Two Brothers New to Smoking

[Terry Turner]

Hey, Y'all! My brother and I are meat fanatics. I'm 15 (coming up on 16) and he's 13. I've got a couple of questions and I was wondering if someone would have any advice.

Our family loves quality food, especially meat. My brother and I have approached my Mom about buying a smoker (my Dad already has plans to purchase a grill), and she whole-heartedly agrees. She's even agreed to pay us chore money to supply the family!

Anyway, I have plans to pursue meat smoking, meat grilling, and basic all-around-meat-awesomeness.

So here's my question:

What would you recommend as a starting smoker? Should we go with a cheaper one like the Weber Smokey Mountain that requires a little more hands-on attention, and just learn as I go?

Or should we try an electric/pellet smoker that is a lot easier to tend to . . . but might not have as good a flavor?

How obvious is the difference in the smokey flavor? Would I regret buying a cheaper one or easier one later down the road when I become more experienced?

Any tips?

Thanks in advance! Sorry if I made this too long.

EDIT:
P.S. Where's the best place to get LOTS of meat for an affordable price?
Costco? Wal-mart? Amish friends? Potentially raising our own?

 

[hillbillyrkstr]

A pellet smoker or an electric smoker will be the easiest. But buying a stick burner or Smokey mountain will actually teach you something. I don’t know how old you are but learning the art or smoking when your young is something you can use the rest of your life. And you can teach people down the road as well.

With NO intentions of starting a war on this thread I can hosestly say I learned on a stick burner and did that for years before I ever bought an mes. And imho throwing something in a pellet smoker or mes doesn’t make you a pit master or anything near it. Again I’m not trying to rock the boat here but anyone can throw a slab of ribs on a traeger. It’s much different on a stick burner.

I bought a wsm this year just because I’ve never used one and wanted to learn. Always try to add to your craft.

If I was you I’d buy a wsm or a stick burner but I’m pretty stuck in my beliefs and ways.

Any which way you go welcome to the world of smoking! I hope you and your brother have as much fun and I have over the years!

Good luck
Scott

 

[hillbillyrkstr]

By the way a pellet smoker will give you real good flavor. I don’t want to say anything bad about the product. It just won’t teach you anything except how to dump a bag of pellets into a hopper.

A wsm is a nice quality product. I believe they are still made in America as well.

Good luck
Scott

 

[Russell Lawrence]

I agree. Starting with a stick burner will be better because you will be able to get more hands on experience. It’s a great way to learn and experiment what will fit your style of taste. You will learn a lot more working with a stick burner because you have to pay more attention to what is happening with the smoker. The set it and forgot it method would be better later after you learn how the whole process works. Good luck!!

 

[Terry Turner]

Thanks so much for the tips, Scott! I'm looking forward to starting my Smokin' Career!

Oh. One more question . . . . . where's the best place to get meat? We consume a ton of it, so I don't want to blow up the family's budget. Where's been the best place for you? Amish (we visit there quite a bit)? Costco? Wal-mart? Raise your own?

We're hoping we can work out some plans to garden/raise some animals on a friend's 40-acre farm.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

I started on a cheap ass analog MES I bought from Aldi’s without knowing the first thing about smoking and worked my way up from there. Taught me how much I really enjoyed smoking and from there I was hooked. Love the MES still use them today but wasn’t enough I wanted to learn more and have added other smokers and cooking devices since then.

I would say to go with the MES or the WSM. If budget is tight buy a cheap offset from Walmart or hit up Craigslist. You can produce great smoked food off about anything if you put the time into it.

Good luck convincing the parents!

 

[Terry Turner]

I agree. Starting with a stick burner will be better because you will be able to get more hands on experience. It’s a great way to learn and experiment what will fit your style of taste. You will learn a lot more working with a stick burner because you have to pay more attention to what is happening with the smoker. The set it and forgot it method would be better later after you learn how the whole process works. Good luck!!

Ok, sounds good. I think I'm leaning towards this option as well. Thanks!

