Weber Smokey Mountain 18 vs 22 ( Read This Before You Decide)

Weber, known for its heavy smokers and excellent home appliances such as grills and cookers, also features in the world of barbeque. When would you like to buy The Smokey Mountain Cooker? People sometimes get confused about what size they need? So before making your last decision? You need to know more about Weber smokey mountain 18 vs 22, so you can decide which one is best for you.

A Weber Smokey Mountain is very popular among buyers because they come in different sizes. The Smokey Mountain Cooker line has become one of their most popular products over time.

A product used for small backyard gatherings up to extensive commercial catering menus! The company produces many other models that meet all your barbeque needs.

weber smokey mountain 18 vs 22

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Weber smokey mountain 18 vs 22 inches both size products provide a fantastic cooking experience. With high-quality materials that will last long enough to serve you for a prolonged time.

The question is which size option you should go for, the weber smokey mountain 18 vs 22 inches? This article will compare both grilling accessories and help narrow down your choice.

What are the differences between Weber Smokey Mountain 18 vs 22

Weber Smokey Mountain 18 vs 22inch are both superb smokers. Both are excellent in quality by far. These two grills share many similarities. They’re low-impact designs that won’t take over any space on your patio. Such as a built-in thermometer on top for checking temperature before smoking food. An easy coal access door. So you don’t have trouble lighting up your grill. You can add Water or wood chips through these same doors too! While still providing great BBQ opportunities at home.

weber smokey mountain 18 vs 22

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Weber Smokey Mountain 18 is a smaller and less expensive choice for individuals who like to cook at home. The cooking surface area is 481 square inches. Perfect if you’re looking to get everything ready before guests arrive or have one big BBQ palate with friends and family! It’s an ideal size for 4-6 people.

Weber’s Smokey Mountain 18 maintain temperature more efficiently than its larger counterpart. The best part? (keeping temps below 275). but it also cooks hotter, making long, low & slow meals possible without worrying about burning your meat.

The Weber’s Smokey Mountain 22 has a large water pan and cooking area. Even when cooked at higher temperatures, that can hold enough moisture to keep your meat succulent.

It means you’ll never have trouble cooking large slabs of beef or pork because it won’t dry out due to the lack-thereof of oxygen!

The WSM 22 has a total cooking area of 726 square inches. It’s an ideal size for 7-10 people.

The WSM 18 can maintain a low and stable temperature during smoking or grilling time. Model 22 is quick in achieving the proper temperature for cooking. But cannot complete the same levels of lows found on other models like model 18, which can hold these lower temps easier than others. So they’re great if you want consistent food with no fluctuations from one side of your grill (to another). When using this particular unit, due to its size constraints, Because it doesn’t have much interior room compared to some larger counterparts, such as kettle barbecues, it’s, one good for lesser arrangements for fewer people.

A Few Facts About Weber Smokey Mountain

Weber Smokey Mountain has been a favorite amongst smoked meat lovers since its introduction in 1981. The company has grown in size throughout the years due to several upgrades. There are also several new features, such as a built-in thermometer.

Industry leader Weber Smokey Mountain took their tried and authentic kettle barbecue to the next level with a modified design. That makes them easy for anyone who wants great-tasting food without all those pesky carbs. The vertical smoker features an attractive price point. While still delivering high-quality results across every category.

The Weber Smokey Mountain is an excellent choice for anyone looking to smoke food. It features two cooking grates, one over the other, with an access door below. It makes adding charcoal easy, too, because all these things need heating anyways! Which can be opened up when you need more wood chips or water, added without having to move anything whatever else may already be bubbling away on top.

Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Reviews

The scent of slow-cooked meat emanates from a Weber Mountain Cooker Smoker.

I must say that since this is a competition barbecue, you will find all kinds of smokers in use. You will find a full range of barbecue smokers, from home-built to large made-to-order smokers.

