OT: BBQ Smoker

[tuxbailey]

Maybe I have been watching too many cooking shows or getting bored while being in the house. But I kind of want to get a smoker and make some briskets I am going to be putting it on the deck.

Zero prior experience and the choices and options are countless. I am thinking about getting an entry level (cheap) one from Lowe’s/homedepot to get my feet wet and see if I enjoy using it. Seems like electric is less hassle over coal/pellets.

As usual, there are forums/groups that are dedicated to this but I have come to trust the experience from this forum over others and I want to check if others can offer some advice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jtakeda]

If you’re west coast I’d say KAT but there’s gotta be a similar for the east coast

[tuxbailey]

What is KAT?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[booglebug]

I agree, get a cheaper model and see how it goes, don’t have advice on the model but I have really good results on the big green egg , great all round from fish to bbq

[jtakeda]

Originally Posted by tuxbailey

What is KAT?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

https://katbbqsmokers.com/

I’ve used cheap smokers and I’ve found the results to be inconsistent. I don’t own a KAT but a friend does and I’ve Smoked countless briskets and I gotta say they hold heat and are very accurate and easy to keep at a low temp. I’ll be getting one or. Green egg when I buy a house eventually.

[commandcomm]

Weber Smokey mountain is a good option and what I use. Lots of videos on YouTube on how to smoke with it.

[clyde the point]

I've had an electric smoker purchased from Cabelas that I'm about to replace, lots of chicken/pork butts/ribs over the years. It's rusted out in a few places but has worked for ~ 15 yrs, was not too expensive. Brand name is Masterbuilt. Would for sure buy this one again.

[Bruce K]

Search the forum

We’ve talked about this before.

My will fe got me a Traeger electric pellet smoker and I love it.

BK

[vav]

You can start here:

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showt...ghlight=smoker

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showt...ghlight=smoker

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showt...ghlight=smoker

[OldCrank]

Not an expert by far, BUT I think grills/smokers are like bikes and musical instruments:
If you buy cheap at the big-box store, you WON'T like it.

Try to scrape together a few more bucks and shop for a used known-name.
Lots of (too much?) info online to help choose.

Lovin' my electric smoker, does most of the work for me.
Until cleanup time.

Then, start developing your own dry rub recipe!

[clarendon]

I've tried the Weber Smokey Mountain and a Kamado Joe. The Weber is probably the more hardcore option but I found it too much work to get right and I stopped using it. My experience was that it needs a lot of tending to maintain a steady temperature. I also found the water container quite messy to clean out as it accumulates fat from the meat. The Kamado (or Big Green Egg) is much simpler, easier to keep a steady temp, economical with fuel, looks nicer in your yard and would be my recommendation. If you want to dip a toe in maybe try the Kamado Joe Junior - they're good value (under $500) and can handle most things. it will be too small for a full brisket but can fit a half on there e.g. 5lbs.

[BagelMaster]

OldCrank is right, if you buy something cheap, you'll hate it. Smoking can be really temperamental, so you want something at least decent. Your best budget minded option is buying a food safe steel drum and an "Ugly Drum Smoker" kit and assembling it yourself.

Beyond that I would say the Weber Smokey Mountain is your best option, and for many, good enough to last them a lifetime. In a similar vein, you can also use a traditional Weber Kettle with fire bricks or a "smoke at or" to offset your charcoal and wood.

IMO, avoid electric smokers. I don't think it tastes quite right, and I think finding the right temperature with charcoal is really rewarding and makes it feel like a craft.

[JoB]

If you want to do this relatively inexpensively and you're a beginner, I would recommend to start with pork - shoulder and ribs - and work from there. Pork is forgiving, inexpensive, and delicious. Make yourself some Memphis dust (see below) and go.

As for your investment, go get yourself a good thermometer or two. Except for ribs, it's much more difficult to do without. for the smoker itself, I have a Weber kettle with a stainless steel insert from smokenator.com. It works beautifully and can handle a pork shoulder or a few racks of ribs.

For tested recipes, science behind BBQ, equipment tests, I can't recommend amazingribs.com enough. I've learned a ton from that site.

[glepore]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have this guy. It is amazing bang for the buck. True offset firebox vertical smoker. You can run it on charcoal for ease, but I burn oak, maple, hickory and cherry-just start with charcoal. Crazy well built for the price. Its a Chinese made copy of the old Brinkman vertical smoker that's no longer made.

I'd recommend an inexpensive remote thermometer as well, https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Bluet...dDbGljaz10cnVl
or the wifi version for a few dollars more.

Its real smoking though..it won't run for more than a few hours without tending. But the dirty secret of stuff that goes long, like brisket, is that it doesn't absorb smoke after the first few hours (and gets wrapped anyway) so you can finish long stuff in the oven if you want.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by jtakeda

https://katbbqsmokers.com/

I’ve used cheap smokers and I’ve found the results to be inconsistent. I don’t own a KAT but a friend does and I’ve Smoked countless briskets and I gotta say they hold heat and are very accurate and easy to keep at a low temp. I’ll be getting one or. Green egg when I buy a house eventually.

I have a Big Green Egg. It's great for long cooking, such as BBQ or 30 pound Thanksgiving turkeys. They're ceramic, 1 inch thick, so they really retain the heat well. I use hardwood charcoal (not briquettes with filler), and the combination with the BGE allows me to adjust the temperature and forget it for hours - like 6 hours or more.

For things like hamburgers, hot dogs, and kabobs, which take just a few minutes to cook, any grill will do.

If you go with a metal smoker make sure that you can, and know how to, adjust and keep the temperature constant. Every time you open the lid to add charcoal the temperature will spike and then drop. This is the bane of cooking over long periods of time, such as BBQ.

Good luck.