Any BBQ Smokers in the Group?

[BobH]

The bug has bitten me lately to learn to cook with a BBQ smoker. Searching this topic on the inter webs returns too much information for my meager brain to absorb. I'm a bit overwhelmed and need help.

What I want to be able to do is smoke brisket, pork shoulders and butts, chicken, etc. as well as using it for a regular grill for hamburgers and hot dogs. I think what I want is the barrel type cooker with a separate firebox and smokestack at the other end in the larger compartment. The firebox has its own cooking surface for traditional grilling. From what I've read, this type cooker can hold a temperature between 220 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit fairly easily with a charcoal or wood file.

There are far too many models to choose from. I need help from you folks who are familiar with this style of cooking. I want to buy a serviceable unit that will last but doesn't cost too much money. In reading the specifications for various models, I learn that they come with a thermometer, a smokestack, and grills in each compartment. I found nothing about what gauge metal the units are made from. I have seen some that seem to be little more than sheet tin (I'm certain they are steel, but mighty flimsy) and others that seem to be heavier cast iron.

The makers that seem to come closest to fitting my imagined needs are Char Broil and Kingsford. I'm not interested in the Big Green Egg technology nor even the Brinkmann upright smoker nor any of the electric smokers. I'm fixed (some would say fixated) on the wood burning barrel type smoker with separate fire box.

I would really appreciate your input including things to consider that I might not have thought about.

TIA

[Skitterbug]

The bug has bitten me lately to learn to cook with a BBQ smoker. Searching this topic on the inter webs returns too much information for my meager brain to absorb. I'm a bit overwhelmed and need help.

What I want to be able to do is smoke brisket, pork shoulders and butts, chicken, etc. as well as using it for a regular grill for hamburgers and hot dogs. I think what I want is the barrel type cooker with a separate firebox and smokestack at the other end in the larger compartment. The firebox has its own cooking surface for traditional grilling. From what I've read, this type cooker can hold a temperature between 220 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit fairly easily with a charcoal or wood file.

There are far too many models to choose from. I need help from you folks who are familiar with this style of cooking. I want to buy a serviceable unit that will last but doesn't cost too much money. In reading the specifications for various models, I learn that they come with a thermometer, a smokestack, and grills in each compartment. I found nothing about what gauge metal the units are made from. I have seen some that seem to be little more than sheet tin (I'm certain they are steel, but mighty flimsy) and others that seem to be heavier cast iron.

The makers that seem to come closest to fitting my imagined needs are Char Broil and Kingsford. I'm not interested in the Big Green Egg technology nor even the Brinkmann upright smoker nor any of the electric smokers. I'm fixed (some would say fixated) on the wood burning barrel type smoker with separate fire box.

I would really appreciate your input including things to consider that I might not have thought about.

TIA

I don't know anything about smokers but I sure would like to be a taste tester for your efforts! Please be sure to pass around generous samples once you have your project underway!

[Doc Watson]

How about one of these ??

[BobH]

Eats shoots and leaves

I'll take one!!

[Doc Watson]

Seriously, from what you are saying you want and what your price range appears to be, I'd go with one of these. It will give you the most versitility and will not break the bank.

I use a Brinkman electric smoker because of the fuel storage rules at my condo complex. It does a serviceable job, but it's not the same as a wood or charcoal fire. I prefer the fruit wood for the smoke. Apple, cherry or peach all give a smokey, but not harsh flavor to the meat. Hickory is a stronger smokey flavor, but I stay away from mesquite because of the sharp bite it lends to the food.

Low and slow is the only way to go. Good luck. I hope this is of some help. Post up some pics of your early efforts.

[BobH]

Thanks, Doc.

I'm thinking of getting one similar to the Char-Broil you linked to - probably that brand but maybe a little bit larger grill. When I still lived in NC, I contrived a smoker of sorts from a charcoal grill and dropped cracked hickory nut shells (not the husks, the shells) on the fire. They gave a wonderful flavor to the few things I tried to smoke.

I'll have to buy packaged wood chips here - except for mesquite, which I've been advised can be quite strong and should be used in very, very small quantity.

Thanks, again!

[StoneChucker]

Hiya Bob!

I'm not a smoker, but I am a charcoal lover. I've been using this for the past number of years. I do know that you can smoke with this, but I don't know how it's done.

I'm simply a griller, with the occasional corn on the cob (in the husks) in the coals kind of guy.

[Doc Watson]

Thanks, Doc.

