Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.
I purchased my first WSM in Sept 2007, this is the older model without the temperature gauge in the lid. My initial view was that this was a Weber and the price reflected its ‘name’. However, based on other Bullet type smokers I have used I quickly came to the conclusion that the price is more of a reflection of build quality than brand.
The bowl and lid are porcelain enamelled and come rain or shine it will maintain the fresh out of the box look. The smoker itself has three sections, a bowl where the fire is lit, the body section which houses the water pan and two cooking grates and a lid.
None of the sections are fastened together and the only handle that comes with the unit from new is on the lid. There are no handles on the body section of the unit. The base has three daisy wheel vents and another daisy wheel vent on the lid. There is an access door on the main body for refuelling, adding smoke and checking the water pan.
I have used a variety of bullet smokers now including the Proq Frontier, Excel 20, Amigo and the Brinkman units and found foibles with all of them including the WSM.
What the WSM lacks in mods it more than makes up in stability. I have cooked on these units in -5 Deg C and found they still hold solid at 256 Deg F and maintain this for a good 6-7 hours when using water.
I was so impressed with my WSM I gave up all of my other units and purchased the new 57cm WSM with the lid thermometer. This unit behaves slightly differently to its smaller counterpart in that it does burn hotter and the ability cook at lower temperatures is a little more difficult.
Common issues with bullet smokers is the temperature spikes that occur when the lid has been lifted, this is something that the 57cm unit has more difficulty in recovering from. I have modded my unit by adding some of the Guru eyelets, and I no longer use water in the water pans. The method of choice for me is to use a foiled clay saucer. This gives me burn times of upto 18 hours with one load of charcoal at temperatures of 225 Deg F.
All WSM’s come with a high quality cover which in itself is £40’s worth of equipment. These units are probably the best investments I have to date in my BBQ portfolio. Be careful when using these for competitions and moving them around on a frequent basis. It is very easy to knock them “Out of Round” (a problem with all bullets) which can affect the airflow and disrupt cooking temperatures.
In my experience I have found the lid thermometer to be at least 50 Deg F to low, this would be something I would test with a high quality digital probe such as a Redi Chek or a Thermapen.
If I were to mark these units out of ten I would give them the following:
Temp Stability: 8/10
Verstility: 5/10
Usability: 6/10
Build Quality: 9/10
Durability: 9/10
Value for Money: 9/10
Mods I would make:
Add the eyelets from BBQ Guru –
Use an Extra cooking shelf available from Wilkinsons at a cost of £2.25
Avoid water in the pan and go for the Clay Saucer Method.
Given the bullet smokers on the market today, the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is at the top of the list and I would definitely check one out before making a new purchase.