Introducing the Weber Smokey Mountain
Offset smoker or a Weber Smokey mountain? This is one of the dilemmas a lot of barbecue and
grilling enthusiast and lovers want to get out of. However from my experience I
believe getting out of that depends a lot on your preference in style of
cooking and also your convenience in managing how to use this equipment. Oh! Heat
is just heat, so why all the fuss about which one to go for. Either for
personal use or commercial purposes this article is for you.
Benefits of Weber Smokey Mountain against the Offset Smoker
As for the technique in usage there isn’t really any much of a difference in that. However as for
the smoke that is really of a personal taste some folks puts smoke to the meat
the entire time, others don’t. The main benefit of offset smoker is it will
give you cooking quantity (providing you get yourself a reasonable size one)
however, whereas the WSM is really fire up and forget (OK that’s a bit of
exaggeration though) you will find the offset smoker a lot more work,
Temperature control on the offset takes a lot more management than on the WSM
and you will also have quite a significant temperature gradient along the
cooking chamber unless it is a reverse flow. The temperature gradient isn’t a
problem once you adjust your cooking method to use it, but you will find that
you’ll need to turn your meat periodically during the cook to ensure even
cooking.
You can actually take advantage of the gradient if you’re cooking
things that require different temperatures. The offset requires more TLC during
the cook. TLC can be fun during cooking sometimes.
Why you should consider Weber Smokey Mountain as your best smoker
The WSM is much more economical to use in terms of charcoal and wood (chunks). After a short learning cycle they are very easy to control for temperature. They are low
maintenance due to the baked finish and are backed by a good support and part
system. An offset likes to run at a range not at a specific temperature; the
range will usually be around -/+ 25 degrees.
Both are cool in their ways. Getting to use both at different times, I’ve smoked on the WSM, and it was basically set it and forget it. I like the idea of being able to put the
pork butt on the night before, and waking up to barbecue without having to get
up in the middle of the night to mess with the fire.
Don’t get it wrong here, if you want to sit by your smoker , drink beer, the WSM still offers the
ability to do that, you just don’t get up near as often to stoke the fire, and
can spend more time drinking beer. Less of TLC.
In summary, having cooked and experienced using both, working with a WSM is certain much easier. But some people like playing with the fire. A decision to buy other than a WSM
is usually based on perceived need for more volume or a love of playing with
fire!!
Either way, I hope you’re happy with the decision you make, and that your
smoker is always full. And, if you really can’t make a decision on one, a man
ever has too many smokers.
