A How to Smoke question

[rickw]

One thing I found with the UDS was they way the drippings from the meat embarked a taste on the meat. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it for right around a year or so. It was super easy to run and cost next to nothing to build.

It wasn't till I got my Horizon that I noticed a difference in the tastes of the meat. The product from the offset has a mellower taste that is more pleasing to me and my family. I have since gave away the drum and bought a WSM.

The WSM with the water pan gives a taste as close to the Horizon as I could imagine. It (the WSM) is just as easy to use as the drum with the added benefit of not having the drippings hitting the fire and embarking the taste of it to the meat.

 

[athabaskar]

I started almost 25 years ago with on Old Smokey electric that a friend gave me. It served well, but I wasn't fond of the moisture retention. It always seemed to be too wet. We moved to an apartment a couple hundred miles away so I gave it to another friend. Never throw a smoker away.

After that, I used an Old Smokey charcoal grill for a few years. I could make a mean brisket in that puppy. Whenever we went to the lake I'd bring it along. I would pour in 10# of charcoal in what I learned later was the Minion method and put the meat in a huge Pyrex baking dish on top of the grill with a bottle of Stubbs poured over it. I'd toss on some wood chunks and close her up and go fishing or swimming. Around dinnertime I would open it pull the meat for sammies. No set time, no temps taken. Talk about set and forget.

I was sent to work in Kansas City for a year in 88' and I came to realize the differences in regional BBQ and the difference in flavor profiles not only in region, but in different smoked products as well. When I got back to Texas I got my first of two ECBs I flat out totally wore out the first one. It currently holds a few dozen irises in the back yard. At least they have good drainage! Again, never throw a smoker away.

Around ten tears ago give or take, I bought a New Braunfels Hondo offset. I was at first worried about the time it takes to tinker with an offset, but then I came to understand this gave me even better reason to sit around drinking beer than those I had been using (car race on, football game on, baseball - you get it). After a couple of trial runs I had the thing figured out and the Mrs was really liking the product so there was never a reason to make excuses again. I've smoked everything I can think of since with the exception of a Dudestrami and nobody has ever spit out a piece. My son's friends are always begging me to smoke.

Anyway, my point is this: we all have our own learning curve, and there is no correct answer as to which first smoker to buy. The point is just buy a damn smoker and get started!

 

[shlongstar]

haha, very well put.

 

[tasunkawitko]

>>>we all have our own learning curve, and there is no correct answer as to which first smoker to buy. The point is just buy a damn smoker and get started!<<<

yep, i have to agree with that.

lots of options out there - here's some food for thought that might help:

From The BBQFAQ - http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/:

I'm not saying it HAS to be an ECB, but the more i consider this advice along with my own experiences, the more i am convinced that the ECB is the best way to START. as always, the mileage of others may vary.

keep us informed of your choice!

ron

 

[oldschoolbbq]

Big Smokers are a work of art,and anyone that differs gets a point taken away!





See;ain't she Purty?

 

[pit 4 brains]

Maybe dig a pit, reserve the dirt for backfill. While you are building your UDS, build a fire in the pit and develop a coal base of 3-4 inches. Wrap your meat in aluminum foil and some damp burlap. put it over but not ontop of the coals. A few bricks or some sort of rack will work. Cover the hole with something sturdy like thick plywood or some sturdy sheet metal. seal off any smoke leaks with the reserved dirt.
Uncover the next day and enjoy. Fill in the hole when you finish your UDS..