I'm new and I need some help

[stretch90]

Hey everyone,

I've decided to buy my first smoker and start making smoked meat but I barley know anything on the topic and was wondering if someone could help me out. At first i'll start by smoking some smaller pieces like lamb chops or small steaks, but eventually I want to make a brisket like the ones from the montreal delis. So my first question is which type of smoker would be good to buy and which brand. I went to the home depot near my house and they only have a propane smoker and I'm not really sure how the smoke is produced in one of those, but I want to get the best tasting one like charcoal or wood.

So if someone can help me out by telling me the difference between the different smokers and some tips on where to start, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[realtorterry]

First off  WELCOME ABOARD!!

Second there is a e-course here. Sign up for that & you'll get some of the best advise you can find!! As for the smoker you might want to first figure out how much you want to spend? There are some small cheap ones called Brinkmanns, & there are other that can get into anwhere from a couiple hundred to a couple thousand.

Good look friend & don't be afraid to ask any questions here!!

 

[marty catka]

I'm sure that others will offer their opinions, but there are a number of different types of smokers available in all price ranges.  Would you be looking for charcoal, wood burners, electric or gas?  What price range are  looking at?

I've got a Masterbuilt Electric that works great, temperature control is fantastic ( I got mine for about $199)  I've also got two El Cheapo Brinkmann charcoal smokers that I modified for better air intake and temp control ( between $60 and $80 ).  The Weber Smoky Mountain is a great unit for about $400-500.  There is also the charcoal offsets that will run you about $200 for the low end models and up to $2000 or more for the high end.  Then there are the gassers. 

Keep reading the forum and I am certain that you will figure out what you want to spend and which way you want to go.

Welcome to the forum and good luck in your endeavors.

 

[jirodriguez]

Welcome to the forum! Like Terry said definately sign up for the e-course to get some good solid general information on smoking, smokers, and meats. Also about 3/4 of the way down the forums page is a section decicated to all the various types of smokers, poke arournd and see what fuel type appeals to you and then ask questions. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/

I personally would recommend a Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM), they come in two sizes 18" and 22.5". Charcoal fired, you add wood chunks for smoke and flavor, are super simple and easy to use, can do long overnight smokes with ease, ready to go out of the box with no modifications. 18" usually runs between $250-300, 22.5" between $350-$400, many consider them to be one of the best smokers you can get for under $500.

 

[mballi3011]

First off Welcome Stretch to SMF. you'll like it here for there are alot of really good folks here that would just love to help you with just about anything to do with smoking. Now there are alot of proven recipes for some amazing things here too. So if you need sign up for the E-Course it's free and it will give you the basics of smoking and some good methods to use also. So the next big thing for you to do is go out and get you something to smoke and if you happen to have any questions just post it here and we will be happy to answer them for you.

Welcome To Your New Addiction

 

[pineywoods]

Welcome to SMF glad you decided to join us. Smoking is not hard it requires time and patience more than anything. As for which smoker that all depends on what type smoker you want Electric, Propane, Charcoal or Wood fired we have members that use them all to produce some great Q so its a matter of which you want to start with. Most of us eventually end up with more than one smoker and more than one type so start with what your comfortable with an go from there. Here's a link to Jeff's 5 Day Ecourse maybe start there its free and you'll get lots of great info

http://www.smoking-meat.com/smoking-basics-ecourse.html

Good luck and let us know what type you decide on and any questions you may have. You will find there are no dumb questions here and there are many people willing to try to answer any question you have. You will find this site is very good at helping people get stated into the smoking world

 

[northern greenhorn]

Welcome to smf, glad you're here. Like the others have said, sign up for the 5 day course, you won't be disappointed, secondly everyone has their own preference on what kind of smoker to use, I have a GOSM propane smoker, and it does a good job, and I don't have to babysit it, but I have to agree with Pineywoods on obtaining a few smokers, I just started this year, and I already want some more smokers, I think I'm gonna ask Santa for a WSM this year.

 

[stretch90]

Thanks for all the responses guys!

I just signed up for the newsletter so I'll see what that's all about. My first concern is which type of smoker I should get. I don't know if this is any indication but I really dislike propane BBQ and love charcoal. So I thought I wouldn't want to go for a propane smoker, but I'm not sure how they work to create the smoke, so I guess I'll see what I learn from the newsletter. As for the price, I was hoping to spend around $100 because I don't need anything too big, but if it's a matter of quality and flavor then I wouldn't mind spending more for something better.