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Want to get a smoker

Best post in a while. Thank you. I am in the market for one too.

Who would have thought that guys who love to smoke cigars, would love to smoke their meat too! ....I didn't mean to make that sound dirty.
 
Bsneed51 said:
drunkfish3 said:
Saw this one onsale at cabela's My link i thinking a electric one might be better i like the idea of setting it and not having to be around to watch it.
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That's what I have. Love it.
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x2.

I am into my second season with mine and haven't had any problems that I would relate to the smoker itself. For whatever reason Kingfords chips don't seem to produce that much smoke until you hit around 200 Degrees. Using some other brands I have gotten good smoke as low as 150 to 175 degrees. The smoker itself has a nice seal on the door with a solid locking mechanism. The smoke vent at the top may occasionally need to be removed and cleaned as the smoke tends produce tar that will actually "freeze" it up. If you don't clean it no big deal, just the the cabinet get warmed up and it softens up enough to rotate.
 
This is what I have:

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You can find them for about $150 or so, New Braunfels Hondo Smoker.
 
If you haven't bought yet, I built my own a la Alton brown's good eats and have been very satisfied!
 
drunkfish3 said:
BigMacFU said:
If you haven't bought yet, I built my own a la Alton brown's good eats and have been very satisfied!
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what does it look like and what did it cost?
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One more for good measure

I think I spent 60 on the two terracotta pots. 12 for the hot plate. 8 on a charbroil cast iron smoker box to put on top hot plate and hold wood chunks. 10 bucks for a round grill plate to rest meat on. 5 bucks for grill thermometer. If you craigslist and or have terra cotta pots, the price goes way down. If you want to max out at 150, you can build a huge smoker with multiple smoking levels because you can get some big terra-cotta pots for that amount of money. I love my smoker, it definitely does better than any metal smokers I've used because of the insulative properties of terra cotta.
 
BigMacFU said:
drunkfish3 said:
BigMacFU said:
If you haven't bought yet, I built my own a la Alton brown's good eats and have been very satisfied!
Click to expand...

what does it look like and what did it cost?
Click to expand...

smoker-198x300.jpg

Version 1
Version 2
Version 3
One more for good measure

I think I spent 60 on the two terracotta pots. 12 for the hot plate. 8 on a charbroil cast iron smoker box to put on top hot plate and hold wood chunks. 10 bucks for a round grill plate to rest meat on. 5 bucks for grill thermometer. If you craigslist and or have terra cotta pots, the price goes way down. If you want to max out at 150, you can build a huge smoker with multiple smoking levels because you can get some big terra-cotta pots for that amount of money. I love my smoker, it definitely does better than any metal smokers I've used because of the insulative properties of terra cotta.
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interesting.
 
drunkfish3 said:
ok thanks i like the WSM but it is almost $300 for the 18"
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You're also buying at the start of the grilling season(for most folks).
If I recall, you should start to see some sales very soon....if you can hold out for a couple weeks.
I know I picked mine up sometime in May a few years back and it was under $200.

ALSO - check out the warranty's on all the items.

Here's a review site I just found. (it just had the WSM review...but there are other sites out there).

If you want to keep it simple...the Weber Kettle will both grill and smoke. I even throw some chips in when I'm just cooking burgers!!!

Oooo...I like the cheap ass one!! :thumbs:
 
grateful1 said:
drunkfish3 said:
ok thanks i like the WSM but it is almost $300 for the 18"
Click to expand...


You're also buying at the start of the grilling season(for most folks).
If I recall, you should start to see some sales very soon....if you can hold out for a couple weeks.
I know I picked mine up sometime in May a few years back and it was under $200.

ALSO - check out the warranty's on all the items.

Here's a review site I just found. (it just had the WSM review...but there are other sites out there).

