How Much Do You Spend on This Hobby?

[rickw]

Last year was an expensive year for equipment. Bought a Horizon offset, WSM and a Weber performer. I have no idea how much I spend on spices, meat and fuel. I grill or smoke just about every day year around.

I would say over 2K a year.

 

[caveman]

I am easily into the 1K - 2K range for this year as I have already dropped $670 on two smokers. We won't talk about meat, fuel or tools. Or the "Accessories".

 

[wingman]

Good lord! Well over 3k

But I promise next year I'll do better. Maybe 4K! Kidding... My smoking budget should be considerably less next year.

 

[Bearcarver]

I had to say less than $500.

Let's look at an example:
I can buy a 10 Pound Pork Belly for about $25.
I end up with at least 7 pounds of the best tasting Bacon in this world.
Or I can buy 7 pounds of the very bland chemically treated "Bacon" they sell in stores for $4 to $5 per pound.

7 pounds of good stuff-----------$25 plus a handful of wood chips & a couple cents worth of electric.

7 pounds of lousy stuff-----------$28 to $35

Now if I could only stop giving stuff away!

Bearcarver

 

[sumosmoke]

I spend more than I ever planned on spending on this hobby, but it sure is addictive!

 

[walle]

Damn... I hate these kinda questions... but an honest answer for me this past year.. for TOTAL Q expenditures would have to be over $2K...

WALLE - initial build ~$800
WALLE - retro fitted ~$250
meat - hell I spent $258.45 for the March of Dimes last week
sauce/rubs - ~ hell again! I spent $67 two weeks ago for a case of Salt Lick - I blame BBQ Engineer for that!
chipper rental for years supply of WALLE fodder ~ $100
chunks/chips/thermometers/pan/foil/beer/spices/bags/buckets - ~$.....

oh yeah, I'm sure I'm over $2K for this past year.
Now that I'm set with the smoker, I'm guessing everything for a 365 day supply of Q will be around $1,000.

Having a chingon smoker and being able to turn out good Q - ~$PRICELESS!!

 

[dirt guy]

Are we supposed to include "beverage" costs associated with tending the smoker?

 

[blades]

Got me thinking, $12-13 per rack of bb ( 3-5 racks per smoke, twice a month). Spices for rub $20 a month. Igredients for sauce $20 a month ( my sauce sucks but I'm still trying ). that is just for the ribs. Sometimes somke side dishes also (cabbage, beans & tada tots). I don't think that is too bad.

 

[cocomm]

hi all, well just started smoking this year with a yard sale chargriller ($50). been cooking on a weber kettle forever.........so i figured id run an excel spreadsheet for a guessitmate of costs, did not include COBC (cost of beer comsumed, a daily fixed cost anyway). i get wood free and my garage looks like a warehouse for kingsford charcoal (thank you $6 coupon). at 40 smokes and 100 grills per year including hardware purchases i'm at $2450 a year. i allowed $25 per cook for meat (smoker, i mean why not fill the thing up ie 3 racks of ribs or 2 butts or 1- 4 bone standing rib roast, 2 fatties, 12 ATB and 12 mushroom caps) and $6 per grilling session. thank heavens my wife bought in to the deal. if fact i cant make fatties any more. i converted the smoker to gas (lazy but way easier to control and cheap). so its ONLY $2450 a year for the 1st year in, but luckily i wont have the $250 hardware cost next year. i did not include any added medical or gym costs for overweight.

 

[chisoxjim]

my only expenses are the meat, lump charcoal, and wood. Those items come to well over $2,000 a year(I only use good pork/beef and that is expensive)

My WSM was a x-mas gift, and the GOSM I used to have was a gift as well. So I havent bought a smoker in years.

Since I own a WSM I dont need to spend $$ on expensive thermometers, and gadgets.

 

[arnie]

I told my wife what I paid for one of my smokers once and learned never to talk about it again

 

[morkdach]

i build all my smokers and set them up so mama can run them 365 days a year. so if ya count the food & beverages, therms, temp controlers charcoal wood and feeding neighbors when they smell it running WOW it adds up quick. plus being a watt burner the power comp. gets its share.
i put 1000 to 2000 thats very conservative

 

[okie joe]

The cost is out of my smokers,,but the food,cost and the sausage makeing and ( grinder lem 5 is going to be prorated out this year....but with the cost of good meat and fuel ( nothing to the cost of meat)....bought wife a cold smoker for Christmas...she loved it for bacon Cb,BBB and cheese and also sausage. We are a family that smokes together.Now about my DO that is getting out of hand she loves to cook in our DO. got a 6.8.10,2- 12, 14 and 16. I cant pick up any thing bigger that 16 full with my sholder...hurt like it is. soo the cost to smokeing , Bacon (CB. BBB. Belly) and sausage makeing....and meat for smokers we are at a 1000.00 a year or more.

 

[smokey paul]

After conferring with the Boss (wife) we think about 500-1000 but could be higher. we have wind that stops us and cold. next year that could go to 5000+ because we will try to build a patio covered and closed in with windows. Then we would be BBQ'ing almost every day or so.

Very hard to expense BBQ'ing as it is just a way to cook the food you eat. Much more fun !!!

 

[ifitsdeadsmokeit]

expensive year for me...bought a new to me Lang 48" patio for $800, need wood to burn in it and it is expensive out in CO, so that is another $250. had to have a weed burner, so there is another $50, smoke about every other weekend and freeze leftovers, so there is probably another $1000 min that would have spent anyway though, at least 3 large parties this year, so there is another $1000 on food and $300 on beer (smoking a little pig this year for the first time at one of them). Plan on getting into sausage making this year, so havent looked into what that is going to run me yet, depends on what the inlaws have in storage that I can claim.

Peace of mind and the beer buzz I get from a day of smoking is priceless....so to add it all up it would be more than $2000 this year. Typical year will probably be in the 1 to 2k range.

Now, what do I spend on beer and golf......damn, I need a second job or better yet, make my wife start working a full week since me working more would get in the way of having time for smoking, beer and golf....

 

[rgacat]

I would spend more but I run out of time. Dang job gets in the way.

 

[bmudd14474]

This thread might get alot of folks in trouble like Pineywoods

.

Easily over $2000 a year here

 

[dirt guy]

Are you implying he may have to resurrect the "different kind of smoke" thread again? If he does, it won't be the brush burnin'!

 

[silverwolf636]

I've been doin all the cookin for at least a year and a half. When I say cookin, I mean smokin. So I can't really say it's a hobby now. Everyone here at the house has informed me they much prefer my smokin over moms traditional stove food. So, when I go the the grocery store, I buy for the smoker. It's usually 5-6 nights a week depending on how much there is in the way of left-overs. And that doesn't happen much. I've already mentioned to the family that one day I will get called back to work and a look of horror came across their faces

. I had to laugh at them. I really enjoy it though. It seems with every smoke, I learn something new.

--ray--
(0||||0)

 

[mballi3011]

Well lets do this in a modern math way. First 5,000.0 for outdoor kitchen. Then you have 3 freezers and then 3 grills and 3 smokers. Are you getting the picture. If not I'll keep on going. Now then we have the sales at the grocery stores, Sam's, Restaurant depot. and then we have 5 kids and 10 grand kids that all live within 10 miles or so and then a couple of porch youngins ( the ones that just keep coming around) for the Sunday dinner and of course the Birthday dinners. Oh yea what about the guys and girls at my work and the wife's work. Then you have a really small doctor that eats like a horse (but he says healthy horse) So then you add it up I have used all my fingers and toes and the wife's too. So maybe I don't want to add it up like that wedding we had.