 

[Terry Turner]

I started on a cheap ass analog MES I bought from Aldi’s without knowing the first thing about smoking and worked my way up from there. Taught me how much I really enjoyed smoking and from there I was hooked. Love the MES still use them today but wasn’t enough I wanted to learn more and have added other smokers and cooking devices since then.

I would say to go with the MES or the WSM. If budget is tight buy a cheap offset from Walmart or hit up Craigslist. You can produce great smoked food off about anything if you put the time into it.

Good luck convincing the parents!

Thanks for the tips on where to buy the smokers. I hadn't considered that yet.
What's MES stand for? I've seen it around quite a bit.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Thanks so much for the tips, Scott! I'm looking forward to starting my Smokin' Career!

Oh. One more question . . . . . where's the best place to get meat? We consume a ton of it, so I don't want to blow up the family's budget. Where's been the best place for you? Amish (we visit there quite a bit)? Costco? Wal-mart? Raise your own?

We're hoping we can work out some plans to garden/raise some animals on a friend's 40-acre farm.

Not sure where you are located but look for manager clearance meat at the grocery store and freeze it. Or look for the sales. Bought several Boston butts a couple months back for $.99 a lb and froze them. Love Costco for briskets

 

[Terry Turner]

Not sure where you are located but look for manager clearance meat at the grocery store and freeze it. Or look for the sales. Bought several Boston butts a couple months back for $.99 a lb and froze them. Love Costco for briskets

WOW. $0.99/lb is awesome! Good to know about manager clearance. I'll let the fam know.

Edit: We're located in upper Kentucky (about an hours drive from Cincinnati), and are about an hour out from some Amish farms and butchers.

We've also got an IGA, Wal-mart, and Kroger all really near. Not sure about Costco, but I don't think it's too far.

 

[lovethemeats]

Stick burner all the way. I love using mine when I got time to sit by it and tend to the firebox when needed. Mine does some great tasty food. But I also love my Mes30 and 40 for their qualities that they offer. Sitting next to a stick burner smelling/drooling the fine smells coming from it. Never heard of trying to cold smoke in one. Mes30/40 does a great job of that. All the different type smokers you see have something special to offer. All have some flaws. And a Electric MES has a few. Good luck in what you decide. Make it your choice and not someone else's for you.

 

[motocrash]

Welcome to the fine forum.
Out of your three choices,WSM 14,WSM 18 and WSM 22,it all boils down to how big your family is.I'd say 22 from what you have said about LOTS of meat.

 

[Terry Turner]

Stick burner all the way. I love using mine when I got time to sit by it and tend to the firebox when needed. Mine does some great tasty food. But I also love my Mes30 and 40 for their qualities that they offer. Sitting next to a stick burner smelling/drooling the fine smells coming from it. Never heard of trying to cold smoke in one. Mes30/40 does a great job of that. All the different type smokers you see have something special to offer. All have some flaws. And a Electric MES has a few. Good luck in what you decide. Make it your choice and not someone else's for you.

Thanks for the tips! I can totally relate to drooling over the delicious smells, Lol.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Thanks for the tips on where to buy the smokers. I hadn't considered that yet.
What's MES stand for? I've seen it around quite a bit.

MES stands for masterbuilt electric smoker. Stick around long enough you will learn the lingo haha.

As far as the meat goes if you can get good Amish meat close and at a good price you can’t beat that. I get good deals at Kroger all the time. We got whole boneless ribeye roasts for $6.99 a lb this week.

 

[Terry Turner]

Welcome to the fine forum.
Out of your three choices,WSM 14,WSM 18 and WSM 22,it all boils down to how big your family is.I'd say 22 from what you have said about LOTS of meat.

Thanks for the welcome motocrash! From those three options, I think I agree with you on the 22inch. Or maybe the 18inch. If/when I start smoking a lot, I'd love to be able to just set aside a "Meat Day" and max out a large smoker and make extras for throughout the week.

 

[Terry Turner]

MES stands for masterbuilt electric smoker. Stick around long enough you will learn the lingo haha.

As far as the meat goes if you can get good Amish meat close and at a good price you can’t beat that. I get good deals at Kroger all the time. We got whole boneless ribeye roasts for $6.99 a lb this week.

