OK Joe Highland or WSM 18.5 or GM Daniel Boone

worm304 · May 9, 2017

So, i'm looking to upgrade I have narrowed it down to 3 choices. I can;t decide which direction to go. Anyone want to sway me one way or the other. I am leaning WSM because I want to get more in the "true" bbq realm. I've been rockin a MES 30 for 5 years so I thinks it's time. But, I do like the idea of a pellet smoker. I live in a town home with no yard so the OK might be a little too much to handle. Thoughts are much appreciated. Thanks!

chopsaw · May 9, 2017

WSM . I bought a 14.5 because it was marked down to $ 99 . I'm amazed by the temp it holds and the hours I can get out of one ring . Not to mention it's just fun to use .

worm304 · May 10, 2017

I am seeing on ebay, at this moment, that I can grab an 18.5 for $229.99, brand new. I also found a couple in good condition on craigslist for around $130. I am waiting to hear back. I don't mind a well seasoned used smoker for half the price if its not beat up.

gr8day · May 10, 2017

WSM's are built to last so I wouldn't hesitate picking up a used one, if it's your only smoker I would suggest a 22.5, just sold an 18.5 and if it was a 22.5 I'd still own it, I like the extra room.

worm304 · May 11, 2017

Yeah, I am hoping to grab it used and use the money saved for a digiq. I'm currently not having any luck getting a response. I see one for $135 in my area but it looks like its been sitting outside uncovered for a while, in Florida. I'll never understand why someone who wants to sell something just leaves it all dirty and takes pictures of it. How hard is it to hose it off and run a rag over it? If I want to move a piece of merchandise I am going to try to make it look as nice as possible.

worm304 · May 11, 2017

would anyone buy this?

https://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/for/6075068886.html

phatbac · May 11, 2017

worm304 said:
would anyone buy this?

https://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/for/6075068886.html

i wouldn't give more than $100 for it

it does rust that one has rusted.

its a $300 smoker brand new and that one isnt new nor well taken care of.

Hope this Helps,

phatbac (Aaron)

lancep · May 11, 2017

Unless you really want to burn logs (nothing wrong with that) I'd say wsm all the way. If you can swing it get the big one. If not, no biggie, I used an 18.5" for years. I even cooked for large parties with it. Once I had a few smokes in it, it was pretty much set and forget and I never had a guru. I didn't look at the link but if you're questioning it from the picture I wouldn't even spend the gas money to go look at it. $229 is a good price, you can always get a guru later...

Lance

worm304 · May 11, 2017

thanks, gents! Yeah, it is definitely rusted where the top handle is attached to the dome and in the bottom of the charcoal pit. Gonna avoid it. I have one other option I'm waiting to hear back from. If not, I'll be going new and i'll try to snag the guru at Christmas. Thanks for all the help! I do have a my MES so I'll probably stick with the 18.5. I don't cook large quantities of food very often but I do have the back up if necessary.

dward51 · May 11, 2017

I've owned a WSM 18.5" since 2005. As to the 18 vs 22, it depends on how much food you need to be able to prepare. My only complaint (and it's minor) is the 18.5" will not hold a full rack of ribs without either coiling them or cutting them. It's just not wide enough. That being said, I frequently cook 4 large pork butts in mine, so it can crank out some serious BBQ when need. Unless you cook for larger groups on a regular bases, the 18.5 should be plenty. Another plus is the 18.5 runs longer on less charcoal as you are just not trying to heat the larger volume of air the 22" has.

I also came up with a mod to put an electric element in a spare door for mine and made a e-WSM for lower temp smoking of snack sticks and sausage. I seem to recall there was a company that made a pellet hopper adapter lower ring that converted a WSM to a pellet smoker as well. So there is a lot you can do with a WSM, whichever size you decide on.

