I want a smoker...

what is a good brand/type to start out with? i want to smoke pork to start, and someone told me they had smoked chicken wings which just sounds awesome. any input would be appreciated.

Have you ever smoked meat before? Hard to get lit but it'll blow yer mind man!
I smoke a lot of meat and really it comes down to your experience and how much effort you want to put in. I go all wood but a lot of guys go electric and timed feed (little pellets that drop down to add flavor).
The all wood way is a lot of effort, at first, to make sure your fire is going and temps are good. But the more you do it the better you get, a lot like brewing.
I started out with a 3 rack cabinet smoker I got on sale at, I hate even typing it, Wal-Mart for like $50. I've got a more complex system now with a side burner and all kinds of meat real estate.
Let me know what direction, effort-wise, your thinking and I'll find you some good deals. Too bad you weren't closer, I still have my starter cabinet I'd let you borrow, buy cheap, or just get out of my way!
Just be prepared, once you get the smoke going it turns into neighborhood gathering! My closet neighbor is about a half mile away and if the wind is in the right direction he's down as soon as I light a match.

Get a Brinkman water smoker... Relatively cheap and easy to use...

Pick up some good hardwood lump charcoal (reviews here) and some smoking chunks / chips...

Grab a 5-6lb pork butt, a good BBQ rub and you are all set...

I prefer charcoal smokers. Better flavor in my opinion. Green eggs are great but any can be found for under $50.

I love my Big Green Egg. Consider it an investment in your culinary future!

It's hard to beat a big green egg with it's lifetime warranty. It will be the last smoker you ever buy, unless you get more than one.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNvoM0HQ8cg]Brisket Morning - YouTube[/ame]

I've been looking at the green eggs but can't seem to find any prices online. The nearest dealer is 2 hours away. How much do the XL's run?

I actually just bought one of those $50 walmart specials and the ribs I smoked yesterday was pretty decent. I had to do some cheap mods (replaced the charcoal pan and wrapped it with reflectix) to make it work.

Well yeah the BGE is great, but he asked about starting out... Dropping that much $$$ on a smoker like that is hardly what I call a "starter kit"... Hehe...

<--- wants a BGE or three, but is already on the edge with SWMBO on my cooking / brewing toys to push that one...

The best deals on Big Green Eggs are found at Egg Fests.

EGGfests | Big Green Egg - The Ultimate Cooking Experience

I love my egg, but would never recommend that a beginner--who doesn't even know if he'll like the hobby--start out by buying a $600 to $1000 piece of equipment. While the duration of burn and temperature control and convenience of the egg is great, I can turn out a rack of ribs on the old Brinkman barrell that tastes just as good. Get a low-priced unit that allows for indirect cooking, read up on brines and dry rubs and some of the recipes on line. Learn the old way, and if you opt to move up later to the Egg you'll appreciate it more.

The best thing about a BGE is it's not just a smoker. It may seem like a lot of money but remember you can cook damn near anything on it. Checkout eggfests and craigslist. You may be able to find one for $300-$400. I use my Egg at least 5 times a week. Gets more use than my stove/oven.

roylee said:

I love my egg, but would never recommend that a beginner--who doesn't even know if he'll like the hobby--start out by buying a $600 to $1000 piece of equipment. While the duration of burn and temperature control and convenience of the egg is great, I can turn out a rack of ribs on the old Brinkman barrell that tastes just as good. Get a low-priced unit that allows for indirect cooking, read up on brines and dry rubs and some of the recipes on line. Learn the old way, and if you opt to move up later to the Egg you'll appreciate it more.

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True, but the Egg is a multipurpose outdoor cooking machine. You can grill, bake, and smoke with it. It's very forgiving.

If one loves cooking outdoors, one can't go wrong with an egg. Even if they find it is not a good fit they can sell it and get most of their money even years after since they hold their value very well.

Then again, if one is completely new, one can get started with a Brinkman Water Smoker for under $50. If you go that route, be sure to drill some holes in the charcoal pan for airflow and use hardwood lump charcoal only.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXvVH1ExPn8]Pizza Dough Recipe 101 Big Green Egg - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BykVBNdksvo]Trexing my steaks on the big green egg part 1 - YouTube[/ame]

I have a Traeger pellet grill. I love it. I had never smoked meat in my life, but when I saw the Traeger on display at Costco, I went home and read up on it then went back and bought it. Great smoke flavor. I've smoked tritip, pork roasts and chicken and grilled steaks. I even cook pizza's on it.

If you are the DIY type look at the Ugly Drum Smoker threads/websites/facebook page/etc. I made one and like it. I also have a Char-Griller. It's a great grill and a mediocre smoker. People seem to like the Weber Smoky Mountain(WSM). I can't remember the name of it but I remember seeing a smoking baffle made for a Weber 22" kettle.

I'd start with a Weber Smoky Mountain (WSM). They are pretty awesome and perform well right out of the box. If you're like me you'll end up with an Egg though. I have a 18' offset trailer smoker, a Stumps clone, a WSM and a large BGE. The BGE gets used at least twice as much as the others combined at home. Now for contests, that's a different story.

wow what a response!
thanks everyone for the info. now i wait till tax return time and make a decision!

