My dad is wanting to buy a easy and economically priced smoker that has decent surface area. Should probably be propane or electric.

He might even go for a duel grill/smoker as his grill has seen better days.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

(06-22-2014 09:56 AM)tnzazz Wrote:  My dad is wanting to buy a easy and economically priced smoker that has decent surface area. Should probably be propane or electric.

He might even go for a duel grill/smoker as his grill has seen better days.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

I can only comment on what I have. I use the Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker and love it.

I have always used a Weber grill so I am a Weber fan.

http://bbq.about.com/od/smokerreviews/gr...12008b.htm

http://bbq.about.com/od/grills/u/equipment.htm#s2

(06-22-2014 10:04 AM)dan o Wrote:  

(06-22-2014 09:56 AM)tnzazz Wrote:  My dad is wanting to buy a easy and economically priced smoker that has decent surface area. Should probably be propane or electric.

He might even go for a duel grill/smoker as his grill has seen better days.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

I can only comment on what I have. I use the Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker and love it.

I have always used a Weber grill so I am a Weber fan.

http://bbq.about.com/od/smokerreviews/gr...12008b.htm

http://bbq.about.com/od/grills/u/equipment.htm#s2

That one seems to keep coming up in my research. Thanks for the suggestion.

(06-22-2014 10:23 AM)tnzazz Wrote:  

(06-22-2014 10:04 AM)dan o Wrote:  

(06-22-2014 09:56 AM)tnzazz Wrote:  My dad is wanting to buy a easy and economically priced smoker that has decent surface area. Should probably be propane or electric.

He might even go for a duel grill/smoker as his grill has seen better days.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

I can only comment on what I have. I use the Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker and love it.

I have always used a Weber grill so I am a Weber fan.

http://bbq.about.com/od/smokerreviews/gr...12008b.htm

http://bbq.about.com/od/grills/u/equipment.htm#s2

That one seems to keep coming up in my research. Thanks for the suggestion.

I meant to include the fact they have a great message forum covering all sorts of helpful topics. They helped me make some popular modifications and also helped me through my first rib, butt and brisket smokes.

Also helped me in selecting a good thermometer.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/

(06-22-2014 11:50 AM)dan o Wrote:  

(06-22-2014 10:23 AM)tnzazz Wrote:  

(06-22-2014 10:04 AM)dan o Wrote:  

(06-22-2014 09:56 AM)tnzazz Wrote:  My dad is wanting to buy a easy and economically priced smoker that has decent surface area. Should probably be propane or electric.

He might even go for a duel grill/smoker as his grill has seen better days.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

I can only comment on what I have. I use the Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker and love it.

I have always used a Weber grill so I am a Weber fan.

http://bbq.about.com/od/smokerreviews/gr...12008b.htm

http://bbq.about.com/od/grills/u/equipment.htm#s2

That one seems to keep coming up in my research. Thanks for the suggestion.

I meant to include the fact they have a great message forum covering all sorts of helpful topics. They helped me make some popular modifications and also helped me through my first rib, butt and brisket smokes.

Also helped me in selecting a good thermometer.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/

Awesome! Thank you.......got to have the essentials for sure.

I had a New Braunfels horizontal smoker with the offset firebox. It worked well and had good surface area but the smoking area nearest the firebox was an obvious hot spot so uniform temperature was always a problem. It also consumed a lot of charcoal. Other than that no real complaints.
I bought a Master Forge bullet style smoker from Lowes last year and did some modifications that helped a lot. I added 4 adjustable air vents on the bottom, added a fire grate to the fire pan, added an adjustable air vent to the top, and added a seal to the lid. The result is a very constant temperature. I can squeeze 4 Boston butts at one time. I just smoked 4 racks of ribs. A rib rack is needed and a couple of the racks needed to be trimmed in order to fit. I have used a lot of styles but have come full circle back to the bullet style. I love that they are compact, consistent, and cheap.

Also, I like the Master Forge style vs. the Brinkman because as you can see by the picture the upper portion can be removed. This greatly reduces the loss of heat in the cooking chamber when you have to add more charcoal. One more thing - USE ONLY LUMP CHARCOAL. Superior results and it last much longer than briquettes and leaves much less ash.

