Weber Smokey Mountain 18 · problems & reliability report

Weber Smokey Mountain 18 problems: what real owners report

12% of 339 verified Weber Smokey Mountain 18owners don't recommend it — based on real owner comments from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

For balance: 76% recommend it. This page collects the complaints so you know what you're signing up for — read the full owner report for both sides. How we score

Trend
Recent owners are more negative than older ones — the last six months run 62% recommend vs 76% all-time. Whatever the issues are, they aren't going away.

Most common complaints

In owners' own words

“I usually find a slight acrid taste to the food so I'll give this approach a try (assuming cleaner smoke).”
— @ants7075 on YouTube
“Problem with the 18” is its diameter isn’t large enough to accommodate a rack of ribs.”
— @jtlbb2 on YouTube
“The water pan is worthless.”
— @lowdownone on YouTube
“I opened the lid and had black tar seeping off the lid! No way in hell are you getting that off with a wire brush since it’s a thick tar.”
— @greeneyesfromohio4103 on YouTube
“Holy crap the build quality is trash lol.”
— @Luke-x6c on YouTube
“My door is tending to leak a lot of air, and it's making my smokey mountain spike in temp a lot.”
— @AspectGK on YouTube
“I currently use a Weber Smokey Mountain 18" with a blower to control temps, but it's so much work to set up -- and I'm tired of having to trim 8" off my briskets or cut racks of ribs in half so they'll fit.”
— CrustyOldJarhead on Reddit
“It isn’t big enough for me and I rarely ever use it. I wish I had gotten the 22”
— @huckinator on YouTube
“I would buy the 22 rather than buy the 18, and wish I had bought the 22”
— @jeffb5785 on YouTube
“my wsm that I never use anymore is going to be my new fire pit”
— @cjyoung7372 on YouTube
“I'm hearing the 18 is too small for brisket, which is what I want to cook primarily”
— @txmedic9345 on YouTube
“I have been using a Weber Smokey Mountain (18”) for about 15 years now. I have made a lot of tweaks on it over time, new side door, new gaskets, etc and it is still very difficult to regulate temperature.”
— BetterThanBlantons on Reddit

Setup quirks & things to watch for

Not complaints — practical notes from owners that didn't affect the score.

“Weber Smokey mountain 18”. Fireboard 2 for temps. No fan or anything. It’s a new smoker. Needs more buildup to seal it up. I need a door because a lot leaks out the door.”
— Vegetable-Reveal on Reddit
Weighing it up? The full report has the other side — what 76% of owners like about it, who it's for, and every sourced quote. Full Weber Smokey Mountain 18 owner report →