PBC vs WSM

[ag2979]

Morning!

I've been doing a ton of reading on the site and the WSM looks to be a winner. I currently have a PBC. While I enjoy it, I am wondering how much better quality food I can prepare with a WSM. Any thoughts? I am new to smoking and the boards. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bmaddox]

I don't know if you will necessarily get a better quality product than you are on a PBC but you should get some more versatility. I haven't used a PBC but from my reading it looks like there is no temp control on it. With a WSM you can dial in your temp to better fit what you are smoking. 

 

[noboundaries]

Hmmm, better quality food?  Hard to say.     

I have used my WSM like a PBC/UDS, removing the water pan to deflect/mix the rising heat.  Interesting results.  The hot and cold spots in the WSM were very noticeable without the water pan to deflect the heat.  With practice and technique I figured I could get an even heat distribution, or just put the empty water pan back in.  I can't remember the last time I put water in my water pan.  It just sits there empty to deflect/mix the heat for more even distribution.  . 

My WSM is set up like an outdoor oven with the BBQ Guru.  I can dial in any temp I want from 170F to 450F+.  Minimal learning curve to figure out the hot coal loading and vent settings to do so.  I could go lower than 170F but that's the lowest I've done so far.  I'm going to do some cold smoking once the weather turns nippier to test that bottom range below 100F chamber temp. 

If you've explored the smoking limits of your PBC the WSM would be an easy transition since they have a similar vertical setup.  I don't know that the difference in food would quality would be reason enough to buy a WSM.  How you want to use it might be though.        

 

[worktogthr]

I wouldn't say there is a difference in food quality but instead a little difference in taste. The grease from food dripping on the coals in the pbc creates a "fog" if you will that does impart a specific flavor that is unique to a UDS. Even with the water pan dry, there will be less "fog" in a wsm or other vertical smoker. I personally enjoy th flavor of both types. I say find a used WSM and play with them both. But then again I have 11 smokers and grills so I might be a bad person to advise you hahaha

 

[ag2979]

Thanks ya'll. I guess quality was a bad word to use because I have put out some impressive pork in my short time smoking. I was looking at the horizontal style smokers as well but don't have the coin to invest in a good one. The versatility and quality of the WSM has me in quite the ponder.




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[jdelage]

I'm looking at buying my first smoker and I'm hesitating between those two...


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[noboundaries]

I looked at both too and decided the horizontal grates in the WSM was a familiar style of cooking, plus I liked the capacity and flexibility of the WSM.  I use it no differently than an oven. 

One of my daughters is in town and she requested my homemade pizza.  The biga for the dough is fermenting as I type.  I'm taking half a day off from work so I'll fire up the WSM when I get home to smoke some homemade sausage meatballs, each about 3" round, to use on the pizza.  I make enough dough for two loaves of bread and four 15" pizzas.  I will smoke the meatballs hot and fast, about 400F, leave the smoker hot, then throw on a pizza in the WSM.  It will be a first but I'm curious how smoked pizza will taste!    

 

[krubby]

 
I looked at both too and decided the horizontal grates in the WSM was a familiar style of cooking, plus I liked the capacity and flexibility of the WSM.  I use it no differently than an oven. 

One of my daughters is in town and she requested my homemade pizza.  The biga for the dough is fermenting as I type.  I'm taking half a day off from work so I'll fire up the WSM when I get home to smoke some homemade sausage meatballs, each about 3" round, to use on the pizza.  I make enough dough for two loaves of bread and four 15" pizzas.  I will smoke the meatballs hot and fast, about 400F, leave the smoker hot, then throw on a pizza in the WSM.  It will be a first but I'm curious how smoked pizza will taste!    

I will be as well.  Please tell me how it turns out.  As an owner of a 22.5 WSM I would love to try to make a pizza on the thing just as something different.  I like the idea you are getting it up to 375-400 range

 

[noboundaries]

Smoked Pizza turned out FANTASTIC!  I spent 7 hours today smoking homemade baseball sized meat balls, making bread and pizza dough, baking three loaves of bread, one smoked pizza in the WSM and one pizza on a stone in the oven.  It all turned out great.  I'll download the pics later and start another thread about the smoked pizza.  Time to go grab a beer and fall asleep on the couch watching a movie.   

 

[noboundaries]

There is no doubt in my mind you could do the exact same pizza on the PBC or UDS, so smoked pizza should not be the decision maker.  Here's the thread I started on the smoked pizza.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/235855/smoked-pizza-on-22-5-wsm