Landmann Kentucky Smoker - do I bother

[willsuffolkuk]

Hi Guys

New here, looking for some advice. 

Found the forum because I was researching the Landmann Kentucky Smoker. Homebase have a good deal on it, just under £100

I've heard there are mods which can make this smoker better, I wanted to know specifically what these are? is it mainly around sealing gaps?

So that was my initial question, but then reading the forum, there's a lot of guys who smoke on weber kettles, which I already have. 

57cm kettle premium, it's 10 years old, but still got life in it, I've used the charcoal baskets to cook on it via direct heat, and then placed some wood chipping's directly on the coals, which has worked okay. I want to start doing large brisket, pork cuts and slow cooking/smoking them, which is why I was looking at the Landmann

I usually cook for a maximum of 8-10 people, and would like to smoke our christmas turkey this year, so any tips from the weber guys out there on how to maintain heat and slow cook for a long period of time. So far I've just been using a chimney and adding coals as the temperature starts to drop.

Therefore, based on the above, is it worth investing in a cheap offset, or should I keep on with the weber, and potentially upgrade to a WSM if/when I need more space, and can commit more money?

Lots of questions, a little bit rambled for my first post, be great to get your thoughts.

Will

 

[smokin monkey]

Hi Will, as you can see from these pictures, taken from this years UK SMF meet, lots of smoking on Webers!

Row of Webers,

image.jpeg

• smokin monkey
• Sep 1, 2016

Brisket,

image.jpeg

• smokin monkey
• Sep 1, 2016

Porchetta,

image.jpeg

• smokin monkey
• Sep 1, 2016

Belly Pork,

image.jpeg

• smokin monkey
• Sep 1, 2016

Ribs,

image.jpeg

• smokin monkey
• Sep 1, 2016

I do not own or cook on a Weber, but many Memebers do.

 

[wade]

 
Hi Guys

New here, looking for some advice. 

Found the forum because I was researching the Landmann Kentucky Smoker. Homebase have a good deal on it, just under £100

I've heard there are mods which can make this smoker better, I wanted to know specifically what these are? is it mainly around sealing gaps?

So that was my initial question, but then reading the forum, there's a lot of guys who smoke on weber kettles, which I already have. 

57cm kettle premium, it's 10 years old, but still got life in it, I've used the charcoal baskets to cook on it via direct heat, and then placed some wood chipping's directly on the coals, which has worked okay. I want to start doing large brisket, pork cuts and slow cooking/smoking them, which is why I was looking at the Landmann

I usually cook for a maximum of 8-10 people, and would like to smoke our christmas turkey this year, so any tips from the weber guys out there on how to maintain heat and slow cook for a long period of time. So far I've just been using a chimney and adding coals as the temperature starts to drop.

Therefore, based on the above, is it worth investing in a cheap offset, or should I keep on with the weber, and potentially upgrade to a WSM if/when I need more space, and can commit more money?

Lots of questions, a little bit rambled for my first post, be great to get your thoughts.

Will

Hi Will

I hope that some of the photos have given you confidence that the Weber you have is a good smoker. The fact that it is 10 years old just goes to show their quality too - how many of the cheap DIY store BBQs being sold today will still be around in 10 years. I just had to retire a faithful Weber that I bought in 1999 http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/248116/soon-to-say-farewell-to-a-faithful-old-friend

There is no single "right" BBQ/Smoker - each have their advantages and disadvantages. If you have the space in your garden then having a Weber AND a Landmann would not be unreasonable. The deciding factor is usually the level of understanding and tolerance of our partners... I cook on both kettles and offsets and without doubt the kettles require the least maintenance during long smokes and produce the most consistent results.

The thing to remember about the lower price small offsets is that they are really trying to appeal to the people who like the "image" of the American style smoker rather than provide a good practical tool upon which to cook. The thin metal that they are usually made of and the close proximity of the cooking chamber to the fire box results in a significant heat gradient along the cooking chamber which can result in uneven cooking. You will also usually need to seal the joints with stove tape to help reduce heat/smoke leakage. When you go up in size and quality though the offsets start to really come into their own, however at the lower end they can be a lot of hard work and fine temperature control for low and slow can be a challenge

When using the kettle for low and slow you need to move to using indirect heat. The best way to provide fine temperature control is to use use the snake method but here the quality of your briquettes is very important. I only use Heat Beads as they have no inherent smell and burn long and evenly. For the smoke you can use either pellets, wood chunks or chips.

HB Snake2.jpg

• wade
• Sep 1, 2016

Temperature Profile.JPG

• wade
• Sep 1, 2016

1.5-2 Kg load of Heat Beads as a snake will give you a cooking time of up to 8 hours at about 110 C. This is perfect for pulled pork and most briskets. For longer brisket smokes though you may need to add some more briquettes after 6 or 7 hours.

Christmas turkeys do very well in the Weber. That is the way that ours has been cooked for the past 10+ years. This is best using the indirect method with the two charcoal baskets at each side with a pan of water underneath the bird. Set the cooking chamber to about 160 C and ensure that the cavity of the bird is open. Do not stuff it. It is important to cook the turkey by temperature and not by time and it will usually take less time in the BBQ than it does in the oven. Before you try this I would recommend investing in a good digital thermometer - something like an ET-732/733 
Personally, I would stick with the Weber Kettle and then put your money towards adding a WSM later. For the number of people you are typically cooking for that would be a hard combination to beat. If you want to chat more about specifics for the turkey (or anything else) then please let me know 

I do not own or cook on a Weber, but many Memebers do.

Don't worry Steve - we will drag you into the 21st century eventually 

 

 

[willsuffolkuk]

Thanks Smokin Monkey and Wade, great to see so many people using a Weber.