If you want to keep it simple...the Weber Kettle will both grill and smoke. I even throw some chips in when I'm just cooking burgers!!!
Click to expand...

thanks yeah i really want one for this year but was thinking about trying to pick one up at the end of the season on clearance.
 
drunkfish3 said:
thanks yeah i really want one for this year but was thinking about trying to pick one up at the end of the season on clearance.
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I very rarely see them on clearence, only during a 'sale'. They tend to keep tight production and what they don't sell of a previous model can become warranty parts!

Check out Amazon or your local store for some sale soon!
 
I really like my electric box smoker (masterbuilt $150 from cabelas). Ive been using it for 3 years, my dad has had his for 4 years, zero issues. Temp holds steady, dont have to use pucks like other electrics, and large enough for my family. I have done 3 racks of ribs at a time, 2-16lb turkeys at a time on thanksgiving, and two full briskets (packer cut) at a time . Digital display with timer and heat control..... love it.
 
Bsneed51 said:
I guess it depends on how much time/effort you want to dedicate to it. If you’re content to hang around all day, and tend to your fire, monitor temperature, etc., then you can’t do any better than a WSM. I would tell you to stay far, far away from the el cheapo Brinkman(electric or charcoal). However, if you are looking for a set it, and forget it type smoker, look at the electric cabinet smokers. Either the pellet fed smokers, or any of the wood chip cabinets in general. As much as I would love a WSM, right now I’m busy enough to not have time to sit and watch a smoker all day on the weekends, so I have an electric cabinet and I’m pretty pleased with my results.
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Nice advice. Like sneed says, it depends how involved you want to be in the process itself. Some people love the tending of the wood and coals and everything that goes with it. Some people say charcoal is the only way to go when smoking (you get the smoke ring, better flavor, blah blah). To me the results seem identical.

Last year I upgraded to a Bradley 6 rack digital and love the ease of use. The electric cabinet smokers will offer more convenience, you don't have to worry about tending the fire and clean up is easier I think. I load my smoker with wood "pucks" and set the temp and walk away and check it once every couple hours.

For my first electric smoker I bought a kenmore I think it was from sears for around $150 and it worked great for what I needed at the time. I would say the biggest call is how involved you want to be with the whole process of it. It was a cheap smoker but it was good for learning on and also to make sure I was really interested taking the time to actually use it. Just like any smoker you're going to have to use it a bit to find out how hot it runs, if the thermostat is off, and other little things like that.

One thing I would recommend getting is a 2 probe wireless thermometer with a pager or a base unit so you can monitor the inside of the smoker without having to open it up all the time. Good luck!
 
When I have the room, I hope to buy something from Cookshack Cookshack Expensive, yes, but it's something I've always wanted. I've heard a lot of positives regarding the Weber Smokey Mountain. It's a bit more than you want to spend, however, it is a quality smoker that will last. You can get them on Amazon for around $275 including shipping.
 
I started out with an electric Brinkmann Gourmet. It worked fine. I upgraded last year to a Masterbuilt electric from sam's Club. 4 racks and digital.

Research more here: including mods.
 
Spend the $ and get a Big Green Egg. Best ever! Or try and build that Alton Brown thing. It looks to be the same concept.
 
Have you reached a decision yet? I'm thinking of upgrading my terra-cotta smoker. Getting two big 21" pots, two sizes of round metal grills (meat on top, beans on bottom catching the drippings, mmmmmmmm).
 
I was reading this thread on the 1st or 2nd and my wife was looking over my shoulder asking if she would be able to smoke fish in any of these. I told her sure they would cook and smoke any fish you want, any particular one you like? She told me that she would look into it more and get back to me. Well last night I got my marching orders to price out a BGE and she'll pay for it. I certainly found a keeper but while she may pay for it you know who is going to do all the work :p
 
+1 for the electric. I bought an Electric Brinkman for $75 at Home Depot. It works great for Brisket and Ribs, or just about anything. I have had it for 2 yrs now. The only thing you have to do is just keep adding wood chips. I prefer to drink beer when I smoke a brisket, not worry about keeping the fire at the right temp!!
 
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