Smoking Newbie

[treacheroustexan]

In the process of buying my first home and getting out of an apartment where I can't use any open flames outside. The thing I'm most excited about is being able to start smoking meat (mainly chicken/wings and ribs). I've looked up a lot of videos, but always looking for tips! Not sure what I'm going to buy yet, but just a regular weber kettle charcoal grill seems like a good investment since it's very versatile. Smoking seems very easy with it.

That being said, any advice you seasoned (no pun intended????) smokers may have is greatly appreciated!

EDIT: I just happened to see a similar post to mine from a few months ago, so apologies for not searching first. I'd still like opinions on using a weber for smoking though!

 

[Tombsy]

I have a kamado and love it. I have the Broil King Keg, but there are other cheaper and more expensive options.

 

[treacheroustexan]

I have a kamado and love it. I have the Broil King Keg, but there are other cheaper and more expensive options.

Also considering a kamado! @StoutNoDoubt has a youtube channel and does some videos with it and it looks awesome.

 

[Dan65]

It is best to start with a price range that you feel comfortable. There are upgrades out there that can help with the automation of smoking meat/grilling if you desire to go that route.

My brother has a Daniel Boone by Green Mountain Grills (roughly $600) and makes good tasting food on it. Just throw in pellets, punch in what temp you want and throw your food on. It goes from 150-500 F.
There are similar models from different companies that are better/worse/same

I have the Weber Smokey Mountain 22" (400ish)
It holds lower temps well(230-260). I just throw in a bag of charcoal with chunks of wood spread throughout with some 16 lit coals on top. I wait till the white smoke goes away and put my food on. This is a smoker not a grill. You could grill with it but in my opinion it would be a 2nd rate grill. There are similar models from different companies that are better/worse/same

Big Green Egg (1000+)
Holds temp really really well and has a wide range(150-1000F just a guess) It is a very heavy piece of equipment. It can smoke or grill. There are similar models from different companies that are better/worse/same

Here is a place that offers some automation to your grill/smoker https://www.bbqguru.com
They have products that combine a fan with a tempuratre controller that controls the smoker. They have one that lets you monitor and change the temp through your phone. It has temp probes for your meat as well. I am considering buying one for my weber smokey mountain. It is not necessary but it will help free up time to do other things while it does its magic. I will still probably go check on the smoker because I want to.

 

[Dan65]

If you are moving outside of town where you can burn things. I saw some videos on how to make lump charcoal. It seemed pretty easy. Otherwise memorial day and 4th of July are your best times to stock up. 2-20lbs packs for 10$

 

[bfish]

Weber kettle grill will smoke just fine and is versatile for lots of other stuff. Get a chimney starter. Bank coals on one side.

For larger cuts of meat (i.e. not wings or ribs) water pan opposite coals. Also add another water pan above the coals. Learn the finley/snake method. bbqbrethren and smoking meat are some good forums.

With ribs, be sure to by non-injected/enhanced/solution ribs. In some areas, it is hard to find ribs (and other cuts of pork) that have not been filled with salt water.

 

[mkelly601]

Weber kettle grill will smoke just fine and is versatile for lots of other stuff. Get a chimney starter. Bank coals on one side.

For larger cuts of meat (i.e. not wings or ribs) water pan opposite coals. Also add another water pan above the coals. Learn the finley/snake method. bbqbrethren and smoking meat are some good forums.

With ribs, be sure to by non-injected/enhanced/solution ribs. In some areas, it is hard to find ribs (and other cuts of pork) that have not been filled with salt water.

^^^^THIS^^^

I have smoked a several boston butts, ribs, chicken, brisket, you name on my Weber kettle. Look for the snake method of smoking on youtube, it absolutely works. I think I have gone 7 hours before having to add charcoal.

 

[singybrue]

My suggestion is buy a Weber Performer charcoal grill and add one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Adrenaline-Barbecue-Company-SNS1000-Slow/dp/B014O9YB6G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481596142&sr=8-1&keywords=slow+n+sear
Then you are set for anything for about $400

 

[passedpawn]

My suggestion is buy a Weber Performer charcoal grill and add one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Adrenaline-Barbecue-Company-SNS1000-Slow/dp/B014O9YB6G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481596142&sr=8-1&keywords=slow+n+sear
Then you are set for anything for about $400

^^ this!!!

