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Smoker, what to buy?

Started by nas, July 23, 2010, 11:28:27 AM

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nas

I want to buy a charcoal smoker and have never used one.  If I look around I see ones that look like extended kettle bbqs, and ones with offset fireboxes, and a few other shapes and sizes.  I don't know what is better or if there are different uses for different kinds.  I don't want to spend a pile of money either until I find if I actually use it much.  What are your recommendations.
Thanks
Nick
Better to sit in silence and have everyone think me a fool, than to open my mouth and remove all doubt - Napoleon.

Indecision is the key to flexibility.
2002 WM LT40HDG25
stihl 066
Husky 365
1 wife
6 Kids

Raider Bill

If you don't want to pay the big bucks for a cook shack smoker which is the very best IMO get a off set of some kind.
They are very forgiving and easy to run.
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

Norm

If you are handy with tools and a welder I'd recommend an UDS which is an acronym for ugly drum smoker. They can  be made for very little money and if properly designed work as well as very expensive smokers.

If you just want to buy one my recommendation would be the weber smoky mountain cooker.

I am not a fan of offsets but many folks love them and turn out great Q with them.

If money is no object than the big green egg cannot be beat for an all around smoker and grill.

After you get used to them you'll never turn back but be forewarned they are addictive to use. I shovel snow to get to mine in the dead of winter for a Q fix.  :D

DanG

Whatever you get, you'll have a learning process to go through, and you will learn the technique that fits what you bought. ;)

I use a wagon style grill from WM, $138 list,$100 on sale at end of season.  It is about 42"x18" cooking surface.  For smoking, I start regular briquets in a Charcoal Chimney and pile them in one end and put the meat on the other end.  I have Oak, Cherry, and Pecan all over the place, so I can usually just pick up a couple of sticks off the ground to provide the smoke.  Cheap, quick, and easy are my watchwords.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

Raider Bill

Norm,
Why don't you like off sets?
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

gary

I like the brinkman smokers. I smoke jerky, fish, ham,turkey and goose in it. I also use it for a grill to cook chicken and turkey or anything else to large to fit in my small grill. I have had mine for about 25 years sat outside uncovered the whole time. In fact I liked my first one so much I now have 3 of them.

Norm

Bill it is personal preference more than anything. Like I said folks like them and get good Q from them but I don't like a cooker that has the heat source on one side. I have one and it sits unused because of the uneven cooking heat from it. One side is always cold and the other hot but again it all comes down to how good of a cook you are with one. I think they take too much baby sitting and there are just better designs out there.

WH_Conley

I had an offset one time that had the hot/cold problem. Fabed up a water pan, problem solved, cooked even.
Bill

scgargoyle

I had a Brinkman, and could never get a decent meal out of it. For something like pork shoulder, which takes 10 hours or so, the Brinkman would keep you busy, that's for sure. I built a UDS (out of a stainless steel drum, no less!) and it is amazing. After a 10 hour smoke at 225 degrees, roughly half the charcoal will be left, which I save for the next meal. I don't fiddle with it at all- start it, put the meat on, take the meat off, and shut it down. What I've learned, after exhaustive (but tasty) research, is that controlling the air flow is the key to steady smoking. It takes only a minute amount of air to keep a charcoal fire smoldering for hours. At 225, my UDS has one 3/4" diameter intake open- for a 55 gallon drum! The Weber Smoky Mountain is a fair approximation of a UDS, although it doesn't have the industrial appeal of a 55 gallon drum belching smoke in your back yard! A vertical smoker like the Weber or the UDS does produce a different flavor, depending on how you use it. The fat dripping on the coals creates a taste that some folks love, and some folks hate. Using a drip pan eliminates that from the equation. Check out the BBQ Brethren for more info on smoking than you ever though possible! PM me if you want to see pics of my UDS; I'm too technically challenged to post pics here!
I hope my ship comes in before the dock rots!

Larry

I had a Weber Smokey Mountain at one time and it was a great cooker.  Just couldn't put a lot on it.

Right now I have an off set that I'm still learning how to use.  A water pan helped with the un-even heat.  The thermometer is in the wrong spot for an accurate read.  The biggest problem is the short run time.  It takes two complete loaded Weber chimneys to fire it long nuff to smoke ribs the way we like.  Winter time is even worse.  No way can I do a Boston Butt without a reload, which adds another set of problems.  Norm said they take too much baby sitting which was right when I first got the offset, but I have got a lot better with practice..  My smoking wood is normally pecan and I cut it in two inch square blocks 6" long which takes some of the guess work out.    If you like to tinker they can be made to work as we see winners in the Bikes, Blues, & BBQ contest every year.  I got plans and pictures from a guy, but it is going to take quite a bit of fabrication...not for sure if it is worth the time.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

Ironwood

I am building one for a friend out of 24" 3/8 thick tube 5' long. I would love to see a real plan. Anyone care to share? Even a picture would help.

Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

nas

I think it will be the UDS for me.  I will try to keep you updated on my progress.
Better to sit in silence and have everyone think me a fool, than to open my mouth and remove all doubt - Napoleon.

Indecision is the key to flexibility.
2002 WM LT40HDG25
stihl 066
Husky 365
1 wife
6 Kids

DanG

Probably a good decision.  Here was my UDS, before it rusted out too bad to use. 



The stick was under the lid to give the fire enough air to get started.  I used an old harrow disk to build the fire on but that end rusted out anyway so I just started putting the meat on that end and move the disk to the other end.  I didn't have to prop the lid open anymore, then. :D :D

Here's what was going on under the lid. ;D

"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

Norm

Nas here's a link to all you will ever need to know and more about how to build one.

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

Ironwood

WOW Great site , thanks It'll take HOURS to sift thru all the valuable info there.

Thanks Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

nas

Thanks Norm I already found that site, it's great!!  I have a few drums around from my maple syrup operation and a lot of other stuff so I'm sure I can rig something up 8)

Nick
Better to sit in silence and have everyone think me a fool, than to open my mouth and remove all doubt - Napoleon.

Indecision is the key to flexibility.
2002 WM LT40HDG25
stihl 066
Husky 365
1 wife
6 Kids

woodsteach

I built a UDS from norm's and scargoyle links to the bbq site after hours...days of reading. That thing works like a charm I'd have to think long and hard about paying for a smoker instead of building a UDS

woodsteach
Brand X Swing Mill, JD 317 Skidloader, MS460 & 290, the best family a guy could ever dream of...all provided by God up above.  (with help from our banker ; ) )

nas

BBQ Brethren is a good site but it sure makes you appreciate this forums picture rules.  Half of the pictures from older posts are missing ::)
Good thinking Jeff 8)

Nick
Better to sit in silence and have everyone think me a fool, than to open my mouth and remove all doubt - Napoleon.

Indecision is the key to flexibility.
2002 WM LT40HDG25
stihl 066
Husky 365
1 wife
6 Kids

Norm

I can't tell you how many sites I go to that is the case. Just one of the many reasons the FF is top notch!

woodsteach

Quote from: nas on July 26, 2010, 06:57:19 AM
BBQ Brethren is a good site but it sure makes you appreciate this forums picture rules.  Half of the pictures from older posts are missing ::)
Good thinking Jeff 8)

Nick

Very very true!  It is so annoying "see this great thing that I built"  and there is no DanG picture to see.

FF is the best!

Brand X Swing Mill, JD 317 Skidloader, MS460 & 290, the best family a guy could ever dream of...all provided by God up above.  (with help from our banker ; ) )

sandhills

One design I saw (and used once) that worked very good is a smoker built from a, I'm guessing 150 gallon fuel tank off a semi tractor. My neighbors built it and it has a offset fire box but they also added an oven heating element in the tank which kept the heat very even from one end to the other. We cooked all four quarters of a 350 pound sow on it at one time.  Yes I said sow but after 12 hours cooking it was still the best pork I ever ate and fell right off the bone when we pulled it, and we also rubbed it with the owners secret dry rub before cooking (really nead to get that recipe outta him :D)

bd354


  According to what I've read about offset smokers the thicker the steel the better the heat retention meaning less fuel. I've emailed a coupla guys who build them professionally and this is what they told me. Some even insulate the firebox. Never had the money for the thicker steel myself though a friend did give me some 3/8 plate so I'm gonna try it when I get time ;D. The homemade smoker I built is an old 150 gal water expansion tank from a boiler. I made it upright like the drum smokers because at the time I didn't have any plate for a firebox. One day I'll make an offset out of it.

  One way to eliminate the hot spots in an offset is some sheetmetal( not galv!)between the meat racks and the tank bottom. Doesn't have to be the full length of the tank. You can even holesaw a few holes in them to better scatter the heat. Most of the ones I saw only went about half the length of the tank. Leave them loose so they can be moved around. For extra money these guys would "tune" the smoker using some cheap oven thermometers set around in various places. These are not my ideas but from someone who should know. Makes sense to me.

D Hagens

Quote from: Ironwood on July 24, 2010, 08:20:11 PM
I am building one for a friend out of 24" 3/8 thick tube 5' long. I would love to see a real plan. Anyone care to share? Even a picture would help.

Ironwood

Hey Ironwood, did ya ever get this built? Would like to see the finished project. :)

Stan snider

And I would like to know how much the lid weighs!  A 20 inch X .250 wall made a plenty heavy lid on mine. I put a counterbalance on the lid and it's still heavy! Stan

texbob

I bought a upright smoker with a offset fire box. The reason I got that was so I could hang sausage to smoke. Makes great brisket and pork butts. It does take a lot of baby sitting though.

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