We had a really nice BBQ joint that I used to eat at quite a bit but they closed down over a year ago and I’ve finally decided that if I want quality smoked cows and pigs then my best bet is to make it myself. Consequently, I’ve been looking to buy a meat smoker for some time now but I’m overwhelmed by the options and features. Any guidance the Doper community could offer would be appreciated.
My needs and priorities are as follows:
Size - I don’t need a freaking huge smoker but I certainly don’t want to buy one that’s too small. If it could handle 3-4 briskets or bacon slabs at a time then that would probably be fine. With that being said, if you can present a compelling reason to go larger than I’m certainly willing to listen.
Portability - I would like to be able to take the smoker with me as part of my tailgating set-up. Trailer mounted is OK but not ideal.
Fuel - Like everything about BBQ, this is a point open to violent disagreement. Some people are adamant that the heat and smoke can only come from hardwood - end of discussion. Any attempt to use electricity or propane as a heat source gives you something *NOT-*BBQ and something that probably shouldn’t even be allowed by law. Their opposition counters that an additional heat source makes the operation much more controllable and predictable yielding better, more consistent results with less skill. I’m not necessarily opposed to straight hardwood but it does seem to have a steep learning curve. Learning to balance heat and airflow and smoke over time is an art. Art that I have not yet even begun to learn. Given my need for portability, propane seems to be my best option but again, feel free to state your case for the opposition.
Drain got it in one.
I can control the temp on my egg to well within 25F and that is without add on draft control devices.
You can cook for 24 hours on one load of charcoal and reuse whatever is left the next time you cook.
The only down side is they are not terribly portable.
I have a smallish electric smoker that we bought from Bass Pro. I’d originally intended to start smoking with a horizontal side-box wood-burner, but my husband bought me this one for christmas.
And I love it. I don’t have to mess around getting coals to the right temperature, it has controls for that. I just have to put my hardwood chips in the hopper once in a while. I stick a probe thermometer in through the vent to watch the meat. It has easily done two briskets or turkeys at once, and I could probably cram three in there. It has four shelves, which I use for smaller stuff.
It’s been a great one to learn on and I’ve produced some amazing stuff. I now smoke a turkey every Thanksgiving. You could take it tailgating if you brought a generator, but be prepared to run that generator for eight to ten hours. Personally, I’d smoke the meat at home and then bring it and warm it up.
Only when you first buy it. Due to the ceramic construction, the amount of charcoal it uses is much much less than a steel smoker.
I also have a Weber bullet. Nice smoker but I can go though a 20lb bag of charcoal in one 4-5 hour rib cooking session. :eek:
My egg on the other hand can cook the same amount of ribs with maybe 4lbs of lump, and there will be some left over. I can do a 22-23 hour pork butt or brisket cook with less than 10lbs of charcoal.
In the long run the egg is way cheaper to operate.
The Big Green Egg looks like a good product but even the XL version only has a 24" cooking surface. I’d be pressed to get one brisket in there much less the three or four I was hoping for. At over two hundred pounds of fragile ceramic, it also fails the portability check. It may be ideal for home use but I don’t think it’s for me. Many thanks for the idea though.
I’m beginning to think that Cowgirl Jules had the best, simplest idea.
Probably best to forget tailgating with it. Maybe I’ll come back for the BGE when my finances improve.
Get a Weber Smoky Mountain and then get the book Low and Slow by Gary Wiviott. He will walk you through setting it up and get you started on the path to bbq greatness.
Seriously, I know Gary pretty well and the list of people he has taught and the results are impressive. The link takes you to his website but here’s a picture of brisket I had recently done with his technique. Scroll down for the pics, that’s the thread from our local food lovers potluck picnic.
Screw the Egg. Get yourself a 55 gallon drum, one that used to hold food-grade material, not petroleum. Then find yourself a metal fabrication shop that likes BBQ. You should be able to work out a suitable deal. My own version has square steel tubing for a frame and side shelves made from metal grating. The exhaust pipe came from a semi. I have room to do a couple of briskets, easy. By removing one of the grill grates, I can easily add more charcoal or wood to the fire without disturbing the meat. Whole thing cost me $25 in beer.
