Smokers, Which one?

So i've been looking at smokers for a couple years now, picked up a Brinkman from Costco, another from Canadian Tire and both were returned based on their build quality.

I have had Zero luck locally on used sites, garage sales, word or mouth and it's time to demand my wife allow me to buy a smoker....or at least beg for one

my bbq is NG, so i don't want to get into propane again, i have a Weber Bar-B-Kettle 22-1/2" charcoal, so am familiar with the charcoal cooking and starting etc.

my big question is....is i buy a Weber Smokey Mountain (my 1st choice), is the 18" going to be big enough to do a few slabs of ribs or large pork (for pulled pork) or turkey (which i've done on my 22-1/2" kettle). we are a family of 4 (myself, wife, 2 young boys).

the kettle is ok for smoking, but it takes a fair bit of monitoring and i wouldn't mind a dedicated smoker for the couple times a year i want to use it. from what i've read and heard, these things last a lifetime or near that and if i'm going to get one, i don't want to have to upgrade again in 3-4y.

best price i've seen up here in canada on the 18-1/2" WSM is $339+shipping from HD.ca. not sure if it qualifies for the 20% off BBQ sales, but i'd try for it.

thoughts?

I don't have much smoking experience, but before I purchased my BGE I did a lot of reading on them. The one piece of advice I read again and again was to buy the biggest bbq you can afford.

Good luck with the smoker and convincing your wife.

The 18" WSM is plenty big enough for what you want. For the money if there is a better smoker point me to it, I haven't seen one yet.

Using the "Minion Method" the WSM is about as easy to use as they come.

Oh, I forgot. About the only smoker for the money that CAN rival the Weber is an Ugly Drum Smoker. If you have access to a 55 gallon drum it cost very little to build and is a great running smoker.

I would have to agree with Wid, in the sub 1000.00 category the WSM or a home made ugly drum smoker is your best bet.

The UDS can be made with a drill bit and a few bucks in parts.

Here is a link to the mother of all UDS threads on The BBQ Brethren

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23436

I love my Weber kettle and smoke stuff in it all the time - use a temp gauge that sticks through the vent hole on the lid - its ghetto, but it works.

In terms of ease of use, I'm not sure that this will be easier/less fiddly than the kettle, but I'm sure it will work well and the minion method is the way to go for anything that takes more than a couple of hours.

I use a smokenator 1000...but there is a learning curve to be sure.

Get a Chargriller offset.

http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/offset_smokers.html

Suzuki said:

I love my Weber kettle and smoke stuff in it all the time - use a temp gauge that sticks through the vent hole on the lid - its ghetto, but it works.

In terms of ease of use, I'm not sure that this will be easier/less fiddly than the kettle, but I'm sure it will work well and the minion method is the way to go for anything that takes more than a couple of hours.

Click to expand...

I have the exact same 'ghetto' setup and it works like a dream; just smoked some sausages the other day.

I've got a CG Smokin Pro and I like it a lot. I think for a direct grill, it is about as perfect as you can get for the price. As a smoker, it has its downsides. It goes through fuel faster than an upright and isn't sealed very well. Both of these factors make it difficult to maintain temps in cooler weather and require a more watchful eye on long smokes. I did a 24hr smoke in the cold once, and then watched a video on youtube of a guy doing the same smoke on a WSM and had half the hastle as I did. It also takes up more space. If you want something you can pull double duty with, get a CG. If you want a dedicated smoker, get a WSM.

Making a smoker is much easier than most people think. I've had some great meals from a cardboard box with a portable stove heater and a small cast iron pan. Directions here.

I have both the 18.5 and the 22.5 WSM's and like both, but if you can get the bigger one it's worth it. You can cram a lot on the 18.5 but it's so much easier on the 22.5.

ok, i was putting off my 1000 post for something like a PIF or Thanks B&B, but i can't resist posting any longer. so as much as i'd love a smoker, i still can't justify the $300-400 investment right now, with all the advise and suggsetions on here.

i think i'll keep smoking on the 22-1/2" kettle using the minion method and see how that goes. i actually have a couple extra kettle tops/bottoms from webber (thru a warranty claim and mixup etc), so all i need to do is buy a grate for them and perhaps make a stand for it, similar to the BGE stands, buy some fireproof sheathing (that metal stuff) and make a table for it and i can have a kettle for BBQing and a kettle for smoking.

alrady got myself a Tel-Tru BQ-300 off ebay a few years back for about $10+shipping so i'm almost ready for the DIY project or trial of this thing and put it to use.

thanks for all the tips, suggestions and comments on this thread and all my shaving questions and posts over the past 5mos and my 1000posts.

much appreciated...

ps, i don't mind the new look of the forum. things change for a reason, better or worse, we deal with it and move on. bottom line, the users are still behind the keyboards and that's what makes B&B so great, not the color of the screen or them or style choice of the skins.

was just at a bbq, where they smoked some pork uising a $40 walmart special.. food was great, the smoker itself looked miserable, the finish was bubbling/rusting, the legs made it look like it was about to fall over... other than that it was excellent!

Love my Weber Smokey Mountain, just fired it up Sunday.

I would recommend it to anyone. I've had mine for several years now and no complaints. I've beat it up a little bit but it still runs good as new.

Check out www.virtualweberbullet.com

Lucius said:

Love my Weber Smokey Mountain, just fired it up Sunday.

I would recommend it to anyone. I've had mine for several years now and no complaints. I've beat it up a little bit but it still runs good as new.

Check out www.virtualweberbullet.com

Click to expand...

I have a Weber WSM and love it as well. Stupid easy to use and a third the cost of a BGE.

Has anybody tried the Napoleon 3 in 1? To me it looks much like a WSM . . . I'm tempted as my gas grill is a Napoleon and I've really enjoyed the Napoleon quality.

Must make for good tasting food!

I have a chargriller pro - super happy with it, but planning on getting a Portable Kitchen (easily holds two racks) for those smaller portions.

I'm planning on building the UDS out of a 55 gallon oil drum and some grates and nuts and bolts. After you burn out the drum, just put the parts together and presto. $20 smoker.

You'll do very well with a WSM. You can stick with it or expand from there.

Tom