I got a cheap bullet for like 35 a few years back. I few minor apps and I can now smoke for almost 6 hours. I have learned I want a bigger one but I'll wait until this one isn't usable anymore first.

My first was a ten foot long tin-covered trench in the garden with a fire pit on one end and a barrel on the other. Now I use a $900 egg. The egg does everything the trench did, plus makes pizza crust.

Reasonably priced & fairly effective: Master Forge Charcoal Smoker at Lowes . If you decide it's not your cup of tea you're not out much. If you get hooked then you can always move up or just keep bangin' out great Q with this lil bugger. Looks like the Palmyra store has one in stock. Cheers!!!

Ya need an actual smokehouse. If it was good enough for yer grandparents, it's good enough for you.

For ease of use, I love my GOSM gas verticle smoker. Once you get the temp dialed in, it can cook all by itself over night. Yeah the BGE can do that too, but for 500-600 more dollars .

BGE is a great cooker if you have the $$$, but IMHO for ease of use, and $ it's hard to bet Gas. The Drum smokers are cheaper, but you have to deal with charcoal, whcih once you figure it out isn't bad, but can be a pain to master to begin with.

Electric is great also if you have the unit somewhere it can be plugged in and the weather doesn't turn wet. One other issue with Electirc, is if you want to kick the temps up to finish a little faster, some of the electric units don't have the power to really do it, but that is going to depend on the actual smoker.

With much anger, I have to say that my Large Brown Ovum has met it's demise, via an unfortunate accident involving a dog lead and an unaware babysitter...

Needless to say, L.B.O. v2.0 is currently in the works...

Another vote for the WSM.

I have the MES 40 (master built electric smoker 40) I love it. It is very easy to use.

well as much as i would have liked to go the high dollar route, i have made a lot of "withdrawals" from the goodwill bank from swmbo for the hobbies i love, so i went cheaper and got a brinkmann smoker and an upgraded thermometer, also read up on some mods to make it perform better. i figured 100 bucks into it even if i dont use it a lot it will pair well with homebrew

anywhere to find good recipes?

build this: The Alton Brown Flower Pot Smoker

I built one and it works amazing! It holds the heat nicely like the egg but without the price tag or the mess of the charcoal.

I'll have to look into that.

agroff383 said:

well as much as i would have liked to go the high dollar route, i have made a lot of "withdrawals" from the goodwill bank from swmbo for the hobbies i love, so i went cheaper and got a brinkmann smoker and an upgraded thermometer, also read up on some mods to make it perform better.

anywhere to find good recipes?

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Smoking meats fourm (search Google, its a pain to copy the link on my phone or I would paste it) It is the HBT of the smoking world

JeepDiver said:

Smoking meats fourm (search Google, its a pain to copy the link on my phone or I would paste it) It is the HBT of the smoking world

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Here your go.

man i love finding new forums, thanks everyone

agroff383 said:

well as much as i would have liked to go the high dollar route, i have made a lot of "withdrawals" from the goodwill bank from swmbo for the hobbies i love, so i went cheaper and got a brinkmann smoker and an upgraded thermometer, also read up on some mods to make it perform better. i figured 100 bucks into it even if i dont use it a lot it will pair well with homebrew

anywhere to find good recipes?

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I have a cheap brinkman bullet too. A few mods to the fire pan and a couple of free bricks and it works great.
Also get a # 10 can and cut off both ends. Free from a restaurant. Useful for setting up charcoal for longer cooking times.

My friend and I each have a weber smokey mountain. Excellent smoker, haven't had something not come out delicious...

I use a Char Griller with side box, have not found anything I can't grill or smoke on it.

finlayj said:

My friend and I each have a weber smokey mountain. Excellent smoker, haven't had something not come out delicious...

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^this is what I was going to suggest. I have a BGE and a Traeger - LOVE them both but the WSM seems like a really great little outfit. I believe there is an adapter for them as well so you can add a stoker or Digi-Q. Digital control of your smoker temp is a real stress reliever for overnight cooks. It's nice to know your pork butts or briskets will come out perfect in the morning. I set my Egg up, have a couple home brews, throw some meat on and have sweet dreams of perfectly smoked food!

Cheers

Weber Smokey Mountain.

I had mine for a couple of years now. The 18" can cook for an army and is very good on fuel.

jammin said:

^this is what I was going to suggest. I have a BGE and a Traeger - LOVE them both but the WSM seems like a really great little outfit. I believe there is an adapter for them as well so you can add a stoker or Digi-Q. Digital control of your smoker temp is a real stress reliever for overnight cooks. It's nice to know your pork butts or briskets will come out perfect in the morning. I set my Egg up, have a couple home brews, throw some meat on and have sweet dreams of perfectly smoked food!

Cheers

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That sounds like a good nights sleep. Dreaming of home brews and smoked meat

finlayj said:

That sounds like a good nights sleep. Dreaming of home brews and smoked meat

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Twas a reality for me yesterday. Smoked a big ol turkey with some apple wood and had plenty of homebrew and even a few SNPA. Even smoked the mac-n-cheese for the first time. It was awesome!

throw the mac and cheese on top of pulled pork, even better!

dfess1 said:

throw the mac and cheese on top of pulled pork, even better!

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I actually did that on new years! it was a spicy mac n cheese too. So delicious