Hi all. I'm trying to make my mind up as to what type of smoker to buy, for my first foray into "low and slow" smoking. I've dabbled with the technique and recipe using the domestic oven, and produced some pretty tasty ribs, but of course they didn't have that marvellous smoky flavour.
Have mulled over a few different smokers, my main criteria being that I'd like the capacity to cook 2 or 3 racks of ribs at once. I'm trying to avoid spending loads, and of course the resulting grub must taste magic :)
As far as I can tell my options in the UK are...
<£80: Cheap offset smokers on ebay. Need significant modding to perform properly. I'm handy enough with my MIG welder but would rather spend time cooking on the thing than tinkering with it! Plus they're unlikely to last more than a few years due to flimsy construction.
£90: Callow vertical smoker. Reputedly performs quite well, but it's not very big - I think I'd struggle to get 3 racks of ribs into it.
£150: Weber Kettle 57cm Original. Decent size and well made, but setting up for indirect cooking/smoking looks like it sacrifices a lot of cooking area.
£180: Pit Barrel Smoker. Again a decent size and should last, but looks like it'd be awkward to add wood or briquettes once it's loaded and up to temp.
£260: ProQ Frontier Elite. Definitely top of the budget, but it's bigger than the Callow vertical smoker, and has easy access to the charcoal basket and to the water pan via side doors.
What would you experienced smokers recommend? Have I missed any cookers that would be ideal? And beyond the smoker itself, a chimney starter and plenty of fuel, are there any other must-have accessories?
Have mulled over a few different smokers, my main criteria being that I'd like the capacity to cook 2 or 3 racks of ribs at once. I'm trying to avoid spending loads, and of course the resulting grub must taste magic :)
As far as I can tell my options in the UK are...
<£80: Cheap offset smokers on ebay. Need significant modding to perform properly. I'm handy enough with my MIG welder but would rather spend time cooking on the thing than tinkering with it! Plus they're unlikely to last more than a few years due to flimsy construction.
£90: Callow vertical smoker. Reputedly performs quite well, but it's not very big - I think I'd struggle to get 3 racks of ribs into it.
£150: Weber Kettle 57cm Original. Decent size and well made, but setting up for indirect cooking/smoking looks like it sacrifices a lot of cooking area.
£180: Pit Barrel Smoker. Again a decent size and should last, but looks like it'd be awkward to add wood or briquettes once it's loaded and up to temp.
£260: ProQ Frontier Elite. Definitely top of the budget, but it's bigger than the Callow vertical smoker, and has easy access to the charcoal basket and to the water pan via side doors.
What would you experienced smokers recommend? Have I missed any cookers that would be ideal? And beyond the smoker itself, a chimney starter and plenty of fuel, are there any other must-have accessories?