Weber Smokey Mountain 18 vs 22: Which one should I get?

These smokers can preserve the tenderness and original taste of meat. Among them, Weber smokey mountain 18 and 22 are the most excellent versions. Today, let’s learn more about these two products and decide which one is suitable for you.

Weber Smokey Mountain 18 vs 22: Quick Reviews

Product images	Product names	Product Highlights	Editor's rating	Price
	Weber 18-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker	Material: Porcelain-enameled steel Color: Black Length: 21 inches Width: 19 inches Heigh: 41 inches Weight: 39.1 pounds Fuel type: Charcoal	5/5
	Weber 22-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker	Material: Porcelain-enameled steel Color: Black Length: 24 inches Width: 23 inches Heigh: 48.5 inches Weight: 68 pounds Fuel type: Charcoal	5/5 (best seller)

A Bit About the Weber Smokey Mountain

Since introduced in 1981, Weber Smokey Mountain has become the top choice of smoked meat lovers. The fan base of Weber Bullet is very large. 

If you don’t know how to get the most out of this smoker, just search about it. There is a lot of knowledge about the use of a Weber Smokey Mountain available online. 

Over the years with many improvements, Weber Smokey Mountain has more sizes. Besides, there are many new features such as the built-in thermometer. 

Weber Smokey Mountain is a line of water smokers. In the shape of a bullet, this smoker has a compact size. This is a suitable smoker if you don’t have much space in your kitchen. 

This smoker includes 3 sections:

• A firebox to contain charcoal and wood chunks, and a grate
• A cooking section with upper and lower grates, a water bowl, and a door 
• A lid with a built-in thermometer

The water bowl is an outstanding feature of this product. It allows you to smoke your meat without wrapping it in foil.

A Weber Smokey Mountain is easy to use, even with beginners in meat smoking. This is also one of the reasons why this smoker is more popular than others. 

Weber Smokey Mountain 18 Reviews

Specifications

• Material: Porcelain-enameled steel
• Color: Black
• Length: 21 inches
• Width: 19 inches
• Heigh: 41 inches
• Weight: 39.1 pounds
• Fuel type: Charcoal

Key features

• Compact size

This 18-inch smoker won’t take you too much space. But, it still provides enough cooking areas for families and small gatherings. 

With a cooking surface of 481 square inches, you can smoke chickens, turkeys, fish, and even ribs. The amount of food cooked by this smoker will be enough for an average family in several days. 

The large middle rack allows you to smoke larger fish like salmon. Besides, it only takes 1.5 hours to complete smoking a pound of food. So, you can freely smoke large cuts of meat.

• Low and consistent cooking temperature

The Weber 18 maintains low and consistent cooking temperature with a solid temperature control system. Besides having vents that direct the airflow and temperature, it has a large water pan. 

This water pan is directly above the charcoal and plays the role of a heat sink. When grilling or smoking, it will absorb heat from the charcoal. Then, the heat will be released slowly, keeping the temperature low and stable. Cooking this way, your meat will be tender and juicy.

• Excellent design

The design of a Weber Smokey Mountain 18 brings you the most efficiency, safety, and comfort. 

With a thermometer port, the probe wires won’t contact directly with the burning hot metal. It also allows you to check the internal temperature without opening the lid. 

The water pan also provides enough moisture for the smoking/grilling environment. So, your meat will not dry out. 

Besides, there is an adjustable vent on the lid to control the airflow. The smoker also has a heat-resistant handle to protect your hand from burning.

• Premium material

Made of high-quality steel, the Weber Smokey Mountain 18 has high resistance to harsh conditions. It can withstand extreme temperatures, wild weather and can last for decades. 

The powder coat of the smoker is anti-rust, anti-mold, and very durable. The manufacturer also uses aluminum to make other parts such as legs, vents, and internal brackets of grates. The material used to make handles is heat-resistant plastic with high durability. 

