I had been getting antsy to make a change and spend some money and started researching pellet grills over the past few months. But something about the idea of running an extension cord to my smoker, cleaning pellets out of the hopper, stuck augers, bad wifi connectivity, etc made me rethink the "upgrade".

Fast forward to yesterday morning and I wake up early and crank up my craigslist WSM and get the fire and temp built and settled in ~45 mins. I put on a 12lb choice brisket and start monitoring temps. And 11 hrs later the temp had hovered between 230-250 all day without touching a vent and I pulled off a brilliant brisket enjoyed by the whole family.

Between my Weber Kettle, WSM, and Coleman/Igloo coolers I have less than $500 invested in the whole lot and can't unequivocally state that I could do any better spending 5x more.

Hopefully this is a good reminder for me and others that sometimes simpler is better, spend wisely, and you don't need to spend thousands of dollars to produce good bbq (and keep things cool).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the OB. Here's to a great 2021.

What caliber?

This almost mirrors my setup, but I got a Signals and Billows last spring and has made the whole process easier. I've always lusted after a trailer mounted stick burner, but I think the end product would be far below what I can do now.

Now tell us how your brick phone is way better too.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Now tell us how your brick phone is way better too.

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Posted from a Pixel 3 :-)

We were going to the relatives house for Christmas and having ribs/brisket. He was going to use his Traeger smoker but the computer went out?

He had to drive 1.5 hours one way to get the $150 replacement part.

TulaneAg said:

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Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Now tell us how your brick phone is way better too.

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Posted from a Pixel 3 :-)

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Naw man- Moto Razr or bust

Came here looking for a massive mule deer killed at 550yds with a short mag...

Whoa whoa, let's see some pics man, anybody can say anything on the internet. Cant just crap all over people who like to spend a little money on bbqing and not provide proof.

What's a WSM? I only know the short mag variety

Weber Smokey mountain?

Instead of starting a new thread I'll jump on this one.

1. Had a knockoff of this years ago. It did probably one of the better briskets I'd ever done. Good smoke ring, etc. As good or better than one done on the offset smoker I had for years. I gave that one away due to living in an apartment at the time and got busted for using a grill (no question here just observation).

2. I've heard the stock WSM temp gauge is bad. True?

3. Heard lump charcoal like Kingsford traditional works better than the hardwood stuff. Again, true?

4. Sand vs. water in the middle tray? If sand, do you change it out or leave it?

5. Is 18" enough for a brisket you'd buy at the grocery store (cryo wrapped)?

6. Is it easy to add coals when smoking the brisket? Is it necessary if you run it 12 hours?

91AggieLawyer said:

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Instead of starting a new thread I'll jump on this one.

1. Had a knockoff of this years ago. It did probably one of the better briskets I'd ever done. Good smoke ring, etc. As good or better than one done on the offset smoker I had for years. I gave that one away due to living in an apartment at the time and got busted for using a grill (no question here just observation).

2. I've heard the stock WSM temp gauge is bad. True?

3. Heard lump charcoal like Kingsford traditional works better than the hardwood stuff. Again, true?

4. Sand vs. water in the middle tray? If sand, do you change it out or leave it?

5. Is 18" enough for a brisket you'd buy at the grocery store (cryo wrapped)?

6. Is it easy to add coals when smoking the brisket? Is it necessary if you run it 12 hours?

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2. My temp gauge was fine for many years.

3, true. Briquettes worked best for even cooking

4. Ran water for years then switched to sand. Hated cleaning greasy water from the pan.

5. I had an 18" but would go larger next time. I would have to use my forearm to measure briskets in the store. You can do some things to fit a larger brisket, but I would rather not have to mess with it.

6. You can open a door and throw, or I just found it easier to take off the top and reload. Not great but not terrible. Have good gloves.

I eventually went to a pellet, but I am thinking about going back to a WSM. Pellet is easier and clean up better, but I could produce better BBQ off the WSM

91AggieLawyer said:

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Instead of starting a new thread I'll jump on this one.

1. Had a knockoff of this years ago. It did probably one of the better briskets I'd ever done. Good smoke ring, etc. As good or better than one done on the offset smoker I had for years. I gave that one away due to living in an apartment at the time and got busted for using a grill (no question here just observation).

2. I've heard the stock WSM temp gauge is bad. True?

3. Heard lump charcoal like Kingsford traditional works better than the hardwood stuff. Again, true?

4. Sand vs. water in the middle tray? If sand, do you change it out or leave it?

5. Is 18" enough for a brisket you'd buy at the grocery store (cryo wrapped)?

6. Is it easy to add coals when smoking the brisket? Is it necessary if you run it 12 hours?

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2. I've got an 18 and a 22. Bought both gently used. The stock gauge on the 18 is still going strong. The stock gauge was bad on the 22 when I bought it, but I easily replaced it for less than $5 with a gauge off Amazon.
ETA: $9 for 2 gauges (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008N4AFI2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_8P7N74PH99BDJTHW3RBN?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)

3. I like using lump charcoal like B&B or Central Market, but I've used Kingsford original briquettes plenty and they hold temp really well. Either way, you still need to add some wood chunks for smoke.

4. I prefer to use water, but I've heard folks say they never use water and it works great. Personal preference here, IMO.

5. In my experience, an 18 is a little small for all but the smaller briskets. It's also barely big enough for long racks of baby back ribs. I absolutely love my 18 and I think it might cook more efficiently than my 22, but the 22 gives you plenty of space to cook. If you like doing a lot of briskets, I would go with the 22. If you mainly do butts, spare ribs, beef ribs, etc. the 18 is perfect.

6. Yes and Yes. No problem adding fuel through the side door. I can usually load it up and cook 6-8 hrs on the initial load of coals. Longer cooks would require more fuel to be added.



Keep an eye on FB Marketplace, Craigslist, etc for a gently used one. Sometimes you can catch someone who doesn't quite know what they are worth and get a good deal. They last forever if you take care of them.

My experience:

2 - My temp gauge runs slightly hotter than what my remote thermometer set on the grate runs.

3 - I run a mix of HEB/Central Market lump and wood chunks. Have used Kingsford in the past and it works just fine.

4 - I haven't ever put anything in the pan - just lined it with foil. I need to try putting some water in there but all of my cooks have been great without anything in the pan.

5 - Mine was a gift and I had never heard of a WSM at the time, so I didn't get to choose my size - if I had, I'd get the 22" version. I find myself limited by the 18" and only find space for about a 11-12 lb brisket - anything else is just too long.

6 - A full basket of fuel should easily get you 10-12 hours of cook time. I prefer to lift the top half off to add more fuel when I need to vs going through the hatch.

So where's the best place to buy one? Home Depot? Amazon? Ace?