Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker 14 vs Pit Barrel Cooker Badger Barrel 16.5
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Quick take: The Pit Barrel Cooker Badger Barrel 16.5 costs $14 less; the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker 14 offers more cooking space (286 vs 16.5 sq in).
| Spec | Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker 14 | Pit Barrel Cooker Badger Barrel 16.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$289 | ~$275 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Type | Charcoal Smoker | Charcoal Smoker |
| Cooking Area | 286 sq in | 16.5 in grate plus hanging rack |
| Max Temp | — | — |
| Fuel Type | Charcoal | Charcoal |
| Build Material | Porcelain-Enameled Steel | Porcelain-Enameled Steel |
| Hopper Capacity | — | — |
| Burners | — | — |
| WiFi / App | No | No |
| App control | No | No |
| Meat probe | No | No |
| PID controller | No | No |
| Side burner | No | No |
| Rotisserie | No | No |
| Searing | No | No |
| Dimensions | 14.7 x 14.7 x 31.4 in | 16.5 in drum diameter |
| Weight | 23 lbs | — |
| Warranty | 10 years on bowl, lid and center ring; 2 years on remaining parts | 1 year |
Pros & cons
Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker 14
- ✓At 23 lbs and under 15 inches wide it travels — no other true water smoker in the line is trunk-portable
- ✓Porcelain-enameled bowl, lid and center section carry Weber's 10-year no-rust-through warranty, the same coverage as the bigger bullets
- ✓Two stacked racks give 286 sq in in a 14.7-inch footprint, which is more usable meat area than a kettle of the same diameter
- ✓The water pan does the same temperature-buffering job as on the 18 and 22, so 225–250°F is easy to hold without a controller
- ✓Cheapest entry into the WSM design, and Weber parts availability means grates, doors and gaskets are stocked for years
- ✗The small charcoal ring limits unattended burns to roughly 6–8 hours — a packer brisket will need a refuel
- ✗286 sq in fits about two pork butts or two slabs of ribs; a full rack of spares has to be cut to fit
- ✗No built-in thermometer worth trusting and no probe ports — budget for a separate dual-probe thermometer
- ✗The access door is small enough that adding fuel mid-cook is fiddlier than on the 18 or 22
- ✗$289 is close to the 18-inch's $419 street price, so the per-square-inch value is poor if portability is not the reason you are buying
Pit Barrel Cooker Badger Barrel 16.5
- ✓Lid and base dampers give you the temperature control the rest of the Pit Barrel line refuses to offer
- ✓Removing the mid-section turns it into a hibachi — a genuinely useful second mode, not a marketing claim
- ✓Cheapest entry into the hanging-drum method at $275, below both the Junior and the Classic
- ✓Porcelain enamel over steel with spring-coil side handles and a three-leg base, so it moves without a caster kit
- ✓Hangs six racks of ribs in a 16.5-inch footprint, which is more than a same-diameter kettle can hold
- ✗Only three reviews on Pit Barrel's own store, so there is no useful track record on durability yet
- ✗Patent-pending design introduced in 2022 means a much thinner accessory and parts ecosystem than the Classic
- ✗Sits between the Junior and the Classic on capacity without clearly beating either — easy to buy the wrong size
- ✗No thermometer, no probe port, and the vents have no calibration marks
- ✗The hibachi conversion means handling a hot mid-section mid-cook, which needs gloves and somewhere to set it down