# Are budget smokers any good ?



## Tonyb835 (Jul 22, 2019)

Hi so I'm new to the smoking world but v interested in learning so while out shopping in my local DIY store I saw a smoker on sale and a decent price (£120 to £70) and spontaneously bought it. It seems fine looks like a regular offset smoker but it's v thin gauge metal. Are these things ok to learn with ?


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## JC in GB (Jul 22, 2019)

What model is it?


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## Tonyb835 (Jul 22, 2019)

JC in GB said:


> What model is it?


Houston I believe from the range


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## Tonyb835 (Jul 22, 2019)

It's a Houston


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## Tonyb835 (Jul 22, 2019)




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## Nole4L (Jul 22, 2019)

It's hard to say for certain without knowing more about the actual smoker BUT my experience is that price of the smoker doesn't directly correlate to the quality of the bbq.  I used a big box brand offset for a LONG time and it made some really good bbq.  I bought a more expensive smoke last year.  I think the bbq is better off my new smoker but the biggest difference is the ease of use.  My Lang gets up to temp and is relatively simple to keep at temp when compared to the old smoker I had.  I attribute that to design and the gauge of the steel used.  More steel=more heat retention=steady temps.  Have fun experimenting with your new cooker!


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## Tonyb835 (Jul 22, 2019)

I get what you mean every smoker is different I guess but yeah the metal is v thin gauge prob 2/3 mm. I put a burn through it to get rid of any paint and oil present inside with charcoal and some cherry wood, tried to practice my "heat management" but I'm pretty sure that was irrelevant as there's so many variables plus I don't trust the crappy looking temp gauge on the front that's getting changed asap. Thanks for the reply appreciate any help an info


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## Tonyb835 (Jul 22, 2019)

I'll hopefully be testing it out this weekend if I have all my temp equipment ready, I was thinking about some pork maybe.


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## bluewhisper (Jul 22, 2019)

Welcome to the board! Yes you can do a lot with that basic configuration. Do you have a tray for charcoal in the cooking chamber? If so, it can serve as a really big grill if you have some big event.

I'm guessing it has grates for the firebox, so you could run that alone like a little Hibachi.

Always run the exhaust vent wide open, and control the heat by the airflow into the firebox. Expect a learning curve. Offsets require more frequent fire attention.

Edited to add, nobody trusts the factory temp gauges.


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## Tonyb835 (Jul 22, 2019)

Hi buddy yeah it has trays in the main compartment for normal BBQs there isn't any adjustment on them tho so I'll probably use my normal BBQ for that kind of thing,  and yeah there's a small tray in the fire box. The picture I posted is a bit deceivng the main chamber is roughly 80-90 cm wide with the fire box roughly 30cm. I found when I was playing with it that once upto the desired heat it would hold steady for roughly a half hour before it started to drop. One thing I noticed straight away was when I opened the fire box to add more wood there was a slight temp drop in the main chamber, I can see why the better models have a door on the side too for adding wood rather than the opening the huge door on the front. Gonna order a new thermometer this evening and some probes etc. Thanks for the advise appreciate it dude


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## JCAP (Jul 22, 2019)

Echo what others have said so far. I have a cheaper charcoal bullet smoker and even though I've only used it a few times so far, it's been pretty awesome. You probably also want to see if/where there are heat-leaks in the smoker and seal those up for better heat control.


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## Nole4L (Jul 22, 2019)

One thing I used to do was put some old bricks in the cook chamber.  This added mass and helped keep the temps more steady.  Keep in mind that regardless of the smoker it usually takes some time to learn temp control on it.  

Also I'm not a huge believer that you have to keep temps strictly in a tiny window.  I did spare ribs yesterday and although my temps were generally around 225 there were was a short period where it dropped to 195 (because I deeply involved in a card game) and another period where it jumped to almost 300 (wood was drier than I thought).  If you're trying to keep it within 10 degrees the whole time that's a tough goal unless you have a fan or something to help regulate temps.


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## pit of despair (Jul 22, 2019)

Tony 
Welcome!  I'm a believer that equipment doesn't make a good cook.  You will have to learn how she smokes but once you understand her good "Q" wont be far behind.
Teddy


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## Tonyb835 (Jul 22, 2019)

Thanks pal that's a good point you make I did notice while burning it out that smoke was coming from alot of diff places mainly the joints and seals, i do alot of fire cladding at work so I might try using a high temp sealant around these areas to address that problem and maybe something to get a better seal  on the main doors as these were the worst areas ?? What do you think ? 
  Cool idea so the bricks just reduced the air volume of the chamber ? (Ha god help me if there was a poker game the food would never cook)


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## Tonyb835 (Jul 22, 2019)

Thanks Mr Mopper gotta say so far I'm really enjoying the forum ! Super friendly and helpful looking forward to learning from you all. I won't lie I have a new found respect for you smoking enthusiasts, I thought it'd be relatively straight forward


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## Tonyb835 (Jul 22, 2019)

If by season you mean blast it at high heat for a few hours then yeah thanks I've done that already should have seen the stuff it burnt off, not what you want on your food !


