Help with buying a smoker

[Davewalters]

hi guys and gals I’m very new to the world of smoking and to make it worse I’m from the uk ... I’ve got a grill/smoker the TEPRO 1087 long story short it’s rubbish ... I’m now looking for an upgrade only problem is like I said I’m from the uk and smokers are hard to come by
I’m basically asking for advice on what smoker to get At the min I really like the look of the Oklahoma joes highland ( but I’m concerned about now know how thick it is and if they hold heat )or the char griller Smokin Pro bbq They are both about the budget I have but are they any good? Or are the better smokers out there that I can get my hands on for the same sort of money ?? Any helpful advice would be amazing thanks people . Ps I’ve been looking at at this forum over the last week or so and it’s amazing keep up the good work

 

[ristau5741]

what is your heat source preference? wood, pellet, propane, answers would help with feedback.

ok charcoal, that's why you posted in this forum. Do you have a B&Q nearby, Looks like they have different sized Weber's online. or Amazon UK

more googling, BBQ barn in Kent if you are fairly close. you don't say your location, so I'm just guessing on location.

 

[Davewalters]

Hi thanks for the reply already. I want to use lumpwood and hardwood really and yes charcoal It’s an offset that I would really like if I’m honest.
I’m in Bicester Oxfordshire ..
there’s no b&q near me I think Do they have some good smokers in there
I don’t want /can’t spend lots of money and I’m very new to smoking so I just want something that I need to rob a bank for and that will actually work well, even if I have to mod it Cheers

 

[SonnyE]

Hi Dave, Welcome to SMF.com
I think my first question would be fuel availability there. Stick burners, like the OK. Joe are going to need a wood pile.
Then there is the hardwood, or pellets, to make the good smoke.
So thinking about the long run, what is easiest and most affordable in your location?

After that, I'd be thinking in terms of the meat. How big of a feast might you want to do?
I have a relatively modest gas grill. For bigger cooks, I can start something on one side, and as I turn it and cook it I work it across the grill to finish on the other side. It becomes a process. But it makes a more modest grill work like a bigger one.

How automated would you like your BBQ to be? Some like to make a cook a fun social gathering, set-it, and forget-it type grills that will come to a temperature and hold it (within reason). Gas grills and Pellet grills come to mind for that.
Charcoal, and stick burners take more time and work on the Pit-masters part. You'd be tending fire and moving food around as it cooks. You walk away and may burn your food :eek:, or lose your heat :(:oops:.

But maybe that is why you feel your TE Pro 1087 is rubbish, is it too much work? Or too small? Or too hard for your needs from a grill?
I wouldn't throw out the TE, I'd save it for smaller cooks, Sausages, or a couple of hamburgers, small roasts...
Do you typically BBQ for a Family, or a crowd?

Sometimes it just seems not worth it to fire up a big old grill for a wienie... :rolleyes:

 

[Davewalters]

Ok so I can get hardwood off of the shelf at my local garden centre(but I have to guess what the wood is) I can also get chunks quite easily I’m most flavours but not the cheapest.. but I see all over YouTube and such that most people use charcoal/ lumpwood as a base and just add chunks as and when, so I was just thinking I would do that but to be honest I don’t actually know what the cheapest fuel in the area is as I’ve only been using my offset and haven’t looked into anything else .
As for how much food I want to cook, I don’t need anything massive but most of the time I would be making food for at least six of us but once I’ve learned how to smoke then I will be having a fair few party’s.

As for tending the smoker.. I love being outside,keeping an eye on the temp and such I’d rather be next to it working it the best I can I sat outside today from about 9:30am till 6pm Just testing my smoker without any food on it (turns out it was a bit of a disaster) so to answer that question I want to be an aspiring pit master

I think the tepro 1087 would make a great grill infact I have used it as a grill last weekend and food turned out good but as for a smoker it’s no good
The metal is 1mm thick so doesn’t hold any heat
It is also very very leaky due to the way it is designed (but I didn’t know that when I brought it) I hold my hands up to that one It was very much an impulse buy ..
Due to it being leaky it burns lumpwood and chunks very quickly and I have to fill the basket up every 20mins or so

I hope I’ve helped you help me thanks guys

 

[SonnyE]

