Reddit reviews Weber 18-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker, Charcoal Smoker

Weber Smokey Mountain

I think the Amazon rating says more than I could. But I actually have an electric Masterbuilt smoker because I'm in an apartment and fire codes limit my options. It's still great, and definitely the easiest option to use. But I'd still prefer a WSM if I could get one.

http://amazingribs.com/

The site's owner Meathead has been building this site for years. It's now a wiki of barbecue.

Personally, I have a WSM 18.5, which is a charcoal smoker. You can also use this as a charcoal grill. I also use a Maverick thermometer, which has a wireless monitor and dual probes, so one for the smoke chamber and one for the meat. If either of those temps varies outside the range you set, the monitor in your pocket alerts you.

I also have a Big Chief electric that is perfect for salmon, and also vegetables, nuts, cheese and pretty much everything that isn't meat, all things that smoke best at 200F and below. The Big Chief won't hold temp above 200F, so it's useless for meats. The charcoal smoker won't easily hold temp under 200F, so I like having both.

I'll probably get a propane smoker next year, maybe the Smoke Hollow 44. It looks like I'd have fun using it.

Depending on your budget and your luck on craigslist. I have one of these:

Char-Griller 16620 Akorn Kamado Kooker Charcoal Barbecue Grill and Smoker, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GJEPTJS/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_76gBub11YV2XE

It's a great grill and smoker so you get some serious versatility. Also you may want to look for a Weber Smoky Mountain:

Weber 721001 Smokey Mountain Cooker 18-1/2-Inch Charcoal Smoker, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001I8ZTJ0/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_n9gBub1RHMPFW

You may be able to find the weber on craigslist as well. They last forever with minor upkeep, and no one ever says a bad word about them.

And finally we come to:

Pitbarrelcooker.com

You'll probably not find one of these on craigslist, but for under $300 you get a decent setup with great customer support and a good number of how-to videos on YouTube put up by the company.

Sure there are cheaper smokers out there, but you really will get what you pay for, and maintaining steady temps on a cheap (leaky) smoker will make you hate smoking.

It all depends on what you want it to do, and how much attention you want to spend doing it.

Lots of people recommend the Weber Smokey Mountain. It is a great smoker.

If you want a "set it and forget it" type. Go electrical

The high end is a ceramic smoker. The Big Green Egg (1000$+) has a serious fan following, but you can get the same results from The Kamando. Costco has season ending sales which put the grill around 550$.

Please start by reading, and going back to, this website.

I would stay away from offset smokers at your price range.

If you are a DIY type person, build your own

Good luck, and happy BBQing!

Weber Smokey Mountain 18.5 is probably your best bet at that price point. They have a long cooking time

One of the reasons I love smoking is that it seems like more art than science. The variables are (a) humidity, (b) heat and (c) smoke. I saw somebody (I want to say www.slate.com) talking about how great his or her crockpot brisket is, and felt a little patronizingly sorry insofar as anybody who thinks crockpot brisket can touch smoker brisket has never had good brisket.

I can tell you this. The Weber Smokey Mountain is glorious and makes the whole thing very easy. The water pan in particular prevents the fire from getting too hot and it also helps to have a moist cooking environment.

For me, the secret for brisket, pretty well the hardest thing to smoke, is this: 9+ hours at 225 degrees or less. It's way easier to overdo it on the smoke than to undersmoke it. Otherwise, the most important thing is pulling it at just the right time. For me, when you cut a strip of brisket and you pull it apart with your fingers, you ought to see the connective tissue between the muscle fibers separate like a spring. If it's overdone, they'll just fall apart. If it's underdone, it's tough.

But if you talk to pitmasters in Texas, I expect very very few of them will talk about much beyond feel and experience.

I HIGHLY reccommend the Weber Smokey Mountain. They're around $300 from Amazon, but they are fantastic. There is a plethora of info around and it'll last forever.

https://www.amazon.com/Weber-721001-Mountain-18-Inch-Charcoal/dp/B001I8ZTJ0


http://virtualweberbullet.com/

This. Electric is convenient but makes inferior BBQ. Just work down this list and stop when you've spent enough money.

• 18 in. WSM
  
• charcoal chimney
  
• smoke wood
  
• charcoal
  
• Meathead's book
  
• wireless thermometer
  
• silicone gloves
  
  Maybe add a bone-in Boston butt (pork shoulder) for a first project.

I have one the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker which works vey well.

I've also heard really good things about Pit Barrel Cooker though I haven't used one myself.

