There's no competition, but I do think that the WSM is not all that it could be.
This is a quote from the "return of red" thread and I'd like to explore it further but it seemed off topic in the other thread.
I look at it as "what can you/have you done do to improve your WSM. The flip side, I suppose, is what deficit does your WSM have that you have not figured out a way to overcome. I'm mostly interested in cooking improvements. Casters are nice if you want to roll it around and building it into a nice cart like the Performer is very cool, but neither contribute to the cook.
I'll make no secret that I think it's a pretty darn good smoker but it would be foolish to assert that there is not room for improvement.
I'll start.
When I first got my 18.5 WSM, I had difficulty controlling temperature. It would roll right along at 250°F with all bottom vents closed. I felt that it was drawing in too much air around the bottom section seal so I ran a bead of high temperature silicone along the bottom edge of the mid section. That solved the problem for me. (I learned later that this issue tends to correct itself after several cooks and some smoke buildup.)
The next update was to install some ordinary brass grommets for thermometer probes. (Note, one is enough for most applications
) I know some guys like to buy the expensive ones, but I'm happy with these which probaly cost me less for the pack and can do all of my and my friend's cookers. (Note to self, bring to meet up in June.)
This last one is more an accessory rather than a modification. I made some racks to hang ribs and other meat from after hearing (on BBQ-Brethren) how great the Pit Barrel Cooker was.
The ribs did come out good and I'll give this another try the next time I make ribs. Maybe I'll suspend a chicken above the fire one day as well.