• Easy cleanup

With a chrome coat, the grates of this smoker are shiny, anti-rust, and very easy to clean. You can use any dish cleaner to get rid of any grease and caramelized bits. 

After using, when the smoker is cool, cleaning the smoker is also simple. Just wipe its outside and interior with a damp cloth to remove all the dirt. 

Brief pros

• A mid-size smoker allows you to cook enough food for an average family without taking too much space
• Two cooking grates provide more area to cook different food at the same time
• Low and consistent cooking temperature preserves the taste of food.
• Versatile, you can either grill or smoke with this smoker
• Portable to bring with you
• Reasonable price

Brief cons

• Not suitable with large gatherings
• The built-in thermometer is sometimes ineffective

Bottom line

Generally, the Weber Smokey Mountain 18 is perfect for those who want to make smoked food at home. It has optimal size and many useful built-in features. With the thermometer and the water pan, you can control the heat and preserve the tenderness of the food. 

A Weber Smokey Mountain 18 with excellent improvements can help you achieve the best result in cooking. It also makes the cooking process easier as well as saves you a lot of time and effort.

Customer Rate on Amazon: 5/5

Some reviews:

Williams: Rate 5/5

“I’d go with the 18†at a minimum. I relied on a couple reviews that said 18†was more than they needed. This unit is pretty darn small. If you only do port butts, fine, but no way you can do a full pork belly or spatchcock turkey or big rib rack on the 14. I did not even take this unit out of box. I could tell the grates were too small for pretty much anything I want to cook. I’m sure it works great but it’s pretty limited due to the size. Draw a 14†circle on a piece of paper and if you first reaction is “that’s too smallâ€, like me, get the 18 or 22”

Weber Smokey Mountain 22 Reviews

Specifications

• Material: Porcelain-enameled steel
• Color: Black
• Length: 24 inches
• Width: 23 inches
• Heigh: 48.5 inches
• Weight: 68 pounds
• Fuel type: Charcoal

Key features

• Handy design

This model 22 is the largest smoker in the Weber Smokey Mountain line. There are 2 grates placed above a water pan. The large fire bowl below can contain a lot of charcoal and wood chunks. 

The bottom damper helps you control the airflow into the fire bowl. The top dampers are where heat and smoke escape.

The smoker also has a soft grommet on the sidewall for inserting the probe thermometer. This will help you monitor the temperature of the cooked meat.

There is also an access door for adding charcoal or wood chunks during grilling or smoking. 

• Durable construction and easy assembly

The high-quality materials used in producing make it a solid and durable construction. 

Assembling a Weber Smokey Mountain 22 is also simple. You don’t need any professional knowledge. Just follow the instructions and you can put it together in the blink of an eye.

• Good performance

Good performance is one of the advantages that makes Weber Smokey Mountain the top chosen smoker. A Weber Smokey Mountain 22 can be your perfect companion in any BBQ competition. Some new outstanding features mark its name in the list of best-performing smokers.

The water pan keeps a stable temperature while provides moisture for the meat. This will prevent the heat from burning the exterior of the meat and keep its tenderness. 

A Weber Smokey Mountain 22 has an extra-large water pan. Thus, it can maintain the temperature for a very long time. 

The size of 22 inches allows you to smoke or grill multiple racks of ribs or a large size turkey. In the shape of a bullet, this smoker won’t take up as much space as you worry.

The grill grates of a Weber Smokey Mountain 22 are of the same type as other Weber products. Thus, when necessary you can reuse other grill grates for this smoker. 

• Large grilling area

Two grill grates of this 22-inch smoker provide a total area of 726 square inches. This makes the food preparation for a large party as easy as a pie. You can simultaneously grill or smoke two large turkeys or many full racks of ribs. 

• Consistent cooking temperature

The Weber Smokey Mountain 22 tends to run hotter than the 18 version. But it always maintains the temperature around 250 – 275 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also adjust the temperature by closing and opening the vent.

