By the way, if you buy one, I'd buy the 18.5 inch version. The smaller one is way too small for a brisket, and the largest one will use 3X the fuel while not having as precise temp control. The 18.5 inch version, in my opinion gives the best of both worlds. That's also the most popular version by far, and thus it will have the most help online to help you master it, which goes a long way towards you wanting to continue to use it.
OT- Best/Most Practical Smoker for smoking a Brisket
- Thread starter tcumaniac
- Start date
By the way, if you buy one, I'd buy the 18.5 inch version. The smaller one is way too small for a brisket, and the largest one will use 3X the fuel while not having as precise temp control. The 18.5 inch version, in my opinion gives the best of both worlds. That's also the most popular version by far, and thus it will have the most help online to help you master it, which goes a long way towards you wanting to continue to use it.
One Frog Nation
Active Member
I also use an egg and think they work great. they are on the high side Heck you can even bake pizza on it.
flyfishingfrog
Active Member
Large BGE
Only thing you will ever need or want
Only thing you will ever need or want
westoverhillbilly
Active Member
I agree wholeheartedly.. the egg does everything that a log smoker or a grill does, only better.. grilling steaks is unmatchable on a green egg.. I use mini logs from Academy instead of lump coal- it's cheaper and puts way more flavor into the meat..
the smoker is the least important tool in your arsenal. Walter Jeton used to dig a 30' long hole in the ground and LBJ and his cohorts were delighted.
no, first you must figure out your personal implements. few of us can start off with the jigger glass and hope to maintain. of course the bottle coozie will see you slipping off to slumberland at the critical turn.
i advocate the pipe, half doses at regular intervals, a growler if ur not dieting and a snifter about 4AM ,keeping it classy. drag it across the finish line with the old reliable aluminum 12 oz.
BTW after a good 12 hour smoke you will be sick of brisket and your friends have all abandoned you.
no, first you must figure out your personal implements. few of us can start off with the jigger glass and hope to maintain. of course the bottle coozie will see you slipping off to slumberland at the critical turn.
i advocate the pipe, half doses at regular intervals, a growler if ur not dieting and a snifter about 4AM ,keeping it classy. drag it across the finish line with the old reliable aluminum 12 oz.
BTW after a good 12 hour smoke you will be sick of brisket and your friends have all abandoned you.
RollToad
Baylor is Trash.
Wat
This may be the only thing hindry has ever said that actually makes sense!
Love my LBGE. It's a great tool for smoking. But once you add a BBQ Guru to it, it becomes a fantastic tool. I love being able to put a brisket on at 7:00, set the Guru to 225, and not even think about it until the next day. It's so well insulated that it's stingy on the lump as well.
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dawg
Active Member
Maniac, a couple questions you should answer before you buy one.
1. How much are you wanting to spend? A good quality offset (one with thick steel, good welds, etc) will run at least $600. Kimodo-style cookers (BGEs and Primos) are over $1000 (the Costco version is IIRC $600), but as others mentioned can function as grills, ovens, and smokers.
2. How much of a footprint do you have in your backyard/smoking area?
3. How much meat do you want to serve? Your immediate family? The entire FFF at your tailgate?
For me, the answers to the above lead me to the Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5." It was my first true "smoker," had it for four years, and I love it. It has cooking two levels, so I've made full packer briskets and two pork shoulders at the same time. The cooking surface is large enough that three racks of ribs can lay flat without cutting. And it is stupid easy. Light, get to temp, and it'll run rock-steady like a champ for 12-15 hours. There's a handy website devoted to its use and a thread on Shaggy that is full of tips no matter what smoker you purchase. Oh, and the best thing? The 'Cue it produces is fantastic.
Oh, and which ever route you decide to go, be prepared to discover a bevy of accessory products you never knew existed but now cannot live without. Start with these:
).
1. How much are you wanting to spend? A good quality offset (one with thick steel, good welds, etc) will run at least $600. Kimodo-style cookers (BGEs and Primos) are over $1000 (the Costco version is IIRC $600), but as others mentioned can function as grills, ovens, and smokers.
