BBQ Smokers

[Bill Wooten]

So I bought a Brinkmann Smoke 'N Pit for $170 today at Home Depot. It's a really decent sized smoker for the price. I was surprised. It was a huge pain to actually put it together. I hope it works out fine but some parts of the side burner aren't screwed in 100% but really good enough I think. I can see very little light through the box but that still kind of worries me.

I have a couple questions for you BBQ masters.

How much charcoal (or wood) do you add to get to your desired temperature? Such as 200 degrees for 5 hours, how much does that equal in terms of the amount of wood and coal? Whats the best way to maintain temperatures?

I know you've said you don't like the looks of the Weber smoker, but to give you a frame of reference in regards to charcoal use. I use about 1 large bag of Kingsford charcoal for 14-16 hour cook. Along with several chunks of apple wood. The bullet style smokers are very efficient.

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

So I called them today and they can return it! Really glad about it. I've been hearing so much about the Weber Smokey Mountain. It must be one of the best? I may just go with that. I prefer offset smokers but finding any GOOD offset smokers must cost upwards of $500. Not too fond on electric but it must be convenient. Looks like I'll be switching to the Weber Smokey Mountain now!

I prefer offset too, but the smokey mountain is the best bang for the buck. And when you outgrow it you'll be able to sell it on craigslist easily (in fact I would check there for used ones or even new ones at a deal).
Get the bigger size if you can swing it. You can always use less fuel and cook less than full capacity on the larger, but you can't cram more food into the smaller.

 

[TheCowboy]

I know you've said you don't like the looks of the Weber smoker, but to give you a frame of reference in regards to charcoal use. I use about 1 large bag of Kingsford charcoal for 14-16 hour cook. Along with several chunks of apple wood. The bullet style smokers are very efficient.

Well that's much better than using two full bags of coal that I just used!

BTW, they took the smoker and gave me a full refund! What idiots!

 

[TheCowboy]

I prefer offset too, but the smokey mountain is the best bang for the buck. And when you outgrow it you'll be able to sell it on craigslist easily (in fact I would check there for used ones or even new ones at a deal).
Get the bigger size if you can swing it. You can always use less fuel and cook less than full capacity on the larger, but you can't cram more food into the smaller.

Thanks for your help again man. I really appreciate it. The $400 model is a little bit too much out of my budget but the $300 is comfortable enough. As long as it cooks well and LASTS then I will definitely like it. The 18" cooking area is not too bad, but I hope it's good enough for Ribs and good sized Briskets. Even better maybe the Smokey Mountain doesn't need any modifications to it like my old one needed.

 

[Staggerlee]

Thanks for your help again man. I really appreciate it. The $400 model is a little bit too much out of my budget but the $300 is comfortable enough. As long as it cooks well and LASTS then I will definitely like it. The 18" cooking area is not too bad, but I hope it's good enough for Ribs and good sized Briskets. Even better maybe the Smokey Mountain doesn't need any modifications to it like my old one needed.

you cant go wrong with the smaller smokey mountain. i bought one new last summer and it is amazing. it may take a couple cooks for you to get the hang of the vent system but boy are the efficient and they will sit between 225-275 all day after you get the vents locked in. i would highly advise going to the bbq brethern forum if you havent already. those guys are pros and there are threads answering any question you might have.

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

Thanks for your help again man. I really appreciate it. The $400 model is a little bit too much out of my budget but the $300 is comfortable enough. As long as it cooks well and LASTS then I will definitely like it. The 18" cooking area is not too bad, but I hope it's good enough for Ribs and good sized Briskets. Even better maybe the Smokey Mountain doesn't need any modifications to it like my old one needed.

Cool deal. Glad you got your refund from HD, good of them to stand by what they sell.

The 18" does have two vertical racks in it, on top of that you can trim racks of ribs in half and stand them up on a rib rack to maximize space.

Keep us posted on your next adventure and be sure to check in here for all the weber info you can handle.

 

[Idgit]

Anyone else with direct experience with the Green Egg/Kamado smokers? Anyone with anything bad to say about them, I should ask?

 

[Keifer]

I had to do that because after carving it, it just did not seem done. There's no way I could have made pulled pork with the end product. What are some other good meats to smoke that don't have nearly as much fat as pork butt? Brisket, chicken, turkey, sausage is all I can think of right now.

Baby back ribs are great on the smoker. Smoke for two hours, wrap and back on the smoker for two hours, then unwrap mop with sauce and back on the smoker for another hour. All other meats I cook by temperature but the 2-2-1 method has always worked great on baby backs.

You might have just had too much smoke and made the meat look "not done". You want a nice pink smoke ring around the outside of the meat but if you have too much smoke it will be pink all the way through and give it a raw look.

 

[TheCowboy]

Baby back ribs are great on the smoker. Smoke for two hours, wrap and back on the smoker for two hours, then unwrap mop with sauce and back on the smoker for another hour. All other meats I cook by temperature but the 2-2-1 method has always worked great on baby backs.

You might have just had too much smoke and made the meat look "not done". You want a nice pink smoke ring around the outside of the meat but if you have too much smoke it will be pink all the way through and give it a raw look.

It had a nice smoke ring actually. Maybe too much of one. Just the meat wasn't good. Oh well, rookie mistake. Now that I don't have that trash smoker anymore

 

[Boom]

Anyone else with direct experience with the Green Egg/Kamado smokers? Anyone with anything bad to say about them, I should ask?

I've recently purchased a Cypress Grill from Bayou Classic, which isn't quite as fancy as the BGE or Kamado Joe. In the few weeks I've used it, I've been very pleased. It can get very hot (750 F) and can also maintain 225 for quite a few hours on one load of lump coal.

 

[Rockport]

Anyone else with direct experience with the Green Egg/Kamado smokers? Anyone with anything bad to say about them, I should ask?

I've got the Big Green Egg and will never user anything else for a backyard smoker/grill. It will cook anything and it's design is to keep the juices in. Food just tastes fabulous cooked on the egg. I bought 1 20lb bag of lump charcoal a month ago and have only used 1/3 of the bag after 3 weeks of cooking. I researched heavily before I made this purchase and always came back to the BGE. You'll see some of the competitiers using it on some of the BBQ contests shows on TV. You'll also see the small size in high end kitchens. It's only drawback is that it is expensive. $850 approx for the large size which is more than large enough for a big family.