What to buy, what to buy.....

[Sniff]

Howdy.....


I pretty new to this whole q'ing thing..... I've been playing with a new Weber Genesis for the better part of a month now, trying things I've read here and at AmazingRibs... had nothing but success so far.... (granted the bar was pretty low...)

So far I've done the customary steaks, burgers, chicken, and chops on the Genesis, mostly indirect cooking... picked up a Thermoworks units, and have been turning out some pretty good stuff... finally I have "some" idea of what I'm doing....

I'm ready to look forward... start dabbling in some longer cooks. So, naturally, I have an excuse to get a new toy. Been looking at smokers, to complement the Genesis, and take up for it's shortfalls.

From the bit of reading I've done, I'm torn between a WSM and a PBC. I'd most likely go with smaller 18.5 WSM, as I don't think I need the larger capacity, but a few questions keep coming into my head.


Is there much advantage to one over the other, since I already have a solid gasser?
Is there much one can do that the other can't?
I'm not interested in building a UDS, nor do I have the skills/equipment.


Again, I'm not looking to use one as a grill, just to do what the Genesis can't (or can't do as well).


Opine.

[SmittyJonz]

Get Both you can never have too many grills smokers barbecue pits

[Ol'Joe]

Go with the WSM 18.5, unless you're cooking for a crowd a lot, I've heard the larger 22 uses a lot more charcoal, either way, you'll enjoy them, check out the Virtual Weber Bulletin Board, lots of info there.

[Ron_L]

Go with the WSM 18.5, unless you're cooking for a crowd a lot, I've heard the larger 22 uses a lot more charcoal, either way, you'll enjoy them, check out the Virtual Weber Bulletin Board, lots of info there.

Lots of info here, too :-D

The WSM is more versatile since it has two grates and you can buy an add-on if you want to hand meat, but the PBC is very simple. No adjustments needed in most cases. I've never had chicken as good as the chicken from my PBC.

[jasonjax]

WSM was my first smoker and first forray into non-gas. I think I learned a ton from it, and I am very happy it was my initial proper BBQ cooker.

[THoey1963]

You already know the quality of Weber, so a WSM would seem to fit nicely. As far as sizes go, the WSM comes in three sizes now, 14.5, 18.5, and 22.5". Just two of us at home now, but I like having the space to cook for friends, so I went with the 22.5". I like it as I can do (and have done) Ribs for two or Pulled Pork for 50. As someone else said "Pay once, cry once". Always better to have more room than needed...

As for the comment above about the 22.5 using more charcoal than the 18.5, I have not heard any facts to actually back that up. The 22.5 is larger, so it might take a briquette or two more to get that area up to temp, but after that, you are just maintaining that temp. Once your WSM seals up, you should be able to shut it down after a cook, preserving leftover charcoal for a future cook. I have not tried it yet, but I would bet that one full charcoal basket could easily do three rib cooks. It is that efficient.

If you go with the WSM, take a look at the link in my signature for some of the mods I have done. None of these are necessary, as the WSM is a great smoker out of the box. Just things I did to make my WSM mine...

[Harbormaster]

Buy the best, only cry once.

WSM.

Check my signature line if you have any doubts.

'Nuff said.

[Ozzie Isaac]

Run away now. Forget you saw this website and leave. Your pocket book will thank you.

8 months ago I came here for advice on a proper smoker. All I had was a 2 burner Weber Genesis. I was in your same boat. PBC or WSM? I choose an 18.5" WSM, then I decided I needed a 22.5" OTG.

I am very glad I got the WSM. I have used it to grill, sear, and smoke. You can pretty much configure it to do what ever you want. It is a great piece of kit. I kind of wish I had gone 22.5", but the 18 has worked well. I have no regrets about it at all.

[Stingerhook]

Go with the 22.5" WSM. You never know when company is coming over.

[jasonjax]

I'm gonna take the unusual step of disagreeing with bigger being better here.

I had both the 18.5 and 22.5. I was amazed how much more charcoal the 22.5 consumed compared to the 18.5, and MOST of the time I didn't need anywhere near the extra cook space.

I'd say for your first cooker to stick with the smaller one. Just my $.02, and you know what they say about opinions!

[realspaazz]

I love my 18.5 wsm. It is very versatile. With a little creativity in stacking,packing, racking and etc, it can cook a lot of food at once. I might buy another smoker someday, but i'm keeping my little wsm!

[Jadog]

My first smoker was a UDS. So i would say a pbc. You could ad grates to it later and modify it to go further. But my UDS cost less than half of what a WSM cost so I say UDS. IMO. Oh and welcome home.

[Happy Hapgood]

Welcome to the best site on the Web. Now that you've got your feet wet with grilling you are ready to do some real BBQ. I too am a WSM guy and love it.

Good luck in your endeavors!

[smoke ninja]

I say the 18 weber too. You can fit alot of food on that bad boy. Ive even bbqed 12+lbs briskets. Im just not into hanging food.

Dont discount the pbc though. It packs a good bang for the buck, is American made (by a veteran) and a small business

[Sniff]

Thank you all for the great info and quick responses. You have certainly lived up to rep worthy of brethren...

It seems the overwhelming majority here favor the WSM. From watching a lot of YouTube reviews of the PBC I had been leaning that way, also really like the small, veteren, owned business model.

Smitty, I know you're right. I will own both eventually, but can't swing them right now. Just one to start. It also sounds like I'll be able to learn a lot more on the WSM rather than a light and forget type solution like the PBC. .

