Howdy Folks!

[iamswanny]

New wannabe smoker from Chicagoland/NW Indiana.  Was going to put off trying smoking till next year but after this past Sunday's BBQ Pitmaster marathon I have the itch like crazy.  Trying to ignore my impulses is not easy!

I'm looking to start small so going to just put my first smoker on my Best Buy card.  I'm kind of limited to Char-Broil and Brinkman there.  What I'm trying to puzzle through at the moment is if I should go with the Horizontal offset Char-Broil or the vertical smokers.  I want to go charcoal and wood.  I want the challenge of maintaining a low 200-225 heat, so fire maintenance will be fun for me.  

Any suggestions on what type of smoker to start with.  I'm leaning towards the Char-Broil American Gourmet 700 Offset.

Thanks!

 

[kathrynn]

to SMF!  We are so glad you joined us! Would you mind updating your profile to show the other SMF members where you are located?  Might meet some neighbors!

This is a great place to do our research on smokers.  Go to the different smoker areas and ask questions.  The owners will tell you what they think good and bad. 

We love to see pictures of what you are cooking (or what we call q-views here at SMF).  To "upload the q-views" just follow the directions here and it will be easier. If you are using a cell phone, an IPad or a kindle, go to the main SMF page and click the Mobile button. Will make the uploads a bit faster too.

If you didn't read the "Terms of Service" notes.....please do.  There are a few things that everyone should know about those pesky little rules before plunging into the forums and some guidelines of how to interact within the forums. Off site links are not allowed here at SMF per Jeff. Not that you have done anything wrong....just a little bit of FYI for new members!

If you need any help roaming around the forums....just holler!  Happy to help out!

Kat

 

[webowabo]

Welcome to SMF IamSwanny... 

Ive never used what you are looking for but there ARE plenty on here that do. and will be glad to help :) 

. *****EDIT**** i DO HAVE A VERTICAL PROPANE... IT WAS MY FIRST SMOKER AND I THOUGHT WAS AN EXCELLENT SMOKER TO LEARN FROM....but then again I didnt have to mess with my temps at all.. only adding wood chips which there are ways around that NOW that I found SMF :):)...

Welcome to your newest addiction ... its already started and you dont even own a smoker yet :) Look forward to seeing what you decide on and start some good cooking...

Mike

 

[iamswanny]

Thanks for the welcome folks... 

 

[seenred]

Welcome aboard!  This is the best place I know for sharing ideas on smoking, grilling, curing, etc.  There are plenty of friendly, knowledgeable folks who really enjoy helping one another.  Looking forward to your input here, and just ask when you need anything...someone here will surely have the answer.

Red

 

[s2k9k]

:welcome1: to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 50,000 members who just love to share their experience and over 1,000,000 posts describing it! Yea that’s right over 1,000,000!

The search bar at the top can be your best friend when you are trying to find answers to your questions but you can still ask too if you want!

We have an ”Articles” section that is full of great information about smoking to include a lot of recipes and instructionals. Check it out there is a lot to learn in there!

You might want to check out ”Jeff's Free 5 day E-Course”, it will teach you all the basics plus a whole lot more!