18.5" Weber Smokey Mountain

You need to season it. As good as the workmanship is on the Weber, they need to be seasoned to work right. The best instructions I have seen for seasoning a new wsm is, believe it or not, the review that Harry Soo wrote on amazon. Harry is the pit master for Slap yo Daddy Bbq, multiple national championships, and all he uses is the 18 inch wsm.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B001I8ZTJ0/R2BJ7GXCST6H7S/ref=mw_dp_cr?cursor=1&sort=rd&vs=1

I have no experience with the course so I can't comment, but I think you can cook a fantastic brisket on your own just by reading and watching what the "pros" do and copying it. Aaron Franklin is pretty generous with is expertise and I've found his videos helpful. Amazingribs.com is also a helpful, if thorough, place to read up on cooking pretty much anything you can put in a smoker.

Buy one of these in 18" or 22" and experiment with different recipes and see which one you like best. Spend the money you would have spent on the course on brisket and that way you can invite your friends over and get their feedback. You can get away with using a charcoal grill but you'll have to be careful to keep the meat away from direct heat or else it will become tough.

There's really not that much to it - keep the smoker at 225 degF and keep the brisket in there until it reaches 205 degF internal temp (buy a digital thermometer, wireless is better), then wrap it and rest it for a couple of hours.

The most important thing is to buy good meat - Costco sells prime brisket for $3-4/lb which is about as good a value as you'll find anywhere.

Haha glad I made your day mate. For growing google Earthbox. At my house I have a pool and enclosure with brick pavers. The edges of the enclosure are Earthboxes. I have a watering system that I can automate, a series of hoses that I got at Home Depot. I've cut them, spliced them, and created a drop in for each box. I simply turn the dial for that main valve and everything is filled with water. When I go on vacation or am gone I use the automated do-hicky and can set a 5 minute water time for instance which fills the reservoir up.

Start with like 1 or 2 boxes. Follow the instructions. Start with maybe Jalapenos. I live in South Florida so our seasons are wonky. Get a farmers almanac and see what your seasons are. Right now I'm growing strawberries, several varieties of tomatoes, corn which I really only use to make my own corn meal, cucumbers, and a couple types of peppers Habanero, Jalapenos that I can - I grow two types, a mild one for jellies and the hot AF ones, then I always cycle at least one Tabasco plant because I blow through that sauce fast and need to keep a constant cycle of aging. Every 6 months or so I'm adding a dozen jars of fresh concentrate to my stack of aging and fermenting Tabascos. Then of course bell peppers because we eat those constantly.

I love cooking by the way, in case you couldn't tell, nice to meet a fellow kitchen lover. In this house we do food. On weekends the Food Network is on and we're cooking if the weather sucks and we're not at the beach. Regardless one day is a cooking day. You name it we make it, from making our own sausages to smoking meats. I smoke my own bacon and slice it so that's a couple hour project a month. Stuff like that. We don't watch normal TV, it's just background noise. My wife and I often cook together as a team. I invite friends over and have them help me cook. Chop this, saute that, it's a fun adventure.

I've traveled the world looking for good food when on business trips. 70+ countries and I eat fucking anything. Fried cockroach? Fuck yeah! Stinky head cheeses in Paris? Fuck yeah! 2 month dry aged pork in Barcelona? Fuck yah!

My travel for business has given me the opportunity to also take cooking courses in places like Paris, Nice, Tuscany, Rome, Naples, Belgium, and of course New Orleans where I'm from. Those experiences have really helped me define the flavors I love, helped develop my palate so I'm not afraid to eat anything, and mostly taught me how to blend flavors to make something spectacular and get a compliment I often get of "Best I've ever had!" from a simple 4 blended mushroom soup to a more complex boeuf bourguignon. Some of my food is in my posts by the way.

Tell ya what though. My smoker isn't a fancy bullshit shiny object. It's a simple Weber barrel smoker. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001I8ZTJ0/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Read the 2nd review on that by a guy named Harry Soo. Then Google his name.

I think a lot of people focus on the equipment rather than the taste. Does it smoke? Good, then done. Tweak the vents a bit, let that fucker run for 12 hours, perfect brisket.

If you have the space it's not intimidating to follow Harry Soo's advice on that smoker in that review. $400 and some good meat and you'll be smoking like a champ in a matter of months. Go to your butcher or your grocery store and ask them for a pile of fat scraps. Put that on the smoker for 12 hours and repeat for 3 days. Season it well, the fat drippings will seal the gaps and give you a better smoke. Don't be afraid to fuck up the first few times. I made mistakes early on with wood choices. Took me 3 tries to finally make a damn fine brisket.

Also never ever in 100 years smoke fish in the same thing you smoke meat in. Anyway have fun. If you need any tips let me know! Food is my life..