Where does that leave us? Any ordinary person can be donning the chef’s apron to feed their families or groups of friends? We should not despair because smokers are designed for home use that holds their own position in the competition circuit.

The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker is one appliance. that has had its share of wins in various barbecue competitions.

The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, or WMS for short, is a water smoker.

The configuration is simple as putting a water smoker in a vertical bullet-shaped smoker with a fire bowl on the bottom. The cooking grate is on top of a pan of water between the grates and the fire.

Let’s take a little closer look at this gem of a smoker. Do you get a sense of already liking it??

What is this Weber Smokey Mountain?

  1. This smoker comes in two sizes. There is this 18inch size as well as the large 22inch size. When you think about it, that is a lot of cooking surface since there are 2 racks or grates for holding your meat.
  2. SECOND, the two cooking grates are made of heavy-duty plated steel. It provides about 481 square inches of cooking surface for the 18.5-inch Smokey Mountain and approximately 726 square inches for the 22.5. That is plenty of cooking space for the average family and those who frequently host guests.
  3. With a 41-inch height for the 18.5 and a 48.5-inch height for the 22.5. there is adequate space for cooking a full-size turkey and a complete ham simultaneously. With that great smokey flavor that only a charcoal fire and some wet wood chips can provide, there will be plenty of food to last until the next smoke fest.
  4. When smoking your favorite piece of meat, you want to keep it moist. The meat tends to dry out with smoke and heat rising and recirculating in the smoker. Weber has taken this into account by inserting a sizeable porcelain-enameled steel water pan between the fire bowl and the cooking grates. This water pan provides moisture and serves as a barrier preventing the dripping fats a juice from reaching the fire resulting in flare-ups. This pan also helps to deflect the heat to cook with indirect heat rather than direct heat.
  5. You can smoke your meat without the water pan being filled as an alternative. Just cover the pan with aluminum foil for easy clean-up and dry smoke. This will add a crust (commonly called bark) to your meat faster. Once the crust has set and does not come off when gently scraped with your fingernail, you can then add moisture by periodically spraying with a water bottle. It may take a couple of times with the smoker to determine which method you prefer.
  6. There are 3 vent dampers on the bottom of the smoker, 4 on the 22.5 inches, and one in the lid, allowing for better temperature control. To maintain your low and slow smoking temperature in the 225 – 240 degree range, you need to find that sweet spot for your cooking style.
  7. This smoker has a lid-mounted thermometer that allows you to see the internal temperature without opening the lid and breaking the smoking seal. Some users have reported that this thermometer may not always register accurately and have substituted their digital probes. Also, the lid thermometer will not tell you what your meat’s interior temperature is.
  8. This smoker is sturdily built and will withstand many of the rigors of being outdoors. It comes with pedestal-style legs, some handy features with a few home improvement tools have bolted the legs to a platform they have made with wood and casters for ease in moving from one location to another. If you choose to do this, you should use at least one locking caster to prevent movement when it is not desired.

18 inch Weber Smokey Mountain

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Perfect for 3-4 people Cooking.

With a 481-square-inch smoking surface, you can easily smoke chickens and turkeys. This smoker will prepare enough food for a household of three to four people.

Plus, it only takes 1-2 hours to finish up significant cuts or whole fish. so there’s no need to worry about running out when hosting guests at your house party

Cooking at a low and steady temperature

The Weber 18 is a low and steady camper. It has vents that direct airflow. Water pans help regulate temperature with their solid control system for cooking on charcoal smokers cookers. It also sports an extra-large heat sink. Where all those lit coals go . so they can be slowly released back into their duties, heating your food. While keeping things consistent at the right level – juicy meat, anyone?

Ideal design for cooking

The design of the Mountain smoker 18 brings you not only efficiency but also safety and comfort.

