Thanks. I may just have a local mason build an outdoor wood fired pizza oven...
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I want to buy a smoker (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter liftapint
- Start date
The official recommendation is natural lump charcoal only.
I picked up a Char-Griller Akorn a couple years ago. Been very happy with it so far. Same concept as the more expensive egg type ceramic grills, but substantially cheaper. I think I paid around $250. Instead of ceramic, it uses porcelain coated steel (like a Weber) with insulation sandwiched in between. I think it's a great grill/smoker for someone thinking of getting into the hobby & wont rob the bank.
I am truly a lazy smoker. I understand the stick burners and the other more traditional smokers. I see people on smoking forums just knocking the pellet grill guys. I am not a competitive cooker. I enjoy getting up early and throwing the meat on the smoker in the am. I love the fact that I can trust the temp (yes I have a back up temp gauge to double monitor). I have seen fabulous reviews of rec tec, green mountain and camp chef.
I think over all youhave to decide how you want to use it
Good luck on your search
I think over all youhave to decide how you want to use it
Good luck on your search
MC Poker
Straight
Today's cook. Smoked salmon. Bacon wrapped stuffed pork bomb. Some jalapenos peppers.
MC Poker
Straight
Getting a good smoking buddy is also a must!
boltonguy
Flush
boltonguy
Flush
me too!
Seeking Alpha Social Club
4 of a Kind
+1 this ^^^ Love mine!!
DeeVee8
Flush
If only these things had a built in hot dog roller.
joepro
Flush
I had one of these for about 5 years or so, it works well as a starter ceramic but it's cheaply made and will leak smoke and eventually fall apart. That seems to be the m.o. on all char broil grills, you very what you pay for, they are the China clays of grills.
Señor Tony
3 of a Kind
Stainless kitchen bench in your home?
Smokers are so much fun. But how many kids you got lol? I went with a Masterbuilt + amazen pellet tray. It can smoke for 12 hours straight and cook for 24 hours without it being touched. It goes overnight while I sleep. Genius actually.
RainmanTrail
Straight Flush
I think this is the first kitchen I've seen with two islands, and it's also the first kitchen/library I believe I've seen.
Señor Tony
3 of a Kind
I've heard of his/her and his/her bathroom sinks... but never his/her and his/her kitchen islands! Love it!
I am so stealing the stainless island idea when I redo our kitchen.
it looks great. It works great. It cleans great.
And it’s cookbook storage. I love cookbooks even though I usually use online resources these days
tabletalker7
Full House
Am I too late for the "you want to buy a smoker I will sell you my wife" joke?
CantSpellPoker
Straight
Had never heard of this make/model, but it looks like it could be a great option for a 2nd smoker for me. I have the WSM for home use, but I'm looking for more of a "set and forget" type to keep at my parents' lake house. I'd rather go pellet than full-on electric, but this unit is really reasonably priced.
It's a kitchen archipelago
This is the setup that I have as well. I have one thermometer for the meat and one wireless receiver for the ambient temp. It's a nice setup and it's inexpensive. Definitely falls into the category of an "all day event". It holds temperature fairly consistently for ~6 hours I'd say but if you want to get into the really long smokes you are going to need to feed it which requires more than dumping pellets into a feeder. It also requires some careful vent adjustments at the beginning of the cook to get the 225-250 temp you are usually looking for as the grill isn't insulated very well and ambient temperature/wind will effect it more than something like a BGE.
All that said, it's cheap and effective and I do enjoy messing with it on smoke days. It's also nice that you can use the kettle to grill "normally" and you can use the slow-n-sear as a great setup for non-smoked indirect heating and searing for things like reverse seared steaks.
So what works for me isn't really a good recommendation but...
I have a large (piped) gas grill, an egg and a half built wood-burning pizza oven. In the end, I use the gas grill almost all the time. It's just so easy, just turn it on and it's ready to go in minutes. Yes, you don't quite get the same flame grilled taste but for me 90% of the amount I use it it convenience. I haven't finished my pizza oven because a couple stones on my gas grill does the job really well. And you can smoke on a gas grill with a metal box for wood chips etc.
Having a grill connected to your municipal gas supply is just so damn convenient, I can't imagine anything easier.
I have a large (piped) gas grill, an egg and a half built wood-burning pizza oven. In the end, I use the gas grill almost all the time. It's just so easy, just turn it on and it's ready to go in minutes. Yes, you don't quite get the same flame grilled taste but for me 90% of the amount I use it it convenience. I haven't finished my pizza oven because a couple stones on my gas grill does the job really well. And you can smoke on a gas grill with a metal box for wood chips etc.
Having a grill connected to your municipal gas supply is just so damn convenient, I can't imagine anything easier.
RainmanTrail
Straight Flush
These guys know how to BBQ. I need to hit this place up! I'm starting to think I need to do a BBQ road trip tour of the USA.
I have an egg and a built in gas grill. No pizza oven. I use the egg 90% of the time. The gas grill is more convenient for sure but I start the egg 20-30 minutes before I need it and I’m good to go. I grill once a week or less these days. If I grilled more, I might use the gas grill more. Maybe not.
Different strokes for different folks.
