Question for those od you with smokers

[size=3 font="ms sans serif"]My husband has been talking about getting me a smoker. I have done some research but would love some input from everyone here. Electric, non electric, charcoal, wood? I would love to hear everyones opinions. Thanks!

I burn charcoal and wood because of the sense of tradition and the flavor of the food, but certainly others have had success with gas and electric smokers.

I used to have a Char-Broil Silver Smoker, a horizontal offset model similar to a Char-Griller.  It worked fine but it didn't take long to realize that it used a lot of fuel and that I really didn't need all that cooking space.  I've since switched to a Weber Smokey Mountain and it's a much better fit for what I do.

Brad

Hands down if you want to turn out the best bbq you'll ever have is the charcoal fired Weber Smokey Mountain. American made Weber quality, relatively inexpensive and easy to learn.
For a plethora of info go to http://virtualweberbullet.com/ and check out the bbq forums (which I am a long term member of, JoeC, over there)

ab

The WSM is an excellent smoker.  This is the smoker that I learned to que on.  I've since gone on to bigger smokers but can always depend on the WSM.

But make sure you determine how many people you want to cook for and such as this will dictate whether you get the 18 1/2" model or the larger one.  Keep in mind, once you learn to que, all your neighbors and friends will be at your door!

John

Thanks for the input! I'll let everyone know what I finally get.

If you want to spend the money, Southern Pride sells a home model smoker, Southern Pride is thr Rolls Royce of smokers, IMHO!

I have a 60" Klose (www.bbqpits.com) that i had slightly customized via the addition of a second flue that draws from the bottom.  They're not cheap, but very well made and are fairly popular on the competitive barbecue circuit.  How much capacity are you looking for? 

I bought the chargriller offset smoker at Lowes, it is a fuel HOG!!! but it gets the job done and I like using the fire box for grilling.

Believe it or not...I've used a Little Chief smoker for years for jerky, turkey and fish. I love it and it doesn't use a lot of fuel (wood chips) to get the job done. There are many that are better but this one continues to work very well for me...

I bought an offset smoker from Walmart, it's not the best quality but I just wanted to try out an offset smoker.  It works great.  I've done smoked Chicken,  real BBQ Brisket (Texas style) made my own Pastrami (from a brisket), BBQ Chicken, smoked fish etc.  I don't use it to grill as I have a gas grill for that. 

I know people love the Weber Smokey Mountain but I personally have never had any luck with a verticle smoker I could not keep the temperature low enough to do a brisket.  I recommend the offset style.  Now I know I like this kind I'm looking for a better quality one.

darryls


Believe it or not...I've used a Little Chief smoker for years for jerky, turkey and fish. I love it and it doesn't use a lot of fuel (wood chips) to get the job done. There are many that are better but this one continues to work very well for me...

 i have a top-loader big chief that i've also used for years and as long as you're not doing thick cuts it works really well for being an electric smoker. you still can do thick roasts in it, but you need to finish them in an oven or on a higher-temperature grill after the smoking process.

I use one of these... http://www.lyfetyme.com/pits.html the double lid model, HEAVY, and a little pricey....but it will last forever.

Depends how much spare time and beer you have to babysit a smoker. I too never had much luck with the cheaper verticals like the green Brinkmann, but did have great success with a heavy-duty Brinkman offset that we later converted the firebox to use a propane burner. When we moved to Fl into a small house in the city, there was no reason to bring the old horse down and left it. We bought a stainless Smokin Tex which is a knockoff of the Cookshack and a Brinkman Fire King (old version that's the same as the old offfset firebox's on legs) for finishing. Both are small enough and suit us well. The 'Tex is electric and does a fair job, but no way comes close to the wonderful Q that we used to make on the offset. It's nice to load it up, insert the radio controlled probe and forget about it. Don't even bother to baste with apple juice anymore as these have a tendency to keep in the moisture. Offset is the best if you have the time. Lots of people swear by the WSM and get great results after  a learning curve.

Hands down the best value in quality and consistency for the money is the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM).  I have the newer 22" model, but the 18" will work for most casual backyarders...easily found for $200 or less these days.

agnesrob:

Since you don't mention a budget - here's the one I have used for years with incredible results:  http://www.smokintex.com .  The best thing about it is, when used with a Polder type thermometer, it is almost a set it and forget it type of situation.  It will produce great smoked results...

mr_melvis

I started years ago with a cheap Brinkman (not bad, mainly just perfected my rubs and sauces), moved on to a Weber Smokey Mountain (it was pretty darn good), spent a fortune on a Gator Pit (great) and finally sold the Gator Pit and bought a Big Drum Smoker (www.bigdrumsmokers.com).  Hands-down, the Big Drum is the best I've used.  It produces better flavor in less time with less work than the others.

Just took a look at the BDS. The link above doesn't work as it's embedded as a sublink of this board. Seems like a variation on the trash can smokers. My Dad's boss used to use those for his cookouts and they made very good Q. The Smokin Tex we have doesn't exactly measure up to what I would consider a good smoker, It's more like a holding oven that has an inital burst of smoke that's gradually released. Use more then a few ounces of wood and the meat gets a bitter taste. You don't develop a smoke ring nor a very penetrating flavor. It's adequate though and similar to institutional/foodservice type smokers and very convenient to use. It also is great in areas that you might have covenant or fire code restrictions as it's a registered appliance that doesn't use an open flame. Harbor Freight had a very well made Chinese knockoff of this Chinese knockoff in powdercoated steel with a much better locking mechanism for nearly half the price. For us it works great and we have it on a cart tucked in our tiny garage. We finish over coals after the meat rests. If you have the time and lazy weekend afternoons, you can do much better then this type of smoker.

I use the CharGrill offset smoker. I like it a lot. I used to use charcoal, then charcoal with wood chips on top- and recently have been using hardwood.

I found that the offset firebox is a little small to load up with hardwood, and I burned most of the paint off burning the fires down.

Still trying to figure it out. I really like the idea of using cured hardwood, so next try will be to cut smaller pieces.

My Amerique from Cookshack is very simple. Little bit costly but the end result is what is what counts. Did 200 lbs for a charity golf tourney last weekend. No hungry golfers to be seen. 

I had a Cookshack and lost it when I loaned it to my brother.  Simple as can be.  Put a couple chunks of wood in the bottom box, cover, set your temp and walk away.

Mine I think was called the Smokette.  It was the small model.

Now I have a WSM and love the process.  The food ain't bad either.