Advice on sub $500 Smoker!

[Shady]

Long story short, i got a Brinkmann Vertical Smoker for my birthday. Being overly eager i put it together got some wood chips and lump hardwood and smoked a chicken. Needless to say it was a long battle keeping that thing at temp and burned through a good portion of the bag of fuel and the whole bag of wood chips.

The chicken tasted great but i did some searching to find out what i was doing wrong....well as it seems I wasn't doing much wrong and the smoker needs some mods to get it "working" the way a smoker should. Since this smoker was new I didn't feel like modding it (if it was a trash pickup or garage sale item different story) and returned it.

My quest now is to find a smoker for under $500, the most popular choices seem to be the WSM and MSE. I am leaning towards the WSM with the thoughts of adding a bbq guru later down the road. I am pretty much open to any style but would prefer charcoal or even wood burning and I am not ready for a DIY smoker just yet.

Any advice or opinions are welcomed.

PS - I was considering the 22 WSM although i doubt i would ever fill her up but just wanted the option of that. So far I am just cooking for 3.

 

[chef jimmyj]

One thing I have learned here, well I have learned many things here, is When you decide on a Smoker...BUY THE NEXT BIGGER SIZE!

The more you smoke the more you want too and once word gets out, family and friends will want more than you may be able to handle.

My NB served me well but something in the 900 Sq. Inch range is in the near future, Christmas is coming  

...JJ

 

[mdboatbum]

Go for the WSM 22.5. You may find that the guru is an unnecessary gadget, as they're renowned for "set and forget" ease once they have a couple burns to build up a layer of soot inside. Amazon has them for around $350.

You mentioned "being overly eager". I can say I've used Brinkmann verticals (both the round ECB type and the cabinet type) and have gotten pretty decent results with minimal "mods". They aren't as easy as I'm told the WSM is, but with a little patience and trial and error, they do a fine job. The moral of the story: You're not gonna win "pitmaster of the year" your first time out of the gate. Have fun, enjoy the learning process and get to know your smoker. I'm not preaching, and I'm very new at this as well, but the most valuable thing I've learned is that this is more of an art than a science, and you'll likely spend a lot of years chasing perfection.

Please share what you get and post your results!!

Oh, and welcome to the forum. There's a lot of incredibly valuable info here.

 

[smokinthesmc]

If you are in or near the Phoenix area I have a buddy who is selling a horizontal w/fire box well seasoned he is upgrading, and looking to put a little $ toward the new $$$. Its a nice beginner model. Let me know if anyone looking is interested. I dont have a picture yet but I can if you wanna look. 

 

[michael ark]

I would vote for gosm, smokehouse or uds or fridge smoker.

 

[roller]

If it were me I would learn to use what I have for the first year then if you want to upgrade then do it...I am sure the Brinkman is selling alot of smokers and there are alot of people getting great results once they learn how to use them...There is NO easy way to smoke meat...

 

[mdboatbum]

If it were me I would learn to use what I have for the first year then if you want to upgrade then do it...I am sure the Brinkman is selling alot of smokers and there are alot of people getting great results once they learn how to use them...There is NO easy way to smoke meat...

Agreed. Whatever the OP gets, he should stick with it and get to know it before moving on. As the Brinkmann has already been returned, hopefully the WSM will fill the need. And I recant my earlier statement about the guru being unnecessary. I believe that's the one (or maybe I'm thinking of the stoker) that will wirelessly keep you informed of smoker and meat temps. This, in my opinion, would not only be over the top on the cool factor, but also a valuable tool in documenting what works and what doesn't.

(5 minutes later after looking it up.....)

Ok, I was thinking of the stoker and the accompanying Stokerlog software. Consider these on my wishlist :)
 

 

[michael ark]

Stoker's on my wish list too.

 

[jak757]

I bought a used WSM 18 1/2" on Craigs list for $100 -- it's in great shape.  That was last summer -- to replace my ECB and to have something other than my Char-Griller.  LOVE the WSM.  This summer I bought an MES 40 from Sams, and an AMNPS.  So with the WSM and the MES and the AMNPS I'm under $500 range, have two awesome smokers, and am able to put out some great Q with easy to use equipment.  I can't say it was my plan, but it sure worked out well for me.