I love my Weber Performer kettle. I'll bet I cook on it 3 or 4 times a week. Turkeys, steaks, made a fat burger this weekend for the football games. But I wouldn't use it near as much if I had to fiddle with a chimney starter. The Performer has a gas starter that gets those coals going with no effort at all. I've had mine for at least 5 years. The gas canister is the small green disposable kind sold at Home Depot for propane torches. Cheap, no worries with refilling/exchanges.

Besides the gas starter, the platform is really nice and sturdy for setting stuff on. Invaluable. And there is a chute under the platform that swivels out that can hold an entire bag of charcoal. And on the front, there's 3 integrated hooks for hanging your tongs, metal flipper, and grate brush. I keep them there all the time. Also, you'll note in the pics below that there's a lid rest that allows you to remove the lid without setting it on the ground.

Parts are insanely cheap and easy to get at the hardware stores and on Amazon. For example, it comes with two SS baskets to hold the charcoal. Over the years, mine were starting to look a little pitted. I replaced them for about $15. I like to use them because you can cook direct for a few minutes, then move the basket to cook indirect. The performer also has hinged top grate that allows you to open the grate, add more coals to the basket, then close again (or just leave it open).

Finally, it comes in colors I chose blue, because mine is near the pool and we have a bright blue surface in there.

I also have a Weber Smokey Mountain. Anything longer than about 3 hours goes into the WSM because I have a 3rd party controller that keeps it at precise temps. I got my WSM for $100 on craigslist. Might check there first for grilling stuff.

Here's some pics on the Weber Performer. Boston Butts for pulled pork, veggies, pizza, fish, lamb kabobs, burgers, tenderloin roast, ribs, atomic buffalo turds, lots more where those came from

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Damn! That's some serious food pron there, Passed; I'm drooling over here!
Regards, GF.

 

[treacheroustexan]

^^ this!!!

I love my Weber Performer kettle. I'll bet I cook on it 3 or 4 times a week. Turkeys, steaks, made a fat burger this weekend for the football games. But I wouldn't use it near as much if I had to fiddle with a chimney starter. The Performer has a gas starter that gets those coals going with no effort at all. I've had mine for at least 5 years. The gas canister is the small green disposable kind sold at Home Depot for propane torches. Cheap, no worries with refilling/exchanges.

Besides the gas starter, the platform is really nice and sturdy for setting stuff on. Invaluable. And there is a chute under the platform that swivels out that can hold an entire bag of charcoal. And on the front, there's 3 integrated hooks for hanging your tongs, metal flipper, and grate brush. I keep them there all the time. Also, you'll note in the pics below that there's a lid rest that allows you to remove the lid without setting it on the ground.

Parts are insanely cheap and easy to get at the hardware stores and on Amazon. For example, it comes with two SS baskets to hold the charcoal. Over the years, mine were starting to look a little pitted. I replaced them for about $15. I like to use them because you can cook direct for a few minutes, then move the basket to cook indirect. The performer also has hinged top grate that allows you to open the grate, add more coals to the basket, then close again (or just leave it open).

Finally, it comes in colors I chose blue, because mine is near the pool and we have a bright blue surface in there.

I also have a Weber Smokey Mountain. Anything longer than about 3 hours goes into the WSM because I have a 3rd party controller that keeps it at precise temps. I got my WSM for $100 on craigslist. Might check there first for grilling stuff.

Here's some pics on the Weber Performer. Boston Butts for pulled pork, veggies, pizza, fish, lamb kabobs, burgers, tenderloin roast, ribs, atomic buffalo turds, lots more where those came from

That all looks incredible!! Thanks for sharing!

 

[flars]

I found these reviews of smokers very helpful when I purchased my first smoker.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/products/category/smokers
I chose the large Camp Chef Smoke Vault based on the reviews and price.

edit: Added photo.

 

[NSMikeD]

For your home and a first buy, I too suggest the Akorn Kamado. Let me add that I currently own a Weber WSM 24 and a $6,000 Fast Eddy 120 by Cookshack and have owned Weber Kettle, Weber WSM 18 and Weber Summit Series 4 burner gas.

For the money, I can't think of a more versatile cooker than the egg/kamado style. They can grill and smoke well at a wide range of temperatures. Other mutli-taskers usually do one well and get by with the other. The Akron by chargriller can perform like their very expensive ceramic cousins, but for the price, I can't justify the ceramic price.



