Smoker recommendation

[Eyesofthewoods]

I want to get a smoker for spring into summer.  I want to do the typical spreads.  Pork butt, brisket, chicken, ribs even fish.  That being said I don’t want to spend too much as it won’t be used super often in my house.  I looked into pit boss but it’s a bit too big and too much money for what I need.  If I was using every week it would be justified but I might use it 5 times a year.   Anyone have any luck with the basic master built electric analogs you can get at Home Depot for $150-$200???? Any help is appreciated!

[hammer4reel]

Before getting my pit boss . I smoked a lot of stuff in my  Bradley smokers .

worked fine 

[Kype]

so many people are all about electric smokers or pellet. i like to keep my smoker simple. plus i like using real wood. not a man made pellet. i have been using a traditional barrel type smoker for 5 years now and everything i smoke comes out great. yes there is more babysitting then other types but once you have a good layer of coal and add wet or dry chunks of real wood it smokes for hours. you will learn how to adjust the vents quickly. plus i use mine as my grill as well. 

that my view on it anyway. everyone has their own preferences. good luck on what you choose

[archer36]

I dabbled in smoking but was not real big into it. I used "cheap" bullet smokers and replaced them every few years. When I decided to go bigger, I bought a Masterbuilt 40 inch electric bluetooth model. It was great for a year. I loved the ease of wood chip loading and the bluetooth device you can carry to monitor time and temp. The second year I had to replace control unit. Not bad at $35. Third year the bottom hinge pin on the door went bad. Difficult to open and close. The CS at Masterbuilt sucks so far. Last year they blamed it on Covid but it's still bad. I got the unit for a great price on Amazon ($300). I am going to deal with it until other issues arise. I am looking into other models that may be more reliable/durable. 

Edited April 13, 2021 by archer36

[not on the rug]

You can pick up a 18" Weber Smoky Mountain for about $300.   If you look at FB Marketplace or Craigslist, you can find them used for pretty darn cheap. The 18" is a perfect size for what you're looking to do.  The 22" would be better if you planned on getting in to it more or are going to do a lot of meat at a time. 

[Lunatic]

12 hours ago, Kype said:

so many people are all about electric smokers or pellet. i like to keep my smoker simple. plus i like using real wood. not a man made pellet. i have been using a traditional barrel type smoker for 5 years now and everything i smoke comes out great. yes there is more babysitting then other types but once you have a good layer of coal and add wet or dry chunks of real wood it smokes for hours. you will learn how to adjust the vents quickly. plus i use mine as my grill as well. 

that my view on it anyway. everyone has their own preferences. good luck on what you choose

To each his own. pellets are wood. Nothing else in it

[thefirstndsecond]

Celeste - she always does well.

[mazzgolf]

7 hours ago, archer36 said:

I dabbled in smoking but was not real big into it. I used "cheap" bullet smokers and replaced them every few years. When I decided to go bigger, I bought a Masterbuilt 40 inch electric bluetooth model. It was great for a year. I loved the ease of wood chip loading and the bluetooth device you can carry to monitor time and temp. The second year I had to replace control unit. Not bad at $35. Third year the bottom hinge pin on the door went bad. Difficult to open and close. The CS at Masterbuilt sucks so far. Last year they blamed it on Covid but it's still bad. I got the unit for a great price on Amazon ($300). I am going to deal with it until other issues arise. I am looking into other models that may be more reliable/durable. 

I heard so many bad things about those Masterbuilts with the Bluetooth. When I researched getting a smoker a few years ago, alot of people complained about that one. When the time comes, you might want to consider getting one "less technologically advanced" - I got the smaller 30" Masterbuilt - no bluetooth and has the solid (non-glass) door. Has been working fine for me. I don't use it a ton, but its a few years old now and still works like it did when I bought it. I do keep it stored in my sunroom that is attached to the house - it is not in the climate controlled house, but not out in the weather either.

I will say I did buy one of those Thermoworks Smoke temperature gauges - I don't rely on the built in temp gauge that is in the smoker itself. It is a neat unit that you can use to remotely check in on the temp (has two probes - one for the air temp, one for the meat temp).

[M&M]

Smoking on a 22" Weber Kettle is totally doable.  Just need to get creative with your charcoal setups.  I've done small briskets, ribs, and chicken on my kettle.  Works just fine once you figure out how to use it and maintain temps.   Only challenge is the amount of stuff you can fit in one shot.   Full Packer brisket could be a challenge.  Smaller cuts should be doable.  I think you can get the kettle for under $200.

[archer36]

27 minutes ago, mazzgolf said:

I heard so many bad things about those Masterbuilts with the Bluetooth. When I researched getting a smoker a few years ago, alot of people complained about that one. When the time comes, you might want to consider getting one "less technologically advanced" - I got the smaller 30" Masterbuilt - no bluetooth and has the solid (non-glass) door. Has been working fine for me. I don't use it a ton, but its a few years old now and still works like it did when I bought it. I do keep it stored in my sunroom that is attached to the house - it is not in the climate controlled house, but not out in the weather either.

I will say I did buy one of those Thermoworks Smoke temperature gauges - I don't rely on the built in temp gauge that is in the smoker itself. It is a neat unit that you can use to remotely check in on the temp (has two probes - one for the air temp, one for the meat temp).

Yeah, that glass door really comes in handy........................when it's always blocked with smoke. 

[DonW]

I used my old Brinkman for years, even when I bought my first Bradley. I love it, I haven't used it since I got the Traeger, but still have plenty of hickory chucks to use up. Maybe this summer I'll throw a pork butt on it, just for old time sake. I'm sure you will love whatever you decide on. 

[smittty]

I had a trigger fir over ten years and gave it to a member on here. No complaints other then it was expensive because they were new now you can pick up one for around 500.00 that’s what I paid for my Pitt boss about a year and a half ago no complaints there ether