Cheap Smoker

[unkoricky]

My current side smoker i added to my grill isnt working very well.
I know you get what you pay for but i'm not a hardcore person when it comes to smoking meat.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100606041/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=smoker&storeId=10051

Brinkmann Smoke N' Grill Charcoal Smoker and Grill
39.97

or

Brinkmann Vertical Gas Smoker - $149.00

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&R=202650720&catEntryId=202650720

[ceyko]

I'm still a big believer in not going cheap with smokers and to go with a horizontal smoker. I'm not saying you have to spend 1K+ - some nice home made jobs on Craigslist. Thick material, and it'll make your life easier.

[bcoop]

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=CHAR+BROIL+SMOKER&gbv=2&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=797l7469l0l7609l41l36l5l19l6l0l266l1659l6.3.3l12l0&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=7293576543605130927&os=reviews

Fuck upright smokers.

[unkoricky]

http://www.google.com/products/catal...927&os=reviews


Fuck upright smokers.

I have an OLD charbroil grill and added a side smoker to it, maybe its cause we had to ghetto rig it and had to drill holes in it to fit, but i cant get the heat to maintain at 225. It's a struggle for me to even get it to 225. I've tried messing with the vents, added some mods and it still a bitch to get the heat up.

I'm probably doing something wrong and i'm giving up and just gonna use it as a grill now.

Thats why i dont mind getting a cheap one as long as it works efficiently. I dont mind spending up to 150.

[ceyko]

Could try sending pics of what ya go now too for suggestions.

[Baron Von Crowder]

http://www.google.com/products/catal...927&os=reviews


Fuck upright smokers.

I have one that looks the same as that, came from Academy, works good. Its a tad hard to keep the heat as steady as my old trailer mounted big mofo, but it works.

[mstng86]

I just bought a nice used Brinkman smoker like the Charbroil smoker Bcoop posted. Paid 80 bucks and got the smoker with cover, and a few other things. It has worked fine so far.

[bcoop]

I have an OLD charbroil grill and added a side smoker to it, maybe its cause we had to ghetto rig it and had to drill holes in it to fit, but i cant get the heat to maintain at 225. It's a struggle for me to even get it to 225. I've tried messing with the vents, added some mods and it still a bitch to get the heat up.

I'm probably doing something wrong and i'm giving up and just gonna use it as a grill now.

Thats why i dont mind getting a cheap one as long as it works efficiently. I dont mind spending up to 150.

They are cheap, and thin, and have their downfalls. But this is what I currently use, and I turn out pretty righteous bbq. Maintaining temp isn't an issue for me, but I've been using it for a long while, so I've had lots of practice and know what to do at this point.

[BradM]

Has anyone ever taught you how to build a fire, or are you just winging it?

[Trick Pony]

http://www.google.com/products/catal...927&os=reviews


Fuck upright smokers.

Did you know that ugly drum smokers have done pretty well at the American Royal and other major BBQ cookoffs? I'll bet that if it's done right and you didn't know a piece of meat was cooked on an upright you might not be able to tell the difference. There is definitely the potential to screw things up or cook them too fast when direct heat is involved but if you know what you're doing the end product can be just as good. I don't use a water pan or anything in my UDS either.
I have a big horizontal too and I enjoy cooking on both but the horizontal uses a heck of a lot more fuel and takes a lot more tending to maintain temp.

[Silverback]

Did you know that ugly drum smokers have done pretty well at the American Royal and other major BBQ cookoffs? I'll bet that if it's done right and you didn't know a piece of meat was cooked on an upright you might not be able to tell the difference. There is definitely the potential to screw things up or cook them too fast when direct heat is involved but if you know what you're doing the end product can be just as good. I don't use a water pan or anything in my UDS either.
I have a big horizontal too and I enjoy cooking on both but the horizontal uses a heck of a lot more fuel and takes a lot more tending to maintain temp.

While they have done well, they still don't hold a candle in number of wins to the guys using big offsets, as well as water pan smokers. Hell there are guys winning using the Weber Smokey Mountains too. But as far as consistancy goes in competition smokers go, you can't beat the big offset trailer smokers like a Jambo, etc, or the water smokers like Jack's Old South.

[bcoop]

Did you know that ugly drum smokers have done pretty well at the American Royal and other major BBQ cookoffs? I'll bet that if it's done right and you didn't know a piece of meat was cooked on an upright you might not be able to tell the difference. There is definitely the potential to screw things up or cook them too fast when direct heat is involved but if you know what you're doing the end product can be just as good. I don't use a water pan or anything in my UDS either.
I have a big horizontal too and I enjoy cooking on both but the horizontal uses a heck of a lot more fuel and takes a lot more tending to maintain temp.

Yep, and I don't care.

[stevo]

When people in here were referencing vertical smokers, I thought they meant the square box-type that had a separate firebox, not the drum-grill type. I have never had luck with the vertical drum-type for anything other than grilling.

Stevo

[ceyko]

Yep, and I don't care.

I'm simple minded. Smoker horizontal, grill vertical. It's tradition in some cases as well.

[Trick Pony]

Yep, and I don't care.

Damn Nazis!