# First things first!



## smokey mic nick (Sep 28, 2014)

Hello everyone I'm new here and first time smoker. After I moved to.the south and seen all my friends with smokers I figured I would join the crowd. I've ate a lot of their smoked food and was never to impressed with it. Never really seemed to have the good flavor. 


I'm looking for either a propane or wood smoker. I'm leaning towards wood over the propane because all my friends have propane and like I said above, I don't taste the flavor. But I'm trying to keep an open mind so I'm open to suggestions. I'm not gonna be cooking for party's but I will be for the family. Six people at the most


I'd like to stay around 300 bucks but I'd pay more if it was worth it. I've looked at a bunch of threads and reviews but I figured I'd get feedback from this site. Let me know what you guys think.


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## dtj16 (Sep 28, 2014)

Some may argue but I get a Brinkmann TrailMaster Limited Edition. I just got mine in June and love it.  There's an entire forum on here just for that smoker so you can find plenty of help with mods, cooking etc. Like I said- I love mine. 












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__ dtj16
__ Sep 28, 2014


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## dtj16 (Sep 28, 2014)

Got mine for $279 plus about $20-$30 in modifications. Can't beat it IMHO


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## smokey mic nick (Sep 28, 2014)

thanks for the fast reply! I'll do some research on that one and see what I turn up. I found oklahoma joes longhorn smoker on here. Seems like it might be a little more than what I want to spend but I haven't seen a bad review about it yet. Any thoughts on it?​


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## dtj16 (Sep 28, 2014)

Loll just below our posts and you'll see the TMLE forum/ thread.  I had a pellet for about a month and a half, it died.  Wife trying to surprise me. So I was able to go buy what I wanted, a real smoker. And price was a factor for me too.  Let me know if you need any direction or tips.


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## venture (Sep 28, 2014)

I once had a friend who loved his camp trailers.  He always said to buy your first couple of trailers used to learn what you really want before laying out the big bucks for your dream trailer.

The horizontal offset is a good choice to enter the hobby at a budget price.

Good luck and good smoking.


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## smokey mic nick (Sep 29, 2014)

dtj16 said:


> Loll just below our posts and you'll see the TMLE forum/ thread.  I had a pellet for about a month and a half, it died.  Wife trying to surprise me. So I was able to go buy what I wanted, a real smoker. And price was a factor for me too.  Let me know if you need any direction or tips.





dtj16 said:


> Loll just below our posts and you'll see the TMLE forum/ thread.  I had a pellet for about a month and a half, it died.  Wife trying to surprise me. So I was able to go buy what I wanted, a real smoker. And price was a factor for me too.  Let me know if you need any direction or tips.





What mods did you do to the smoker you just got? I'm not real big on modding something I just paid a lot of money for


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## smokeburns (Sep 29, 2014)

When I first got my oklahoma joe I had to do some intense baby sitting to try to keep the temps low. It kept wanting to shoot p to 300/400 degrees. So I had added a baffle and made some diffuser plates from ceramic tile. And now it purs at 225/250. Actually have to open vents all the way to get it at 250. The mods wasn't hard at all nor expensive.


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## smokey mic nick (Sep 29, 2014)

Appreciate all the info guys! But I know there's gotta be more than those two smokers for around 300 and good quality. Or am I wrong?


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## dtj16 (Sep 29, 2014)

Look at the Acorn Kamado at HD or Lowes. Similar in function to a green egg, 1/3 the cost.  And people swear they make great good


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## dtj16 (Sep 29, 2014)

You can go cheaper but you'll regret it.


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## dtj16 (Sep 29, 2014)

Entry level is tough and I'll go ahead and tell you most guys- even spending 4,5,600 dollars and up still modify theirs in some way. Just part of it from what I've seen and learned here.


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## nptwnsmkr (Sep 29, 2014)

IMO you cant go wrong with a WSM. The 18.5" is $300 and for another $100 you can get the 22.5".  The WSM is very easy to learn on, doesn't require any mods to perform well and the Weber quality is hard to beat. It does have some limitations with cooking area and accessing the bottom grate-my 0.02


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## kc5tpy (Sep 29, 2014)

Hello.  The reason your friends are not getting the flavour from their propane smokers is probably because they don't add any smoke to their cooks.  For 6 people and entry level I would say go with a 22" Weber kettle.  The Weber also has a coating on it that protects it from rust.  I used an offset for many, many years but look at the size of them.  That is a lot of metal to heat up for what, a turkey, two chickens?  IMHO if you buy a big offset you will still need a smaller smoker and something you can use for grilling.  That's why many of us have 3 or more smokers.  I have 4 ( 2 Webers ) and planning to build a 5th.  Many folks have more.  I can easily smoke a butt or 12-15lb brisket on my kettle.  I think that should feed six people.  I can also use it for hot and fast grilling of steaks.  The Kettles are well made and will last for years with a little maintenance.  DO NOT go for a cheaper "knockoff".  I wish I had bought mine years ago!  The only mod I have done to my Webers is to put wooden handles on the vents ( kept burning my fingers 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






  ).  Just what I would suggest to start with.  Once you get hooked I am sure you will buy others.  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## themule69 (Sep 29, 2014)

I say WSM for your budget. You can do about anything you want with it.

Happy smoken.

David


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## smokey mic nick (Sep 30, 2014)

Thanks everyone. After reading countless reviews of the WSM I think that's what I'm gonna go with. It's gonna be the perfect size and it's right in my budget for my first smoker.


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