[vadsy]

I'd like to spend a bunch of time standing around my backyard, drinking beer and remembering the good ol' days. I figured it would be worthwhile to do something constructive in said time,.. maybe make a meal or two for the family while avoiding them, smoke some ribs or a brisket perhaps!?!
I'm sure some of you do the same, what do you guys use for smokers? Weber Smokey Mountain? Traeger? Kamado Joe? I'm looking for something simple and entry level in case it doesn't work out and I have to take up a new hobby.
Thanks.

 

[butterknucket]

No clue, but I once saw a chef on tv turn a junked out bbq into a smoker.

 

[Guest]

 

[keto]

Sounds like you might be expecting a certain forum member from out east over for dinner??

 

[vadsy]

Sounds like you might be expecting a certain forum member from out east over for dinner??

I hope you mean Steadly, because yes I am expecting him to stop by.

 

[Diablo]

I would pay to see that.

ya, ive seen the old BBQs converted to smokers....Seems like a great idea economically and ecologically, but I don't know in terms of performance.
TBH, I don't know a single person with a dedicated smoker.
I will say, everyone I know that has a Big Green egg, loves it, cultishly. one guy I know uses it to bake cakes and stuff even. crazy. theres no way youd ever have gotten this guy to bake a cake before.
I'm cheap and don't bbq that much anyways, so I just have a cast iron smoke box with some chips in it, at the bottom of my gas grill.

 

[vadsy]

He is welcome and I've had friends of his randomly show up and invite themselves into the backyard while we are hanging out with family, ..anyone is welcome until they overstep their bounds.

I think I have this figured out thanks to some YouTube reviews and comparisons plus extensive input on TGP, just a small barrel style smoker is all I'm after. I have the space and some of the other required tools already so some of the requirements are already met. I'd like to use charcoal and wood rather than electric heat even though it could be a little messier and time consuming, possibly even some trial and error learning. We hang out in the backyard all day throughout weekends and entertain a lot so this would be a fitting activity once or twice a year.

The suggestions above seem to be more of the 'add flavour of smoke' variety or build your own smoker out of an old filing cabinet and that just isn't me.

 

[TheYanChamp]

My buddy made one out of a Keg. Rack of lamb and sirloin roast was mighty tasty but Im not sure if using aluminum is the best. He has sort of a chamber made of a 8" pipe attached perpendicular to the horizontal barrel where the charcoals sit and then a rack mid tube for the flavor woods. The keg had a hinge and a grill 2/3'd of the way down. We clocked the temp at around 180 which is awesome for a low/slow smoke.

My bro in law has a cold smoker. Not sure what that means or how much he has into it. He smoked pretty much everything they ate for about a year and I haven't seen it out in a long time. Cold smoked turkey though, is some of the best I've had. Way better than even deep fried.

Those green eggs though, if you're going to pay thousands for a bbq, it better fry your mushrooms and do your dishes too. Its cultish by pure means of justification

 

[shoretyus]

I managed to grab one of these at the dump... bit of charcoal, cut a limb or two off the apple tree... yum yum... but you have to stay on the temps.

426" Charcoal Offset Smoker Barbecue

 

[jayoldschool]

Google Ecb smoker mods. You can probably find a brinkman or a char broil h2o out there.

 

[Midlife_Crisis]

Big green eggs are nice, but crazy expensive for what you get. Weber smokey mountain (WSM) is probably your best value for your money. They hold temperature extremely well, easy to use and a ton of info on starting them, recipes, etc kicking around on the interwebs and YouTube. Unless you're fairly handy with a mig or stick welder, you'll spend just as much making one than buying one. Whatever brand you choose, water smokers typically are the easiest to run and give great results.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Sneaky]

Weber Smokey Mountain is your best bet if you are just planning on using it for smoking. I bought a Kamado Joe a few years ago (similar to the BGE), because it can do both smoking and grilling, and sold my WSM. I wish I had it back sometimes as it did a better job of smoking than the kamado. Better temp control, longer burning, and the water helps keep the meat moist.