Grill/Smoker Opinion

[ceyko]

Wow.

[red95gts]

Weber Bullets (aka Smokey Mtn Cookers) are great smokers that won't break the bank and will outperform the 2in1 you posted or the Smokenator.

Just saw on SlickDeals that Home Depot was blowing out the 18.5 Weber Smokey Mountains for $56 (and $41 at some locations). I searched every HD in a 5 state area and can't find a single one in stock. But, check your local store - you know how online inventory works sometimes. It looks like the deal died about a week ago, but you never know I guess....

[FreightTrain]

If wanting solely a smoker, go with Lifetime Smokers. I prefer/own the BGE and will never cook on anything else again.

Never heard of them. I do however own a Lyfetyme smoker.

[Cobra86]

If wanting solely a smoker, go with Lifetime Smokers. I prefer/own the BGE and will never cook on anything else again.

Second the BGE opinion. Hard to beat with a DigiQ Pit Viper temp regulator. Almost foolproof. Outside temp is no factor with a BGE.

[Silverback]

I have the Old Country Smokers, Pecos model from Academy. It was $350 when I picked it up.

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_311401_-1?Ntt=smoker&Ntk=All

Super solid construction, and has a very large food chamber area. Dual slide out grates, one in the food chamber, and one in the fire pit. My only real complaint is that it does have a few leaky spots, but when smoking with full size logs, instead of minis or chunks, it held temps for 10+ hours no problem.

Right now I'm working on a project on it, taking some black RTV high temp and making a better seal around the lids where it does leak a little to see if I can seal it up.

It's been an awesome smoker so far, I wouldn't trade it for another, unless it was a trailer setup

[BEARY]

If wanting solely a smoker, go with Lifetime Smokers. I prefer/own the BGE and will never cook on anything else again.

[bcoop]

I think nearly anything is fine for smoking/cooking ribs. They are not on that long.

However, when smoking large briskets, turkeys and hams (so on) when it is below 40 out (some years it's been COOLD around here at 1-2 in the morning) and the wind is howling - you'll wish you had a better one.

Very true. But with enough practice, you can make almost anything work. There are ways to manipulate it to make it do what you want. Its just a trial and error process. If you've got the money, spend a bit more to get something better constructed. You wont regret it. While I've made do, the Char Grill is thin, leaks terribly, too small (for me, just fine for most)etc.

I bought this one, because i was new to smoking, and to be honest, I didn't know how much I'd like the whole smoking thing. So I didn't want to spend much. Because I've been using it so much though, I can turn out the best pork butt you've ever had in sub 40 temps. All that said, the Char Grill isn't the best option, but it damn well would perform better than the above.

[ceyko]

Like Brent i have a cheap ass CharGrill smoker that i picked up at wal mart for $170 and it makes ribs to die for. It may rust out some day but i'll have my moneys worth out of it by then.

I think nearly anything is fine for smoking/cooking ribs. They are not on that long.

However, when smoking large briskets, turkeys and hams (so on) when it is below 40 out (some years it's been COOLD around here at 1-2 in the morning) and the wind is howling - you'll wish you had a better one.

[mikeb]

Like Brent i have a cheap ass CharGrill smoker that i picked up at wal mart for $170 and it makes ribs to die for. It may rust out some day but i'll have my moneys worth out of it by then.

[FreightTrain]

Spend the money and get a real smoker. When I say real I mean something that is made out of 1/4 inch pipe, has welds on it, and isn't some mass produced piece of shit. Be ready to spend at least 1k on it.

[GrayStangGT]

After looking it over yall are probably right about not being able to seal it up good enough. I think I'll probably stick with the original plan and buy a nicer gas grill and build and ugly drum smoker for now until I get the motivation to try and weld a smoker. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a steal on craigslist.

[downshift_me]

Brent- It was hickory wood.

[bard]

Go get a full size Weber kettle and you'll at least have an awesome charcoal grill. The ash can on the Gold series is worth the extra expense IMHO. Some people like using the Smokenator with it for light smoking duty, but I wouldn't expect to do a full on smoke with it for the same reasons already mentioned. Weber Bullets (aka Smokey Mtn Cookers) are great smokers that won't break the bank and will outperform the 2in1 you posted or the Smokenator.

[ceyko]

Two main things I'm concerned with on that one.

Thin gauge steel - does not hold heat well and can be difficult to maintain any constant temperatures.

Shoddy seams - in combination with the above, any cold winds will not only reduce the external temperature of the smoker, but allow that cold air to blow through the firebox and/or cooking area.

IMO, smoking a decent meal can be difficult enough sometimes depending on weather, amount and so forth. Don't need to make it nearly impossible with an inexpensive, small "smoker".

As mentioned, there are slick/nice smokers on CL all the time that are great deals. People put a lot of work into making those custom ones and they are ALL serviceable generally.

Even if it looks like a rusty piece of shit. If it's thick gauge steel, just take a wire brush on a drill...clean all the rust - paint with high temp paint and it's brand new. Those are usually the BEST deals though - because the owners KNOW they can't demand as much with the rust on it.

Also, buying a used one is not gross in my opinion and it's seasoned for ya already.

[bcoop]

I bought the same one back in September from Sam's and it leaks smoke like none other.

That would be my main concern. These "all in one" deals don't really work as well as advertised. There is too much going on with that grill. It might be grate as a gas/charcoal combo, but I wouldn't trust it to smoke. There are too many openings, too many chances for leaking, and sealing is much more difficult than one might think. I'd consider it as a charcoal/gas grill. But I wouldn't even attempt to smoke in it. Of course, that's just my opinion.

Leaks REALLY affect the way a smoker smokes, and is supposed to work. I use a cheap piece of shit CharGrill smoker (probably $150-180 @ Academy), but it's not by choice really. I just haven't laid out the cash for a trailer yet. And that pile of shit leaks like you wouldn't believe. I burn through more wood, thin blue smoke is hard to acheieve due to excessive outside air, etc. I can dick with the dampers all day and still not achieve the perfect smoke.


I'd pass, personally. Find you something on Craigslist. Worst case scenario, blast it with sand and repaint with hi temp paint.


Downshift_me - Leaking could be a cause of the lack of smoke flavor. But, so can wood selection. What wood did you use?