New to smoking as of Saturday...Help me next step! HOOKED HARD!

[Stopsign32v]

Was going to do a Boston butt in a crock pot with some liquid smoke until someone Friday at work told me I needed to do it on the charcoal grill instead. So that prompted me to do a couple hours of research and the bellow is the result.

Now I'm a huge cooker so this has opened up a whole new door for me. The outcome was amazing and I want to get into it all with ribs, brisket, etc like yesterday but I need a better/larger grill. I'm looking into the charcoal vs pellet but for now I'm thinking of a charcoal with an offset smoker.

Which brands out there do you guys recommend? I would like to stay within a $500 budget. Less costly is better but I'm not afraid of buy once cry once either.

 

[BigW.]

Welcome! That kettle will serve you well and is my favorite tool I have. Look into the "snake" method of stacking briquettes around the kettle. Will make for easier long cooks.

 

[JLeonard]

You got one of the best basic smokers already.....That kettle is awesome. I've done butts, ribs, and a full packer brisket on mine.

Welcome from Mississippi! Look forward to more posts and pics.

Jim

 

[Stopsign32v]

Welcome! That kettle will serve you well and is my favorite tool I have. Look into the "snake" method of stacking briquettes around the kettle. Will make for easier long cooks.

I did look at that method and while the kettle is fine, I want something larger for if I want to do a few racks of ribs.

 

[Stopsign32v]

Welcome from Mississippi! Look forward to more posts and pics.

Jim

Thanks Jim! I tried a Tomatillo salsa which basically was some chilis, tomatillos, garlic, and onion roasted then blended with some cilantro. Flavor wasn't there for me, hard to explain the distaste of it but I believe I'm not a fan of cilantro.

Anyways there is a local authentic Mexican restaurant that has a homemade green salsa that is heavy with garlic flavor. I want to find out the name and try to make it. That is what I was going for.

Hopefully there is a sauce section of this forum. I've made a killer apple/jalapeno BBQ sauce the family raves about.

Thanks for the warm welcomes.

 

[JLeonard]

S Stopsign32v the search feature in the upper right corner will lead you where ever you want to go. And lots of folks on here make their own sauces and dang near everything else under the sun. If I may suggest a few reads...

It's a GUIDELINE not a Rule!

You will see many posts like, At 275° a Spatched Turkey will probably take 20 minutes a pound to an IT of 165 in the Breast. At 225 a Butt will likely take 1.5 to 2 hours a pound to 205. At 225 a Brisket will usually take 1 to1.5 hours per pound to 195. These are simple to remember, easy for a...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Smoking Essentials Course - Learn to Smoke Meat with Jeff Phillips

5 secrets to smoking meat success will teach you how to select the meat, fire management, what equipment you will need, and a whole lot more!

www.Smoking-Meat.com

This will get you started....Any questions dont hesitate to ask...We were all noobies at one time or another.

Jim

 

[SmokinEdge]

Welcome to the forum.
Honestly if I were you I would stick with that kettle for a little bit. Learn how to layer flavor and manage temps, but then I honestly would look into pellet machines over charcoal for flavor unless you go the masterbuilt gravity route then you can do charcoal and add wood chunks or chips.

 

[chilerelleno]

Thanks Jim! I tried a Tomatillo salsa which basically was some chilis, tomatillos, garlic, and onion roasted then blended with some cilantro. Flavor wasn't there for me, hard to explain the distaste of it but I believe I'm not a fan of cilantro.

Anyways there is a local authentic Mexican restaurant that has a homemade green salsa that is heavy with garlic flavor. I want to find out the name and try to make it. That is what I was going for.

Hopefully there is a sauce section of this forum. I've made a killer apple/jalapeno BBQ sauce the family raves about.

Thanks for the warm welcomes.

There are compilations of 100s and 100s of recipes for everything.
A cookbook if you will, with sauces galore.
Thread 'SMF Recipe Collection - Update for June' https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/smf-recipe-collection-update-for-june.245228/

Check it out!

And several members run their own cookbooks so to say.
I do too, check out my Signature link, it has all my recipes.

 

[chilerelleno]

I did look at that method and while the kettle is fine, I want something larger for if I want to do a few racks of ribs.

Yes, buy once cry once.
If you're positive ya wanna become an avid smoker/griller then you wanna look at 2-3 times that $500. for real quality.
I used a $400. propane/wood smoker, a Camp Chef Smoke Vault 24, for many years and it did a good job.
But my Recteq 1250 pellet grill is much better, and many people here use and love them. Those are a $1300.-1500. smoker/grills.
But they both smoke and sear, and do it well.
Lots of other brands do the same jobs and do them well, so it's a hard choice to make.
Propane, charcoal, pellets and wood, all have their pros and cons.
Many here have multiple machines, dedicated smokers, dedicated grills and more, e.g. cold smokers.

