Time to get a smoker...

[TheGrey]

...but there are so many types and brands to choose from.

We have a charcoal grill, we have a propane grill. The photos I've seen on this forum of the delicious smoked meats make me want to make this a part of our household.

What do you advise? Which brands are your favorites? Which is better: propane, charcoal, electric?
Any helpful tips or tricks?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[rondog]

www.thesmokering.com a great BBQ resource.

[GilpinGuy]

www.thesmokering.com a great BBQ resource.

Yeah, this is a GREAT source of info.

What kind is like asking what kind of rifle to buy. We all have our preferences. IMHO, charcoal/wood is the best way to go, but it involves a bit of work. I happen to love the "work".

You can also go propane, where you actually smoke with wood chips instead of burning big chunks of wood. I have one of these, it works great and I use it the most because it's convenient. Mine is a Kingfisher Kountry Kookers model. It was $600 or so about 15 years ago and has worked great every time.

Electric? Please.... I can't imagine using one, but maybe they work well. Just doesn't seen right to BBQ with electric though IMHO.

My brother uses a cheapo Home Depot wood burning smoker (maybe $120) and seems to make some great BBQ. That might be a way to go to see if you're into it.

[sniper7]

build your own! that's what real men do!

going to try a 50 gal drum version first, then probably find a 200-300 gal propane tank and make one out of that for a trailer version

[wyome]

This brand is on my shortlist to get...made in Colorado...veteran owned

http://pitbarrelcooker.com/

[theGinsue]

I'd like to get a propane smoker for ease of use and consistent temps (and portability to hunting camp). That said, I have/use, & I have always preferred, the side-box type of smoker for charcoal/wood/chips (here's an example of a cheap one that will work fine, especially for beginning). Any time you smoke with heat directly under the items being smoked, you're cooking the meat/food as much as you are smoking it. With the side-box style you get the smoke across the food but less of the direct heat to cause it to "cook".

I strongly advise staying away from the types that use the wood "biscuits". Last I saw, a box of biscuits cost about $20 and you typically go through 3 boxes to smoke a brisket. Wood pellets are good for any style but are made especially for electric auto-feeding smokers where you plug in and can almost walk away until the food is smoked. The pellets aren't as pricey as the biscuits, but they're not as cheap as the wood chunks/chips.

You can end up spending thousands of dollars on high-end smokers, but my brother had a cheap Brinkman barrel smoker from WalMart that he smoked a whitetail deer tenderloin on that I loved (and I usually dislike deer meat). I recommend starting with something inexpensive and easy until you get a feel for it. By then you'll have a better idea of what you like, dislike, can't live without. Inevitably you'll want a BIGGER smoker to be able to do a brisket & ribs at the same time.

For the actual execution of smoking...
As a Missouri boy, raised on smoked BBQ, I love hickory smoked meats, but you have to add in some cherry or apple (or other fruit) wood too or the hickory will impart too much bitterness. I use approx 1/3 fruit wood to 2/3 hickory. Using oak adds a nice mellow flavoring too.

While I haven't participated in some time, I'm a member at: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/. Which is another great resource.

build your own! that's what real men do!

Um, you missed your gender mark on this comment with TheGrey....she's a lady.

[Trout Hunter]

Get a treager. That is if you re all about ease and more ainto eating good meat over the whole smoking process. They make it so an idiot can produce great smoked meat.

[Sparky]

I have an offset wood smoker. May try Home Depot they have a bad habit of letting their leftover grills and smokers sit out in the seasonal area all winter. I found one with some rust on it and haggled the manager to half price.

[Stone83]

I've got a Big Green Egg- Use as a smoker or BBQ
Takes lump charcoal
IMO- the best BBQ/smoker I've ever owned

Not cheap...Lehers fireplace and some Ace Hardware carry them

[Gman]

Get a treager. That is if you re all about ease and more ainto eating good meat over the whole smoking process. They make it so an idiot can produce great smoked meat.

^^^THIS!

I have the Lil' Tex Elite and absolutely love it. The same unit can smoke or grill without the worry of flare ups. I drive my neighbors crazy when I'm cooking on the Traeger. The aroma is heavenly. I'm thinking of doing some baby backs on hickory this weekend. They're the best we've ever had.

I still have some leftover brisket in the freezer.

The turkey we did on the Traeger for Thanksgiving using apple wood was absolutely amazing. I just set the temp like you do on an oven and got awesome results.

http://www.traegergrills.com/why/versatility