I need help choosing which WSM to buy

[Delaware Smoker]

Hi,
I need to replace my grill.I do have a char grill smoker,but i'm looking for a grill that can be used has a grill/smoker.It will be used mainly has a grill,but one one that I can smoke on has well.I've been looking at the WSM,but not sure which one I should buy.If using the WSM for a smoker,do you need a plate,& do you use a water pan?How about cooking in the cold weather,rain or snow?My char griller,does not hold the heat too well,I must add charcoal often.Will the WSM,burn all nite unattended?
Thanks for any advice.
Bill

[uttexas]

From your description of what you are looking for, I wouldn't get a WSM. I have two WSMs and love them, but they are just OK for grilling.

If I were in your shoes looking to primarily grill and need a smoker to hold temp in cold weather, I'd take a look at the Big Steel Keg (Bubba Keg)

[BluDawg]

From your description of what you are looking for, I wouldn't get a WSM. I have two WSMs and love them, but they are just OK for grilling.

If I were in your shoes looking to primarily grill and need a smoker to hold temp in cold weather, I'd take a look at the Big Steel Keg (Bubba Keg)

I've been hearing nothing but good things about the CharGriller Egg too. IF your cooking in Cold weather then an insulated cooker is the way to Go. Wsm's, ECB's are a Royal PIA in cold & wind.

[DATsBBQ]

I've grilled on a WSM, but the configuration is a bit dicey. You move the charcoal pan up to where the water pan would be. I was always afraid the thing was going to tip over. Didn't do too well in the wind either (temp control) but for a few hundreds bucks you could do much worse.

I haven't seen a steel keg in action.

I can personally recommend a Primo or BGE. I've used them both. Well worth the bucks. They use a fraction of fuel per cook that a WSM does. Down side, they are not very portable. Then again, that makes them harder to steal. And they don't rust.

My brother has one of those combo brinkmans, gas on the left and wood on the right (w/fire box) that they sell at Lowes. It can also be configured as grill (fire box isn't used). He lives in Minnesota where its cold. He likes the cooker.

[El Ropo]

For the price of an 18" WSM, you could get the CG Akorn. It'll do anything from low n slow to high heat pizza.

[uttexas]

Haven't seen the Akorn before, very cool--it's about half the price of the Big Steel Keg. The Big Steel Keg is bigger, less fragile, more portable (locks directly onto a trailer hitch), and according to most reviews, holds heat longer than the ceramics. As mentioned, up north, for long overnight unattended cooks, you need something insulated like the BSK or the Akorn.

As far as grilling on the WSM, I've done the firebox to water pan level 1X and didn't like that method for the same reasons Dats mentioned. Since then, I put the cooking grate on top of the fire ring, which works OK, but the fire is too close to the food imo--hence the awesome $60 Old Smokey, which I now use for grilling.

[FR8 Train]

I have a WSM 18.5" and the wind seems to be the biggest PITA when cooking on it. Living in texas the cold doesn't seem to be much of an issue. If cold is the concern I would try one of the insulated cookers.