Help me decide on a smoker

[pulehu]

Tim202, no addt'l mods other than using 2 taylor wired thermometers. One for top temp of the smoker and the other for my meats. The stock door thermometer is off by 15 degrees I found out.

I did get those green metal garden carts from HD to roll it out on the lawn with. I can roll it back under the lanai when done. Fits perfectly within the feet dimensions .

 

[dpeart]

I went through the same thing a few months ago and decided to build myself a UDS.  I built it so that I could either use charcoal, or electric.  I've been using it since then and it has been great.

If I use charcoal it holds the temps very well, currently my longest cook has only been 8 hours, but it can go longer on a single charge of charcoal.  The electric works great as well, though I do use a PID for the electric.  My electric use id mainly for cold smoking (80 - 120F).

dave

 

[oldschoolbbq]

M1garrand, being you are in Califonia , you would be interested in a Santa Maria Style Cooker. Very popular and versitile. I'd try one but $$$ and I like the Low N' Slow.

A hint though , once you've decided to get one , go 1 size bigger , you'll thank me later...

Have fun and...

 

[chuckles47]

I have a BGE and just bought a Big Box from BPS to smoke sausage. The BB is a lot bigger than the Lowes Master Forge. I love the BGE for smoking pork butts and ribs but it's too hot to smoke sausage without a lot of modifications - hope this doesn't muddy the water more.

 

[m1garand]

haha, Yes I'm still a bit undecided,

This weekend I'm going to buy a digital thermometer and I'm actually going to do a dry run on my Weber 22" round and see how tedious it is to hold a constant 225 temp.
As it stands now, I"m looking at a Gas grill for the wife and a charcoal or gas  smoker for myself (exact model not known yet)
I'm also looking at a UDS, however I'm very hesitant about building one, rather just buy a unit without any fancy mods to do

I'll have a clearer picture by next week, hehe
 

 

[jirodriguez]

haha, Yes I'm still a bit undecided,

This weekend I'm going to buy a digital thermometer and I'm actually going to do a dry run on my Weber 22" round and see how tedious it is to hold a constant 225 temp.
As it stands now, I"m looking at a Gas grill for the wife and a charcoal or gas  smoker for myself (exact model not known yet)
I'm also looking at a UDS, however I'm very hesitant about building one, rather just buy a unit without any fancy mods to do

I'll have a clearer picture by next week, hehe
 

Running a 22" Weber kettle is nothing like running a Weber smoker. The kettle will run through the fuel very fast and take a lot more finess to controll heat, but the WSM is basically a set-it-and-forget-it charcoal smoker. In the summer with evening temps staying above 50° I have ran my 22.5" WSM for over 20 hours on one 20 lb. bag of charcoal, only had to stir the coals 2x towards the end. Now that I have my welders blanket to wrap around my smoker for winter time smokes I can get nice long runs without many changes even in temps down to 32° with a light wind.

The best thing for me is the WSM just plain works straight out of the box, no muss, no fuss. 15 min to put it together, and you are ready to go... don't even have to season it since it is enameled and the racks are chromed.
 

 

[hooligan8403]

I had this problem a while back. I went with a masterforge electric bullet smoker. Was a good starter smoker but Im ready for a bigger smoker for sure.

 

[m1garand]

I'm back :)

I looked at a Brinkman and Master Forge Gas Grills for the wife, I liked both of them, however both of which got bad reviews on other sites, are they really a POS?
If so I'll just get the Weber Genesis (Weber's get good reviews all around).

As for MY new toy, It's a toss up.
I'm looking at the BGE and the WSM. Since I still want to cook with charcoal, If I go with the WSM, I will need to keep my Weber Kettle around which I was trying to eliminate.
The BGE is very attractive also, however with buying the accessories the price kinda gets ridiculous, only bad review I have ever saw was the Price tag though.

Right now, I'm leaning toward at a Weber Genesis and a WSM by weeks end, or I'll wait and see if there is a Superbowl Sale going on somewhere.
The BGE I like very much but will most likely hold off till later in the year
Seems I'm going to turn into a SMF Junkie and buy a bunch of cooking devices I just know it :)

Are choices good or bad, all feedback is welcomed

Thank you

 

 

[jirodriguez]

With what you spend on a BGE you can buy a WSM and fill it full of meat.... several times over... lol.

 

[m1garand]

I'd like to thank everyone for their suggestions.
I've decided to get a few items
A weber summit s-420 for the wife, I actually wanted to get the genesis model, however the lid was quite heavy on the genesis and the wife being 5'4" 80lbs found it
very hard to open and to push all the way back. The summit models have the lid which rotate near the center instead of the rear which is a lot easier to open.
It's a bit more than I wanted to spend on a gas grill, however from what I read the Weber's are good quality and I did not want to get a grill that the wife is reluctant to use.

As for myself I am getting 2 smokers (shhhhh, I haven't  told her yet). I will be getting the WSM 18" and use it start out.
Meantime I will still grill charcoal on my Weber 22" kettle. Once I get the feel of things, the WSM will become my camping smoker and I will get a lg egg for home use.
I'm thinking it may be a bit overboard getting the egg in addition to the 2 other items and I should just get the 22" WSM.
However we do a lot of camping and dirt bike riding and a small smoker on our travels would be a welcomed addition.

I am I over thinking everything, hehe

 

[mossymo]

I'd like to thank everyone for their suggestions.
I've decided to get a few items
A weber summit s-420 for the wife, I actually wanted to get the genesis model, however the lid was quite heavy on the genesis and the wife being 5'4" 80lbs found it
very hard to open and to push all the way back. The summit models have the lid which rotate near the center instead of the rear which is a lot easier to open.
It's a bit more than I wanted to spend on a gas grill, however from what I read the Weber's are good quality and I did not want to get a grill that the wife is reluctant to use.

As for myself I am getting 2 smokers (shhhhh, I haven't  told her yet). I will be getting the WSM 18" and use it start out.
Meantime I will still grill charcoal on my Weber 22" kettle. Once I get the feel of things, the WSM will become my camping smoker and I will get a lg egg for home use.
I'm thinking it may be a bit overboard getting the egg in addition to the 2 other items and I should just get the 22" WSM.
However we do a lot of camping and dirt bike riding and a small smoker on our travels would be a welcomed addition.

I am I over thinking everything, hehe

WSM and the Big Green Egg are good choices for quality of the product and efficiency of smoking some great tasty foods.
 

 Keep in mind this is a very addictive hobby and if you stick with it I would bet in 2 years from now you will probably have 2 or 3 more smokers!

Told you so...

 

[beerbelley]

I would recommend a Green Mountain Grill wood pellet smoker.  It is really easy to operate,fill your hopper with pellets,set your temperature and forget it.Really nice for a beginner.

 

[mossymo]

I would recommend a Green Mountain Grill wood pellet smoker.  It is really easy to operate,fill your hopper with pellets,set your temperature and forget it.Really nice for a beginner.

If you start looking at a pellet grill take a look at the Yoder YS640; love mine! 350 plus pounds of 10 gauge steel, holds steady temps in the wind and North Dakota Winters, it is truly a rock solid pellet smoker in comparison to other pellet machines. Here is a very well written, unbiased, well written and documented review of the Yoder YS640 - http://www.smokingpit.com/Info/Yoder-YS640-Review.htm