Help picking a new smoker

I been grilling for many years but when it comes to making BBQ I am a novice at best. I'm thinking of getting my first smoker. Can you folks recommend a smoker for someone just starting?

I'm think about those gas or electric water smokers. I cannot spend a ton of money and I prefer to keep it to less than $100. Let me know your thoughts.

Well, the first response to your question is going to be a smoker that goes for $179. It is the Weber Smokey Mountain. It is an excellent and very forgiving smoker. Don't get wrong but if you want to learn how to make que, it needs to be done with wood and/or charcoal. Check out the following website:

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com

John

You can also find some archived smoker selection threads at http://www.barbecuebible.com. Good luck!

Brad

RibDog,

Thanks for the info. Going to take a look tomorrow at a couple of stores near by. I am curious, why wood or charcoal? Doesn't electric water smokers also use wood to create the smoke? I thought the heats source was the electric element and so you get the convienance of not having to keep filling and cleaning charcoal and ash. Any insight is appreciated and will help me make the purchasing decision.

quote:

Originally posted by hjbyun

RibDog,

Thanks for the info. Going to take a look tomorrow at a couple of stores near by. I am curious, why wood or charcoal? Doesn't electric water smokers also use wood to create the smoke? I thought the heats source was the electric element and so you get the convienance of not having to keep filling and cleaning charcoal and ash. Any insight is appreciated and will help me make the purchasing decision.

I understand what you are saying. But you have to be very careful how much wood you use in an electric smoker as it is very easy to have too much smoke. I feel you learn more about the process of making bbq with a charcoal and/or wood setup. Once you learn more about it, you can move on to other areas of smoking.

If you are intent on using an electric smoker, there is only one I would recommend and it is the Smokette 009 by Cookshack. Unfortunately for you, the smoker runs about $400+. But it is a quality unit that will be with you for a very long time. Check it out at www.cookshackamerica.com. I will also say that CS has one of the if not the best customer service departments for smokers. While you are at the website, check out their forum for owners.

John

Bought a weber smokey mountain last year. I love it, great results and easy to use as it holds temps extremly well.

As a side note The Food Network re-ran the Jack Danials Cue cook off on Friday, In order to qualify you had to be a State champion. Out of 50 the ladies from Seattle finished first in Pork Shoulder and 7th overall. They used Weber Somkey mountians exclusivly. They were up against a lot of teams that had custom rigs costing several thousand dollars.

Tommy,

I was there at that JD contest working as a volunteer. That was Mad Momma and the Kids you are talking about I believe. Very nice people.

John

hjby,
http://www.chargriller.com/shop/grills/smokin-pro.html

A little more than $100, but I don't thiink you'll get anything that's really usable for much less.
As was said, you need to learn how to use wood.
Also, buy a digital temp probe that you can stick into the smoker and check heat in various places.

You may be interested in the BRINKMANN 810-5301-C SMOKE 'N GRILL DOUBLE GRILL. At $59 or so it comes in under budget. You can also use it as a double or single layered grill. It has large capacity and can smoke up to 50 lbs of meat at a time. This is really handy when you want to smoke an entire turkey for Thanksgiving or any other occasion.

I would advise on the charcoal model although an electric model is available. After 20 years my older model has finally died and I am also in the market for a new smoker. I will probably stick with Brinkmann.

I have the Brinkman mentioned above and it works well for me. I would definately recommend it for a cheaper smoker.

Yea, I used one similar to the Brinkman for a number of years. Not a bad smoker for the money. Didn't do bbq all that well though. Very good for turkeys, fish, but never could get really good ribs or other red meat from it.

I'll have to agree with Ribdog. For the money the Smokey Mountain can't be beat. Once you learn where to set your vents for desired temp, you can load it and go 10+ hours without touching it.

For less ash, use lump.

I have used the "Brinkman" for a while now, going on five or six years, and I've had mixed results - there is a definite learning curve! The biggest problem with this smoker is trying to maintain a decent smoking temperature. The shape of the bowl which holds the charcoal is not conducive to good combustion. I finally solved the problem by using two heavy duty aluminum foil bowls stacked together, and with a few holes punched in the bottom to provide oxygen at the bottom of the fire pile. Once I switched to this briquette holder, my results improved immediately. I now get damn good brisket and ribs out of this little unit. And I'll toss in my agreement with the folks who warned about using too much wood - we all do that our first few times smoking, and it's not a pleasant taste. Plus, wood can raise the temp. of the smoker and affect the cook times.
Happy smoking!

quote:

Originally posted by Greyghost

You may be interested in the BRINKMANN 810-5301-C SMOKE 'N GRILL DOUBLE GRILL. At $59 or so it comes in under budget. You can also use it as a double or single layered grill. It has large capacity and can smoke up to 50 lbs of meat at a time. This is really handy when you want to smoke an entire turkey for Thanksgiving or any other occasion.

I would advise on the charcoal model although an electric model is available. After 20 years my older model has finally died and I am also in the market for a new smoker. I will probably stick with Brinkmann.

Can you get good temp control with the Brinkman?

How long can it run in the 200F range without adding more fuel?

On Good Eats the other night Alton made an electric smoker out of a hot plate and a couple of ceramic flower pots, The MacGuyver factor makes for an interesting project that I just might have to try.

Paul

Anything will work, as long as you can hold a good temp.
In culinary school, we didn't have smokers yet, so we used an old broken proof box with bucket and an electric charcoal lighter.
Cold smoke too, we just moved the bucket.
Whatever's easier, as long as you can afford it.

Alton made a point that the smoker rig he made cost around $45. My local (Ace) hardware store has the Brinkman for $39.95. I may just have to invest in one of these. It may be worth it if only for the stories I can tell.

Smoker update time gang: Pulled the brinkman out of storage on Memorial weekend. Spent some time Sunday cleaning the grills, generally checking the thing out. Monday, got a good charcoal fire going, and put on a batch of ribs around 1 pm. Tossed some brats on around 4:15 or so, and by about 6:15 we had AMAZING ribs and brats! Used my normal dry rub on the ribs, then the last 45 minutes or so, mopped 'em liberally with Stubbs sauce - they fell off the bone and were really tasty! And the brads, sliced 'em open and had that nice smoke ring inside, nice hickory taste, juicy and great.
Best $40 I ever spent!