It's a wonderful sickness.

 

[fxsales1959]

Was going to do a Boston butt in a crock pot with some liquid smoke until someone Friday at work told me I needed to do it on the charcoal grill instead. So that prompted me to do a couple hours of research and the bellow is the result. View attachment 683166
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Now I'm a huge cooker so this has opened up a whole new door for me. The outcome was amazing and I want to get into it all with ribs, brisket, etc like yesterday but I need a better/larger grill. I'm looking into the charcoal vs pellet but for now I'm thinking of a charcoal with an offset smoker.

Which brands out there do you guys recommend? I would like to stay within a $500 budget. Less costly is better but I'm not afraid of buy once cry once either.

Welcome. I've run the route. Elecric, Kamado (egg) offset reverse flow stick burner. Fairly expensive gravity fed (Masterbuilt 560) I got good results with all, some with much more effort.
I kept reading about the Weber Smoky Mountain. Bought an18.5" (wish I'd gotten the 22")
Since I got it I've sold my stick burner because I'm too old and it's too hot in S Florida to sitt there chucking wood for a 12 hour smoke.
The WSM once tamed allows more precise smoke, in my opinion. Its not set it and forget it, but pretty close unless you want to do a full packer brisket for 13 hours. I use plain old blue kingsford briquetes with chunks of my preferred wood. You''ll find many tutorials here in SMF.
Just my opinion.
John

 

[mr mac]

First, welcome to SMF from Southeast Missouri!

If I were you, and I had a budget of 500 smackers, I'd start looking at the used market on the Craigslist and Marketplace. Thin steel will be your enemy. You want as heavy a steel body as you can find.

While I have no idea where you are, I was able to find a few offset smokers under the price ceiling you mentioned.

Patience, Grasshopper, is your friend. Find a member here who might be able to help you in your search. Take them with you. And, like you already are, ask as many questions you need along your new journey.

Mac

 

[gmc2003]

The kettles bigger brother gets my vote:

26" kettle vs 22" kettle

Hot and fast, low and slow, and anywhere in-between. The kettle can do it all...and welcome aboard.

Chris

 

[JIMSMOKES]

Welcome from SC.
Like said above have questions ask. The only dumb questionis. The unasked one!

 

[Stopsign32v]

Welcome from SC.
Like said above have questions ask. The only dumb questionis. The unasked one!

You're in my back yard! 26 years near Furman. I miss them mountains.

 

[Fueling Around]

Welcome from central Florida
Charcoal and Weber go hand in hand. Kettle is versatile or step up to a WSM as fxsales1959 suggested.

I did look at that method and while the kettle is fine, I want something larger for if I want to do a few racks of ribs.

Rib rack ups the capacity

...
Hopefully there is a sauce section of this forum. I've made a killer apple/jalapeno BBQ sauce the family raves about.

Thanks for the warm welcomes.

Besides a sauce rubs & marinades section https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forums/sauces-rubs-marinades.123/
I don't think there isn't a specific food or cooking topic missing from this forum.

Next, you'll want to get in to home made sausage

Sausage

www.smokingmeatforums.com

You'll need a grinder and stuffer

Slicers, Grinders, Tools, Equipment

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[DRKsmoking]

Welcome from Nova Scotia

The above folks have you covered , with their knowledge and helpful ideas.

The search section is your biggest friend , and ask away . I am positive someone will always be there to help you out.


David

 

[Smokin Okie]

If you're serious about getting into stickburning with an offset, and there's Academys in your part of the woods, then the Old Country Pecos is the best value. Its a great pit to start on.

 

[Smoke-Chem BBQ]

Welcome from north-central NJ. I run a WSM 18", which I'm very happy with. I should hit my 100th cook on that smoker within the next few weeks.

If you are interested in a reasonably-priced and most excellent BBQ class, I recommend the various 1-day boot camps that Mason-Dixon BBQ runs in Greencastle, PA. I did their brisket boot camp last year, and it was great. It's a very cool store as well.
https://mdbbqservices.com/bootcamps/
Their schedule for 2024 will probably be posted soon, and the bootcamps will sell out very quickly.

 

[Newglide]

Welcome from NC. Sounds like you're hooked. You came to the right place. Like others said you have the perfect cooker already. I use my kettle all the time, Look into all the attachments for it, there are a bunch. Keep cooking on it and think about the direction you want to go, Pellett, Gas electric, stickburner. They are all different. Figure out what you like and what you don't. There are a lot of options and like you see there are alot of us who have several. You don't want to dive in without figuring out what you like and don't about what you're cooking on.

 

[chopsaw]

I need a better/larger grill.

Use and learn that kettle before buying something else .
Go to Lowes or Home Depot and see if they have the charcoal baskets , or get a set from Amazon .

Set up the Snake for longer cooks .