I've narrowed my choice of a smoker to these two. I totally understand they're different designs however I'm torn between them. What has made my decision even harder is my cousin's recent acquisition of a Big Green Egg. He more or less introduced me to charcoal smoking on his weber kettle so I value his opinion (similar likes in food and BBQ), however I thought I'd ask the crowd a few questions that should help me make this decision.
1. Those of you that have used or do use the offset style smoker (similar quality build to Horizon), how often are you adding fuel to maintain consistent temperature over the course of a 6-8 smoke? Any issues with temperature leaks? (While I want to be somewhat hands on while smoking I definitely don't want to babysit the smoker)
2. Should I expect a difference in the flavor of the food I cook between 1/4" steel v. porcelain?
3. If I plan to use this smoker for daily charcoal grilling, does anyone have experience charcoal grilling with either of these? Definitely would like to know if anyone can tell me which one will heat up faster for charcoal grilling too.
4. Based on your experience, what can I expect on-going maintenance to be like, given I follow manufacturer recommendations and use a cover? Does one require more maintenance versus the other?
I've seen both of these smokers in person but I smoked/cooked on either of them. I was damn close to outright buying the Horizon until my cousin get his Egg.
Really appreciate the advice. Probably make for an interesting debate too.
Mike
1. Those of you that have used or do use the offset style smoker (similar quality build to Horizon), how often are you adding fuel to maintain consistent temperature over the course of a 6-8 smoke? Any issues with temperature leaks? (While I want to be somewhat hands on while smoking I definitely don't want to babysit the smoker)
2. Should I expect a difference in the flavor of the food I cook between 1/4" steel v. porcelain?
3. If I plan to use this smoker for daily charcoal grilling, does anyone have experience charcoal grilling with either of these? Definitely would like to know if anyone can tell me which one will heat up faster for charcoal grilling too.
4. Based on your experience, what can I expect on-going maintenance to be like, given I follow manufacturer recommendations and use a cover? Does one require more maintenance versus the other?
I've seen both of these smokers in person but I smoked/cooked on either of them. I was damn close to outright buying the Horizon until my cousin get his Egg.
Really appreciate the advice. Probably make for an interesting debate too.
Mike