Which Smoker should I get for my husband for xmas?

[pineywoods]

I think I'd ask whether he has a propane or charcoal grill first off. Whichever one he has I would buy him the same type of smoker but thats just my opinion

 

[txbbqman]

I don't want you to think we are being negative and not wanting to help, Because we do want to help, but I have to agree with several others.

I would not want my wife to pick out my smoker, for several reasons.
1 being It is a very personal thing ( I know it sounds silly but trust me )

If your husband has never done this before then it might not be as big a deal as it would be for those of us who have been doing it for a while.

While my wife has a pretty good idea of what I want next, I would hope she would come to me ( because I told her to ) before she tried buying me one because there are several technical things about my next pit which I did not tell her because it would have went right over her head.

IF I had to go with one of your 2 and if this is Husbands first foray into smoking I would go with the Weber, it's easy to use and easy to learn on.

Good Luck and Happy Smokes

 

[the dude abides]

Great advice.

for taking the time to walk somebody through this process. Often people forget that getting advice is mainly what this place is all about. So points are earned in this case for giving such good and well explained advice. Good job outta you deltadude.

You're a funny, funny man there oneshot. LOL

But seriously hamhocksforlegs (love your name by the way) if there's a way to slyly (is that a word?) ask him if he had a choice what would he choose. Tell him some friend of yours is thinking of buying their husband one. You may get a ton of info out of him.

 

[mballi3011]

My vote is for the GOSM for the main reason I have owned one for about 3 years and it's a good streedy machine and will bring you some good smokes for sure. I only thing I would change is the size if you can get the 24" model/ big block. If you are willing to spend upwards of 300.00 I would good to the Smoke Vault 24" I have one of those too. It is yet even better then the GOSM. I bought mine because of the width of thats unitt nad I couldn't get the big block either.

 

[irishteabear]

Welcome to SMF. Glad you joined us.

My suggestion would be to let hubby pick his own smoker out. He will be the one using it so he would be the best one to make the decision.

 

[deltadude]

10 years ago when my wife bought me our Weber Silver Genesis Gas Grill, for my birthday, she knew almost exactly what I wanted, and the gift was a complete surprise when Ace hardware delivered and setup the new Weber. The only thing I would have done different is get the model with the side burner. What my wife knew, is I would never make the purchase for myself. We had walked through home depot and Ace's Hardware enough times together and browsed the BBQs, she knew what I would want, since all I had at the time was a 22" Weber Kettle.

The same thing with the smoker, it was a birthday present. However as much as I had been talking about smokers with her, she knew I was undecided about what type. So my clever wife, gave me $250 that could only be spent for a smoker. Two weeks later after much research and weighing what I wanted most in that price range, it was down to the WSM and a last minute entry the MES basically due to the SMF forum and the amount of fellow owner support. Several hundred SMF posts later we all know the MES won out. However now that I'm not working I have time and I would like to tinker with a WSM.

Of course if your family has the extra bucks to go BIG, then there is even more great choices out there.

 

[rstr hunter]

I would also ask what your hubby was going to use it for. I think most of the previous posts assumed that you'd be doing mostly BBQ (ribs, chicken, pork shoulders, and briskets) however if your hubby is looking for a smoker for sausage, cheese, cold smoke items, that may make a big difference in your decision. While your hubby will undoubtably appreciate your effort no matter what, communication will help you get something that will fit his smoking intentions as well. Have a Merry Christmas.

 

[scpatterson]

First Off I like Ham Hocks!!!!
Second Off Good on ya for asking. You have brought tears to my eyes, what a thoughtful gesture
Third Get him a Lang...It says Love in so many ways. Everytime he looks at it he will think of you and me for suggetsing it. I would even travel to yall and help you wrap it and for its first smoke......

Heres the link... http://www.pigroast.com/

 

[chef jeff tx]

Not sure which GOSM model it is, link says unavailable. If it's the one I'm thinking it is you can get it new at WallyWorld for $150

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ct_id=12429510

The charbroil goes for $140

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ct_id=10858575

I prefer gas fired for ease of use and consistency of finished food. The gas provides a steady temp without too much attention and since it's burning wood chips for smoke & flavor no one will know the difference when you serve up the grub.

I would eventually upgrade the smoke box on either of the above with either a cast iron skillet or a stainless steel steam table pan.

 

[raceyb]

My personal preference is for the weber Smokey Mountain. And at $100, it's a steal in my opinion.

 

[rickw]

I have to agree with Raceyb, get the WSM. It's a great little cooker.

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Welcome indeed!

I would have to agree on the GOSM, especially if the user is not experienced with smoking...much easier to use than a charcoal fired smoker, which means it will likely get more use, and can more easily give good results.

The only regret I have with my GOSM is that I didn't get a larger size (I have the smallest gasser- 3405GW). If the one you speak of is the 3405 BGW, this is 20" wide instead of 16" wide like mine.

If hubby decides later on down the road that he'd like to try a charcoal fired rig, then find him one. There's a learning curve with either type, but it's a fun challenge.

Sounds like a lucky man to have a wife hunting for a smoker for a gift!

The earlier mention about hinting around about what type he'd like to use "if he were going to smoke meats" is a great idea as well.

Very nice gift idea...leave a note with the forum address inside the smoker, so he can drop us a line after Christmas...we'll hook him up with methods, ideas, tips and recipes.

Merry Christmas!

Eric

 

[azkitch]

Mine. It's a thousand dollars. I'll include a box of matches.
OK. Now that you are all rolling in the aisles...I haven't read the thread, but I'll bet you heard a lot of WSM. If he's gonna be cooking for the fam. ya can't do much better. Ask all the competition winners. Like Harry Soo on Pitmasters. Or Rhythm 'n' Que out here.
Now I'm gonna read the thread...

 

[rickw]

LOL.......

 

[azkitch]

Yeah. All of the above. Keep us "Posted" so to speak.

Thanks, Rick.

 

[norrell6]

I think this is a wise strategy. If he already has a gas grill, then you can share propane with the smoker. If he uses charcoal, then he is familiar with and probably has all the equipment for burning charcoal. I started with a WSM style smoker and then found what I liked and didnt like about it. Then I bought my other smokers. If I had to have only one smoker, I would have to pick my GOSM. You can smoke in it at low temps and also get it hot enough to cook chicken at 325F like it is supposed to be cooked. Most smokers are designed to stay at 250F or below, so being able to get really hot and maintain that temp is a big plus for the GOSM.
Good Luck and Merry Christmas!