Advice on buying a smoker

[terresem]

I'm new to smoking. I bought a cheap Brinkmann ($50 at Walmart) a year ago to see if this was something I wanted to do. I absolutely love smoking! I have smoked a variety of meats and vegetables. I hate the small door on the Brinkmann to add wood chips and charcoal and want to buy something else. Can anyone recommend an inexpensive smoker (no more than $300) that is easier to add chips and charcoal to?

 

[boykjo]

I dont have one but if I did it would be this...........    http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/products/weber-721001-smokey-mountain-cooker-18-5-inch-smoker

 

[wolfman1955]

terresem,
Welcome, from southern Ohio, to the best forum on the internet if you are looking to learn how to BBQ/smoke/brine/cure/inject. Well you get the picture if you can do it to something you put on a plate to eat then someone here has probably done it then smoked it.

Use the search bar at the top of the page and you will be led to the answer to most every question you can think of. If you don't find the answer there then just post it and someone will chime in with their opinion on the subject.

I like boykjo don't have one, but if you are into charcoal you can't go wrong with a WSM.

Always remember the only dumb question is the one you don’t ask!!
GO BUCKS!!
Keep Smokin!!!
Wolf

 

[themule69]

Glad you joined the group. The search bar at the top of any page is your best friend.
About anything you wanna know about smoking/grilling/curing/brining/cutting or slicing
and the list goes on has probably been posted. Remember to post a QVIEW of your smokes.
We are all smoke junkies here and we have to get our fix. If you have questions
Post it and you will probably get 10 replies with 11 different answers. That is
because their are so many different ways to make great Q...

As said above WSM.
Happy smoken.
David

 

[gary s]

  Good evening and welcome to the forum, from another cloudy, rainy and cold day here in East Texas. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about  everything.

Gary

 

[timstalltaletav]

Welcome to the forum!

I was you last year with the cheap Walmart smoker. I got a WSM (Weber Smokey Mountain) in the summer and never looked back. The great thing is that it's basically set it-n-forget it. You'll rarely open the door to add coal or wood. In fact, I've only done it once since July and I use mine multiple times weekly.

Oh and by the way, if you can cook good Q on the cheap smoker wait until you see what you can turn out on the WSM!

 

[terresem]

Thanks to all for your answers. I will definitely look into the Weber Smokey Mountain smoker.

This site has a lot of great info. I live in southwest Missouri and am a grandmother to seven. I am new to smoking, have smoked many meats and vegetables. One day I posted a photo of a honey brined, bacon wrapped turkey that I was about to put in the smoker on facebook. Later that day several friends just "happened" to drop by. Looking forward to trying many new things!

 

[welshrarebit]

Thanks to all for your answers. I will definitely look into the Weber Smokey Mountain smoker.
This site has a lot of great info. I live in southwest Missouri and am a grandmother to seven. I am new to smoking, have smoked many meats and vegetables. One day I posted a photo of a honey brined, bacon wrapped turkey that I was about to put in the smoker on facebook. Later that day several friends just "happened" to drop by. Looking forward to trying many new things!

How many people are you going to be cooking for? That will determine the size of the smoker you will prob be getting. Also, will there be anyone to help you get it going? I have the 22.5 WSM and its kinda heavy to take apart and put back together!

Webers are also going to last you a long time!!!

I found my WSM on Craigslist about a year old and bought it for half of what I would've had to pay in a store. You could also do some great smokes on a weber kettle...