I'll check out the virtual Weber board too. Haven't been over there yet. Just one last question to add... Is there anything I can do on the WSM that I can't do on the PBC? Or vice versa?

[chashint]

I cooked a lot of good BBQ on my Genesis but wanted a real smoker too.
After going OCD researching the various smokers I bought a 22" WSM.
The main reason I picked the 22" instead of the 18" is the grate on my Genesis is 22" deep.
A 12-14 pound brisket fit on it nicely.
Racks of baby backs fit on it too without cutting them in half (yes that is a petty reason).
So I figured the same would be true for the 22" WSM.
I do not regret getting the 22" in any way.
My cooker will hold 230 degrees for over 15 hours on a full fire ring using Kingsford blue.
It will also hit 325+ if I need it to.
I have read the 22" is a fuel hog, I have no reference other than a ECB which was much smaller and burned just as much charcoal. I am well satisfied on this point.
I will be cooking a turkey tomorrow and I plan to cook at 325 degrees. I will start with a full fire ring and when the turkey is done I will close the vents and choke the fire, I will save the unused charcoal for the next cook.
My recommendation is to get the one you really want. A really good case can be built for either one.

[chashint]

I looked at the PBC pretty hard before deciding on the WSM.
IMO the WSM is more versatile since you choose the cooking temperature you want based on what you are cooking.
The PBC is designed to cook at a single temperature/setting that really is not intended to be adjusted.
Initially the hanging hooks intrigued me but after more consideration I decided I didn't want that to be the primary cooking method.
I could never tell if there was an ash pan that comes with the PBC or not, if not you have to pour the ash out of the main cooking chamber.
On the plus side though the PBC has lots of satisfied users, so it must be doing something right.

[SmittyJonz]

http://lakeland.craigslist.org/wan/4776446699.html

[93vpmod]

I have a PBC and truly like the cooker, nothing better for poultry. However, I agree that starting out you may be better served with the WSM. Learn the traditional Q and then expand from there.

If I were to do it over again, I would buy a Weber 26.75, learn the snake method for smoking as well as other techniques and be well ahead of the game. That being said, each cooker that I own gets used and I appeciate different things about all of them.

[Zin]

Get the Weber 26.75 kettle...its a great grill...awesome smoker...very easy to maintain temps either high or low...very efficient on fuel...plenty of real estate i can go on and on. Best of luck with whatever smoker you choose.

[retired trucker]

Here is another vote for the WSM. I would seriously consider the 22.5 over the 18.5. In my mind it is better to have the extra space availability and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Realistically, there is probably negligible difference in the actual amount of fuel burned from the 18 to the 22. The cost of briquets is also not a major thing, as they are often put on sale, and can be stockpiled if need be. I bought two double packs of 20 pound bags of briquets over three months ago when I bought my 22.5 OTG. I have cooked on it two or three times per week since buying it, and I still have a little over 2 1/4 bags left. Lots of cooking for a small amount of charcoal.

As an aside, I have not fired up my UDS since buying the OTG. It is just too easy and quick to use for most of my needs. Clean up is now not a problem for this old worn out cook. :roll:

Blessings, and welcome to the Brethren!

Omar

[Sniff]

Just wanted to thank you all...... decided to hold off on the PBC for now and pick up a WSM....

You guys and gals were a big help.....



Thanks again,,,,,



Jim

[Harbormaster]

Just wanted to thank you all...... decided to pick up a WSM....

You chose............................wisely.

:thumb:

[SmittyJonz]

First Cook Rule - FATTY!

[THoey1963]

Just wanted to thank you all...... decided to hold off on the PBC for now and pick up a WSM....

Jim

Great choice Jim. Now get her, put her together, get her dirty and share pics with us...

That just sounds dirty... :mrgreen:

[BBQ_MAFIA]

Good choice

[Oldschoolbbq]

Get a nice big Stick Burner and have fun doing your BBQ!

JMHO!:rolleyes:

[NeilH]

Can't go wrong with the WSM.

[Frank Mahovlich]

Hey Sniff- welcome to the world of Weber. I can't speak to the PBC, but I'm sure they're fine cookers. I have a WSM 22, and couldn't be happier with it. The temp I run my cooker at is very much dependent on the number of briquets I light initially. I always use the Minion Method, and to this point have always used Kingsford Blue.

I started out smoking exclusively low & slow. I have since converted to hot & fast. My cooking times have almost cut in half, I'm using less fuel on occasion, and there is absolutely zero drop in the quality of the Q I'm turning out. In fact I've been told the food I've cooked recently has been my best.

One of the best pieces of advice I could give you, Sniff, would be to figure out what temp your cooker will like to run at given a consistent method of start-up. If I light 20 briquets and pour them over a basket of KB, I can count on my cooker settling in at 280. If I want to cook slower (lower temp), I will light about a dozen coals. If I want to run hotter- 325 or so- I'll light closer to 30.

I'da spent a lot less time jacking around the first coupla times I smoked had I not been so wrapped up in trying to hit a certain cooker temp. Fire 'er up, let 'er run, and see where she settles in at.

The other thing I will mention is that it is much easier to control temps on the way up. In other words, it's easier to get the cooker to, say, 260 and then close the vents a bit until it hits 280 or whatever temp you may be targeting, than it is to blow past 280 to 325, for example, and then shut the vents completely to get the cooker down to 280 or whatever your target temp may be.

Best of luck with your new WSM. You'll love it!