No longer amateur upgrading Smoker

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Plates are usually 3/16 or 1/4" thick. No issues with smoke flow getting to all areas of the smoke chamber. You could just go with a reverse flow but you will lose the adjustability of the tuning plates.

A reverse flow will hold a steady temp across the cook chamber as it is designed to do but I have heard you can get some adjustability if it's a trailer mount by raising or lowering the tongue of the trailer. I've never had a reverse flow so I can't tell you how this works. I have always cooked on standard offsets with tuning plates.
 
Ok, so reading the initial post I had the thought that the Open Range might be a good fit for you. I was kind of in the same boat last year. We were moving into our dream home and my wsm had been beat to hell at the rental. I really wanted a stick burner but I wasn't sure if I could fully let go of set it forget it smokes. I also needed a pit that would cover all bases. My circumstances are such that I can't have multiple units so I needed something that could grill and smoke. I narrowed down my search to the Open Range and the Lang 36 Hybrid. The shipping on the Lang ended up being more than I could afford so I went with the Open Range from firecraft for $1149 and free shipping. This pit is amazing! I use it primarily as a stick burner and I'm putting out the best BBQ I ever have. It runs a little different than a horizontal offset because of the way the firebox is layed out. Instead of a split every 45 min I add 1-2 mini half splits about every 25-30 min. Because the entire cooking grate are directly behind the fire box, I don't need a huge coal bed and my recovery time is about a min. Also because of the way it's layed out, there aren't any hot spots left to right across the grate. The best part is, if I don't have time to tend the fire, I can just set it up for a charcoal smoke and go about my business.

As a grill, the Open Range is equally excellent. First the grill grate is the same size as the smoking grates and they are interchangeable. Also the proximity of the smoking grates to the fire allows them to function the same as the upper grate on your typical gas grill allowing you to grill a good amount of food. And yes, you can grill burgers and dogs for lunch while you're smoking a brisket for dinner.

Anyway, like I said, with the budget you gave and specific wants and concerns I really thought this might be what you're looking for. Feel free to ask me any questions and I have no problem sending you detailed pics if you'd like. Good luck in your search.

Lance
Thank you. I think this is the way to go. I'm not sure why I forgot about the good one. I had looked at them when I was jumping into smoking a couple of years ago but went the cheap route. Now just to find a deal.
 
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Great deal on LEM Grinders!

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