Weber Smokey Mountain 14.5 Vs 18.5 Vs 22.5 Inch

Weber is one of the top manufacturers of smokers and grills. Their Smokey Mountain line is a lineup of multi-level, closed smokehouses that allow smoke to spread evenly around cooking foods and grills.

Each smoker is designed with a large opening so the fire can be refueled through wood chips without letting smoke escape.

You can refuel the smoker as many times as necessary, so it’s easy to use for even the most demanding smoking regimens.

WSMs are easier to use than most other smokers on the market, making them a great investment for beginners. They’re bullet-shaped and fueled by charcoal.

To smoke meat and other food, the smoker maintains a steady temperature for several hours. You can lower or raise the temperature by closing and opening the vents.

WSMs come with sturdy legs and solid construction. There are long-lasting materials including porcelain and chrome coating.

An aluminum heat shield shaped like a bowl is attached to each leg. Even despite the shields, it’s highly recommended that you use the grill on a mat if you’re cooking on a wooden deck.

Weber Smokey Mountain 14.5 Vs 18.5 Vs 22.5 Inch

#1. Smokey Mountain 14.5

Of the three options, the 14.5-inch is the smallest. As such, it’s also the most inexpensive. If you don’t plan to cook for many people, or you live alone and cook solely for yourself, this model is a great option that performs well without breaking the bank.

Because the chamber is smaller, it heats up more quickly and easily. It also requires less energy to maintain the chamber’s temperature because of the reduced cooking surface.

This causes the smoker to burn significantly less wood and charcoal than its larger counterparts, so you’ll save on fuel costs in the long run.

Another important factor is the portability. Since this is the smallest size, it weighs the least and takes up the least space. It’s a lot easier to transport in vehicles or by physically carrying it than the other two.

The more compact size lets you maneuver and use the smoker in tight spaces that the other options wouldn’t be able to fit inside.

Though it uses less fuel, that’s because it has less than half the area found in the 18.5. Each level includes 165 inches of cooking space. It’s not big enough to smoke an entire turkey at once.

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#2. Smokey Mountain 18.5

The 18.5-inch smoker is the most popularly chosen size. It offers an average of the advantages and disadvantages of its smaller and larger counterparts.

With the 18.5-inch WSM, you can smoke enough food for small events or for large families. The cooking surface is 481 square inches, significantly more than the previous model.

According to Weber, 481 square inches of cooking space mean that you can make enough food to comfortably serve between 6 and 8 adults.

The smoker has a significant amount of space. You can cook 6 to 7 chickens, 6 spare ribs, 8 pounds of brisket, and one 20 pound turkey. Not separately — you can fit all of that in the smoker at the same time.

It does consume slightly more fuel than the 14.5 due to the increased volume and cooking space. However, there isn’t as big a difference as you might expect.

There’s no real downsides to this option. If you want a more portable, compact, and fuel-efficient smoker, the 14.5-inch might be better suited to your taste.

And if you need even more cooking space than this smoker provides, the 22-inch gives you an upgrade. But otherwise, this is a happy medium that gives you everything you’d want in a smoker and then some.

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#3. Smokey Mountain 22.5

This smoker comes with the same design features and basic mechanisms as the other two, but it’s built on a larger scale.

If you tend to cook for large groups of people or host neighborhood parties with a lot of guests, this may be the option for you. Some people who buy the medium-sized Weber end up wishing they’d paid the extra price for this one, since it has so much more cooking space.

Though it’s the most expensive of the WSM line, it’s definitely on the low-priced side for its features. If you’re looking for a smoker with this amount of cooking space, control, and ability to refuel, you probably won’t find one at a better price point.

That said, this smoker only suits those who plan to cook a lot of food a lot of the time. If you’re only serving a few people, the smoker will cut into your funds by eating up unnecessary fuel.

Even when you’re only using one of the layers, the smoker is still designed to perforate through the entire model. It has a fraction of the fuel efficiency of the 14.5.

The total cooking area for this option is 726 square inches. You can smoke multiple large roasts at once, allowing you to feed large gatherings of people.

To accommodate the extra space, the smoker is designed with an extra-large water pan that works to maintain the correct heat levels over periods of hours.

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Final Thoughts – Weber Smokey Mountain 14.5 Vs 18.5 Vs 22.5 Inch

The Weber Smokey Mountain series is a lineup of well-designed smokers that can provide hours-long smoking capabilities at consistently-maintained temperatures.

Each uses the same basic fuel mechanism and can be reloaded as many times as necessary.

The 14.5 is the smallest, most portable, and most compact. Since it has the least amount of cooking space, it’s the most inexpensive. It’s also the most fuel efficient.

The 18.5 offers enough cooking space to suit most people’s needs, making it the most popular option. It has average fuel efficiency and provides excellent results, especially for its price point.

The 22.5 gives enough space to entertain large families or neighborhood parties. You can cook multiple roasts at once. However, it’s also the least fuel-efficient and most expensive.