It features a thermometer port, so probe wires won’t contact directly with burning hot metal; an adjustable vent for controlling airflow that enables even smoking throughout all parts of your barbecue – whether it’s on high or low heat–and protection from hand burns by having both handles equipped with heat-resistant material (it can go up 50 degrees!).

Premium material

The Smokey Mountain 18 has a high-quality steel frame that can withstand harsh conditions and temperatures. It also lasts for decades of use! The powder coat is anti-rust, and anti-mold making this smoker very durable. They even make other parts from aluminum. Such as leg vents and internal brackets of grates using anodized aluminum. It means it’s resistant to corrosion partly to its high luster finish. So there won’t be any black marks on your new buy when you get ready for a cookout with friends or family over the summertime.

The handle material used by the manufacturer is heat-resistant plastic. But what I love most about these handles compared to others is their durability. Because they’re made, robust designs resist cracking under pressure.

Pros

  • Reasonable cost
  • Easy to Carry
  • This smoker is versatile in that it may be used to grill or smoke.
  • Two cooking grates give surface space for cooking much food at once.
  • You can prepare enough meals for 3-4 People without taking up too much room with a mid-size smoker.
  • Food flavor is preserved by cooking at a low and steady temperature.

Cons

  • Large groups are not recommended.
  • It does not show the internal temperature of the meat.
  • The built-in thermometer isn’t always accurate.

Final Verdict:

The Weber Smokey Mountain 18 is perfect for 3-4 people to cook. This smoker comes with many built-in features and a thermometer. This allows you to control the heat so that your meat stays tender while preserving all its flavors! This product saves time on cooking and makes things much more accessible than before.

weber smokey mountain 18 vs 22

22-inch Smokey Mountain Reviews

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Large grilling area

The 22-inch smoker with two grill grates provides a total area of 726 square inches. They make it easy to smoke or grill large turkeys and many full rib racks.

Design is useful.

The Weber 22″ smoker that’s bigger than any other model. It features two grates above an ash pan, with a large fire bowl below it. Holds plenty of charcoal and wood chunks for smoking whatever you’re cooking up at home or on vacation!

There are also bottom damper controls to keep airflow steady and soft grommets where probes let off. So they don’t fall through into your food. When used during cooking times, too; no need to worry about losing anything but quality due to their removable design features.

Good performance

The way to a perfect barbecue is through the power of WSM. Its large water pan prevents burning at temperatures for long periods and keeps moistness levels high than to dry out the meat inside. While cooking, this thing has it all when we’re talking about performance.

It means lower chances of overcooking or undercooking certain foods by accident. Thanks again to the responsive metal parts underneath; the meat stays nice and juicy. Which gives off more heat faster than other materials do, so there’s less chance whatsoever of overcooking or burning or drying up.

Cooking at a constant temperature

You can adjust the temperature of your smoker to how hot or mild you like it with this one. The Smoky Mountain 22 will run more desirably than its smaller sibling but always maintains a 250-275 degrees Fahrenheit temperature!

Pros

  • For all-day smoking or grilling, a large water pan retains heat.
  • Overcooked food is avoided by maintaining a constant cooking temperature.
  • You can cook enough food for a large audience with ample cooking space.
  • The large access door makes it easy to replenish your gas tank.

Cons

  • It is costly.
  • It isn’t easy to clean
  • It isn’t easy to move about when you’re heavy.
  • Because of its large size, big consumes a large amount of fuel.

Final Verdict:

With the Weber 22, you can cook different types of food at once. It’s easy to use and move anywhere because it doesn’t take much space! The model also has many benefits for those who want smoked flavors in their recipes. But do not want any hassle with maintaining a smoker themselves or paying too much money on one. So they have something that will last a while when needed most, especially during the holiday season, when prices tend to get higher due to demand.

Is there a downside to this grill?

For me, there is one major downside. Once the smoke gets going, the juices start flowing. The aroma coming from the top vent damper makes you wish there were a fast-forward button. So you can enjoy that rich smoky flavored meat faster.