2. How much of a footprint do you have in your backyard/smoking area?
3. How much meat do you want to serve? Your immediate family? The entire FFF at your tailgate?
For me, the answers to the above lead me to the Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5." It was my first true "smoker," had it for four years, and I love it. It has cooking two levels, so I've made full packer briskets and two pork shoulders at the same time. The cooking surface is large enough that three racks of ribs can lay flat without cutting. And it is stupid easy. Light, get to temp, and it'll run rock-steady like a champ for 12-15 hours. There's a handy website devoted to its use and a thread on Shaggy that is full of tips no matter what smoker you purchase. Oh, and the best thing? The 'Cue it produces is fantastic.
Oh, and which ever route you decide to go, be prepared to discover a bevy of accessory products you never knew existed but now cannot live without. Start with these:
- www.amazon.com/Dexter-Russell-S131F-6PCP-Boning-Knife-Sani-Safe/dp/B0001MRYDI
- www.amazon.com/Maverick-Redi-Chek-Wireless-Thermometer-Limited/dp/B01FEKGB9Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1503064435&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=maverick+thermometer&psc=1
- www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4
- -Or this one (if you, like me, are not FFF 1%) www.amazon.com/Weber-6492-Original-Instant-Read-Thermometer/dp/B009IH0BZ0
- www.amazon.com/Weber-7475-Barbeque-Lifters-Shredders/dp/B00FDOOOYG/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1503064599&sr=1-1&keywords=weber+pork+shredders.
).
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Maniac, a couple questions you should answer before you buy one.
1. How much are you wanting to spend? A good quality offset (one with thick steel, good welds, etc) will run at least $600. Kimodo-style cookers (BGEs and Primos) are over $1000 (the Costco version is IIRC $600), but as others mentioned can function as grills, ovens, and smokers.
2. How much of a footprint do you have in your backyard/smoking area?
3. How much meat do you want to serve? Your immediate family? The entire FFF at your tailgate?
For me, the answers to the above lead me to the Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5." It was my first true "smoker," had it for four years, and I love it. It has cooking two levels, so I've made full packer briskets and two pork shoulders at the same time. The cooking surface is large enough that three racks of ribs can lay flat without cutting. And it is stupid easy. Light, get to temp, and it'll run rock-steady like a champ for 12-15 hours. There's a handy website devoted to its use and a thread on Shaggy that is full of tips no matter what smoker you purchase Oh, and the best thing? The 'Cue it produces is fantastic.
Oh, and which ever route you decide to go, be prepared to discover a bevy of accessory products you never knew existed but now cannot live without. Start with these:
Whichever route you decide to go, good luck and happy smoking. Post up some of your food pics (and let us know where your tailgate is so we can verify results in-person
- www.amazon.com/Dexter-Russell-S131F-6PCP-Boning-Knife-Sani-Safe/dp/B0001MRYDI
- www.amazon.com/Maverick-Redi-Chek-Wireless-Thermometer-Limited/dp/B01FEKGB9Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1503064435&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=maverick+thermometer&psc=1
- www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4
- -Or this one (if you, like me, are not FFF 1%) www.amazon.com/Weber-6492-Original-Instant-Read-Thermometer/dp/B009IH0BZ0
- www.amazon.com/Weber-7475-Barbeque-Lifters-Shredders/dp/B00FDOOOYG/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1503064599&sr=1-1&keywords=weber+pork+shredders.
What's your preference in terms of material to put in the water pan? Water (or other liquid), sand, or nothing? I'm a fan of sand.
dawg
Active Member
I'm still using water (and foiling the pan). Never tried sand but heard it works well. What's been your experience with it?