Thanks Dave, that does help.
One of the top Pop grills here is called a Lang Brand. The baby Lang (36") weights a tidy 665 pounds.
It's a stick burner, which I think would work for you since you are started that direction.
I'm not, in no way, advocating the brand. I'm pointing out the weight and mass that American Pit-master's use as a comparison. The more weight = generally heavier steel.
So when looking, think about the shipping weight. Because it is indicative of how thick the steel is.
Coming back to Earth....
Oklahoma Joe's are nice units with some nice features. I personally like their Bandera Model, if I was to change over.
Lump Charcoal (Probably the same as what you call "Lumpwood"), and feeding in smoking wood or chunks of hard wood is pretty typical. We have Briquets, and Lump Charcoal generally available. Some folks like the flavors they get with Charcoal, and add some chunks to enhance a smoky flavor.
Others become purists and want Mesquite Charcoal, and some like Mesquite Wood. But hardwoods, and charcoal, are the norm.

Over the years I've tried a lot of different methods, but now that I'm old and tired, I take the easy way out and just use a gas grill, and an electric smoker. :)
And I live in town close to some major stores for convenience.
We have a DIL who's Dad refuses to grill on anything but Lump Charcoal in a rickity, rusty horizontal BBQ.
I don't know if these are available in Great Britain, but for smoker/Bar-B-Ques, there is quite a few guys who love their Weber Smoky Mountain's.
Weber Brand has an almost cult like following on this side of the pond. They are a quality line of BBQ cookers.

If you were to settle in with something well revered by the Exspurts, they could easily help bring you up to speed and share tricks that work for them. ;)

 

[gmc2003]

Dave I can't help you out with what's available or what sources of heat you have access to but you may find some good information in the UK smokers group. I'm not sure how active it is but at least it's info pertaining to your part of the world.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forums/uk-smokers.3161/

Chris

 

[normanaj]

I met a friend at a Maiden show many years ago and I remember we talked quite a bit about smokers,particularly about the Weber Smokey Mountain(WSM).

He ended buying one from this place as he had no place nearby to buy:
https://www.riversidegardencentre.co.uk/weber-bbq/weber-smokey-mountain.html

 

[Alex Douglas]

Dave, I have just managed to buy a Char-Broil Oklahoma Joe Highland for a steal.

I’m in the UK and yes your right it’s a nightmare. I have been researching smokers for around 3 months and the Highland seemed the best bang for my money.

Amazon has it for £279 it’s £400 on BBQworld.

It’s quite thick steel as it weighs about 82Kg.

From the reviews I’ve seen it needs about £50 worth of mods which you can buy from amazon UK.

Hope this helps

 

[Davewalters]

Thanks for all the reply’s guys it is very helpful. I think I will stick with what I’ve got until I can get the money together to get a highland as Alex said, over here it’s a pain in the ass to get anything. It’s either complete rubbish or really expensive.. I’ve been doing a lot of research and the highland keeps popping up. I’ve also found that my tepro is a lid to the Char-Griller and there’s a very easy mod for it so I might try that or just stop smoking stuff until I can afford the okjoe Thanks once again guys

 

[Alex Douglas]

Thanks for all the reply’s guys it is very helpful. I think I will stick with what I’ve got until I can get the money together to get a highland as Alex said, over here it’s a pain in the ass to get anything. It’s either complete rubbish or really expensive.. I’ve been doing a lot of research and the highland keeps popping up. I’ve also found that my tepro is a lid to the Char-Griller and there’s a very easy mod for it so I might try that or just stop smoking stuff until I can afford the okjoe Thanks once again guys

What mods do they suggest for your smoker?

I know there are a lot of U.S sites with mods but I’ve been able to find a few UK sites if I’m able to help let me know.

 

[Davewalters]

Well I stupidly rushed out at got a tepro 1087 It’s a good grill but bad smoker It’s got the same type of lid as char griller outlaw So the gaps are massive But I’ve seen that you just get some fire rope and some L shape strips to run around the inside so it closes a lot tighter and seems to do the trick and it’s exspensive at all so I might just do that .. but I honestly can’t be bothered to waste any more time or money on it seen as by the time the weather gets good enough to use it I’ll have to money for a highland