Oh, and add a power draft like the BBQ Guru and the WSM is about as set and forget as they come!!!!!

worm304 · May 11, 2017

Nice! Well no doubt I've made my decision... so I go to eBay to see if I can snag one for $229... I get to the payment and it says shipping is $123... f'ing eBay! I should have known better... dude also had a huge amount of feedback and 99. Rating... not sure what was going on with that!

lancep · May 11, 2017

Suck!

dward51 · May 11, 2017

That is crazy shipping price! At least it's free shipping on Amazon. Generally those are built like tanks and unless it's crushed, there is no reason a $100 off craigslist won't be fine.

worm304 · May 15, 2017

So I go to the same ebay seller and see the "shipping and payment button", which I didn't click before. Seems as if $123 was the most expensive shipping option. $55 was the cheapest which puts it around $285... Save a little money for a bag of charcoal or door gasket...

lancep · May 15, 2017

Could be I'm just not thrifty enough, but I also know how many times my wsm grew mold. I literally gave it a bubble bath one time. If, for $15 more I can know everything that happens with a product and that the only funk and filth that ever goes into it is mine, I will take that route every time. Just my two cents, that I gladly give to you as we have established, I'm just not thrifty.

Lance

worm304 · May 15, 2017

That $285 is for a new one. I am still not opposed to snagging one used for half the price of new, I am just not having any luck. There are a couple used on ebay but the sellers are declining to ship and only want to deal with local pick-up.

worm304 · May 15, 2017

One quick question about the WSM. Do you guys use the water pan? I have seen that it needs refilled every 3 hours or so. If it is set and forget when dialed in then wouldn't you need to babysit the water pan as when the water runs out it can fluctuate temps?

noboundaries · May 15, 2017

worm304 said:
One quick question about the WSM. Do you guys use the water pan? I have seen that it needs refilled every 3 hours or so. If it is set and forget when dialed in then wouldn't you need to babysit the water pan as when the water runs out it can fluctuate temps?

Personally, no water pan. Three reasons.

   1. The water pan is there to control temps. I don't have a problem controlling temps.

   2. It has been proven that meat smoked in a moist environment does have a more smoky flavor. My wife is a supertaster and she can literally tell whether I've used water or not in the water pan. I cannot remember the last time I used water in the water pan. It is just there as a deflector and drip pan. The meat is plenty smoky enough when dry smoked.

   3.  I had a third reason when I started typing. Getting old. Can't remember what it was.

lancep · May 15, 2017

worm304 said:
That $285 is for a new one. I am still not opposed to snagging one used for half the price of new, I am just not having any luck. There are a couple used on ebay but the sellers are declining to ship and only want to deal with local pick-up.

Gotcha, somehow I missed that, belay my last

dward51 · May 15, 2017

Noboundaries said:
Personally, no water pan. Three reasons.

   1. The water pan is there to control temps. I don't have a problem controlling temps.

   2. It has been proven that meat smoked in a moist environment does have a more smoky flavor. My wife is a supertaster and she can literally tell whether I've used water or not in the water pan. I cannot remember the last time I used water in the water pan. It is just there as a deflector and drip pan. The meat is plenty smoky enough when dry smoked.

   3.  I had a third reason when I started typing. Getting old. Can't remember what it was.

For a new WSM owner, I would use the water pan with water to help moderate temps until you get the hand of the way to adjust the WSM. Then you can run it with a dry water pan, or fill it with sand covered with foil or sit a clay flower pot base in the dry water pan (all add mass to help stabilize the pit, but water will bring down an over temp as steam wants to flash back to water and when it does it pulls heat out of the air).

They also will run a little hot the first 2 or 3 smokes until you get that smoke layer built up on the inside. They are super stable and will hold a temp pretty much as long as you have fuel, but just remember top vent is 100% open all the time (never touch it), and control temps with the bottom vents only. If you make a vent change, give the pit 15 minutes to respond and settle back down at the new air flow setting then evaluate if you need to make further adjustments. It's easy to want to move a vent, wait 2 minutes, move it again, etc... and you end up chasing a yo-yo temp if you do it that way. Fire and heat take a few minutes to adjust to air flow changes.

But you are going to be real happy with it....

Oh, and one day after you have had it for a while you might want to look into adding a power draft like a BBQ Guru unit. Basically you close all the lower vents except one, and block off all the holes in that vent except one and then mount a computer controlled fan on that one open vent hole. The BBQ Guru then controls the airflow and the WSM will absolutely hold a set temp as long as there is fuel to burn. It is literally a set and forget setup and is a dream on an long overnight smoke!

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