I've BBQ'd the turkey for the last 2 years now, and don't think I'll ever go back to using an oven, well to be honest, I never cooked it in the oven, it only became interesting when using the BBQ! I'll probably get some more advice on this years effort closer to the time. 

Based on the above, I think I'll spend a bit of money on a thermometer and some decent charcoal and refine my technique on the weber, I always find you get what you pay for, my garden isn't huge, so a WSM would be a better fit space wise. 

I've got some mates coming over in october for a meat feast, so think I'll try brisket again with the snake method, do you still soak your wood chips with this method?

 

[wade]

 
do you still soak your wood chips with this method?

No just lay them dry on top of the unlit briquettes and as the burn reaches them they begin to smolder - which will result in a continuous supply of smoke throughout the cook. When smoking you are not looking for plumes of billowing smoke - a steady stream of fine smoke is what you are looking to achieve.

Cheers

wade

 

[Smoking noob]

Hi Will

I hope that some of the photos have given you confidence that the Weber you have is a good smoker. The fact that it is 10 years old just goes to show their quality too - how many of the cheap DIY store BBQs being sold today will still be around in 10 years. I just had to retire a faithful Weber that I bought in 1999 http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/248116/soon-to-say-farewell-to-a-faithful-old-friend

There is no single "right" BBQ/Smoker - each have their advantages and disadvantages. If you have the space in your garden then having a Weber AND a Landmann would not be unreasonable. The deciding factor is usually the level of understanding and tolerance of our partners... I cook on both kettles and offsets and without doubt the kettles require the least maintenance during long smokes and produce the most consistent results.

The thing to remember about the lower price small offsets is that they are really trying to appeal to the people who like the "image" of the American style smoker rather than provide a good practical tool upon which to cook. The thin metal that they are usually made of and the close proximity of the cooking chamber to the fire box results in a significant heat gradient along the cooking chamber which can result in uneven cooking. You will also usually need to seal the joints with stove tape to help reduce heat/smoke leakage. When you go up in size and quality though the offsets start to really come into their own, however at the lower end they can be a lot of hard work and fine temperature control for low and slow can be a challenge

When using the kettle for low and slow you need to move to using indirect heat. The best way to provide fine temperature control is to use use the snake method but here the quality of your briquettes is very important. I only use Heat Beads as they have no inherent smell and burn long and evenly. For the smoke you can use either pellets, wood chunks or chips.

HB Snake2.jpg

• wade
• Sep 1, 2016

Temperature Profile.JPG

• wade
• Sep 1, 2016

1.5-2 Kg load of Heat Beads as a snake will give you a cooking time of up to 8 hours at about 110 C. This is perfect for pulled pork and most briskets. For longer brisket smokes though you may need to add some more briquettes after 6 or 7 hours.

Christmas turkeys do very well in the Weber. That is the way that ours has been cooked for the past 10+ years. This is best using the indirect method with the two charcoal baskets at each side with a pan of water underneath the bird. Set the cooking chamber to about 160 C and ensure that the cavity of the bird is open. Do not stuff it. It is important to cook the turkey by temperature and not by time and it will usually take less time in the BBQ than it does in the oven. Before you try this I would recommend investing in a good digital thermometer - something like an ET-732/733
Personally, I would stick with the Weber Kettle and then put your money towards adding a WSM later. For the number of people you are typically cooking for that would be a hard combination to beat. If you want to chat more about specifics for the turkey (or anything else) then please let me know

Don't worry Steve - we will drag you into the 21st century eventually

 

[Smoking noob]

Can I just say how great this reply is! Iv been back and forth on how best to get into smoking for a few months now, it’s quite a minefield on offset vs vertical, Webber or KOMADO ETC. there’s definitely lots of evidence that the Webber is a great choice but also so many other options that you loose the clarity. I was exa the same as the poster here trying to think about my first pit. Thanks very much for taking the time to make such a long and thorough reply. Really makes it easier to see through the mountains of videos and see the genuine picture. need to buy a Weber 57 kettle now! Be good to hear how the original poster is getting on with his Weber??

 

[gmc2003]

The OP hasn't been seen since 2017 so you may not hear back from them. However there are many of us that use the Weber kettle for smoking and are very happy with the results. If you have any questions or want to see examples just ask, but be forewarned you may wind up spending a couple of days going thru and drooling over what will be shown.

Chris

 

[Smoking noob]

The OP hasn't been seen since 2017 so you may not hear back from them. However there are many of us that use the Weber kettle for smoking and are very happy with the results. If you have any questions or want to see examples just ask, but be forewarned you may wind up spending a couple of days going thru and drooling over what will be shown.

Chris

Thanks Chris. I don’t mind spending my time drooling!! got the bug bad atm. But step 1 is actually get a decent second hand or new Weber! Seems the weather has gotten most of them out of stock! WoWBBQ have a good selection. So I think I’m sorted apart from shipping time. Want to keep my eyes open for a second hand one first until next week! Otherwise I’ll get a new one. I’ll have a look around for different threads on here for tips and tricks. I prefer an old school forum feels more genuine. Any tips or threads you can think of to help please feel free to let me know.

 

[gmc2003]

Since this is the UK forum. I'm going to assume you're across the pond. It's too bad Wade hasn't logged on in a while. He was a good source for those that lived in the UK. When you settle in on something let us know and we'll be more than happy to help you get started.

Here's a few teasers of what a kettle can do.

Full Packer Brisket:

Pork butt and ham shank:

Tri-Tip and a couple spuds:

 

[flatbroke]

Big Jakes adopted cousin getting action