Smoker for home use?

[jmy2469]

Right now have a Charbroil SRG that is on its way out due to rust issues. Instead of buying another one, would like to get a "real" smoker. I like to cook chicken, wings,ribs,just about everything. I have absolutely no clue on what to look at,this is all new to me. Largest cuts of meat that I do cook are whole chickens,turkeys,hams,would do pork butts if I did get good smoker. The thing that I did not like about the Charbroil SRG, is cleaning it. You had racks you had to clean,basket you had to clean, drip tray that you had to clean,and interior chamber that you had to clean, it gets to be a pain in the ass after awhile. I have a Charbroil grill that has been great to cook steaks,burgers and hot dogs on,now looking for something  to do everything else. What is better,charcoal,propane,or wood? This is all new to me. Thanks a bunch for the help. John 

 

[daveomak]

John, morning and welcome to the forum....  Personal preference for fuel is a tough choice....  I use electric because it is easy.... I also use wood during the nice weather when folks are over for a Q... It promotes a good BS atmosphere and goes well with beer....  The less expensive smokers in propane, from what I have read here, don't control lower temps to well and on occasion they consume the smoke in the flame, but can reach higher temps for crisp chicken skin....  Each has it's pluses and minuses..  

Probably the most versatile inexpensive smoker is the Ugly Drum Smoker.... Folks have won comps using them... Very efficient when it comes to fuel consumption...    Also each needs cleaning about the same...

When you find a brand, in the search bar at the top of the page, enter that name and the word "mods" to see what folks have done to make the smoker perform better.... You will find the problems folks have found and what they did to correct that particular deficiency....  

good luck and enjoy the long smokey ride....    

Dave 

 

[bbqbrett]

Dave is right about the personal preference.  As for myself I enjoy a combo of charcoal and wood chunks although sometimes I wish I had an electric just for the ease of it.

Just do some research and see what you think might work for you.  There is plenty of info on this site to help you out and I am sure if you have questions a number of people here will be able to give you more info as well.

 

[thenovaman]

Do I read it right that you're looking for something that's just a smoker and not also a grill?  If that's the case, I'll put in my vote for an "Ugly" Drum Smoker (UDS).  You can make your own without even having to do any welding, and they'll do very long smokes without using alot of fuel, and they maintain consistent temp quite well once you get the controls set right.  In many cases, the hardest part of the whole is finding a suitable drum to start with!

 

[desertlites]

What they say^^.  sure love my UDS, but as you can see it really ain't to ugly!

102.jpg

• desertlites
• Dec 5, 2011

 

[thenovaman]

That's why I put ugly in quotes - lots of UDSs are quite nice looking.

 

[jmy2469]

That is correct, I already own a grill,just looking for a smoker for ribs,chicken,pork butts, turkeys, and whatever else you can smoke. Thanks for the help so far. John 

 

[vaquero01]

That is correct, I already own a grill,just looking for a smoker for ribs,chicken,pork butts, turkeys, and whatever else you can smoke. Thanks for the help so far. John 

"and whatever else you can smoke"

 That begs the bigger question....just what can't you smoke? I havent found anything yet!! I guess if I thought about it mebbe ice cream and slurpees, but after that there's nothin I've found that hasnt been great off the smoker. That's always the problem with a smoker...there's always some old timer that hooks ya like a crack dealer....first your trying some ribs "c'mon you'll like it son" next thing ya know you're hooked and smokin eggs, vegetables, fruit, and who knows what else. You tell yourself you've got it under control and you can handle it, but then you start looking to add a larger smoker, and experimenting with strange herbs to make your own rubs and sauces. You started only smokin on the weekends, now by Tuesday night your jonesin for smoke fix......it's a big monkey you won't shake once  you start this. 

Good luck in your choice, the UDS folks are talking about...I've seen some awesome Q come out of, and it is pretty forgiving. I have a preference for wood...but it's a personal choice to everyone, alot of it has to do with how hands on you're willing to be. I like wood because it requires me to monitor it more and keeps me out of the house and gives me a legitimate reason to hold a beer and look concerned as I walk around my smokers.

 

[kingfishcam]

I have a very large electric that works great. I just recently bought the master forge vertical in propane. After doing the modifications, this gas smoker worked very well cooking ribs at 225 yesterday.

 

[nutz4bbq]

Go to your nearest bbq festival and ask around, you will see all kinds of smokers and the owners will give you the low down and you'll get to eat some good bbq too!!. Internet is the next stop for reviews & features. You'll get a feel for what kind of "real" smoker you want, then just pull the trigger... Enjoy & good luck!!