Go to Memphis BBQ supply on stage rd in Bartlett. They'll talk grills with you all day long. Great resource

I prefer the flavor of lump charcoal, but if you want set it and forget it ease your options are a pellet smoker, propane, and electric. Pellet smokers will probably be the most expensive.

Between propane and electric I would pick a propane smoker. The Camp Chef Smoke Vault 24 has good reviews, and isn't too expensive.

I use a chargriller akorn, which is an insulated steel copy of a big green egg. It smokes and grills with lump charcoal. It has good air control and can hold 275 for long smokes without problems, but can also sear steaks at 550. It will do three racks of ribs without racks, but I have to cut one in half.

If I was cooking for a larger number of people often I would get a backwoods party.

(06-22-2014 05:38 PM)tigerjeb Wrote:  Go to Memphis BBQ supply on stage rd in Bartlett. They'll talk grills with you all day long. Great resource

I'm in Nashville. I have to ask the experts. Thanks everyone.

(06-22-2014 06:20 PM)U_of_Elvis Wrote:  I prefer the flavor of lump charcoal, but if you want set it and forget it ease your options are a pellet smoker, propane, and electric. Pellet smokers will probably be the most expensive.

Between propane and electric I would pick a propane smoker. The Camp Chef Smoke Vault 24 has good reviews, and isn't too expensive.

I use a chargriller akorn, which is an insulated steel copy of a big green egg. It smokes and grills with lump charcoal. It has good air control and can hold 275 for long smokes without problems, but can also sear steaks at 550. It will do three racks of ribs without racks, but I have to cut one in half.

If I was cooking for a larger number of people often I would get a backwoods party.

Yeah, we don't mind being hands on but other dishes are usually served. We usually do 3-6 racks of ribs at a time or a shoulder.

(06-22-2014 06:20 PM)U_of_Elvis Wrote:  I prefer the flavor of lump charcoal, but if you want set it and forget it ease your options are a pellet smoker, propane, and electric. Pellet smokers will probably be the most expensive.

Between propane and electric I would pick a propane smoker. The Camp Chef Smoke Vault 24 has good reviews, and isn't too expensive.

I use a chargriller akorn, which is an insulated steel copy of a big green egg. It smokes and grills with lump charcoal. It has good air control and can hold 275 for long smokes without problems, but can also sear steaks at 550. It will do three racks of ribs without racks, but I have to cut one in half.

If I was cooking for a larger number of people often I would get a backwoods party.

My buddy has that and I like it but my dad is 66.

Propane? You've got to be kidding?

(06-22-2014 08:20 PM)tnzazz Wrote:  

(06-22-2014 05:38 PM)tigerjeb Wrote:  Go to Memphis BBQ supply on stage rd in Bartlett. They'll talk grills with you all day long. Great resource

I'm in Nashville. I have to ask the experts. Thanks everyone.

aahh - sorry. they are active on facebook if you want to talk to them https://www.facebook.com/MBBQSupply. their website is behind due to a problem beyond anyones control but heres their grill/smoker page as is http://mbbqsupply.com/Grills-Smokers/.

im gonna tell ya to look HARD at a PK Kitchen grill if you are just looking for a backyard grill. cast aluminum, they hold heat like a champ, are easy to dial in and since they are alumnimum, never rust out. mine is over 40 years old and all i've replaced over time are the cooking grates. http://www.pkgrills.com/

Agree with Tigerjeb. Portable Kitchen, last forever. Not huge surface area. If you want a backyard grille. These are worth twice the price.

I love my traeger, but it'll cost you...

Thank you.

(06-23-2014 08:47 AM)Willie Becton Wrote:  I love my traeger, but it'll cost you...

My buddy has one also. He loves it.

Just make sure that you do the smoking in Memphis, or the product will be inferior to any Memphis BBQ

Another vote for the Weber Smokey Mountain. I live in downtown DC, and it's perfect. Stable, easy to maintain, durable, tons of aftermarket modifications, and an incredible resource at tvwbb.com for recipes, tricks, tips, and inspiration. I am probably the only crazy person with a smoker around here, but when it's fired up the neighbors get pretty jealous.