New Smoker Needs Info on Purchasing Smoker

[jarena]

I am a novice smoker and am in the process of shopping for a smoker. I plan on storing my smoker on my patio and plan on covering it with a cover similar to a grill cover. While I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to spend a lot of money, I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t mind spending a little extra to acquire a smoker that will hold up and is easy to use. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[kookie]

Welcome to the site............ Depends on where you live and what type of smoker you want, electric or gass or wood, also whether you want a vertical or horizontal or bullet.... So lots of things you need to take into consideration....... Hope you find what works for you...........

 

[minn.bill]

a fewof us here use the smoke vault from camp chef.it doesnt get much easier,and i love it.ivenever smoked with anything but propaneso i cant judge other types but the ease of this thing is perfect for the begginerto thepro.you can ussually find them for under 300$ thier 269 in my town right now both at our locall fleet and gander mt.http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-SMV2.../dp/B000GEBYPK heres a site to look at them maybe it wiil help you decide

 

[setitandforgetitsmoker]

smoke hollow propane to me is a good choice i own one and would recomend it i paid $129.00 for mine in november 2007 and have had good luck with it. i believe it is made by outdoor leisure products. hard to beat for the money.

 

[caiguar]

sorry wrong thread lol : /

 

[richtee]

I always suggest the ECB- especially if you are not yet sure how much you'll be using it. It's CHEAP- like $40, and will teach you all the trix of fire building/wood prep, heat control. You can still get 4 or so racks of ribs on it, or a couple butts. You can even mod it for gas as well. But the easy way out works too LOL!

 

[packplantpath]

If craigslist is active in your area, search around there for a cheap one, doesn't really matter what kind. I got a great offset for $20 there. Worth a shot.

 

[richoso1]

Glad to see you've joined the SMF, this is a great place to find information and to share good times. In regards to smokers, you have plenty to choice from, in all different price ranges. Do a little research and you find a happy medium. As a thought, most of us end up adding/upgrading to another smoker at some point in our lives. It's all good!

 

[fatback joe]

Welcome to the forum.

IMO WSM is the way to go to get started. Can usually get one for about 200 to 225

Here is a link to more info on them if you are interested.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/index.html

 

[gramason]

Welcome to the SMF, I've had good luck with my Char-Griller, and they are not that expensive.

 

[brianj517]

Welcome to the forum, friend. The GOSM propane unit is a good choice for a home unit, and very easy for a beginner to learn with. I love both of mine... and they've held up very well for 4 and 5 years, respectively.

Cheers,
Brian

 

[jay-jay]

Another Chargriller Pro user here and I love it. Just keep the meat on the left side of the cooking chamber so that it doesn't get the radiant heat coming directly out of the firebox. Do it like this until you can make some modifications.

 

[peculiarmike]

Gotta go with Richtee - buy an ECB. About $40 and you will learn a lot. Plus, an ECB will surprise you with it's ability to produce great Q!
Then, if you decide to upgrade later you can. Regardless, you will always have use for the ECB. I still use mine, bought it in 1975. And it still smokes just fine. Looks nice too!

 

[crockadale]

I'm with the ECB for a first smoker. You can do a search there's a thread in here somewhere on the mods for the ECB. You won't be able to loade it up like the larger smokers but it will cook some good Q. I used one for years and my family and friends loved the food that came off of it. My .02

Here is a link to ECB mods.
http://www.randyq.addr.com/ecb/ecbmods.html

 

[shenk]

Welcome to smf, you can find the mods for the ecb (along with other helpful things) on day 2 of the 5 day e course.

 

[jarena]

I would like to thank everyone for their advice. I have learned a lot about smoking in the last couple of days from your advice, Jeff's newsletter, and surfing the net. I am currently leaning towards an electric smoker so once I load everything up and start, I can leave it for a while. I realize that to many smoking purists, using an electric smoker is like listening to someone "run" their fingernails across a chalkboard, but from what I have read (please correct me if I am wrong), the majority of the smoking flavor comes from the wood. I looked at the Smokin Tex 1300 & 1400 models, and while somewhat pricey, they seem to be made well and with the casters, easy to move around (I have a large concrete patio).

Other than the price, are any of you aware of there any other negatives to using en electric smoker and/or the Smokin Tex 1300 & 1400 models?

 

[richtee]

Only thing I'll say about the load everything and leave thing: You will be missing one of the best parts of Q'in. Some don't think so, but I do. And to me, there has to be some flame involved.

That said... I've had good Q from all types of smokers. And bad. You'll be missing some basic knowlege starting electric. That's why I suggest an ECB. No offense intended, but when ya master that box... you'll be getting a burner :{)

Carry on!