the Weber Smokey Mountain is good but the Egg is the cadillac of vertical backyard smokers b/c of it's insulation ability and air flow design. there's a reason it costs 5x what the weber does.
Is it difficult to use vs the WSM? Is it a true smoker, or more of a pressure cooking hybrid or something? I haven't done my homework on the Egg and suspect that I am under appreciating it's value...what made you get yours?
not difficult to use either the WSM or the Egg, but the Egg is easier of the two. the WSM is made of the same steel most webers kettles are and is a smoker just like the Egg. the big difference is that the Egg is made of ~1 inch thick ceramic and is very efficient since such little heat escapes except from the smoke vents. you can load it with lump charcoal and smoke for 12+ hrs without any need to load more fuel in, very efficient. i usually have half of the lump left over from my previous smoke. as Pike said, heat control, because of the efficiency of the design, is very simple on the egg. you get it to your desired temp (for me b/w 225-250) and leave it. most smokers require some attention, whether for reloading of fuel or temp adjustment.
i was planning on a WSM until a friend offered me his brand new large size egg for great price. his wife bought him one but he preferred a different brand of smoker so he sold me the egg.
i'll fire it up any time you want to come down, you can check it out.
