Weber Smokey Mountain vs. Kingsford charlcoal smoker.

[kryinggame]

I would like to get a grill/smoker. My main goto smoker is a 30 inch Masterbuilt but it does have a few flaws. First, it's perfect for smoking but not for grilling-it's capped at 275. For chicken, I would smoke at 275 and then finish off on my propane grill. Due to the construction, placing quantity of meat inside can be challenging.

I like what I've been reading about the WSM but I can't tell if it's a combination of a grill and smoker. It seems to be a dedicated smoker.  I don't want to kick out the cash and then realize that getting it above 275 is difficult or impossible.

My manager has a Kingsford charcoal grill/smoker. It's a huge machine. Several days out of the week, he comes in with things that he's grilled and smoked. He says it's the best machine that he's ever owned.  He makes some pretty looking wings in it. Today, he showed me a pork loin that he smoked. I'm really impressed and he paid $150 for it at BJ's.  I've searched and haven't seen much info on this grill/smoker.

My questions are as followed:

1. Is it WSM a dedicated smoker or can it be used for grilling; and

2 . Does anyone have any feedback on the Kingsford charcoal grill/smoker?  I don't know the model number but I've attached a picture of it.

Thanks all!

Kingsford Grill.jpg

• kryinggame
• Jul 30, 2012

 

[dward51]

Well as a smoker the WSM is a jewel. As a "grill" it is not.

I have a 18.5" WSM I bought in either 2004 or 2005 and have absolutely no regrets as it is the best and simplest to control smoker I have ever used (not withstanding a computer controlled electric of course).  I have a power draft (BBQ Guru DigiQ2) on mine and it is as close to set and forget you will get with a charcoal smoker.  There is just something about that bullet shape that leads to even smokes and easy of temp control I have not seen in other "traditional" shaped units like the Kingsford model you show. Yes, I'm sure you can smoke on it, but for 12 to 14 hours on a load of charcoal, I seriously doubt it.  But as a charcoal grill it would beat the WSM hands down.  But again, the WSM is designed as a smoker and can be somewhat used as a grill.

I guess the question is what do you want to do on it most of the time?  Grill or Smoke?  If it's grill then you should be fine with the Brinkman, if it's smoke then I would go with a WSM.  If you get a WSM I would go with the 22.5" model which they did not make when I bought mine.  I can't convince myself to spend the money on a 22.5" now since I have the 18.5", but if I had it to do over again and had both options I would go with the 22.5".

Since you already have a Masterbuilt for smoking, I would go with either that Brinkmann or a Weber Kettle for grilling and occasional smoking.  But that is just me.

 

[bama bbq]

I have a Weber 22.5 Kettle and a 22.5 WSM.  I have smoked spare and baby back pork ribs, turkey, and "prime rib" roast on the Kettle ...and finished some chicken by grilling on the WSM.  I see folks on the competition circuit using the WSM but have never seen the Kingsford in a comp.

I can load up the charcoal ring and cook a pot roast at 350* with the vents open on the WSM for several hours (outdoor oven) or I can also close them down to go really low for jerky (175*) ...and all points in between.

I would not grill on the WSM if I did not already have the charcoal lit: I simply removed the center section and used the Kettle grill lid to cover the grill right down on the lower section.

 

[Brackness]

take out the middle section of the wsm.. put the grill grate on top of the charcoal ring and bam u have a grill... not to be mean.. and maybe its bc im a weber guy.. but u are comparing a lexus to a kia in my opinion.. u cant go wrong with weber..

 

[Brackness]

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/grilling.html

 

[onebadmofo]

I just got my 18.5 WSM.  First smoke will be in about 12 hours.

Anyway, I bought it mainly because I have a Weber Summit Grill, and it's a beast.  Best grill I've owned.

So when it came to smokers, I was debating between the WSM, or the Master Forge cuz my cousin had one and it seemed to work great as well.

In the end, even after he advised me to save my $$$ and get the MF, I got the WSM.  Haven't used it yet, but I have no doubts I will be as pleased with it as I am my grill! 

Good luck!

 

[onebadmofo]

Well as a smoker the WSM is a jewel. As a "grill" it is not.

I have a 18.5" WSM I bought in either 2004 or 2005 and have absolutely no regrets as it is the best and simplest to control smoker I have ever used (not withstanding a computer controlled electric of course).  I have a power draft (BBQ Guru DigiQ2) on mine and it is as close to set and forget you will get with a charcoal smoker.  There is just something about that bullet shape that leads to even smokes and easy of temp control I have not seen in other "traditional" shaped units like the Kingsford model you show. Yes, I'm sure you can smoke on it, but for 12 to 14 hours on a load of charcoal, I seriously doubt it.  But as a charcoal grill it would beat the WSM hands down.  But again, the WSM is designed as a smoker and can be somewhat used as a grill.

I guess the question is what do you want to do on it most of the time?  Grill or Smoke?  If it's grill then you should be fine with the Brinkman, if it's smoke then I would go with a WSM.  If you get a WSM I would go with the 22.5" model which they did not make when I bought mine.  I can't convince myself to spend the money on a 22.5" now since I have the 18.5", but if I had it to do over again and had both options I would go with the 22.5".