I'm thinking of getting one similar to the Char-Broil you linked to - probably that brand but maybe a little bit larger grill. When I still lived in NC, I contrived a smoker of sorts from a charcoal grill and dropped cracked hickory nut shells (not the husks, the shells) on the fire. They gave a wonderful flavor to the few things I tried to smoke.

I'll have to buy packaged wood chips here - except for mesquite, which I've been advised can be quite strong and should be used in very, very small quantity.

Thanks, again!

I'm not sure, but the grill I linked to might be the largest of that style that Char-Broil makes. What are you planning, a pig roast ??

"I'll have to buy packaged wood chips here.." You mean wood chips don't always come in packages ?? Lowes carries bags of cherry and apple wood along with the hickory and mesquite chips and chunks. A bit pricy, but you don't need a lot of wood to make the smoke you need.

The smoking "technique" is as variable as the number of people who smoke food. I soak the chips (about 3-4 handfuls) for an hour or so and then add them to the coals when I put the meat on. In a smoker the smoke will only be effective for an hour or two until the meat "seals" itself, so get the chips on early and add more as needed. Stonechucker metioned he uses a Weber kettle but doesn't get into smoking his food. Same technique can be used with a Weber (I started grilling on one and still have one around), but because the cooking time is shorter, the smoking times and amount of chips needed is less. If I am going to use barbcue sauce on my food, I don't put it on until the last 10-15 minutes of cooking and when I add the sauce to the food, I add more chips to the coals to "smoke the sauce" and get all that good smokey flavor into ever bit of my food.

You can also make up "smoke packs" to keep things a bit neater. Just soak the chips as you normally would and then put the handfuls into some heavy duty foil and fold the edges over to seal then turn over and poke some holes in the pack with a knife. Toss one or two on the coals and you've got smoke without getting ash all over. Not a concern so much with charcoal or wood grilling. But this is a great technique for smoking on a gas grill (put the smoke pack on the flavor bars or lava rocks under the cooking surface, not on the gas jets) or in an electric smoker.

Hope this helps.

[BobH]

Thank you, both!

We have a small Weber grill. I think it cooks too fast to do really good smoking, but I have done a few things in it. It really excels when it comes to grilling, though.

I've tried the soaked chips in aluminum foil but, again, the heat and proximity of the coals to whatever is being cooked changes the result.

Have you ever tried sugar smoking? You can put sugar in foil and put the pack in the grill with the coals raked away from it. It can give an interesting flavor to turkey and chicken especially when you also use wood chips (in a separate packet).

Thanks again for your responses.

[Doc Watson]

Bob, give this page a look to learn how to use your Weber kettle to smoke and cook food using the indirect method. You can also use the Weber Method", where the charcoal briquettes are moved to coalpockets (wire accessories sold to create these "pockets") on either side of the barbecue, and a drip pan is placed on the coal grate in between the two coal pockets. The meat or fish goes on the grill above the drip pan.

[BobH]

That's an excellent web site. Great information there.

Do you ever catch Barbecue University on PBS? The host does a great job of explaining how to control heat. He did a whole program on using the Weber kettle grill a couple of years ago. He demonstrated direct and indirect heat and showed using a water bath to control the temp.

Thanks for the info, Doc.

[Timelord]

I am looking at the pic of the smoker above and am curious which end gets attached to the truck. It looks like the end with the tires, but then I get a little concerned about the muzzle hitting the ground.

[Doc Watson]

I am looking at the pic of the smoker above and am curious which end gets attached to the truck. It looks like the end with the tires, but then I get a little concerned about the muzzle hitting the ground.

My guess is that it's self propelled (engine in the grip) and the driver sits on the cutting board and leans to stear, his weight acting as a counter balance to keep the barrel up.

Actually I'd suspect that the black bit in the lower left of the picture is part of a towing attachment that cradles the bottom of the barrel while the barrel slips over something and locks in place. The wheels have to be in the back or it wouldn't tow & the barrel over-hang would probably be too long to be legal, even with a flag on it.

[Timelord]

Actually I'd suspect that the black bit in the lower left of the picture is part of a towing attachment that cradles the bottom of the barrel while the barrel slips over something and locks in place. The wheels have to be in the back or it wouldn't tow & the barrel over-hang would probably be too long to be legal, even with a flag on it.

I figure you are right, but I think it would be funny if the barrell pointed behind the truck. Can you imagine coming up on that end when trying to overtake them? It would probably make you think twice.

[Doc Watson]

I figure you are right, but I think it would be funny if the barrell pointed behind the truck. Can you imagine coming up on that end when trying to overtake them? It would probably make you think twice.

The ultimate

[DaveA]

Go here http://www.neatorama.com/2006/06/08/top ... bq-grills/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for a few other ideas!