My Fast Eddy and WSM sit idle in my competition trailer while the Akorn is my day to day cooker. Love the taste of hardwood charcoal (alone and supplemented with wood chunks). A single load of charcoal will last well past 24 hours and when I close the vents and snuff the fire on a typical short cook, like a steak, chicken or even ribs, I am left with a decent load of coals for the next cook.

Cast iron grates is a nice touch for an affordable cooker.

 

[NSMikeD]

^^ this!!!


I also have a Weber Smokey Mountain. Anything longer than about 3 hours goes into the WSM because I have a 3rd party controller that keeps it at precise temps. I got my WSM for $100 on craigslist. Might check there first for grilling stuff.

My bbq gurus gather dust now. I used to rely heavily on them but realized the WSM is incredibly stable once you learn how to dial in a temp with the vents.

 

[mikerlynch26]

Another vote for the Weber grill, I've had several over the course of the years moving from place to place, and you can't beat it for versatility and solid build. Use inexpensive gear to start with, which lets you spend more money on quality meat and spices. You need to tend it a little more than a dedicated smoker, but if you're just starting out you're going to be hovering over the damn thing anyway so you might as well have something to do

A little video I did on smoking a pork butt on a Weber
https://youtu.be/B6jE5GZhKAE

Blog post on charcoal grill smoking in general
https://burgersandbrews.wordpress.com/2016/08/30/smoke-em-if-you-got-em/

 

[bbohanon]

I have gone through all the iterations of smokers as I have been cooking any and all kinds of meats on a smoker for over 20 years now..

I have a UDS smoker, a Char Griller knock off egg, HAD a weber that the bottom eventually burned out of from use (RIP) and they all performed without issue if you know how to cook with indirect/raised heat. I have to say, building and using my UDS was my most enjoyable (and trouble free) smoker to use and its still being used for my smaller cooks.

With all of my kids, nephews and family I have currently have that love what I cook, I have had to move to using a 4ftx10ft cinder block pit that has a SS cooking grid in it in my backyard at this point which rocks to have as having that amount of surface space to cook might seem a bit much, but when you are cooking for 40 folks once a month or more in the warmer months, it fills up fast, however it is a beast to feed (we only use hardwood coals so its truly old world BBQ cooking) as we go through quite a bit of wood when we use it.

I cooked 15 racks of ribs and 20 chicken quarters on that bad boy for New Years weekend..It was all gone before I went back to work on the 3rd.

Back in November, we cooked a 125lb Whole Hog on the cinder block pit overnight and all the kids/nephews stayed over and hung out by the coal barrel (55 gallon drum with rebar that I use to create my wood coals to feed the pit) during that whole hog cook..that was an absolute blast to do and certainly will become a yearly tradition/event at my house.

If you are looking for just a solid long haul "set it and forget it" smoker and are a DIY-er kind of person, google building a UDS (I think mine cost about $75 tops to build about 8 years ago and is still used heavily). Here is a link to a UDS project: http://grilling24x7.com/ugly-drum-smoker/
If you can source a food grade barrel for cheap, you can build 2 of these for the cost of a single Weber and it makes some of the best BBQ you will ever eat. BBQ world championship competitions have been won with these cookers.

If you are looking for a grill than can double as a smoker (with some knowledge of indirect cooking), you cannot beat a Weber...The only issue I had with the Weber is reduced grate space, when cooking/smoking using indirect heat with it (unless you drop in a makeshift heat shield or use a water pan (which can be a pain in the arse).

Nothing beats Family, Friends, Beer and BBQ.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I have a plain, old Weber 22" kettle grill & these inserts to hold charcoal in place on the sides:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Weber-Ch...657900_slid_&gclid=CNaks5WLrdECFVNufgodZjAJoQ

I also use the chimney starter & the grate with the flip-up sides; that's it. Nothing fancy, expensive or high tech. I'm no expert, but I think I do fairly well with it. I recently got a vertical smoker, but haven't used it yet; but even when I do start using the vertical, I'll still smoke on my Weber. IMHO, you just can't go wrong with a Weber kettle grill. If you go with the Weber, get the 22" size, you'll need all that space & more.

If you have the money, go for something bigger, better & more expensive; that way you won't have to upgrade later. But if you're wanting a good, relatively inexpensive way to get your feet wet, I'd say go for the Weber; mine has served me well for many years.
Regards, GF.