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## Bearcarver (Jul 22, 2019)

You got good advice above already.
All I can add is to try to keep it dry.
Cheaper models with thin skins seem to rust through a lot quicker than the heavier models.
Enjoy!!

Bear


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## bluewhisper (Jul 22, 2019)

Many offset people here have some kind of heat deflector plate, to help spread the heat evenly across the cooking chamber. I made one, but I can't run it and the charcoal tray at the same time.

Don't be surprised if the paint becomes scorched. Can you store it out of the sun and rain?

Consider installing some teacup hooks in the underside of that wooden shelf, so you can hang utensils or whatever.


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## Nole4L (Jul 22, 2019)

Tonyb835 said:


> I might try using a high temp sealant around these areas to address that problem and maybe something to get a better seal on the main doors as these were the worst areas ?? What do you think ?
> Cool idea so the bricks just reduced the air volume of the chamber ?



I had plenty of leaks on my old cooker.  My new one has one very small one.  I never tried to seal it up because I don't know what's in that stuff.  

As far as the bricks I did it more to hold heat.  Sort of like the effect you get around large bodies of water.  The temperature holds more steady because the water holds heat longer than air.


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## Tonyb835 (Jul 22, 2019)

Good point I'd have to look into if the sealant is odourless but even so I'd prob apply it externlly. You can buy strips of gasket material as well ? Or add a fixed clap on either side of the main door, few options I'll prob go for the most cost effective as I don't wanna spend a fortune on a entry level cooker. Got the thermometers ordered anyway decided to get 2 to give a good reading at both ends of the grill, don't mind spending a bit more on decent ones as I'll be able to reuse if I ever upgrade. Again thanks for all the help guys keep the tips coming,  can't wait for free weekend to experiment now ha


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## boardgames4bbq (Jul 25, 2019)

There have been a lot of good suggestions about sealing the chamber, adding mass or tuning plates, and running the offset with the vent open. The biggest issue I see with that model is that the only way to feed the fire is through the door on the top of the fire box thus allowing all of the smoke and heat to rise out of the top of the fire box and not flow through the chamber.

Fire is controlled by three things heat, fuel, and air. to control the heat you have to control one of the two other things. From my experience a vertical charcoal smoker like a Weber Smokey Mountain runs best when controlling air flow. The Minion method or a charcoal maze does this well. A stick fire like it sounds you are using works best by limiting fuel and allowing the fire to have as much air as possible. So typically you would open the chimney fully open and the side vent of the fire box would be fully open. This allows the smoke to flow through the cooking chamber.

I would consider widening and adding a door to the side of the fire box that is large enough to feed fuel to the fire and add fuel as needed to maintain the right quality of smoke and heat. Get a pair of fire gloves or a fire place tool kit to help manipulate the coals and grab your drink of choice and enjoy. Unless others have suggestions this is not really a set it and forget it setup but it makes some amazing BBQ and is a lot of fun.

I would spend half an hour and watch Aaron Franklin's episode on fire and smoke. It has a lot of good tips about using an offset smoker with sticks.
https://www.pbs.org/video/bbq-franklin-episode-5-fire-smoke/

Good luck and have a good time with your purchase.


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## siege (Aug 10, 2019)

Drilling a couple of small holes in the bottom of the firebox and smoke chamber will increase it's lifespan. You shouldn't lose any smoke, but it will allow condensation and any other moisture to drain. Get or make a cover for it, and keep it dry.
 There is no reason to think an innexpensive pit can't produce some excellent barbeque. Learn as you go, keep notes, and enjoy the journey.
 Since I want to keep my posts PG, I will paraphrase a quote from a friend and fellow smoker. " Barbeque is like kissing, the worst I ever had was still pretty good "


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## mike243 (Aug 11, 2019)

when you drill holes any where in the smoker you loose control of the fire because you regulate the heat by fuel and air, all vents open will let the unit run as hot as it can which may be way to hot for lownslow cooks ,have fun and cardboard boxes have been used to smoke with and produce great food,$ of unit means nothing as folks either can do or cant.


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## Tonyb835 (Aug 11, 2019)

Hi people thanks for all your advise. Unfortunately due to English weather and work I haven't had as much time to play as I'd like :( so I made a few mods this weekend. I added 2 better quality thermometers at rack level, sealed the holes that were in the back for the rack to sit in and lowered the chimney 3 inch. Tested it today with a small price if belly pork I had in the fridge but my main aim was to practice holding the heat at 275 f for 6 hours.( Turns out the supplied therm was around 60 degrees out) anyway it was challenging I won't lie I started with a charcoal base the messed around with diff size peice of oak. Enjoyed it ! Got to a stage where I was happy with the size prices of wood and got it holding steady at 275 for around 30 mins then I had to add more. Meat turned out ok too the only major issue I had was with the smoke, it wasn't burning clean ?? I was told it had less than 15 % moisture but hey ho I'll look into that. If anyone's made it to the bottom of this small essay and is still awake do you think I should extend the chimney stack now I've lowered it ? I'll post a few pics thanks


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## Tonyb835 (Aug 11, 2019)




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