, after the last turn in people thought my cookers were trash cans and ash containers!

All costs aside, I stock up on BBK when its on sale and I'm not being a tighta$$ with charcoal. I just don't see the point of using a full ring of briqs for a 4-5 hour cook. It works for me and it works in my drums as well.

If I were to cook with all drums, I'd still cook direct, foil sooner and use smaller charcoal baskets and offset them in the drum. I'd never have to worry about my drums being out of round, bent legs, door handle falling off, dented, rusted or porcelain chipped.
I could load a couple bags of charcoal, smoke woods, weed torch, propane tank and grill brush and stack stuff on top the drums in the trailer and not worry about them being thrashed when I open the trailer!

 

[swamprb]

I used one for the first time on my 22" last weekend in Lynchburg (nothing like trying one out in one of, if not the, mother of all battles).

I've been having problems all year maintaining temp in my 22" WSM with a full load of ribs. I've been reduced to opening the side door, letting air in and then leaving it cracked a bit. I'm sure it plays havoc with the algorithm or whatever you call it in the CyberQ controller, but sometimes you have to resort to desperate measures. Anyway, on Saturday I woke to frost and near freezing temp, so I decided it was time to give the blanket a try. I tossed a full chimney of lit charcoal on a 2/3 full ring of briquettes, buttoned everything up, sat the temp on the Guru 15 higher than my cooking temp and dropped the blanket on. I put my ribs on 30 minutes later and replaced the blanket. Temp dropped about 50 degrees, then slowly rose to target and stayed within 5 degrees of target for the rest of the cook. I was pretty pleased with the end result, too as we got our second call of the day with those ribs (10th place).

I'm going to play around with the blanket some more over the winter, but it carried the day for me last week.

I had similar problems using the Guru and a full load of briqs in the 22" WSM. (No jacket) I talked to Kenny Baker & Bob Trudnak and they suggested using lump.

 

[Chenernator]

Ok let me change this up a bit. No figuring cost, have any of you cooked and compared the difference between a uds and a 22 wsm?

I use far less charcoal in my UDS compared to my 18" WSM (using a water pan). I'd estimate 1/3 to 1/2 of what the WSM uses. If I don't use water, the difference is closer, but the UDS still uses less. The difference between a UDS and a 22 would be significant.