Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) Alternatives?

[CJ4]

I'm looking to purchase a WSM however it lacks some key features I'd like such as a lid hinge, carry handles and a third grate level that would make grilling possible. I know these mods can be done to the WSM however if there's an alternative product that has these features out of the box I might as well pick that up instead.

 

[DMZBBQ]

Depends on the budget in the end and your goals. I was kind of where you are just recently. I've been using 4 WSM's for awhile and hit the point that I can't keep up with demand from just friends so I went with a Cascade Smokers Competitor (still being built) to test the waters of a larger cabinet smoker.

Same principal of a WSM but just larger and I do love the idea of a charcoal smoker and the "set it and forget it". Best bet if something like a insulated smoker isn't in your range, look for a local custom builder or a 55gal drum design and save some coin.

In the end after countless hours of debate I found it most logical myself to make the leap for a $4k smoker built by someone that's local and one-on-one (only builder on the West Coast) and it's all what it's worth to you in the end and how much you want to spend to get there.

A side note worth mentioning is that a few of my friends who have been interested about smoking ended up buying used off-set smokers like Oklahoma Joe's off FB or Craigslist. At-least to get a taste beyond big box store smokers without shelling out thousands at my recommendation since that's where I started.

 

[foam2]

hunsaker

 

[el luchador]

I have been using a kamander for grilling and smoking for about a year now. I absolutely love it.

Want to grill at 1200? No problem.

Want to hot n fast at 500? No problem
Low and slow at 275? No worries.
This thing is an engineering marvel how well it was designed.

I believe it's also less cost than the wsm

It's heavy though..

 

[Learning to BBQ]

Napolean makes a version of it. No lid hinge, but does have carry handles.

https://www.napoleon.com/en/ca/barbecues/products/charcoal-grills/apollo-series/apollo-300-charcoal-grill-as300k-2

 

[luv2smoke]

A WSM leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. Having to remove one rack and finding a place to put when it loaded with food to access the other rack is a major PIA.
No lid hinge, disassembly to remove ash and to fuel bending over to access grates and a lack of capacity are some of the other pitfalls. The WSM in my opinion is a good starter unit for people to get introduced with BBQ but as a long term cooker it's simply lacking a lot of features for convenience that higher end cookers have. I would suggest a dedicated smoker and a
dedicated grill whether it be a WSM or something else for a smoker and charcoal or gas grill for grilling.

 

[WanderingTexan]

Another vote for the Hunsaker. Absolutely love this thing. My 60x24 offset is rusting away while the Hunsaker has assumed all the duties. I like the hinged lid, I like the Vortex theory, and I like that it's on wheels. Sometimes while running it I wonder if the thermometer is stuck...it truly is rock solid.

 

[slowveloce]

Hunsaker, I am a complete newbie to smoking and the hunsaker makes everything I have tried so easy. They are top notch people as well.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

 

[redc1c4]

as the creator and owner of the original "red & Juggy* WSSM", the simple solution to not having a 3rd grate level is to get a 2nd middle section from Weber, then take a Dremel to the bottom edge of it.

mark and cut out notches for grate pegs on the other middle section, then make regular cuts a couple inches apart, all the way around, and gently bend each section in until the upper slides into the lower easily.

works great, and gives you lots of flexibility in what you cook with it.

get a second grate for the firebox, @ 90* angles to the fist, a charcoal ring to hold the fuel together and centered, and fill the "water pan" with crumpled aluminum foil, covered with several layers of HD foil, to make clean up easy.

as soon as i figure out how to poast pics, i'll share with y'all.

*Juggy was a long time poaster at the "other" forum, and had lots of good advice on how to approach the modification... he's one of many i really hope i'll run into here too.

redc1c4,
n00b here, but not to 'Que!

 

[TC Smoke & Que]

Check out the Meadow Creek BX50. I believe it will give you all you are looking for in a insulated cabinet. A little expensive but it will last a life time.

 

[mcyork28]

I have an Oklahoma Joe's Bronco Drum Smoker and really like it. Has a hinged lid.

I also have a Big Poop Smokers UDS that I made some great food on.

Both can smoke or grill.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

 

[jzadski]

With conviences come cost it seems. Yes the WSM do have some drawbacks but, for the cost it's tough to beat. I actually had fun doing some mods. it's easy enough to add grates for extra meat with just some stand off bolts. The more info the more confusion
Good luck in your search.

 

[onemanlan]

I have an Oklahoma Joe's Bronco Drum Smoker and really like it. Has a hinged lid.

I also have a Big Pop Smokers UDS that I made some great food on.

Both can smoke or grill.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

I bought a OK Joe Bronco over a WSM 18 on a chance. It comes as a sturdier build of metal & holds heat well. You also get 1 rack + 3 hanging racks + 9 hooks. Charcoal maintenance is not as easy during the cook than on the WSM. It also converts to a grill if need be.

It ended up being a pretty solid purchase, but I have one major gripe about it. They advertise the hanging feature with pics of ribs, but if you try to hang a fully rack of ribs in it, with the deflector plate, you end up with too little space. You have to trim your ribs shorter to deal with it. Of course they came out Bronco Pro later on. Oh, since they sold like crap a lot of stores were offing them at 50% or greater mark downs.


Lastly I had a grillpocolypse when a tree hit my house. Lost 4 grills but the Bronco survived. Partially due to its location & partially due to heavy construction. Replaced a side table & it was good!

 

[Happy Hapgood]

As others have said, EZ to mod one and I guess a lot of folks do not know that it is an excellent griller as is. Remove the center barrel, put the second grate on the bottom charcoal section and the dome top on top. Load your coal however you like, direct, indirect etc.


PS: may want to put it on a table or something to elevate it in this configuration.


Good Luck!

 

[TC Smoke & Que]

I also have and Love a WSM 22. It does everything I could ask for and has the real estate to do several different meats at one time.
I did some mods to it and it is just so simple to work with and dial in. The lid hinge works perfectly and I did the S.S. door replacement. Also as second grate for the charcoal grate wired together with the original @ 90*.
Working on a cart for moving in and out of screened porch.
You really can not go wrong with one.

 

[CJ4]

Thank you all for the replies, lots of food for thought! :mrgreen:

I'll break down my impressions by type:

Cabinet: I see a few people suggested them, I was under the impression these were exclusively for smoking, how feasible is grilling/searing on them? I did come across this video from Backwoods and they do offer a grill kit for their cabinet smoker however it seems like the cooking grate sits too high from the coals to get a proper sear (something that could have been easily solved by offering more grate levels): https://youtu.be/CXd8pkObzxs?t=89.

Kamado: They do tick all the boxes save for the ability to hang meat vertically, might be a decent trade-off however.

Drum: The Hunsaker appears to be a valid option, not a huge fan of the drum style form factor though. Flat lid doesn't make much design sense to me, nor the flat bottom that drips grease on the ground. Lack of side access to the charcoal is not ideal either.

Bullet: Seems like a better design compared to the drum style but surprised by the lack of "premium" offerings available on the market. Modding fixes most of the issues but would prefer something that's good to go out of the box.