Either build an UDS or save the money for a Weber Smokey Mountain. Just my 2 cents.

DIY

I just buy a pork shoulder every weekend and throw it in one of these for most of the day Sunday:

http://www.amazon.com/Weber-721001-Mountain-18-Inch-Charcoal/dp/B001I8ZTJ0

Chicken is also amazing.

I am very happy with my WSM, holds temp like a champ and feels solid.

$300 on amazon with free shipping - http://www.amazon.com/Weber-721001-Smokey-Mountain-Charcoal/dp/B001I8ZTJ0

There is a lot of information in the internet about smoking. You can start at /r/smoking and /r/bbq Also, The BBQ Brethren is good online community to discuss all thing BBQ.

If you are looking for recommendations on which smoker to purchase, I would suggest the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM). They are about $300 new, but you can also find used ones on craigslist for about $200.

Here’s just the first one I found on amazon.

The Weber Smokey Mountain has a great reputation.


I smoke on my Weber kettle, which is closer to your price range but isn't a true smoker. It takes more care and feeding, but I can still make great pulled pork and brisket (I smoke the brisket for about 4 hours, then wrap in foil and stick it in a 200-225F oven for another 4-8 hours).


One of these days I'll upgrade, but I haven't decided if I'll go with metal (like the WSM), ceramic (Big Green Egg), or a cold smoker.

A Weber Bullet.

I see this on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001I8ZTJ0/thevirtualweberb but won't ship to AU. Maybe look into shipping for several places in the US which will accept packages and then ship here?

Is that a wood fired stove? I've got a Smoker and I love it.

Here is the mobile version of your link

Oh my god this is just what I've been hoping for! I've been trying to save up games to trade for this but nobody was willing to! I'll give you a list of all the stuff!

It may take a while but I will get you that list!

Here's one!

And two!

And three!

And another

This one seemed good

I asked some redditors for help and here are some of their recipes!

1 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup of your favorite hot sauce 1 Tablespoon (TBS) Paprika 1 TBS Black Pepper 1 TBS Kitchen Salt 2 TBS Yellow Mustard (French)

Mix well, let sit for at least 24 to 48 hours before serving for best results. /u/TX727

Steve Petrone's No. 5 Sauce is famous. Here it is:

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce

1 tablespoon rub

Just combine the ingredients and put it into a squeeze bottle. Of course this recipe requires that you have some kind of rub handy--if you are making BBQ you probably do, if not, you'll have to mix up some spices as well. I like to use Meathead's Memphis Dust, but use whatever you like. /u/morkandmindy

This is my basic recipe that I've been toying with over the years:

Bourbon-Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 chopped Serrano pepper

• 3 or 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

• 1/2 tsp to 1tbsp of Sriracha depending on spice preference

• 1 medium yellow onion, grated

• 1 cup bourbon

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 1/2 cup lemon juice

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/3 cup dark molasses

• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

• 3-4 tbsp brown sugar

• Salt to taste

Heat the butter and oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat.

Grate the onion through the coarse grate, press or mince the garlic, chop the pepper

Add grated onion, pepper and garlic to the oil/butter. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and add the bourbon. Return to heat and boil off bourbon for 5 min

Add ketchup, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, and the brown sugar. Stir and return to a simmer.

Let the sauce cook a little while then adjust the flavors as needed, add more molasses if it’s not sweet enough, more Sriracha if not spicy enough etc

Cook the sauce slowly until it reduces to the right consistency, about 20-30min. [Deleted]

Here's one I make it's not the best I've had but it'll do.

8oz tomato sauce

5 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup mustard

3 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp black pepper

I also added paprika and cayenne, used less tomato and sugar and added more mustard. It's good on pulled pork and beef. /u/Uncle_Jim_Bob


Here's some from online.

Barbecue: http://amazingribs.com/recipes/BBQ_sauces/index.html

Marinades: http://amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/index.html

And ribs: http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/index.html

And here's a guide for beginners by /u/dretheman

So recently I made ribs for a company party. People came up to me and asked how they were made, what equipment I used etc. I sent them the following email. I figured I'd share here because I think it's good information for someone new to BBQ or wanting some more info.

