My sister just asked me for smoker advice. She has zero experience although they have a Weber they barely use. This is what I wrote her this morning (c&p):
First you have to decide whether you want gas, electric, or charcoal. Also, do you want to burn real wood or pellets? I go charcoal but I'm a purist. I go with real wood. So I'll tell you what I know about charcoal smokers which burn real wood.
The idea is, you light the charcoal, then throw wood on top. The wood smokes and flavors the food.
My first smoker was a water smoker. These days they are often called bullet smokers. Here is an example of a cheap one.
Southern Country 351-Sq in Black Vertical Charcoal Smoker in the Charcoal Smokers department at Lowes.com
I used this type of smoker exclusively for 25 years. Schuyler still uses this type of smoker today and has been using this for 35 years. The idea is, you light charcoal. Put water pan over it. Put food over water pan on a rack or you can hang it. Put wood on top of charcoal using the little door. You generally use wood CHIPS from a bucket of water. You can add a wood CHUNK once in a while if you want. Add water as needed using the little door. It will make wonderful juicy smoked meats. Chicken breast will squirt juice like a fresh orange. However it takes a lot of time to learn how to cook with it. It has no air intake control so you have to control the temp by adding wet wood (cool down the temp) or adding charcoal (raising temp) or clearing air holes (raising temp). It requires constant attention. You need to sit and watch it the entire cook. You will need to fiddle with it every 10-20 minutes to keep the temp stable. Some people buy these and never learn to use them correctly. Others swear by them and love them.
The next best smoker, IMO, is a kettle smoker. I have this:
Slow 'N Sear® Deluxe Kettle Grill | SnS Grills
It is versatile. You can slow cook, smoke, grill, roast.
However, you already have a
Weber kettle right? 22 inch. So if you want, you can just buy the inserts and use them in the Weber. You should also get the deluxe griddle which is placed at the bottom on the charcoal grate which will make a dramatic difference in proper air flow.
SnSKettleSnSDeluxe1_1200x800_de54172f-c4dc-485a-bda3-1a6fb0cc8813_600x.png (600×400) (shopify.com)
You light the charcoal and wood CHUNKS on the left, fill water pan next to it, place food on cooking grate on the right. Place upper lid and vent on the right. Hot air and smoke will move from left to right.
The kettle smoker is not a dedicated smoker, but it is more stable than the water bullet smoker as far as retaining temp.
There are certain advantages to the SnS kettle though, over the Weber. It's up to you whether you want to buy the SnS kettle, just buy the inserts and use the weber, or get something else.
Here is a 4-star review:
Slow 'N Sear Kettle Grill (amazingribs.com)
Next we have the drum smoker. Think about a 55 gal drum. Cut some holes in it, cut the top off, and make a smoker out of it. That's what people started doing years ago. And it did a good job smoking meats! And then the manufacturers started making them too. The drums are excellent dedicated smokers, better than either of the options above. It is similar in theory to the water bullet smoker, but it is much tighter in that it doesn't leak smoke or water vapor. Using water is optional. It holds temp very very well. Once the temp is stabilized, it will run wonderfully all by itself. You only have to check it every hour or so once it's stable. It has one air intake which you can control for temp adjustment. You can even hook up a small fan gadget on the intake to keep the temp perfect all day/night long, if you want, all by itself. One awkward thing is you don't have access to the charcoal - there's no door. But that's why it's so tight. Set it up in advance, then light it and let it go.
Here is the one I have:
Bronco Drum Smoker | Oklahoma Joe's® (oklahomajoes.com)
Here is a 5-star review:
https://amazingribs.com/grill-smoke...oker/oklahoma-joes-bronco-drum-smoker-review/
I spent $300 for mine. My buddy got one for $150 end of season sale two years ago (thanks to me).
Next we have the offset smoker, which is the pinnacle of smokers. It's the best of the best, provided you don't buy a cheap one. Why? Because of the draft. The draft is far superior from the other smokers because it can burn actual wood logs rather than chunks or chips. This makes a bigger fire, which burns more oxygen. The draft is strong, like wind. The strong draft constantly showers the meats with clean smoke giving a superior smokey flavor, and a cleaner flavor. An offset smoker brings out the flavor of the wood, it amplifies it. That's why all the best BBQ places in Texas use offset smokers.
Here is the one I have:
Highland Offset Smoker | Oklahoma Joe's® (oklahomajoes.com)
The idea is, you light the charcoal in the firebox on the right, throw real log splits on top. The heat and smoke are forced up into the cook chamber, and then exit through the chimney on the left. The smoker will have a bright yellow flame burning constantly just like in a fireplace. This is what produces CLEAN smoke, which is the tastiest smoke.
Mine is a fairly cheap one (better than Walmart though), and I had to do some modifications to make it cook the way I wanted. I only paid $225 for mine, and adding all the mods, I am in for around $500. I am very happy with the way it cooks at this point.
You can get a much nicer one. You can spend $4,000 for one if you want. But they are big, sit on a trailer, and I don't think you'd be able to get it into your side area. You'd have to keep it in the garage.
You probably don't want an offset because they're very big. They are advanced smokers. Maybe some day you'd get one, but you probably don't want to start with one. They do require constant attention during the cook, but it's fun.
There's also the
Weber Smokey Mountain which is very popular. The 18" version is rated with 5 stars by amazingribs.com.
https://amazingribs.com/smoker/weber-smokey-mountain-cooker-smoker-18-review/
IIRC, it is rated higher than the other WSMs because it holds lower temp better.
Good luck and have fun!
