General Question about Horizontal Smokers

[skyclad]

 

I'm new to the forum here, so hope you guys will be patient if I screw something up, post something in the wrong area, etc...

Right now, I have a very basic CharBroil vertical water smoker.  After putting more effort into smoking/BBQ and reading the posts here on this forum, I'm starting to get much better at the whole smoking thing.......and my friends and family (not to mention myself..) are benefiting from it.    I know how to brine and smoke the Thanksgiving turkey pretty well, smoke lots of pork chops, and especially like to put "additional" smoke on those watery "smoked" hams and turkeys you often see in the store.  Lately though, I've had a big desire to learn how to smoke brisket and pork ribs.  Seems to me that in order to smoke something like that the best thing to have would be a horizontal smoker, probably with an offSet firebox..  That's what I'm looking at anyway..  Most of the ones I've looked at online get ripped to shreds in the comments section by many customers (also in this forum)............mostly talking about leaks around the doors of the smoker and firebox both........among other things. 

Just wondering if you guys have anything in mind that's pretty good out of the box with no modifications (or very few), when you consider all the above..  As you can tell, I'm still kind of a "newbie", but want to take it to the next level.  Asking you guys for your imput on this, considering all of the above..  Thinking of spending $300-400 max at this time....

Thanks in advance for any comments, corrections or suggestions on the above....

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Smoke Vault 24 (Camp Chef/Browning)...retails for around $350.00 through the right outlet, or a few hardware stores (you may need to hunt around on the net a bit, but watch for those nasty shipping charges), occasionally on sale for under $300.00...propane fired, so it will give a decent smoke ring (if you're into that) without a lot of tending, and I've smoked 2 whole packer brisket in it (more than once). It can handle a 17-18lb brisket (two if you're really hungry...LOL!!!). Comes with 3 meat grates, one jerky grate, and you can order additional grates on-line for very reasonable prices, or have the retailer order them for you, if they will. 5 grate positions, large stainless steel water pan, large cast iron smoke wood tray, stainless steel door, 20K BTU brass burner with low/warm settings for low temp smokes or holding cooked food @ safe temp, but mine can run 400-450* over ambient temps on high. It's my go to smoker for my bigger projects. 3-12 years of dependable & reliable service, with no complaints.

Eric

 

[skyclad]

Hi Eric..

Thanks for the headsUp on the Smoke Vault 24..  Haven't heard of this one before, but will definitely look into it!

Thanks again!

Mike

 

[sqwib]

I believe the skyclad is in the market for an offset.
The smoke vault is a vertical smoker.

Question to skyclad, do you want a horizontal smoker because you believe it will perform better for brisket and ribs?

I use different smokers for different things, because they perform differently but not better than the other. An example would be I have much better luck with my GOSM smoker doing appetizers, when I do appetizers on my reverse flow (offset) I have a bit more trouble with overcooking due to the design, however it can be done but much more attention. Is required
Before you make your decision you need to decide what you want to do with your smoker and how much time are you willing to dedicate to the smoke.
I have done many racks of ribs on my Vertical and my offset with great results.
Each has its own personality and need to be operated differently.
As far as brisket goes I haven't done enough on either to make an informed comparison

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Understood SQWUIB. The reason for my mention of Smoke Vault 24 is wide enough to handle to handle most any standard cuts which only the larger verticals can, just like a horizontal, but can also be used for all the smaller pieces with ease. It,s a very good all-purpose, all-weather smoker.

 

[sqwib]

Understood SQWUIB. The reason for my mention of Smoke Vault 24 is wide enough to handle to handle most any standard cuts which only the larger verticals can, just like a horizontal, but can also be used for all the smaller pieces with ease. It,s a very good all-purpose, all-weather smoker.

I agree I have great success on my GOSM BB especially full racks of Ribs.

 

[skyclad]

Hi Squib, and thanks for your input on this...

 I've been thinking a lot about your post and the questions you asked..    Sorry it took so long to get back.. 

You made a good point about each smoker having their "strengths" depending on what you're smoking at the time.  My problem is that I'm so new at this, I'm not really sure what I'll enjoy cooking the most.  Right now, I've got smoking a turkey down just right using my vertical Brinkman..  Also, as I mentioned earlier,  I like to add extra smoke on hams/chicken/turkey that I get at the store that says "smoked" on the label..  I've found those to be not acceptable as is...........an hour or two of additional smoke works wonders on the Brinkman.

So, since I'm so new to all of this, and I've only had one smoker so far to experiment with, I thought I'd mention my interests in stuff I want to smoke in the future.............along with some of my personal smoking "patterns"..  As I mentioned before, I do want to learn how to cook both brisket and ribs........thinking a horizontal smoker with offset would be better due to it's size (can't visualize smoking a rack of ribs on my verticalBrinkman, since it's diameter is so small........same with brisket..).  So I honestly didn't know if it would be a better device for smoking brisket/ribs...........due to it's size it just looked that way.

I've also noticed that when cooking something large (like a turkey), I like to smoke it for 3-4 hours, and then finish it off in the oven.  I have yet to smoke something longer than this (that may change), but it seems that 4 hours is about my max..  When you consider that pattern, along with the items I want to learn to smoke in the future (ribs/brisket), do you have any suggestions as to smoker type, etc. I might need in the future........or just suggestions in general.

Thanks again for your post, and to everybody that's commented so far..  Would appreciate some further input on the above from you guys when you get time..

 

[sqwib]

Ask yourself this, are you willing to spend a lot of time dedicated to babysitting a smoker like 18 + hours at a time.

Some guys love to spend all day and night tending to a smoker, others like to set it and forget it.

