Smoker Probably Better than an ECB: Backyard Traditions Smokers at Most Fred's Dollar Stores

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jaybird1103

Fire Starter
Original poster
Sep 12, 2013
50
10
I was shopping at Fred's Dollar Store in Indianola, MS (23 miles from my hometown of Belzoni, MS) and I noticed that they had more grills and smokers than my Fred's store in my hometown.

One vertical smoker I noticed was the Backyard Traditions Smoker that is a Fred's exclusive. In case you are not familiar with the Fred's chain, they are like Wal-Mart or K-Mart but are focused mainly in smaller towns (even though some cities have a Fred's and a Wal-Mart and/or K-Mart). Its first store opened in 1947 in Coldwater, MS. In 1953, the company moved its headquarters to Memphis, TN. It has stores in AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, MO, NC, OK, SC, TN, and TX. 

As for the smoker, it is 43" tall and looks like a cross between a ECB, a Master Forge Charcoal Smoker from Lowe's, and a WSM. I had seen one out of the box before (either in Indianola or Greenwood, MS) but there were none out of the box when I went there today. However, from what I recall, it had a charcoal pan, water pan, two racks, a detailed temperature gauge (unlike the Warm-Ideal-Hot on the ECB), and a damper venting system sticking out of the top lid (the WSM just has a damper dial).  It costs $75 and it's a possibility that it may be a good one. Here are some pictures:



It also looks like it has a venting system under the bottom, and I think you could convert this into an electric smoker using Brinkmann's electric smoker converter (probably would have to drill a hole in it to get the cord and plug through it) and, if you wanted to, you could add another thermometer or buy two that look alike, or, get a smoker thermometer that can show the temperature of both the inside of the smoker and the meat you are smoking.

If I see one out of the box, I'll post some more pics, but this may be a diamond in the rough.
 
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