Hello from Hamilton CAN

[Say10]

Hello, my name is Braydon and I’m 28 and from Hamilton Canada. I’m looking to get into smoking. I’ve done a fair bit of BBQing on your standard propane grill but I’ve never dabbled with charcoal even though I’m quite curious. I’m planning on buying a smoker soon and there’s a few that I’m looking at. I’m stuck between trying to learn charcoal with the WSM or sticking to easy propane with the Masterbuilt Thermotemp. I’ve read great reviews about both and I’m hoping to use the smoker at least once a month. I don’t know if this is the right place to ask these questions as I just found this forum. But any suggestions, recommendations, tips, or trick are greatly appreciated. Thank you and I look forward to participating here!

 

[sandyut]

Welcome from Colorado.

I learned all about smoking on a WSM. Good common unit. I eventually switch to a Rec Req pellet grill. If you have specific desires and a budget we can probably shoot more options.

 

[Abigail4476]

Hello, my name is Braydon and I’m 28 and from Hamilton Canada. I’m looking to get into smoking. I’ve done a fair bit of BBQing on your standard propane grill but I’ve never dabbled with charcoal even though I’m quite curious. I’m planning on buying a smoker soon and there’s a few that I’m looking at. I’m stuck between trying to learn charcoal with the WSM or sticking to easy propane with the Masterbuilt Thermotemp. I’ve read great reviews about both and I’m hoping to use the smoker at least once a month. I don’t know if this is the right place to ask these questions as I just found this forum. But any suggestions, recommendations, tips, or trick are greatly appreciated. Thank you and I look forward to participating here!

Welcome to SMF, @Say10!

We have a subforum on charcoal smokers at this link: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forums/charcoal-smokers.108/

 

[Colin1230]

Welcome Braydon, glad you joined us. You have certainly found the right place.
I, like sandyut, learned to smoke meat on a WSM so I'm partial to Weber. Another very good option, and a little less costly, would be a Weber kettle with their Low n Slow kit. You can just do so many things on a kettle. Ribs, chicken, pork butt, etc. Add a Slow n Sear and a Vortex and the optios become endless. Less us know what your budget is and we would gladly help you spend it.

 

[Compulsive Smoker]

Welcome from Pennsylvania! Glad you joined! It depends a lot too on how much you want to tend your smoker...I've grilled on a Weber Kettle for years, but only started actually smoking about 3 years ago on a Traeger Pellet smoker.
Here recently I bought an Oklahoma Joe's offset smoker which is currently smoking my first batch of sausage!
The Traeger is set and forget, the offset not so much...

 

[voyager 663rd]

Welcome from the GTA

 

[Fueling Around]

Welcome from Central Florida.

You can smoke on a gas grill, too. I do it all the time.

 

[normanaj]

Hello from RI.

 

[DRKsmoking]

Welcome from Nova Scotia.

Like said above , you came to the right place. Lots of very smart and helpful folks here. Just ask and someone will surely pop in and help you out or at least point you in the right direction.

And like Johne @Fueling Around said you can start of with you BBQ gasser.

David

 

[Say10]

Welcome from Colorado.

I learned all about smoking on a WSM. Good common unit. I eventually switch to a Rec Req pellet grill. If you have specific desires and a budget we can probably shoot more options.

My budget is sitting around $600CAD. I’ve seen some cheaper pellet grills that have piqued my interest but I don’t know how good they would be compared to a WSM. I’ve thought about just a Weber kettle but I’m not sure if that would hold the amount of meat I would need to feed our family. We live in a house with 4 adults and 2 younger kids

 

[Winterrider]

Welcome from N.Dak.

 

[mr_whipple]

Welcome from Virginia! Wonder no more if this is the right place for these questions. You'll find more help than you know what to do with.

 

[Jim_C]

Welcome from California.

You can get started with your gas grill and a couple of smoke tubes. Fill them up with wood chips and light them off. Plenty of smoke.

With respect to recommendations, I’m a propane person. I do have a recently purchased GMG pellet smoker, but still prefer the upright smoker because it allows me to burn wood chunks as well as chips. Like a pellet smoker, it’s also pretty much a set-it-and-forget-it. You do need to replenish the wood chunks, but it’s a lot less work than a stick burner.

In terms of “smokiness”, stick burner at #1, followed by propane, pellet, and electric.

I no longer own a stick burner. It was too much work for me. I do have the other three, the electric is for sausage, and it does need the smoke tubes to get a decent amount of smoke.

 

[sandyut]

My budget is sitting around $600CAD. I’ve seen some cheaper pellet grills that have piqued my interest but I don’t know how good they would be compared to a WSM. I’ve thought about just a Weber kettle but I’m not sure if that would hold the amount of meat I would need to feed our family. We live in a house with 4 adults and 2 younger kids

With that budget, I wouldnt get a pellet grill. I feel it will take a bigger budget to get one thats not a POS full of frustration.

WSM is a good call. I learned a lot with mine. You can buy a controler/blower for them as well, makes it less hands on. I havent used that one so I cant endorse it, thermoworks is a great company tho.

 

[Colin1230]

You absolutely can not go wrong with a WSM. With the size of your family I would recommend the 22". Oh man, are you in for a good time and good eats!

 

[Compulsive Smoker]

^^^ Mr. Colin said it!

 

[BigW.]

I like having several options to use, but if I could only have one it would be a 26" Weber kettle. A WSM will certainly make great food, but a kettle is so versatile.