Little bit of advice please....

[betawax]

Hi all,

So I am unable to decide on a WSM or a ProQ frontier to start learning to do some smoking in - ideally some racks of ribs and a pork shoulder or two. I've read a lot of information on both of these pieces of equipment and at the moment the ProQ is winning for me. The only reason at this stage is that you can also grill on it directly. I have a super small garden and hence this is a real benefit for me.

Having looked at this site (and a few others!) I have also seen weber one touch bbq's recommended for doing some long slow smoking. What are people thoughts on this?

And my final question - and I think the deal breaker - can you grill on the WSM - as I checked the virtual weber bullet website and it advises that this is possible...with a level of modification. DIY is not my strong point!!

thanks very much in advance for your help

bw

[JEC]

If you want a true out of the box one product does everything then get the ProQ, other than a Kamado style unit which would cost at least twice the price then it's the only one that meets your need. If you can store the extra unit and can afford it the more flexible option would be a ProQ or if the budget allows the WSM combined with a Kettle. The only draw back with grilling on the ProQ is the height, you would need to stand it on a table or platform to grill comfortably. Personally I'd buy a kettle which will do both with practice, see if you like smoking and if you do buy a bullet at a later date.

[keith157]

I agree wholeheartedly with JEC. A good quality kettle BBQ like a Weber (other makes are available but I'vbe opted for the Weber) will provide you with anything you need in the realm of grilling. It will also do low and slow smoking. IF you like the concept and taste of low and slow smoking then after a while upgrade to a smoker. That's when the real decision comes in for an offset or bullet, mines a ProQ Excel20 bullet, but I got into smoking very happily with my Weber.

[Steve]

It really depends on your priorities. If grilling is your mainstay but you'd like to get into smoking then starting off with a Weber kettle is a great way to go.

If smoking is your thing then you're better off with a dedicated unit. Grilling is possible on a WSM with modification but it's not ideal. A Pro Q will grill out of the box but the price you pay is inferior smoking performance. IMHO the Frontier is a better cooker than the Excel but the WSM knocks them both into a cocked hat, despite the Pro Q's having some features I wish the WSM had.

[Mike_P_in_Tucson]

I have cooked on both the WSM and the ProQ Excel 20, and I prefer the ProQ, primarily for its flexibility. The WSM is somewhat better built, but marginally, and is slightly stingier than the Excel 20 on charcoal use (although I do get 7 hours easily on one basket of charcoal in the Excel 20). IMO, the WSM really doesn't knock the Excel 20 into a cocked hat. Big advantage for the Excel 20 is the stackers, whcih let you easily remove one level of meat without having to reach into the hot barrel of the cooker as you have to do with the WSM. Also, the eyelets at each level of the Excel 20 easily allow you to monitor cooking temperatures right at each grate.

A kettle "can" be used as a smoker, but it isn't built for that, so it is not very convenient to use as such. Used as a smoker, you really can not get much meat on a kettle. On an Excel 20, you can get 2-3 pork butts, 3-4 racks of ribs, or a brisket or two on each level. Plus you can cook on 2 (or even 3) levels at one time.

I would suggest getting the ProQ Excel 20 instead of the frontier because of the additional capacity, even when using it to grill. The Frontier is 43cm in diameter, compared with 50cm for the Excel 20.

[bencops]

Learning to smoke ribs on a kettle will make a real man of you!

Otherwise the wsm is the long term choice

[Steve]

Got to disagree with you Mike, I've owned all three units for a reasonable amount of time. The flexibility of the Pro Q is good but the Excel chews through charcoal like a smoker possessed compared to the WSM. The frontier is better on fuel efficiency but it is a little on the small side. Maybe the British climate affects it more.

I always find you need to nurse a Pro Q through a cook, where as the WSM just keeps on cooking. Don't get me wrong, the Pro Q is a good unit, I used to own two E20's and a Frontier and loved them. I bought a WSM because I didn't believe those who were telling me hw much better they were and wanted to be sure for myself, three cooks later I had two WSM's and I've never looked back.

[Mike_P_in_Tucson]

Granted, the E-20 uses more charcoal than the small WSM but, as I mentioned, I can get a good 7+ hours from a full charcoal basket (Kingsford Blue), a little less if I cook at 275F, which I have been doing more lately. For me, that is plenty good enough, but I have seen the small WSMs go for up to 12 hours at 225F. I have been using a BBQ Guru pitminder recently (easier to get to the 275 temperature that I want), so nursing is definitely not an issue. But even at lower temperatures, I have found that once I get the E-20 temperature dialed in, I can forget about it for hours. Of course, I never do just forget it. I guess I am anal in having to keep checking "just in case".

I have only cooked on the WSM twice, and I guess I shouldn't complain about it -- I took 3rd in a rib contest with a borrowed WSM. But for the money difference, and the flexibility, I just still prefer the Excel 20.

I am sure controlling smokers in your weather is much different than in sunny, warm, dry Arizona, so that may have something to do with the difference in charcoal consumption. And I get Kingsford Blue on sale at Home Depot for 2 x 20 pound bags for $9.00. So not much concerned with a bit heavier charcoal consumption with the E-20.

[betawax]

Thanks for sharing all your experience, advice and expertise. Have decided on buying a weber kettle and see how I get on with this regarding smoking and low and slow grilling.

Well at least that's my decision at this time...could well change by the end of the day.

Thanks again, greatly appreciate it

[BBQFanatic]

I am with Ben and Steve, I owned the ProQ for 1 year and then upgraded to a WSM, i love both of these units for different reasons. The ProQ biggest benefit are the stackers, however IMHO this is also its biggest weakness as the stackers swell with heat. As a result I found myself frequently using tinfoil to plug the gaps, as a result temp controls were an issue. As Mike pointed out if you are using a force draft system this problem goes away, but this is an additional £150 on top of the price of the cooker. If you take the cost of a proq and a force draft system vs just the cost of a small wsm, the wsm is cheaper and in my mind doesn't need a force draft system out of the box.

I think you need a WSM and a Weber kettle!!! Haha once you start you can't stop.