The cooker I use: Advantage of this cooker is that it maintains a steady temp without much messing around. I have cooked overnight and in the morning the temperature was the same as when I went to bed. (very important for bbq) http://www.amazon.com/Weber-721001-Smokey-Mountain-Charcoal/dp/B001I8ZTJ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352933652&sr=8-1&keywords=wsm+18.5[1]

Wood: The weber smoker uses a combo of charcoal and wood. I prefer the taste of applewood especially with pork. For beef I like oak or mesquite. http://www.amazon.com/Weber-17005-Apple-Chunks-5-Pound/dp/B002Y0KA1S/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1352933823&sr=1-1&keywords=weber+apple+wood[2]

Thermometer: 90 dollars may seem like a lot of money, but it is one of the best investments I have made. Great for other things besides bbq too. http://www.amazon.com/Splash-Proof-Super-Fast-Thermapen-Thermometer-Professional/dp/B002GIZZWM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352933903&sr=8-1&keywords=thermapen[3]

Rub Recipe: Pretty simple, but it’s a great place to start for a Rub. I have added more spices like powered chipole and habanero, But this rub alone is pretty great. http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/meatheads_memphis_dust.html[4]

Ingredients 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 3/4 cup white sugar 1/2 cup paprika 1/4 cup Morton's kosher salt 1/4 cup garlic powder 2 tablespoons ground black pepper 2 tablespoons ground ginger powder 2 tablespoons onion powder 2 teaspoons rosemary powder

Other Resourses: This is an awesome website with tons of great info in the discussion boards. Lots of great looking pictures of BBQ.
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/[5] Also TONS of great info http://amazingribs.com/[6] Also another Decent site. Not very well organized tho. http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/[7]

Weber's top smoker is only $400
http://www.amazon.com/Weber-721001-Mountain-18-Inch-Charcoal/dp/B001I8ZTJ0

Yep, webber smokey mountain cooker. Amazon link below. Old reliable IMO.

http://www.amazon.com/Weber-721001-Smokey-Mountain-Cooker/dp/B001I8ZTJ0/ref=sr_1_8?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1333930247&sr=1-8

If he has a particular team he supports for football, maybe some gear to wear or tickets to a game (I realize the season is almost over but long shot here.)

You mentioned cooking/grilling... along those lines, if he has room for it and enjoys bbq type good, you might consider a smoker
If you do opt for this route, there is a great book that you could get to go with it.

Just trying to help think outside the box. Good luck!

Since you are new to this type of cooking it would be helpful to eliminate some the the problems inherent in this technique. If it is to painful, you may give up on it. While you may think a WSM is expensive, it is really just a top end / low end smoker that I think constantly produces really great results compared to smokers that are cheaper. Harry Soo of Slap Yo Daddy BBQ competes with just one of these. He cooks all four meats on one 18.5" WSM. He places consistently despite competing against teams that have 10,000's of dollars invested in their rigs. The differences between the two are pretty well documented in the reviews the units have received.

• Brinkman http://www.amazon.com/Brinkmann-810-5502-W-Brinkman-8105502W-Vertical/dp/B004WC3540/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=18U7FENW7L73K&coliid=I128YAT7KFPJJH
  
• WSM http://www.amazon.com/Weber-721001-Smokey-Mountain-Charcoal/dp/B001I8ZTJ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1372829831&sr=1-1&keywords=weber+wsm
  
  I don't think you will regret the decision but if you do, you can sell the Weber on Craigslist for something like 80% of what you paid for it.

Wow. That's excellent. Good luck with your new place and smoker. If you haven't decided what to get this is what my dad has. If you shop at costco it can just about fit a full set of the babyback ribs they sell. I only specify costco because I don't know if they have a somewhat unique size/cutting method.

Like one of these? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001I8ZTJ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_bUzSBbA7Y0YDK i really want something with more cooking space. I have frequent cook outs

Pretty sure I have the 18 inch - https://www.amazon.com/Weber-721001-Mountain-18-Inch-Charcoal/dp/B001I8ZTJ0

It has 2 grates, I can easily fit 5-6 racks of ribs. I've had 2 pork butts and a brisket. Rib racks save a ton of space too, but I've never cooked more than 3 racks. Edit- sorry meant to reply to your comment.

The offset you mentioned, WSM 18 inch, or Chargriller Akorn. It sort of depends on the variety you want in your grill. I love my WSM 14 except for the size. Great grill and I still have it. I use a Kamado Big Joe now primarily and would be hard pressed to give it up. Part of me yearns for an offset, but I have a difficult time justifying it when I'm pretty happy with the KJ. The Akorn is a nicely priced semi-perfect substitute for it. Also doesn't weigh a ton! Good luck with it.

This is the smoker my wife got me for my B-day a couple years ago. I love it. Weber Smoky Mountain

Electric smoker? Buy a Weber and only feel bad once.

http://www.amazon.com/Weber-721001-Smokey-Mountain-Charcoal/dp/B001I8ZTJ0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417227728&sr=8-2&keywords=weber+smokey+mountain