I used to have a cheap Chargriller stick burner. When it was new, it was alright. But it took about an hour of prep to get it going to where I could put on the meat, and then it had to be attended to about every hour to add wood, open or close the air vents, etc. Basically a 12 hour JOB to smoke a brisket. After 4-5 years it was pretty well worn out. Oh, and right after I bought it, I had to make several improvements that I read about on a smoker forum, just to get it to "sorta" hold steady temps. Steady temps are the real key to good "Low & Slow" Barbecue. Great forum, great people and lots of ideas, especially for DIYers. It's called The Smoke Ring if you need another forum to join - LOL.
So after the old CG wore out, I was looking at getting a much nicer, much thicker steel, much better and MORE EXPENSIVE stick burner. Min of about $1500 to get a good one with thick heavy steel. Then I started reading about pellet grills. Because you're still producing 100% of your heat from wood (unlike an electric) you still get lots of wood flavor and deep red smoke ring on your brisket. (a MUST in Texas) But this thing is controlled by a thermostat, with auto feed of the pellets. (LOTS of different wood pellets are available) AND it has an internal computer for programmed cooks, AND can be monitored from your phone or tablet via it's own built in WiFi. I can start a brisket at midnight, top off the pellet hopper, go to bed, check it around 6-7AM to add more pellets, GO BACK TO BED, and serve brisket for LUNCH the next day! It honestly feels like I'm CHEATING! (yeah, some traditionalists will say I am)
I'm partial to Green Mountain Grills. I think they are every bit as good as Traeger and a bit cheaper. I have the Daniel Boone model which I bought about 3 years ago. The quality is awesome! It still works and cooks just like new, in spite of the wet, nasty and humid weather we have in Houston. It just sits, covered, in my backyard when I'm not using it. Here's a LINK to the latest model. It looks like they have made some improvements. The pellet hopper has a bigger capacity (don't have to get up extra early on an overnight smoke) than mine, and I don't have those view windows in the lid and on the hopper. I did pay the extra $50 for a stainless steel lid.
The biggest reason I love this is it's so simple to use that I use it WAY more often than my old stick burner. I make sure the hopper has enough pellets, turn it on, and wait 15 minutes for it to warm up to temp and stabilize. THAT'S IT! It's ready to cook on! Tonight my wife wanted steaks for dinner. I ALWAYS use a reverse sear to grill steaks. Put them in the smoker for 30-40 minutes to get them nice and smoky and an internal temp of about 100 degrees, then throw them on my gas grill for 6-8 minutes (you could also use an iron skillet) at HIGH temp, and BAM! Better steaks than I get in ANY restaurant that's less than $50 a plate. We walked in the door from the store at 6PM and at 7:15 we sat down to steaks and baked potatoes. EASY!
I know others are saying get a ceramic egg, and yes, those a also very nice. My oldest son has one and he loves it. I do think there is a little more attention you have to give it, so if the idea of programming your cook and then basically forgetting about it for several hours sounds appealing, definitely check out a pellet grill. Feel free to ask if you have ANY questions.
So after the old CG wore out, I was looking at getting a much nicer, much thicker steel, much better and MORE EXPENSIVE stick burner. Min of about $1500 to get a good one with thick heavy steel. Then I started reading about pellet grills. Because you're still producing 100% of your heat from wood (unlike an electric) you still get lots of wood flavor and deep red smoke ring on your brisket. (a MUST in Texas) But this thing is controlled by a thermostat, with auto feed of the pellets. (LOTS of different wood pellets are available) AND it has an internal computer for programmed cooks, AND can be monitored from your phone or tablet via it's own built in WiFi. I can start a brisket at midnight, top off the pellet hopper, go to bed, check it around 6-7AM to add more pellets, GO BACK TO BED, and serve brisket for LUNCH the next day! It honestly feels like I'm CHEATING! (yeah, some traditionalists will say I am)
I'm partial to Green Mountain Grills. I think they are every bit as good as Traeger and a bit cheaper. I have the Daniel Boone model which I bought about 3 years ago. The quality is awesome! It still works and cooks just like new, in spite of the wet, nasty and humid weather we have in Houston. It just sits, covered, in my backyard when I'm not using it. Here's a LINK to the latest model. It looks like they have made some improvements. The pellet hopper has a bigger capacity (don't have to get up extra early on an overnight smoke) than mine, and I don't have those view windows in the lid and on the hopper. I did pay the extra $50 for a stainless steel lid.
The biggest reason I love this is it's so simple to use that I use it WAY more often than my old stick burner. I make sure the hopper has enough pellets, turn it on, and wait 15 minutes for it to warm up to temp and stabilize. THAT'S IT! It's ready to cook on! Tonight my wife wanted steaks for dinner. I ALWAYS use a reverse sear to grill steaks. Put them in the smoker for 30-40 minutes to get them nice and smoky and an internal temp of about 100 degrees, then throw them on my gas grill for 6-8 minutes (you could also use an iron skillet) at HIGH temp, and BAM! Better steaks than I get in ANY restaurant that's less than $50 a plate. We walked in the door from the store at 6PM and at 7:15 we sat down to steaks and baked potatoes. EASY!
I know others are saying get a ceramic egg, and yes, those a also very nice. My oldest son has one and he loves it. I do think there is a little more attention you have to give it, so if the idea of programming your cook and then basically forgetting about it for several hours sounds appealing, definitely check out a pellet grill. Feel free to ask if you have ANY questions.
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