New to the Forum - Looking for advice on a New Smoker

[W00PIG]

Hello All, First time posting, but I'll confess I've been browsing for a couple of years reading all the great information from the members.

A little background
I'm a very indecisive person when it comes to making a decision and purchasing anything. I spend months researching and reading reviews on items before I purchase , so I figured I would come get opinions from everyone here hoping I would hear from someone who has tackled the same issue.

I've had a XLBGE for several years and it's served me well for just about everything except when I'm needing to cook a larger volume. It's seems to be here in the last year I've received requests from friends, family, and others for me to smoke meat for them and there's no way I can do that from a single XLBGE.

I'm looking to hopefully gain some insight on which direction I should go. I'm looking for something with decent capacity that I could cook 10-20 butts at one time, but also something that if I only wanted to cook 2 butts and a couple racks of ribs it wouldn't have to be using a ton of fuel to do so. So something efficient would be great. I'd also like something compatible with a temp controller like the DigiQ. I currently use a FlameBoss with my Egg and it works great, but I love the convenience of not having to consistently worry about temp.

I'm not so much concerned with budget as long as I'm getting my monies worth out of my purchase.

To give you an idea of some of the smokers I've been looking at I've looked at:
Stumps Smokers - The Stretch
Myron Mixon - MMS48
Backwoods - G2 Fatboy

I've also thrown around the idea of just going all in and getting a mobile solution and getting on the waiting list for a Jambo.

If you have any recommendations I'd be greatly appreciative. Thanks Y'all.

 

[pops6927]

My recommendation would be a Camp Chef Pellet smoker like TulsaJeff's -

Jeff's review: http://www.smoking-meat.com/camp-chef-pellet-grill-woodwind

 

[W00PIG]

I looked into these when I was buying a pellet grill for the wife. I needed something for her that would be easy to manage, but ultimately I went with the RECTEC - 680. No complaints so far.

 

[23dbs55x]

You might want to check out Yoder Smokers. They have a nice selection and are heavy duty so will last for years. I have a small ys640 and am beyond satisfied. Want to upgrade next couple years and hopefully someday get a trailered one for BBQ events. Just a thought. Oh n PS they are American Made :)

 

[Tracer_08]

I started to ask what it was that led you to sell the old smoker and then realized I'd probably seen the post in the sale section. You probably already have a pretty good sense of how much value you'd see in the ease of use of the pellet based on your offset experience. If you were out smoking every weekend, it might not be that difference. If it was a limitation based on your schedule you'll find pellet grills open up a new world.

In terms of the smoker you'd have to pick up, I don't know if you have a trailer hitch on any of your vehicles but uhaul doesn't charge mileage on their trailers so it would be pretty affordable to pick it up. Obviously it would kill a day to go get it.

$1500 and the capacity you are looking for has quite a few options. Lots of pellet grills in that range, many of the ceramics like the kamado joe, an assassin grill....

Actually, given your winters a ceramic might not be the worst choice in the world. A pellet grill will work too, just will go through more pellets but something like a BGE or KJ won't care at all.

 

[JC in GB]

I have a Stump's Baby and it easily holds 6 pork butts. I know you said need a bit more capacity but I can only tell you what I know. My baby burns about 1 lb of charcoal an hour at 250. If you have the money, I would totally recommend a Stump's smoker. It has improved my BBQ cooks in terms of quality and time.

I use a cheap DIY pit controller and it runs the smoker to +/- 1 degree of set point.

I have run my baby up to 400 degrees something that many smokers cannot do.

Thad at Stump's gave me exceptional customer service and was great at explaining any operational questions I may have had.

The Stump's smokers are made with great care and it shows in the final product.

The one and only thing I have to say about Stump's gravity feed smokers is that they tend to charcoal bridge which is a nuisance but easily attended to.

That Stump's Stretch is a great looking unit. Would love to get one of those one day if I have the same issue as you. Not enough room for the demand.

Have you looked into Old Hickory pits? Those are also fine quality pits.

JC

 

[sawhorseray]

Check out Meadow Creek BBQ smokers, I just had a SQ-36 delivered today. Of course there's no one smoker made that's going to accomplish all you want, tho it never hurts to dream. RAY

 

[noboundaries]

Buy three 22.5" WSMs. Close to set and forget, and can load up to 6 butts in each one. Watch Craigslist. They pop up on occasion.

 

[claraholtz586]

While there are many ways for backyard meat smokers to provide heat and smoke for the meat, many BBQ aficionados acknowledge the superiority of pellet smokers.

Even the best performing pellet smokers under $1000 can be revolutionary for people who’ve never tried them before. They’re so easy to use, and the results are generally terrific.