Weber Gets Bigger and Badder
Weber grills. You can’t beat em with a stick. And if you do, they probably won’t be any worse for wear!
For more than a century, the Weber-Stephen Product Company has been turning out some of the best grills (and smokers!) on the market, offering durable products at affordable prices for cooks of every caliber.
When I first started competing on the BBQ circuit two years ago, my original smoker was a drafty fuel burning cooker that had me up all night tending to the fire and dealing with partially done food the next day. At the suggestion of several friends on the BBQ-Brethren.com, I eventually invested in a Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) bullet-style smoker. Porcelain coated, that thing took one batch of wood and charcoal and got some pork butts done while I slept.
Today, I use three WSMs exclusively at contests. At 18.5 inches in diameter, they don’t take up a lot of space in my trailer, are easy to load in and out and, best of all, are reliable.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to meet one of the designers down at Memphis In May and the first thing I asked was “what about making it bigger?” He assured me it was in the works. Two years went buy and eventually they did, with an updated 22.5″ model hitting shelves this winter.
On the way to work the other day, I happened across an interesting site…an outdoor Weber showroom directly across from my office. I took a few minutes to introduce the kind folks to the world of Smoke In Da Eye competition BBQ, then got my first up close look at this spacious cooker.
The change in size is indeed noticeable (as you can see above with a classic 18.5″ and 22.5″ placed side to side), as is the thermometer on the lid, and the heat shield on the bottom. The lid itself is a monster, with an extra side handle to help manage its heft when hot.
I did not notice eyelets on the sides (holes to allow remote thermometers to be run through), but that’s a pretty cheap modification that can be done later. Overall, it’s a thing of beauty!
Also on hand was the soon-to-be-release 26.5 inch One-touch grill, finding a nice middle ground between the existing 22.5 inch model and the monster Weber Ranch. And, lucky me, I have one on order courtesy of this past weekend’s BBQ victory! Now, we’ll just have to wait until Christmas and hope for the WSM, as well…
Clint, Thanks for the advance word. I have both the new 22 inch WSM and 26 inch kettle on pre-order. They should arrive in the next couple of weeks. I’m really looking forward to adding these latest Weber additions to my BBQ arsenal.