Weber Smokey Mountainvs Pit Barrel Cooker

These cookers ask different things of the person holding the tongs. The Weber Smokey Mountain lets you steer the fire. The Pit Barrel asks you to learn its lighting routine, hang the meat and accept the temperature it settles into. Both approaches work. The choice is how much control you want once dinner is underway.

The pairing here is the 18-inch Weber, model 721001, against the 18.5-inch Pit Barrel Premier. Weber still sells the familiar WSM; Pit Barrel’s current package adds equipment that older comparisons price separately. Their direct prices, checked October 3, 2026, are $419 and $459.99 respectively. Weber’s listing and Pit Barrel’s Premier listing are the pricing references here.

Temperature control: Weber

The WSM suits the cook who wants to follow a recipe at 225°F and make deliberate adjustments. Three lower vents regulate the fire, while the water pan helps buffer temperature changes. Weber’s own smoking method targets roughly 200–250°F and explains why a probe beside the food is more useful than the lid dial: temperatures differ between the two grates and the dome. Weber’s setup guide.

Pit Barrel’s support guidance describes 275–310°F as its expected cooking range. That is useful for getting dinner done sooner, but less convenient if you want to reproduce a recipe written around a lower temperature. It is a design preference, not a thermostat setting. Pit Barrel’s support guidance.

Weber has its own irritation. In an actual cooking test, AmazingRibs found the fuel door leaked air and needed bending for a better fit. The same review found steady cooking temperatures once set up. That combination explains the WSM’s appeal and its most obvious rough edge: useful control with a door that may need attention. AmazingRibs’ 18-inch WSM test.

Ease of use: Pit Barrel

Set the intake for your elevation and follow the lighting instructions. That is the PBC’s basic bargain. There is no water pan to refill during a cook or empty afterward. The learning is concentrated at the start, rather than in repeated decisions about vent positions. Its setup instructions make the elevation adjustment part of the process.

That does not mean the new handle or shield has passed an independent comparison. AmazingRibs’ experience is with the earlier 18.5-inch cooker: its testers found the routine straightforward and the ribs evenly cooked. That supports the shared cooking method, while the Premier upgrades remain manufacturer-described improvements. AmazingRibs’ Pit Barrel test.

Rib capacity: Pit Barrel

8 racks AmazingRibs reports cooking eight racks of ribs together on the 18.5-inch Pit Barrel. That is a more useful capacity measure for a rib party than flat grate area. Their cooking notes.

The Weber’s 481 square inches are spread across two levels. That works well for food that needs to sit flat, but it does not make either grate wider. Long rib slabs may need cutting or arranging upright; AmazingRibs flags their fit as a limitation of this specific 18-inch model. The WSM review.

The barrel uses vertical space instead. Hanging is especially useful when ribs dominate the menu, although extra-long slabs still need clearance above the coals. There is also a handling tradeoff: very tender meat can pull free of a hook. AmazingRibs discusses securing it carefully or moving it to the grate as it softens. That is a reason to learn the technique, not a reason to pretend hanging space is unusable. Pit Barrel technique notes.

Warranty & repair: Weber

That is a substantial difference for equipment expected to live through years of backyard use. It does not prove that one barrel lasts ten times longer. It tells you how long each company promises to cover the specified body failure.

Weber also publishes a parts diagram for this exact model, with replacement grates, water pan, door, grommet and other components identified. A damaged or worn part has a clear replacement route. The combination of documented repair parts and longer coverage wins this round.

Price & value: Weber

At the checked prices, Weber is $40.99 less, with a cover included. The Premier’s supplied equipment list omits a cover. Both need fuel and a separate digital food thermometer budget; Weber’s lid dial does not measure the meat. Weber, Pit Barrel.

The difference is small enough that the wrong cooking method is the more expensive mistake. For regular rib parties, spending another $41 to hang more food makes sense. For mixed family cooking, Weber’s lower price and two flat cooking levels are the stronger starting point. Older bargain prices for a different PBC bundle should not decide a Premier purchase.

Where they’re genuinely the same

Both can produce excellent charcoal barbecue without electricity. Flavor does not earn a universal winner here: the PBC lets juices hit the fire, while the WSM’s water pan separates the food from the coals. AmazingRibs describes the barrel’s drippings-driven flavor as distinctive; whether you prefer it is personal. Their PBC cooking test.

Neither offers electronic temperature control. If that is the feature you actually want, the Traeger Woodridge vs Pit Boss Navigator 850 duel is the relevant next comparison. For a charcoal cooker that also handles high-heat grilling, see Kamado Joe vs Big Green Egg.

The verdict

Buy the Weber Smokey Mountain 18 for an adaptable backyard smoker. It wins 3–2: more deliberate temperature control, longer body coverage and a lower current price outweigh its awkward rib fit and imperfect door.

Buy the Pit Barrel Premier instead if ribs and chicken for a group are your usual menu, and a repeatable lighting routine appeals more than choosing a precise cooking temperature. Its two wins are exactly the ones that matter for that job: simplicity and hanging capacity.