- Sep 10, 2012
- 1
- 0
Smokey greetings and juicy salutations everyone.
Been lurking around here for a long time, but don't really post.
Fist of all thanks for the community, I've pulled a lot of great tips and tricks off of here, y'all are awesome!
Second.... I need help narrowing down my next Smoker acquisition.
What i currently have:
Camp Chef Smoke Vault 18" propane smoker
Chargriller Duo 50/50 Half gas grill, half charcoal grill. No firesidebox.
Both have seen better days, but have both served well for about 6-7 years.
The smoker is worse with the handle breaking and the burner has heavy rust.
The cover finally tore so bad i had to toss, so i expect it to not make it mush longer than this season.
I envision always having at least 2 cookers. Need a gas grill for convenience for quick cooking of chicken breasts or burgers.
Love the convenience of propane and temp control is good, but its a pain in the ass keeping up with the propane.
The smoke vault is a pretty good cooker. the large smoker pan is large enough for wood chunks so the smoke lasts longer, but i wish there was a separate door so 1 you don't get blasted in the face and 2 you don't lose all the heat. If i bought one again i would buy the larger size since a full brisket doesn't quite fit without bending it.
What i cook on the regular:
Split breasts bone in, pork cushions, dumsticks, whole chickens, tri tip, pork loin, pork ribs.
Once or twice a year: meatloaf, brisket and turkeys.
Price range 3-500$
What i've been looking at
Oklahoma Joe Bandera Smoker: I love the look of this cooker and there seems to be quite the cult following on this one. I like the side firebox that doubles as a small charcoal grill.
Huge amount of cooking space in the smoker, maybe too big if that's possible.
I've seen that with some mods this thing is pretty sweet.
Cons to me seem to be stick burner, harder to maintain temp. Requires more attention.
(may be able to use basket/minion method to work around this?)
Pellet grills: Looking more at Camp Chef brand, they seem to be a little cheaper then the traeger brand. I like the convection style and a set the temp and walk away.
Im concered of the initial cost and what the warranties/ expected reliability of the electronics when kept outside. AND i'd have to plug in an extension cord every time i use it since my dedicated BBQ area is the far side of my yard with no power. Plus id need to make sure to get a large enough one to fit a whole brisket.
Id most likely just replace the Duo 50/50 with a used weber gas grill next season...
Just curious what your thoughts may be or if you have any input on the pros cons of the smokers
Been lurking around here for a long time, but don't really post.
Fist of all thanks for the community, I've pulled a lot of great tips and tricks off of here, y'all are awesome!
Second.... I need help narrowing down my next Smoker acquisition.
What i currently have:
Camp Chef Smoke Vault 18" propane smoker
Chargriller Duo 50/50 Half gas grill, half charcoal grill. No firesidebox.
Both have seen better days, but have both served well for about 6-7 years.
The smoker is worse with the handle breaking and the burner has heavy rust.
The cover finally tore so bad i had to toss, so i expect it to not make it mush longer than this season.
I envision always having at least 2 cookers. Need a gas grill for convenience for quick cooking of chicken breasts or burgers.
Love the convenience of propane and temp control is good, but its a pain in the ass keeping up with the propane.
The smoke vault is a pretty good cooker. the large smoker pan is large enough for wood chunks so the smoke lasts longer, but i wish there was a separate door so 1 you don't get blasted in the face and 2 you don't lose all the heat. If i bought one again i would buy the larger size since a full brisket doesn't quite fit without bending it.
What i cook on the regular:
Split breasts bone in, pork cushions, dumsticks, whole chickens, tri tip, pork loin, pork ribs.
Once or twice a year: meatloaf, brisket and turkeys.
Price range 3-500$
What i've been looking at
Oklahoma Joe Bandera Smoker: I love the look of this cooker and there seems to be quite the cult following on this one. I like the side firebox that doubles as a small charcoal grill.
Huge amount of cooking space in the smoker, maybe too big if that's possible.
I've seen that with some mods this thing is pretty sweet.
Cons to me seem to be stick burner, harder to maintain temp. Requires more attention.
(may be able to use basket/minion method to work around this?)
Pellet grills: Looking more at Camp Chef brand, they seem to be a little cheaper then the traeger brand. I like the convection style and a set the temp and walk away.
Im concered of the initial cost and what the warranties/ expected reliability of the electronics when kept outside. AND i'd have to plug in an extension cord every time i use it since my dedicated BBQ area is the far side of my yard with no power. Plus id need to make sure to get a large enough one to fit a whole brisket.
Id most likely just replace the Duo 50/50 with a used weber gas grill next season...
Just curious what your thoughts may be or if you have any input on the pros cons of the smokers
