New Guy With No Smoker and No Smoking Experience

[jaj23]

I'm from Gilbert, AZ. I like to cook and BBQ, but I don't own a smoker and have never attempted to smoke anything. I'm here to glean knowledge and get help deciding what kind of smoker to buy.

Each year for Thanksgiving, we give a 20+lb turkey to a local Boy Scout Troop to smoke. They do a great job for a mere $20 donation.

I really enjoy eating smoked meats, so I've decided to give it a go myself.

I was looking at a 2,000 cubic inch Masterbuilt propane smoker at Bass Pro today. I read through the instruction manual and noticed that it only gave cooking instructions for up to a 13lb turkey. I thought it was weird that it didn't include instructions for up to a 24lb bird.

I'm open to any and all suggestions...except Traeger...those guys accosted me at Costco once and I've vowed never to buy one.

I plan on smoking meats like ribs, brisket, tri tip, and turkey for my family of 6 and occasionally for up to 18 guests. I plan to use the smoker a few times a month.

 

[dukeburger]

Welcome to SMF,

Have a look at the Smokers & More page to read up on various smokers with member reviews. Whatever you choose, don't worry about the cooking instructions in the smoker manual. Everything you need to know is here, all you need to do is use the search bar or ask!

 

[jaj23]

I read through the forums...seems like the Weber Smokey Mountain is a pretty good product. Can I smoke a 24lb turkey in one of those?

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

I use my WSM & GMG pellet smoker the most... They both fit quite a bit of food ! But there's a lot of options on smokers, ya just have to sift thru all the info & see what will be the best one for you !

 

[jaj23]

I see from the eCourse that smoking a larger turkey can result in the bird staying in the danger zone (40° to 140°) for too long. So it's possible to smoke a 24lb turkey, but it might be a little risky....

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

What temp ya smoking it at ? Also ya can do a spatchcock on the bird & that will cut down cook time !

 

[joe black]

Welcome from SC. It's really good to hace you on this great site. The good folks here are always eager to share their ideas and tips. All you have to do is ask and keep reading. A 22" WSM is a great way to start and it can easily handle a 24# bird. I had one and enjoyed it. They are very user friendly and will give you an excellent product.

Good luck and good smokin', Joe

 

[remsr]

Welcome to the place where all smoking questions are answered. I have a 221/2"WSM and it is user friendly and it handles a lot of food. There are also a bunch of add ons available to make it even better then the five star rating it already gets.

 

[remsr]

The IQ 130 them control from pit master is great add on for the WSM, Check it out.