Since you already have a Masterbuilt for smoking, I would go with either that Brinkmann or a Weber Kettle for grilling and occasional smoking.  But that is just me.

How much was the WSM in 2004???  I forked out 3 bills for mine...little spendy I sure hope it kicks as much arse as I hear it does! ;)

 

[mr500]

How much was the WSM in 2004???  I forked out 3 bills for mine...little spendy I sure hope it kicks as much arse as I hear it does! ;)

I got mine for 363.00  from the web. And YES it kicks azz lol. I love this thing. wish they made one bigger. I switcched from char griller pro over the WSM. I use my CGP as a regulat grill now. BUT it would be a great back up with my mods.

Cant go wrong with the WSM 22.5 !!!

 

[onebadmofo]

I got mine for 363.00  from the web. And YES it kicks azz lol. I love this thing. wish they made one bigger. I switcched from char griller pro over the WSM. I use my CGP as a regulat grill now. BUT it would be a great back up with my mods.

Cant go wrong with the WSM 22.5 !!!

Okay interesting.

Got my 18.5 and I debated it for awhile.  Was thinking 22.5 but family of four, and at most we host 2 other couples with small kids so the 22.5 seemed a bit overkill.  

That said, I cannot wait to fire this up tomorrow morning and drink beer all day.  2nd run will be this saturday! ;)

 

[kryinggame]

Here's my issue, it's just me, instead of a large family. I'm wondering if the 22.5 is overkill.

Can you comfortably smoke 2 racks of spare ribs on an 18 inch?

I like the accories for the 22.5, like the Rotissorie. That's not made for the 18 inch. 

Has anyone gotten the 18 and fully satisfied. Seems like most regret getting the smaller.

 

[lght]

Here's my issue, it's just me, instead of a large family. I'm wondering if the 22.5 is overkill.

Can you comfortably smoke 2 racks of spare ribs on an 18 inch?

I like the accories for the 22.5, like the Rotissorie. That's not made for the 18 inch. 

Has anyone gotten the 18 and fully satisfied. Seems like most regret getting the smaller.

I can say the 22.5 is a huge over kill for just you.  I was in the same boat and decided to downgrade to an 18" but add MORE space then the 22 by adding a 3rd grill surface.  I picked up a ProQ Stacker so now I have 3 racks of 18 for a total of 54" of cooking space which is 10 more inches then the 22 with 2 racks.  Essentially your adding an extra section that can be added or removed as needed.  I almost never need to use the 3rd rack since it's only me and my better half, however when I needed it for a function I was able to smoke 18 racks of ribs at once on my 18" WSM!! 

I've also been able to do up to 6 12lbs butts, or 9 full chickens at once.  The biggest advantage is not having to waste all that extra fuel for smaller cooks and I still ended up paying less than the 22" WSM.

 

[diggingdogfarm]

I would definitely go with the 18.5" WSM, the 22.5" is HUGE!!! :icon_eek:

The 22.5 inch kettle may also be of interest because it's, of course, more suited for grilling and it can accommodate the rotisserie add-on.


~Martin

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Has anyone gotten the 18 and fully satisfied. Seems like most regret getting the smaller.

Just 2 of us here, and we rarely have more than a couple guests at a time because this place is so small.
The 18.5 incher has served us just fine.

~Martin

 

[sprky]

I have the 18" WSM and use it at the lake. I grill and smoke on it with no problems. I did mods to mine to gain more space, and have smoked 6 racks of ribs with no problem, and room to spare. I have smoked 2 packer briskets and 3 pork butts, it was tight, but doable. I have seen the 22" WSM and it indeed looks HUGE compared to the 18". I admit there have been a few times(very few) I wish it was bigger but I am totally happy with my 18", so I dont see a 22 in my future. 

 

[lght]

I have the 18" WSM and use it at the lake. I grill and smoke on it with no problems. I did mods to mine to gain more space, and have smoked 6 racks of ribs with no problem, and room to spare. I have smoked 2 packer briskets and 3 pork butts, it was tight, but doable. I have seen the 22" WSM and it indeed looks HUGE compared to the 18". I admit there have been a few times(very few) I wish it was bigger but I am totally happy with my 18", so I dont see a 22 in my future. 

That's another thing I love about the 18 and forgot to mention.  Because it's a lot smaller I put it in the back of the truck often and fire it up during camping / fishing trips, days at the beach, football games etc.  I need to start taking pics of all the places my WSM and I have been!

 

[jirodriguez]

Both sizes work really, really well - you can't go wrong with either one. Personally I LOVE my 22.5" WSM, we are a family of four but keep in mind the following:

• For holiday cooking it is really nice to have lots of extra room for side dishes and your main dish (turkey, ham, roast, ect).
• I just load up both my upper and lower grill and then vacuum pack the left overs into portions and freeze them. Then pull out what I want/need for dinners later on.
• If you can find a place to actually go look at the two side-by-side I suggest you do so.

Can't go wrong either way, so don't sweat it to much!