Whew, thanks for clearing up MES! I'm going to look forward to this meat bargain hunting. Like modern-day hunting with A/C.

 

[Uncle Bob’s BBQ]

Congrats on starting a great hobby that all your family and friends will enjoy with you. I started my bbq addiction two years ago when I bought an Oklahoma Joe Highland offset stick burner from Walmart. I think it was around $250.00. If you are truly looking to build skills in smoking bbq this is a great option. It definitely takes some practice and a few smoker modifications but if you dedicate the time you can make great bbq with it. I’ve since purchased a Horizon offset and Lang offset trailer smoker. Needless to say the more expensive cookers are easier to use so learning on a starter offset is extremely beneficial. As far as quality meat goes I would recommend speaking with your local butcher for any advice. They are a wealth of knowledge. In my opinion stick burners are the only way to go. Stoking the fire is half the fun of the experience. You can learn tons of tricks from reading different experiences on this forum from people who have been doing this all their life. Feel free to ask any questions and I’d be happy to give whatever advice I can. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[SonnyE]

Hello Terry!
Welcome to

Love your enthusiasm!
Tough call, but I would encourage you toward a stick burner you could use charcoal in.
Charcoal can be a few brickettes, or lumps, and you add some chunks for your smoke. (You can get a bag of hardwood chunks for the purpose.) Or you could build a up a hot fire in it.
That way you will learn from the ground up, and have complete control of the smoke profile.
It's not the easiest way, but it's a great way. Later on, you can try electric, or add something like an AMNPS to do more smoke at lower temperatures, with cheap easy to buy pellets.

Tons of meat... well to me that means Costco or Sam's Club, here. But if I could, I'd likely choose the Amish, because I believe they would be selling the purest meat. (No hormones or such) Short of raising your own.

Since your Dad is getting a grill, and you want to smoke meat, there are many ways to begin. try and compliment what your Dad gets so you are a bit different. If he gets a Pellet grill, you do charcoal. If he gets a stick burner/charcoal, you get an AMNPS and a box or an old porcelain fridge (NOT plastic inside).

My first smoker cabinet was a big old electric motor controller cabinet stripped out to just the box, and an electric hot plate with a #10 can for wood chips. Wa-La! An electric smoker! That was over 50 years ago....
Nowdays, an AMNPS, and somewhere to hang meat where the smoke will linger.
I've even seem a guy using an old filing cabinet he made into a smoker.

 

[Terry Turner]

Congrats on starting a great hobby that all your family and friends will enjoy with you. I started my bbq addiction two years ago when I bought an Oklahoma Joe Highland offset stick burner from Walmart. I think it was around $250.00. If you are truly looking to build skills in smoking bbq this is a great option. It definitely takes some practice and a few smoker modifications but if you dedicate the time you can make great bbq with it. I’ve since purchased a Horizon offset and Lang offset trailer smoker. Needless to say the more expensive cookers are easier to use so learning on a starter offset is extremely beneficial. As far as quality meat goes I would recommend speaking with your local butcher for any advice. They are a wealth of knowledge. In my opinion stick burners are the only way to go. Stoking the fire is half the fun of the experience. You can learn tons of tricks from reading different experiences on this forum from people who have been doing this all their life. Feel free to ask any questions and I’d be happy to give whatever advice I can. Good luck and enjoy.

That's super helpful! Thank you very much! I've seen a video about an offset smoker and it looked really cool (and simple!). I'll see what my Dad is up for.

I'll definitely have to call up some of my local butchers for advice. I think my plan-of-attack meat wise will be:
1. Calling my local butchers for info and advice
2. Reaching out to my local stores for manager clearances
3. Signing up for local grocery newsletters to keep an eye on the deals
4. Re-searching Costco's prices and see if the Amish have any meat available

And the last step . . .
5. Rinse, repeat, and buy meat!

 

[Tex1911]

If I had to do it over again, I would start out simple with an electric. This will give you a chance to learn to cook before you jump into the stick burners. Spend time learning the different methods (like 3,2,1 ribs etc.) and then get a stick burner. Everyone needs a stick burner at some time in their life.