Newbie
 

Like a few other posts on here I am also wondering what all I will need to make a start into Meat Smoking.

I don't like the thought of building a UDS or something because i'll never complete it. I do however see some basic "units" at Home Depot. Are any of these worth actually purchasing?

http://www.homedepot.com/Brinkmann/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ39n/R-202650696/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/Brinkmann/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ39n/R-100606041/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

or

http://www.homedepot.com/Brinkmann/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ39n/R-202106865/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Thanks!

out of those three, maybe the second one. the first and third I would not spend my money on. Look on craigslist. Look for a Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) if you don't want to make a UDS. Look for an older Brinkman Smoke N' Pit. The newer ones use thinner gauge steel. The older ones sealed a bit better.

Just remember, you get what you pay for. If you want a 50 dollar smoker, it will act like a 50 dollar smoker.

Keep an eye on craigslist

In my complete honest opinion I think the only "cheaper" ones even worth spending money on are a UDS or WSM.

Do yourself a large favor and purchase a 18 1/2" Weber Smokey Mountain. They are very easy to use and versatile smokers. The are fairly inexpensive in price but huge in value. There are many BBQ teams who compete for money using them. They are very easy to learn and with little effort you can hold constant temperatures for a very long time. My BBQ Team has several smokers including a Spicewine insulated box smoker, Lang trailer mount reverse flow stick burner and X large Big Green Egg, but at home when testing recipes I use my Weber Smokey Mountain because it is so damn easy to use and does not take up alot of space on my patio. Forget the Brinkman junk. You will spend less money and be more unhappy.