Grills, Smokers / gas, electric or natural....

[bassranger1]

I guess what I'm getting at is the need for information. I've used gas and charcol grill before. I love the taste of charcol but like the ease of gas. I've also been thinking long and hard about buying a smoker and trying a new project. If you use a convetional smoker how do you keep the fire going? How do you regulate the temp that you are trying to cook? I can only imagine that the flavor of something that is smoked will just be alot better than regular grilling or cooking in the oven, but hate to drop alot of money on something I'm going to regret later. Thanks for any help.

p.s. I know this is probably like asking which boat is best, but I'm just trying to get some good intel.

[tool time]

I have been using gas grills for 20 yrs. and don't have any plans of using anything else. The more I use it the better it works. My last grill looked like I pulled it out of the junk yard.

[Classic57b]

Kevin, I started with a propane smoker. You can get one pretty cheap at Walmart. Around $100.00. You regulate the temp just like you would with a gas grill.

Last year I took the plunge and purchased a Superior Smoker. Best purchase I have ever made. It is a gravity feed charcoal smoker. You control the temp using a ball valve. Google Superior smoker and check them out. A little pricey but well worth it.

[bassranger1]

Thanks. Looks like I'm going to try a Charbroil Grill/Smoker. A buddy at work has one and gives it high marks. I'll be looking for some killer recipies

[icemanrrc]

I'd stay clear of charbroil... They are cheap and flimsy. Most of your horizontal smokers with the side firebox that you can buy at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc are going to be cheap pieces of junk. They have bad air leaks and don't hold temperature well at all.

If you want to do smoke stuff like boston butts for pulled BBQ, ribs, brisket and so on, I would recommend the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. It is easy to use, and doesn't use a lot of charcoal. You can easily get 12-14 hour smokes out of one ring of charcoal. Many pros use these handy units on the pro circuit. Trust me on this as I have started at the bottom and worked my way up and compete in small and backyard competitions, this is the smoker you want to buy.

Lowe's sell a brand of horizontal smokers called Char-griller. You can get the Super Pro and buy the optional Side Firebox (which is the same as the Smoking Pro) and have you a decent setup for the money. The only thing is that even though this unit is much better as far as quality and reliability than the Charbroil that Walmart and HD sells, you will still need to make modifications for it to be a decent smoker. You will have to lower the smoke stack to almost grate level, insulate the main chamber with oven braid to eliminate air leaks, install heavy duty accurate thermometers on each end.

Think of BBQing like this. When you are starting out into the BBQ world, propane might be best for you as far as easy to use and control. When you are ready to move up, charcoal is better. Your food just taste so much better than it will using propane. When you have mastered charcoal, straight wood smoker also called a stick burner is where it's at. Your food again will taste better with straight wood than with charcoal.

I hope this helps.

[DIXIEDOG]

After using my Egg for awhile I can't buy into the gas being easier anymore. The Egg has the speed and convenience of a gas with the great flavor of charcoal. It's been a great set it and forget it unit for overnight cooks, no loading more charcoal lump, no messing with vents, and no spiking up and down in temp. If you don't mind paying the price the Egg is a great grill/smoker.

If you are looking for just smoking and want something easy in a set it and forget it class the Masterbuilt electric smoker is very nice. They hold temp great, the only downside is you don't get the smoke ring but that doesn't affect flavor anyway. The downside is you need to run extension cords and you need to add chips more often because it holds such a small quantity of chips. Overall a very good value.

[Southern Style]

Great advice....Home Depot does have a pretty decent smoker grill for the money. A Brinkman Trailmaster not a real expensive one but good for the money works great.

[bassranger1]

Okay, some observations from my Thanksgiving experience. I can see now what you're talking about with keeping the temp up. Alot of fluctuation and it was very hard to keep the temp right. Too high and would fall way off then spike again. I've got alot to learn and it's going to take alot of practice. The turkey did turn out good and had alot of flavor though so it wasn't all bad

Oh yeah I bought the Chargriller Professional model with the side firebox. A buddy at work has the same one and has had good success with it. Like I said, lots of practice.

[icemanrrc]

If you have any questions on how to modify it, let me know. Like I said earlier, the chargrillers can be made to be a fairly decent smoker. The main mods you want to make are:
1. Extending chimney to almost grate level
2. Insulating the main chamber
3. Insulating the firebox
4. Installing accurate temp gauges on each end that can be calibrated
5. Installing a shaker basket to use as a charcoal basket. This raises the charcoal up for better air circulation and is easier to use than just dumping charcoal in the bottom of the tray.

[bassranger1]

IM sent

[icemanrrc]

and replied.