What smoker would you buy if you had $500

[symansaysbbq]

Simple question... If you had $500 what smoker would you buy? :-/

So, I know $400-$500 in the BBQ world is not much to work this,

but my wife and mother-in-law are thinking of getting me a new smoker for Chrismas/birthday and I'd like to point them in the right direction. I mostly cook pork butts and chicken and the occasional brisket. I am looking for wood/charcoal. I also own a Rocks BBQ stoker with the 10CFM fan. It's a long story how I have a stoker with no smoker.

I am not against used smokers and live in CT. I also don't know how to weld but love to build stuff.

Any suggestions would help...

Thanks

 

[ecto1]

Weber Smoky Mountain if you didn't build a UDS yourself.

 

[symansaysbbq]

Thank you. I have been looking at the WSM. I think your probable correct with this being the best option. Any idea how long of a burn I can get with the 22" unit at temp around 225 with the stoker and lump charcoal?

 

[garyt]

Thermopen, but Lang has a 36 inch model now, check it out stainless steel.

 

[symansaysbbq]

Langs are so sweet but way out of my price range :-/ $850 for the 36"

 

[ecto1]

Thank you. I have been looking at the WSM. I think your probable correct with this being the best option. Any idea how long of a burn I can get with the 22" unit at temp around 225 with the stoker and lump charcoal?

You can get 8-10 hours without the stoker easy maybe more.

 

[jirodriguez]

Thank you. I have been looking at the WSM. I think your probable correct with this being the best option. Any idea how long of a burn I can get with the 22" unit at temp around 225 with the stoker and lump charcoal?

 Not sure about the stoker, but in the summer I can get 20+ hrs at 225° on one full ring of my 22.5" WSM, in the winter it drops to about 12 hours. I have been thinking of insulating mine for winter use, then I should be able to get at least 16-18 no problem. I really, really like the 22.5" WSM.

 

[mballi3011]

Well I would say be different and think that you shoould goo with the smoke vault 24"

 

[princess]

Knowing how much I love my 36" Weston, if I had $500 I'd ask Santa to bring me the 48" ($400) with an extra propane tank ($30) and then I'd order an AMS starter set from Todd for cold smoking ($50). ;)

Cheers!

-Princess

 

[sqwib]

This one

..

sorry couldn't resist.

 

[deannc]

SQ - LOL

I've been reading up a lot on the 22.5" WSM recently and I'm trying to convince Santa it is what I need! lol  

A WSM would leave ya $100 for meat or a thermapen.  

 

[symansaysbbq]

SQ - LOL ya got me, that was good...

Princess & mballi Nice ideas, I have never heard of either of them and like the look of booth, however I am really looking to stick with wood/coal so I can play with my stoker.

jiRodriguez "20+ hrs at 225° on one full ring of my 22.5" WSM" I think you just sold me. I only get like an hr or 2 on my current piece of junk...

thanks everyone

Maybe I should spend the $500 on a welder and build me one...

My wife would kill me if I told her that idea...lol

 

[jirodriguez]

SQ - LOL ya got me, that was good...

Princess & mballi Nice ideas, I have never heard of either of them and like the look of booth, however I am really looking to stick with wood/coal so I can play with my stoker.

jiRodriguez "20+ hrs at 225° on one full ring of my 22.5" WSM" I think you just sold me. I only get like an hr or 2 on my current piece of junk...

thanks everyone

Maybe I should spend the $500 on a welder and build me one...

My wife would kill me if I told her that idea...lol

Just remember the 20+ hrs is in the summer when the low temps for the night stay above 60° or so, in the winter it drops by 50% or so - thus the suggestion of insulating it in the winter.

 

[ak1]

Build a UDS and use the other 400 bucks to buy meat

 

[princess]

Best idea yet!!!

 My freezer is looking kinda sad and empty, needs VENISON!!

Build a UDS and use the other 400 bucks to buy meat

 

[symansaysbbq]

Originally Posted by AK1
Build a UDS and use the other 400 bucks to buy meat

Do you have any recommendations on how to adapted my stoker to an UDS. I would need the fire box to be draft free except for the air intake from the stoker. Would the 10CFM be good for a 55gal drum? :-/

Thanks

 

[ak1]

I don't think you need a stoker. I've done 20 hr smokes with just the basic UDS design and 1 load of charcoal, and it's involved minimal tweaking to maintain temps.
 

Originally Posted by AK1
Build a UDS and use the other 400 bucks to buy meat

Do you have any recommendations on how to adapted my stoker to an UDS. I would need the fire box to be draft free except for the air intake from the stoker. Would the 10CFM be good for a 55gal drum? :-/

Thanks

 

[tom37]

The stoker fan has a flapper if I'm not mistaken. 10 cfm is way plenty for a drum maybe even to much. But I would think that its still going to do its job, kick on when the temp drops and off when it peaks. Using a stoker, I think you could use one 2" ball valve and not have the extra nipples and caps.

Worst case, the 5 cfm fan is only 60 bucks. Running a drum on a stoker will take all the work out of it all together. Make it almost like a MES.

 

[symansaysbbq]

question for all the UDS fans......?? Would this idea work?

 

[deltadude]

SymanSaysBBQ, you really can't go wrong with a 22" WSM, first it is a champion cooking, lots of bbq teams use them and win with the WSM.  KCBS team of the year for 2009 won using WSM cookers.  Why do so many competing BBQ teams use the WSM, IT WORKS, and delivers serious smoking/BBQ for the prices.  While building a UDS is a nice DIY project, rather than focusing on mechanics & tweaking an unknown entity to get it just right, you get JUST RIGHT with a WMS right out of the box.  This allows you to focus on cooking some great tasting Q.   I am not knocking the UDS, but if you have $500 to spend on a smoking rig, get serious and get smoking with a new WMS.