What the two sizes share
Because the 14 and 18 are the same design scaled up and down, most of what people love about the Weber Smokey Mountain applies equally to both. Both are charcoal smokers built around a charcoal ring at the bottom, a water pan in the middle to buffer the heat, and cooking grates above. Both run low and slow in the same 225 to 300°F range that defines barbecue, and both are famous for how easily they hold a steady temperature once the vents are set — which is exactly why the Smokey Mountain is so often recommended as a first charcoal smoker. Whichever size you buy, you’re getting the same cooking experience and the same flavor; the only thing that changes is scale.
Capacity: how much each one holds
This is the decision. The 18-inch has meaningfully more grate space across its two racks, which changes what you can realistically cook:
- 18-inch: fits a whole packer brisket laid flat, multiple pork butts, a turkey, or several racks of ribs — enough to feed a crowd in one cook. It’s the size to get if you ever want to smoke large cuts or cook for a group.
- 14-inch: ideal for one or two people and small cooks — a couple of racks of ribs, a chicken or two, a small pork butt. A full rack of ribs won’t lie flat, so you either roll it or stand it up in a rib rack, which works fine but is one extra step.
A good rule: buy for the biggest cook you genuinely expect to do, not the average one. It’s easy to smoke a small amount of food in a big smoker, but you can’t fit a whole brisket in a small one. If brisket or big batches of ribs are on your list, that alone points to the 18.
Fuel efficiency
The 14-inch is the more economical smoker to run. Its smaller firebox holds less charcoal and heats a smaller space, so it sips fuel and comes up to temperature quickly — genuinely handy for shorter cooks and for anyone smoking often for just a couple of people. The 18-inch naturally burns more charcoal because there’s more smoker to heat, but it’s still an efficient design and the difference is modest for what you gain in capacity. If you want to plan your coals for either size, our guide to how much charcoal to use walks through it.
Portability and storage
The 14-inch is noticeably smaller, lighter, and easier to move and store — which is a real advantage on a small patio, a balcony, or anywhere you have to tuck the smoker away between cooks or carry it out to use it. The 18-inch has a larger footprint and weighs more; it’s still a manageable size for a bullet smoker, but it wants a bit more dedicated space. If storage is the thing standing between you and your first smoker, the 14 removes that objection.
A note on the bigger 22-inch
Weber does make an even larger 22-inch version of the Smokey Mountain, aimed at people cooking for big crowds or competing. For a beginner, though, it’s more smoker than you need, and it burns through more fuel to keep that extra space hot. The 14 and 18 are the two sensible beginner sizes — the 18 for most people, the 14 for small households and tight spaces — so we’d steer a first-timer to one of those two.
Which should you buy?
Default to the 18-inch. For most households it’s the more flexible choice: it handles everything the 14 can plus the big cuts and crowd-sized batches, it barely costs more to run, and you’ll never wish you had bought smaller on the day you want to smoke a brisket. Choose the 14-inch when you know your cooks will stay small — one or two people, a compact space, easier storage, and the lowest fuel use. Either way you’re getting the same beloved smoker; you’re just picking the size that fits your life. New to charcoal entirely? See where the Smokey Mountain lands among our best smokers for beginners.