I second this. A smoker is not a complex piece of technology. Do some research and build one yourself. Much cheaper and you end up with a custom device of your own design.
You can set up an egg for two level cooking. I could do two briskets on my large, so with an XL 3 or 4 is possible.
I don’t do brisket that often, but I can easily do 4 pork butts on my large.
And prepare to go broke buying charcoal for the damn thing. I own one and it is a pain in the ass on a long cook to keep it fed.
Naw, the WSM ain’t a fuel hog. It’s not Big Green Egg, but it’s not a 55-gal drum or offset Brinkman, either. An 8-to-10 hour burn requires one load of coals. Fill the ring halfway, add some wood chunks, fill the ring the rest of the way, dump a chimney of coal on it, and you’re good to go. My fuel costs are maximum $5 for a brisket or pulled pork. (I’m calculating at a generous 10 pounds of lump and some wood chunks.)
And I’m not sure at all what you mean about it being a pain in the ass to keep fed. I don’t ever feed it for normal cooks. If I’m doing brisket or pulled pork, I’ll usually refill it once at the 7 or 8 hour mark. But I’ve managed to do a full brisket without ever refilling, as well. It’s completely stress-free cooking.
Also, the WSM is (more easily) portable. You can pack it in your car and take it somewhere, something you can’t do with the Big Green Egg. And, yes, I do take the WSM out a couple times a week.
Don’t get me wrong–the Big Green Egg is the ultimate, but it has a few drawbacks, price and lack of portability being two of them. If someone is just starting out and wants to smoke every so often, the WSM (and the recommendation of Wiviott’s book) is as good a start as any.
If you don’t want an Egg, I would definitely go with the Weber Smokey Mountain. I suspect some that have complained about them may have experience with a Brinkman or other bullet smoker. The WSM is actually pretty good about charcoal use. You do have to use more than an egg, but I can go 16 to 18 hours off of one load. They are relatively inexpensive, and also easy to use. Because they are better built than a Brinkman or the like, they hold their heat much better. Once I get mine to the right heat, it holds it there for hours and hours with no adjusting. The results are very good, as well. You can make competition-quality BBQ with a WSM.
::: shrug:::
YMMV I guess. I use up almost a full bag of charcoal doing ribs for 4-5 hours with almost nothing left.
adding water to the pan is not fun either and cleaning the pan is yeech.
The results are good, and it is easy to move, I will give you that.
Interesting. I can see how you’d be pissed if you had to use a whole (20 lb?) bag on a little load of ribs. I buy lump charcoal by the 40lb bag (@$0.50/lb), and I estimate I get at least four good smokes out of each bag, which is where my 10 pound estimate comes from.
Have you really gotten that long a burn off one load? How’d you do it? I think 10 hours is about as far as I could push it and still get a reasonable (>200F) amount of heat in the unit. Do you close your bottom vents to slow it down or something? What type of fuel?
I add water from a hose either directly from the top or through the side access panel. Nothing difficult about it.
As for cleaning the pan? Here’s a tip: Line it with foil and just throw it out after you’re done smoking. Personally, I don’t mind cleaning the pan, but those who hate it use the foil method.
I have a Chargriller with the side smoker - it does everything I want.
On a side note - and one that will help the OP as he gets more serious about it.
The problem I have is finding supplies - especially hardwood chunks/splits - I don’t want chips, and I tire of paying the lowes/HD/ prices for what they do carry.
Where do you all get Lump and the hardwoods at more reasonable prices/quantities? Where do you get varieties of wood for smoking?
(i’m in Central Ky - willing to drive if the deal is right)
Another egger here. I (used to) go to peopleswoods.com for my wood & charcoal. To make shipping more reasonable, I place orders large enough to last a couple of years. It seems that their website is down now, so I’ve got to find another source.
People’s Woods used to be the producer of Nature’s Own lump charcoal, and I see that there’s a website at http://www.char-wood.com/index.html that now offers it. I might be trying them soon.