I like it. The added mass aids in temp control when smoking on windy days. I like water too, but I do a lot of 20 hour port butt cooks that would require me to refill the pan at least two times, likely three. With sand, you never have to refill it. I'm alllllllll about making things as easy as possible. I do however sometimes use water on really windy days due to its ability to regulate the temp of a fanned fire.
lonestarfrog89
Active Member
Could stack some of the furniture foot pads on the legs that aren't level? I suppose it depends if you move it around or not.
tcumaniac
Full Member
Maniac, a couple questions you should answer before you buy one.
1. How much are you wanting to spend? A good quality offset (one with thick steel, good welds, etc) will run at least $600. Kimodo-style cookers (BGEs and Primos) are over $1000 (the Costco version is IIRC $600), but as others mentioned can function as grills, ovens, and smokers.
2. How much of a footprint do you have in your backyard/smoking area?
3. How much meat do you want to serve? Your immediate family? The entire FFF at your tailgate?
For me, the answers to the above lead me to the Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5." It was my first true "smoker," had it for four years, and I love it. It has cooking two levels, so I've made full packer briskets and two pork shoulders at the same time. The cooking surface is large enough that three racks of ribs can lay flat without cutting. And it is stupid easy. Light, get to temp, and it'll run rock-steady like a champ for 12-15 hours. There's a handy website devoted to its use and a thread on Shaggy that is full of tips no matter what smoker you purchase. Oh, and the best thing? The 'Cue it produces is fantastic.
Oh, and which ever route you decide to go, be prepared to discover a bevy of accessory products you never knew existed but now cannot live without. Start with these:
Whichever route you decide to go, good luck and happy smoking. Post up some of your food pics (and let us know where your tailgate is so we can verify results in-person
- www.amazon.com/Dexter-Russell-S131F-6PCP-Boning-Knife-Sani-Safe/dp/B0001MRYDI
- www.amazon.com/Maverick-Redi-Chek-Wireless-Thermometer-Limited/dp/B01FEKGB9Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1503064435&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=maverick+thermometer&psc=1
- www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4
- -Or this one (if you, like me, are not FFF 1%) www.amazon.com/Weber-6492-Original-Instant-Read-Thermometer/dp/B009IH0BZ0
- www.amazon.com/Weber-7475-Barbeque-Lifters-Shredders/dp/B00FDOOOYG/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1503064599&sr=1-1&keywords=weber+pork+shredders.
Thanks!! Super helpful post!
In regards to question 2: This is something I probably haven't considered enough.
I have a relatively small grass back yard with a covered porch large enough for a medium sized smoker. Roof is decently high, and there's a fan.
I've just assumed it would be fine to do it here. Any advice? Is smoking under an overhang a big fire hazard? Does your smoker leave a big mess?
gohornedfrogs
Tier 1
I thought Maniac gave up smoking meat when he got married?
RollToad
Baylor is Trash.
I use quicksand, it speeds up the cooking process.
Bob Sugar
Active Member
dawg
Active Member
Just my $0.02, but I'd be leery of putting a smoker under a covered porch (for fear of staining said-covered porch black with smoke/soot) and building a fire that close to the house. But I can't say for sure. All my smoking/grilling has been done either in the yard or on the uncovered portion of the patio. Work buddy who has a kamodo said he uses it under a pergola and hasn't had staining issues, FWIW.
All this talk about smokers makes me want to fire up my Weber smokey mountain! I have had it for about 6 years and have done dozens of briskets, hundreds of racks of ribs and a few pork shoulders all with good results on this simple but effective rig. I would recommend for a begginer as it is easy to learn to use and the water pan helps meat than tends to dry out in a long smoke stay moist.
Maniac, I use mine under a covered patio and have never had staining from smoke, generally blows out of porch because of the way the venting works on the Weber and for that matter the BGE's. If you had a side by side with smoke stack that might direct the smoke up to the ceiling more consistently and cause staining. My $0.02
Maniac, I use mine under a covered patio and have never had staining from smoke, generally blows out of porch because of the way the venting works on the Weber and for that matter the BGE's. If you had a side by side with smoke stack that might direct the smoke up to the ceiling more consistently and cause staining. My $0.02