 

[Shady]

Originally Posted by Mdboatbum  

You mentioned "being overly eager". I can say I've used Brinkmann verticals (both the round ECB type and the cabinet type) and have gotten pretty decent results with minimal "mods". They aren't as easy as I'm told the WSM is, but with a little patience and trial and error, they do a fine job. The moral of the story: You're not gonna win "pitmaster of the year" your first time out of the gate. Have fun, enjoy the learning process and get to know your smoker. I'm not preaching, and I'm very new at this as well, but the most valuable thing I've learned is that this is more of an art than a science, and you'll likely spend a lot of years chasing perfection.

I will add, even though i only smoked 1 chicken in it, I did go through several bags of charcoal running "tests". I was unable to maintain 200-225 for longer then 30 minutes in the smoker. The culprit being the lack of airflow. On something that is brand new i just couldn't bring myself to drill holes or even replace the pan, guess more of a principle type of thing.

 

[Shady]

If you are in or near the Phoenix area I have a buddy who is selling a horizontal w/fire box well seasoned he is upgrading, and looking to put a little $ toward the new $$$. Its a nice beginner model. Let me know if anyone looking is interested. I dont have a picture yet but I can if you wanna look. 

Sorry, in South FL. Wouldn't be feasible.

 

[michael ark]

Stoker even sends tweets.Besides keeping temps.

 

[Shady]

I bought a used WSM 18 1/2" on Craigs list for $100 -- it's in great shape.  That was last summer -- to replace my ECB and to have something other than my Char-Griller.  LOVE the WSM.  This summer I bought an MES 40 from Sams, and an AMNPS.  So with the WSM and the MES and the AMNPS I'm under $500 range, have two awesome smokers, and am able to put out some great Q with easy to use equipment.  I can't say it was my plan, but it sure worked out well for me.

If you had to choose one over the other, what would you go with?

 

[SmokinAl]

The WSM will give you an authentic charcoal/wood flavor that you won't get with a MES.

I had an MES and it produced great BBQ, but I was looking for a better flavor & bought a WSM.

They are very easy to operate & keep the temps even, however I went ahead & bought a Guru to go with it,

and on long or overnight smokes it really is invaluable.

The combination of the WSM & Guru are hard to beat.

 

[roller]

I just need to stay out of this before I get into trouble.....I would give my I teeth if someone would give me a brand new Brinkman.

 

[Shady]

     Quote:

I just need to stay out of this before I get into trouble.....I would give my I teeth if someone would give me a brand new Brinkman.

They are $70, hardly something to give your teeth up for.
 

The WSM will give you an authentic charcoal/wood flavor that you won't get with a MES.

I had an MES and it produced great BBQ, but I was looking for a better flavor & bought a WSM.

They are very easy to operate & keep the temps even, however I went ahead & bought a Guru to go with it,

and on long or overnight smokes it really is invaluable.

The combination of the WSM & Guru are hard to beat.

I am really thinking WSM might be the way to go, Thanks for the input.

They Brinkmann did its job though, it is a entry level product meant to introduce people to smoking without costing an arm and a leg. Fortunately i caught the bug quick and I am able to upgrade to a better and larger unit and basically trade up paying the difference.

 

[jak757]

If I could only have one, I'd go with the WSM.  Love my MES, it's super easy, the food is very good, and still I agree with Al, the WSM gives a more "true-Q" flavor.  I happen to like having both!

 

[nwdave]

WSM,  WSM,  WSM......  As has been mentioned before:  get the largest you can afford.  There's only the two of us, most days, except when family comes a calling (all too frequently it seems, but I don't really mind..)...then there's the neighbors and some people whom I've never met before, but they swear we're the best of bud's.  WSM 22.5 with a Weber OTG 22.5 Grill.  Now that's the combination I have currently and handles most things I can come up with BUT, if a WSM 18.5 comes up on Craigslist, it will sure make a great backup, for those just in case situations.

 

[jirodriguez]

Ummmm.... not sure but I have heard those WSM's are great! LOL

Just kidding the WSM is really a great smoker. I have had my 22.5" now for about 1 1/2 years and it is still awesome! With the big 22.5" I changed how I do my smoking.... instead of firing it up every night, I now just fire it up with a full load on the weekend. Then I ziploc or vacuum pack most of it and use it in various dinners throughout the week - PP nachos, shredded beef enchiladas, smoked chicken soup, tacos, stuffed peppers, casserole, you name it!

 

[simple]

Build yourself a UDS and put the rest of the money back in the bank.  Or in food.