Help please. Wanting to get started

[ScottB81]

Hello everyone. Im wanting to buy a smoker but dont know where to start. I love to grill but have no experience smoking. I will probably start out with Boston butts but also want to have enough room for rack of ribs. Any recommendations for beginners?

 

[jcam222]

From a fuel source standpoint are you thinking electric, pellet or charcoal? What style of grilling are you experienced at(I.e gas, charcoal)?

 

[Brokenhandle]

Hi Scott, and welcome from iowa. I started out a mes 30 and started using chips in the chip tray. Was pretty much a newbie also, but had spent quite awhile reading on this site. It was a place to start. But you do have to cut rib racks in half for them to fit in mes 30. I just joined SMF not long ago but there will be others with way more knowledge that will reply

Ryan

 

[browneyesvictim]

There are no wrong answers. Glad you have includes a few priorities... but need more of your expectations. Electric? Charcoal? Pellets? Wood (stick burner). Do you want "set and forget" or a more artisanal hands-on aproach? How big family?

Personally without more info and for the best all around charcoal grill and smoker with your requirements would be a kettle.

 

[JCAP]

Welcome to SMF! Like everyone said, it’s all about fuel choice before we can help. Even then, we all have our favorites but the good news is there are many great units and options available to get your feet wet.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Do you have a price range in mind? I think that’s going to drive your decision more than anything else. As others have said the kind of heat source is the next most important decision. If you provide those wants you will get some very good advice. That I can guarantee.

G

 

[old sarge]

If going electric, I would recommend a smoker from Smokin-it. All stainless steel in/out and very well insulated. You have a choice of analog, built-in PID and built-in PID with wifi. Fuel type and budget pretty much dictate what to get:
https://www.smokin-it.com/Default.asp

 

[ScottB81]

Im thinking pellets but i dont know enough about smoking to be confident in my decision. Id like to pay around $500ish. I dont mind being hands on but when smoking overnight i would like something i can leave for several hours and get up and check as needed

 

[ScottB81]

From a fuel source standpoint are you thinking electric, pellet or charcoal? What style of grilling are you experienced at(I.e gas, charcoal)?

Im used to grilling with charcoal but wasnt sure how long it would last before needing to add more. I was considering pellets or charcoal.

 

[ScottB81]

There are no wrong answers. Glad you have includes a few priorities... but need more of your expectations. Electric? Charcoal? Pellets? Wood (stick burner). Do you want "set and forget" or a more artisanal hands-on aproach? How big family?

Personally without more info and for the best all around charcoal grill and smoker with your requirements would be a kettle.

Family of 5 but I like to have leftovers lol. Im thinking charcoal or pellets. Possibly wood. I dont mind being hands on but there would be times I smoked overnight and wouldn't want to have to stand over it

 

[Misplaced Nebraskan]

WSM for charcoal based is tried and true. Can get the larger 22 and load it up.

For pellets, a pit boss is right in that range. I've got friends with them that love them.

Or both

Both can be set and forget style pits for overnight or errand running.

 

[JCAP]

Either charcoal or pellets would be good for overnight cooks. But you’ll want to invest in a thermometer with range alarms so that you can be alerted if swings in temp happen that you don’t expect.

 

[jcam222]

Im used to grilling with charcoal but wasnt sure how long it would last before needing to add more. I was considering pellets or charcoal.

I think for charcoal in your range the WSM 22.5 is the ticket. I’ve never owned one but many swear by them. You can get plenty of feedback on those here. For pellet the top contenders are likely from Pit Boss or Camp Chef. Used you might find a Backwoods cabinet or in pellet grills a Grilla Silverback or smaller Rec Tec. Where are you located?

 

[browneyesvictim]

I agree with Jcam. I'm a charcoal guy myself. A lot of folks love their pellet grills but many also complain about not enough smoke flavor comes through. You can augment with an additional pellet tube as a workaround but to me I like using chunks of real wood mixed with charcoal because I have so much available to me for free. With that said I will admit I also have a Masterbuilt electric and I prefer it for some cooks.

The WSM is super stable but you can even add a temp controller such as a BBQ guru that makes guaranteed and steady overnight smokes nearly guranteed as a pellet grill.

Pellet grills do have a better horizontal surface area for doing ribs etc.

Tradeoffs...

 

[Fueling Around]

Im used to grilling with charcoal but wasnt sure how long it would last before needing to add more. I was considering pellets or charcoal.

Thumbs up for charcoal grilling. My favorite method, too.
There was a comment earlier

...
Personally without more info and for the best all around charcoal grill and smoker with your requirements would be a kettle.

I got my (current) kettle as a free "kicked to the curb" during city cleanup.
My go to for grilling and smoking.
Downside is not enough room on a 22" for 5 robust eaters for smoking,

No personal cooking experience with pellet poopers outside of friends that love them. The only advice from them is to use quality pellets.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Since I don’t own one of those WSMs from Weber I can’t give you first hand advice. In the $500 or under price range though I would say that is your best choice of smoker that can go hours at a time without being constantly tended. Since you say you are already proficient at grilling you may be able to smoke on a limited basis with your current grill. An electric smoker like an MES would fit well under that $500 price range. That might be a good option for long smokes such as pork butts. I just got a Weber Kettle in the 22” version. You can smoke a small amount like a pork butt or small brisket on these things. All that being said I love my offset that needs to be tended frequently during my cooks. I can’t imagine smoking in any other way. Good luck.

G

 

[JC in GB]

Im thinking pellets but i dont know enough about smoking to be confident in my decision. Id like to pay around $500ish. I dont mind being hands on but when smoking overnight i would like something i can leave for several hours and get up and check as needed

A Rec Tec Bull may be what you are looking for. Not sure how close to $500 that is going to be.

Also, don't discount charcoal smokers. The Weber Smokey Mountain is a great bang for the buck smoker and you can get them used pretty easily for a reasonable cost.

Add a PID controller and you have nearly set and forget cooking.

If you live in cold climate, you may want to consider an insulated box type of smoker.

I have a Stump's Baby and I love that fact that I can smoke with no issues even at sub-zero temperatures. Insulated cabinets get expensive very quickly though and may not be a good first choice.

Anyway, as others have stated, there are a plethora of options out there and most are good choices.

Success in your decision and happy smoking!

JC

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

The others above have given you some great options. My suggestion would be to look into a MES40 with a AMNPS pellet tray. Will stay under your $500 budget. You can fit full racks of ribs or a few boston butts in at the same time. Continuous smoke for 10-12 hours. Its a good starting place before you jump straight into stick burning. AMNPS also doubles great for cold smoking as well.

 

[Prairie_Smoke]

I got started on an Old Country BBQ Pit offset smoker about 5 years ago. I can't imagine cooking any other way. It takes some settling in and learning your smoker but you can get it dialed into hold the temp nice and long.

 

[Prairie_Smoke]

Boston butts but also want to have enough room for rack of ribs. Any recommendations for beginners?

I would go with an Old Country BBQ Pits. I have the Wrangler and have never struggled for space. It can easily hold 3-4 butts depending on size or 4 racks of ribs. I have also had a 14 lb brisket and I had some extra space. I attached a photo for reference, that's a 12 lb butt sitting directly in the middle of the cook chamber.