How do you like your meat? Soggy or Smokey? If your heart has danced at the mention of smoky meat, then this article is for you.
It is time to surprise your taste buds with nicely smoked meat. Your backyard is also eager to witness the kind of appetite you have for smoky meat.
But wait a moment. Between weber smokey mountain vs offset smoker, which will you choose? If you are unsure which you will go for between the two, below, I have compiled deeper details of each to help you make a well-informed decision.
Table of Contents
What is Weber Smokey Mountain?
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Let the name of this smoker not scare you. It simply refers to a vertical smoker made by Weber.
The name mountain in this title is derived from its physical appearance. It has a mountain shape, but definitely, it's not as tall as Mount Everest.
Weber's smoky mountain is made of an upright metal cylinder. The departments inside it include a cooking rack and a firebox for smoke generation. You can use either wood chips or charcoal briquettes in the firebox.
The lid of the weber smokey mountain cooker comes with an inbuilt thermometer and vents. The thermometer helps you monitor the cooker's temperature to ensure that it remains between 120-degree Fahrenheit and 275-degree Fahrenheit. On the other hand, the vents help control this cooker's airflow.
And there you are! You now know what a weber smokey mountain is.
Offset Smoker; What is It?
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Offset smokers are as old as the sun. Ah, no! The sun is older than them.
This cooker has several baptismal names: horizontal smoker, barrel smoker, charcoal smoker, stick smoker, side firebox smoker, and pipe smoker. Their physical appearance comprises a smoking cabinet connected to a tiny firebox.
The firebox uses wood chips or charcoal to produce heat and smoke, which then travel majestically to the cooking chamber to do wonders on whatever animal fresh or white meat is placed there.
What about cooking large chunks of meat in the offset cabinet smoker? Here is where you will need to befriend patience. This is because the cooker takes eight to twelve hours to cook large pieces of meat, and you will also need to keep monitoring the temperature.
You will find it easy to make smoked meat for your family or friends with this smoker. In the process, you will be mastering your meat smoking skills.
Comparing Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) with Offset Smoker
The above two types of smokers differ from each other in several ways. Let us see each of these differences in detail:
● Flavor
The offset smoker produces better-flavored meat compared to Weber Smokey Mountain. This superior flavor results from how an offset smoker cooks. For example, you can hardly tell the difference between chuck eye and ribeye due to the great flavor in both after smoking.
On the other hand, WSM produces a significant amount of flavor depending on your chosen settings. For example, if you decide to use the Minion Method, you will realize that there is not much smoke in your food, resulting in lower flavor.
● Types of Fuel
What if you don't want to stain your hands or clothes with charcoal or the dust on offset smoker wood? Well, worry no more. Besides using wood and charcoal, you can also use gas when smoking meat using an offset.
On the other hand, WSM can only use charcoal or wood as the only heat source. These fuel limitations, as seen earlier, contribute to the lower flavor in WSM.
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● Types of cooking
The horizontal offset smoker is ideal for cooking huge chunks of meat. You can also get well-smoked meat through grilling on an offset smoker. So, you don't have to worry about where to get smoked meat for that party or event you are about to hold in your compound.
It is hard to cook for long periods using the WSM. This is due to low airflow into the meat. However, I didn't say that you are banned from cooking for longer periods using the WSM, especially if you are an expert.
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● Temperature range
An offset smoker has a higher temperature range, which helps cook large pieces of meat while maintaining a constant temperature. They also cook faster due to the higher temperature range.
WSM has lower temperature ranges and is easy to control the temperatures. This smoker is ideal for you, especially when you are looking forward to cooking different foods that require different temperatures.
● Temperature retention
I know you already know what I will say here. There is not much difference in how the two smokers retain heat. This is because they come dressed in insulation covers to prevent heat loss.
However, the weber smokey mountain cooker smoker has been known to keep food warmer for extended periods than the offset smoker. This is due to their mountain-like shape.
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● Temperature control
Both offset and WSM use vents to control air inflow in the food. You can lift the vents in the offset smoker higher up to increase the airflow whenever your ninth sense tells you that your food is about to become a burnt offering.
On the other hand, the vents on WSM are easier to adjust compared to those in offsets. This is because the WSM has an inbuilt damper that helps you easily regulate the chamber's temperature.
● Accessories
These two smokers do not require many accessories. However, the offset smoker accessories are more than WSM parts. Some of the offset accessories include an ash catcher to prevent excessive ash accumulation, which finds its way to the meat, and a water pan for those higher humidity days.
On the other hand, WSM comes with fewer accessories. You will also find people adding insulation to the smokers or spraying oven liners on them to minimize heat loss.
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● Ease of use
It's easy to regulate the temperature of the offset smoker since all you need to do is move the vents upwards or downwards. However, you will have to keep monitoring the temperature in the offset cabinet smoker from time to time which can be time-consuming.
On the other hand, it isn't easy to control temperatures when using a WSM when smoking for long. The continuous fuel added during prolonged smoking can also be hectic with this smoker.
● Quality
An offset smoker is made from iron or steel, which means that the smoker is very much interested in staying with you for a long time. This also translates to minimal maintenance costs.
WSMs are made from thinner materials when compared to offsets; hence the latter is more durable than the former. Therefore, you need to be careful when using WSMs since they can burn food quickly, especially layered foods like fish.
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● Price
An offset smoker tends to be cheaper when compared to weber smokey mountain cooker since it has fewer accessories or parts. However, some offset smokers, especially those made in America, are more expensive than WSMs.
The prices of these two smokers are sometimes almost the same. Sometimes, the two smokers sell almost at the same prices. This is the point where you wonder which of the two smokers you will buy.
● Maintenance
There is no massive difference in the maintenance of these two charcoal smokers. However, many people find it easier to clean the offsite smoker since the only cleaning method required here is scraping down the smoker once in a while.
On the other hand, WSMs tend to be slightly harder to clean since you bend all the time or use a step ladder.
Stand Out Features
Both smoke cookers are ideal for outdoor cooking. However, if you ask me, I would go with the offset smoker due to its extra ability to provide higher flavored foods.
Best Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Reverse Flow Smoker Reviews
You can use this offset cooker for cooking large or small pieces of food. It is made from high-gauge all-steel materials and comes with porcelain-coated cooking grates and several dumpers for easy smoke and heat control.
Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Reverse Flow Smoker Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
Weber 14 inch Smoker Review
This smoker is made of a stylish mountain-like shape to blend well with any outdoor environment. You get to enjoy slow and low charcoal cooking with this cooker as you do your other daily activities.
Weber 14 inch Smoker Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
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FAQs
1. What's the best smoker to buy?
We recommend either Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Reverse Flow Smoker or Weber 14-inch Smokey Mountain Cooker.
2. Is smoked meat healthy?
Smoked food is healthier than most foods cooked using ordinary methods. This is because you don't use oil or unnecessary spices when smoking.
3. Which is healthier between smoking and grilling?
Smoked food is healthier than grilled one. Direct contact of flames on the charcoal grill exposes the food to harmful chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
4. What are the best foods to smoke?
Whether you are using the offset smoker made in USA or the WMS, the following foods can cook well in either of the smokers: whole chicken, pork ribs, beef brisket, and whole turkey.
Conclusion
Research published by Statista in August 2021 indicated a 22 billion British pounds retail sales turnover of meat (including fresh, smoked, chilled, frozen, canned, and processed) in 2019. This turnover was higher compared to that of the previous years.
What does this mean? The demand for meat has always been steadily increasing. This meat requires healthy cooking procedures to reduce the health challenges of consuming too much meat.