First off let me group the common names together to avoid confusion. Stickburner/Offset/Reverse Flow/ Side Firebox/Pit/Horizontal

Offsets have a bit of a learning curve, for example doing whole chicken on a vertical water smoker is a whole different ball game than on a reverse flow/offset/firebox type smoker (pit)

I have found that my stickburner does a better job on butts, but needs a lot more finesse when doing appetizers and whole birds. When I say better job I am mainly referring to the cook time.

I have learned that mostly all of my Pork/Butt/picnic cooks average 80 minutes a pound, my gosm can be closer to 120 minutes per pound

Another consideration is Fuel, some stickburners like mine can work efficiently on Lump/Charcoal and wood even propane if I'm feeling lazy.

Some may not perform as well using charcoal unless modded heavily.

These are things you need to research to see what will be a god general smoker/cooker for you.

If you are just looking to fit larger cuts of meat look into a wider vertical as forluvofsmoke pointed out

Like I said before some perform certain tasks better than others, however with a bit of practice and learning how your smoker performs will be essential.

And most importantly, remember that this is one guys opinion!

 

[big twig]

If you are looking for a good horizontal smoker for $300-400 you will not find one (think more like $1500+). If you are looking for a smoker in that price range that doesn't have a huge learning curve and can fit ribs, briskets, etc. What type of fuel do you want to use? Will you add fuel, adjust vent/valves, "tend to your smoker"?  MES 40 great electric smoker (close to zero tending), Smoke Vault 24, GOSM BB great gas smokers(a little more tending),WSM 22.5 Charcoal/wood chunks, large efficient version of what you already have (a little more tending but no where near as much as you are doing now). I am guessing you finish your turkey in the oven because it is a pain to reload and tend to your current smoker. All of the smokers I mentioned will be much easier to tend and after a little use basically set and forget.

Good luck and Happy Smoking!

GOSM BB (Great outdoor smoky mountain big body)

MES 40 (Masterbuilt electric smoker 40")

WSM 22.5 (Weber smokey mountain 22.5")

 

[kathrynn]

Skyclad....I am a novice smoker....and I was given a 24" Smoke Vault.  I have done lots of stuff on it....and if this one goes kerplunk.....I am totally buying another one.  I love it.

The cast iron chip pan was cracked when we got it.  Ordered parts and had no trouble.  The new chip pan is not cast iron.  It's a heavy gauge metal and it fine.  Have not had problems with service for extra parts.

Now...there is some smoke oozing out of the door...and I don't care.  I can't imagine another smoker for my uses.

Hope that helps.

 

[skyclad]

Hey, I really want to thank all of you for your comments and suggestions on this question.  I now have a better idea of what I'm looking for here..  Bottom line though to all of this.........practice!  Every time I do a smoke, even on my elCheapO upright, I learn lots about this whole process..  With your help here at this Forum and more practice, it's all just a matter of time before I have lots friends singing my praises on the smokeIssue..  At that point, will HAVE to get  a larger smoker....!  LOL..

 

[lght]

Ask yourself this, are you willing to spend a lot of time dedicated to babysitting a smoker like 18 + hours at a time.

Some guys love to spend all day and night tending to a smoker, others like to set it and forget it.

Some great tips here, but I think the above really sums up the main reasons that will determine what type of smoker you want to get and why. 

I started off about 10 years ago with an old brinkman smoker that was crap and needed a lot of time and patience, but I did eventually get some great results.  Well after a short period of time I did smoke out the bottom and wanted to upgrade.  I thought just like you did where I wanted a nice big offset smoker.  I ended up find a good deal on a large King Fisher combo cooker that cost about $1500 new.  Wow this thing was thick heavy, and I could use it as a smoker and a grill.  The only problem is it really took a lot of time and effort to get the temps just right and it did have a lot of leaks.  I could do 2-3 briskets, but it also meant I had to check on the smoker every 30-45 minutes and it burned a lot of fuel.  I quickly realized I didn't want to spend that much time and effort to get good results so I now had to re-think my decision. 

Going back to the drawing board I ended up selling the King Fisher and getting a WSM 18", a stoker draft system and a Pro-Q extra cooking insert.  The most important factor for me was not only good results, but it also had to be easy and convenient to get those results.  Now I can set it up, load it up with meat, and not have to do a thing for 10-12 hours at a time and still get good results.  I have done as much as 18 racks of ribs, 6 pork butts, or 3 briskets all with great results and very little time and effort sitting next to the smoker.  Now smoking meats is fun and enjoyable and not so much of a task or chore!

 

[den60]

Hey, I really want to thank all of you for your comments and suggestions on this question.  I now have a better idea of what I'm looking for here..  Bottom line though to all of this.........practice!  Every time I do a smoke, even on my elCheapO upright, I learn lots about this whole process..  With your help here at this Forum and more practice, it's all just a matter of time before I have lots friends singing my praises on the smokeIssue..  At that point, will HAVE to get  a larger smoker....!  LOL..

I have to say that I am new to smoking, just started last summer, and when I found this place I had already ruled out an offset smoker. I had pretty much set my sights on a WSM. I found this place and people here confirmed that the WSM is not only a forgiving grill, but a good one that would meet my needs as I grow as a smoker. My question then turned to whether to get an 18.5 or a 22.5. The only "arguments" against the larger one was that you used more charcoal and you have a tendency to want to fill it every time you use it. Not sure how to quantify the former point but in the latter I would say it is true. I do tend to fill it when doing ribs and chicken but I have to say I have maxed it out and have been thankful I did so.

The offset grills do have that "coolness" factor which I compare to people who prefer low wing airplanes to the more practical high wing ones. But, I think I can put as much meat into my WSM as you can with many offset grills. I can say, I am very happy with what has come off that grill.