What charcoal smoker is best for a beginner to use

[DinoMeh1994]

Hey y’all! I’m just getting into smoking and I’m looking for the best charcoal smoker for a beginner I’m looking to spend around 500$ (I’ll go 600 if I have too) I would like an offset grill and smoker but I’m open to anything really I’ve seen some nice UDS smokers but I don’t know which one would be good for cold Ohio winters. I’d like to do it all year round so I’d like a really good sturdy smoker I can count on for a while! Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again!

 

[yankee2bbq]

Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5. Easy to use. Can be used as a grill also.

 

[gmc2003]

I agree with yankee, a weber 22 is about 400.00. I live in VT and use it almost all year round. You can also get a kettle for grilling and still be under-budget.

Chris

 

[SmokinAl]

My vote goes for WSM 22.5 also!
You can add a BBQ Guru temp controller & it's as set & forget as an oven, with charcoal/wood flavor.
Al

 

[phatbac]

This may be piling on but i agree WSM 22.5 is a great smoker and if you want a good grill too go with Weber kettle (~$90). you can get all kinds of accessories to go with each like a pit controller for the WSM or a vortex or rotisserie for the kettle. i use both frequently, and i even use my WSM as a cold smoker too. Weber makes a superior product.

duo.jpg

• phatbac
• Aug 4, 2015

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[bluewhisper]

Another vote for a Weber kettle. I learned to smoke on one. They can ignore any weather. Once you learn smoking basics on one, you can move on to another rig like an offset.

 

[noboundaries]

I will pile on. For $500-$600 bucks, there's no better smoker than the 22.5" WSM. You can smoke for two or sixty two. Charcoal and wood chunks are inexpensive. You'll smoke meat that will rival, or be better, the best BBQ restaurants in your area. The smoker out of the box is practically set and forget. Sure, you have to learn your vent settings, but that's the fun of the equipment. The learning curve is very short with the WSM.

Go ahead, push that "Place Order" button!

 

[troutman]

I'm an owner of (2) WSMs and love 'em so you know my vote. Having said that you might also want to give a look see at the Pit Barrel Smokers. Guys that own those swear by them.

 

[DinoMeh1994]

Wow I’m sorry I took so long to reply but I didn’t realize the WSM would get so much love! It looks a lot bigger than I thought too so I’m definitely going for it!! I’ll post my first smoke after I get it thank you for everything!

 

[b-one]

If you get the 22.5 you can add a rotisserie kit to it I use one on my kettle and plan on getting a larger WSM sometime.

 

[mneeley490]

Another vote for a Weber. WSM or kettle.
I started out with a cheapie offset, and that turned out to be a mistake. It needed lots of modifications, and ate a ton of charcoal and wood chunks. It also needed almost constant supervision to keep a steady temperature. No such problems on the Webers.

 

[worktogthr]

I agree that WSMs and Kettles are great. I am a Weber junkie..but dare I throw into consideration, The Pit Barrel Cooker. Ease of use, taste of food, capacity are all great. And with your budget (Its only $299 shipped) you can buy some of the cool accessories that make it even easier and more versatile and still have some money left over for meat!

 

[Rings Я Us]

To bad they don't sell many accessories for that 26.75" Weber kettle. That thing would be a beast.