Brief pros

• A large cooking area allows you to cook enough food for a large crowd
• Large access door helps you refill fuel easier
• Consistent cooking temperature prevents overburned food
• Big water pan maintains heat for all-day smoking or grilling 
• Easy to assemble 

Brief cons

• Heavyweight makes it struggle to move around
• The large size consumes a lot of fuel
• The huge water pan is hard to clean
• Rather expensive

Bottom line

This model 22 brings many benefits for those who want to serve smoked food for their family and friends. This smoker has enough space for smoking or grilling different foods at the same time. So, you can cook faster and easier with its help. 

It is very easy to use and has a high quality. This smoker may be more expensive than other models, but you won’t regret buying it. 

It not only simplifies your cooking but also provides ta sty food. With a Weber 22, you can freely enjoy genuine smokehouse-flavored foods. 

Customer Rating on Amazon: 5/5

EU: 5/5

“The smoker finally got stuff growing inside after about 5 years, which made me sad. My final thoughts are The 14 was definitely the right choice for me. It gave food lots of smoke flavor we loved. The only drawback for these things is the monitoring of the heat as with very long overnight cooks the wood/charcoal can get critically low impacting the cook. This is also why the 14 was a good choice as was not heavy with food loaded to remove the top pieces from the pit and add more fuel”.

What are the differences between Weber Smokey Mountain 18 and 22

1. Size

The main difference between model 18 and model 22 of the Weber Smokey Mountain line is the size. The dimensions and weight of model 22 are larger than that of model 18. And their cooking surface areas are also different.

A Weber Smokey Mountain 18 has 2 grill grates with a diameter of 18.5 inches each. So, the total cooking area is 481 square inches. 

The grates of a 22 version are larger, about 22.5 inches. This creates a Weber Smokey Mountain 22 with a total cooking area of 726-inch squares. 

2. Cooking temperature

The Weber Smokey Mountain 18 can maintain a low and stable temperature during smoking or grilling time. 

Model 22 is quick in achieving proper temperature for cooking. However, it can’t maintain the low temperature as the model 18. It holds better a medium-high temperature (250-275 degrees Fahrenheit).

What Size Weber Smokey Mountain Should I Get?

1. Cooking capacity

The Weber Smokey Mountain 18 has a smaller cooking capacity than the Weber Smokey Mountain 22. So, a Weber Smokey Mountain 18 is suitable for cooking for your family or small gatherings. 

With a Weber Smokey Mountain 22, you can feed more than 8 adults in a turn. Thus, this smoker is your best bet when cooking for a large group of people. 

2. Portability

A Weber Smokey Mountain 18 has dimensions of 21x19x41 inches and a weight of 32 pounds. So, it is quite easy to move around. You can also carry it along at picnic, camping, or BBQ competitions. 

A Weber Weber Smokey Mountain 22 is less portable than the model 18. It weighs about 68 pounds. So, it is hard for one person to pick this smoker up as a single unit. 

If you want to move it in long-distance, you should move it in pieces and reassemble later. Adding wheels is also a good idea to move this smoker around the backyard.

3. Budget

The price of a Weber Smokey Mountain 18 is about $330, but sometimes it may reach $400. This smoker is very fuel-efficient, so you can save money on fuel when using it. 

A Weber Smokey Mountain 18 will cost you over $400. Due to the larger cooking area, this smoker also uses more fuel. 

But no matter which model you choose, a Weber Smokey Mountain cooker is always worth your money.

Our Verdict on the Weber Smokey Mountain 18 vs 22

A Weber Smokey Mountain cooker will not disappoint you. It will make cooking faster and easier than ever, even for beginners. Between the Weber 18 and 22, you can consider choosing the one that suits your needs. 

A Weber Smokey Mountain 18 is the best choice if you don’t have much room. This smoker is suitable for moderate smoking for family or small gatherings.

If you don’t want to bend the ribs or divide large pieces of meat, choose a Weber Smokey Mountain 22. It is also an effective smoker when you cook often or cook for large crowds.

We hope that with the provided information, you can choose the right smoker.

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