Charcoal Smokers for 40 people

bigpapajt

Newbie

Original poster

Nov 8, 2016

3

10

• Nov 8, 2016

• #1

Hey there, 

I've done a little smoking over the years mainly on my weber kettle grill.  For awhile, I used a brinkman but ease of use of the weber won out.

I'd like to do more smoking, but the time I put into it with the weber makes good Q just not a lot of it for the time commitment.  So I've been thinking about getting a larger smoker that I can use around the house and also use for cooking at our company functions for around 40 people.

Is that a pipe dream or is there something out there that would work for both under $500?  Would I be able to cook for that many people with a WSM 22?  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

chilerelleno

Legendary Pitmaster

OTBS Member

★ Lifetime Premier ★

Oct 17, 2016

9,828

11,156

Alabama Gulf Coast In the Origin of Mardi Gras

• Nov 8, 2016

• #2

Cooking for 40 people on a WSM22? Maybe if you're serving them an hors d'oeuvres sized sample on a toothpick.

I mean you're talking lots of meat, for 40 I'd want to be able to simultaneously cook any of the following
10 or more racks of ribs
8-10 butts for pulled pork
15-20 chickens
If cooking like this was going to happen several times a year a serious smoker is warranted.
I'd suggest you talk to your company about sponsoring a trailered smoker, e.g. a Shirley 24x42 Cabinet or maybe a Lang 48".
Costs too much? Look at BBQ catering costs for 40 people.

Just my $0.02

 

Last edited: Nov 8, 2016

seenred

Epic Pitmaster

OTBS Member

Feb 9, 2009

10,017

1,776

N.E. Oklahoma

• Nov 9, 2016

• #3

Agree with Chile...cooking for 40 on a WSM would be a challange.  You'd probably have to do most of your cooking on a previous day, then reheat the day of your event.  Now, if your were only serving pulled pork, perhaps you could get enough pork butts in the 22" WSM to feed 40, especially if there were plenty of side items or other dishes to serve.  Maybe some of the WSM guys can verify that.

Most of the charcoal cookers that can accommodate that volume of meat cost much more than $500.  Take a look at a Stump's Classic, just for an example.  You could easily feed a crowd of 40 with it, but they start at over $4K.

Red

 

wild west

Smoking Fanatic

Apr 25, 2016

494

113

Saskatoon Saskatchewan

• Nov 9, 2016

• #4

If you added a WSM 18 and a 22 to the kettle you already have you might pull off smoke for 40 peeps. Makes your options more versatile when it's a smaller group also.

 

bigpapajt

Newbie

Original poster

Thread starter

Nov 8, 2016

3

10

• Nov 14, 2016

• #5

Maybe forty people is a bit of a pipe dream at this moment.  

My real dilemma is having more space.

AB0MB7M.jpg

• bigpapajt
• Nov 14, 2016

That's about as much chicken that I can do on the kettle.  It's good, just not a lot of leftovers for a family of Five.

 

emsemt

Fire Starter

Jul 14, 2016

53

17

Central Valley California

• Nov 16, 2016

• #6

It's time to invest in a bigger smoker and/or grill. I was using a UDS and had to finally get a bigger smoker. Do it and you'll never regret it. Make sure it's a quality smoker not one from your large home improvement stores. Those are made with really thin steel. Good luck and happy shopping.