Barbecue/Smoker Recommendations

[hollywood]

tommy's so dreamy 

It's that Birthday Boy aura.

[melkor]

No reason to spend your energy on that when Smart and Final in Vallejo has whole USDA Choice briskets on sale for $1.35/lb.

Sweet, and I've got nothing to do this weekend.

Wait. That's not sweet. Hmmm [he says, looking around], what did I do what that life?

I just got back from Smart and Final, the briskets ended up being $1.29/lb. I got two. I'm backpacking this weekend or I'd invite ya over for a sammich.

[SG-]

EGAD!!! checked the previous threads about smoking and it's like reading a phd thesis!!!! looks like I've got to do some serious reading before my first smoke.

Anyway the 3 main suggestions WSM, Chargriller and New Braunfels were all great, though I'm probably leaning towards the latter two, the flexibility of a grill + smoker seems appropriate at this point. wish webber makes a flat version of the WSM.

Between chargriller and new braunfels which is sturdier ?

[fifi]

I'm not sure which is better, the Char Griller or the New Braunfels. They look to be about the same to me. My only disappointment with my New Braunfels is that it does not have a drain in the smoking chamber to let out any accumulated grease or rain water that gets in during a typical Texas thunderstorm. But I intend to fix that. Get nephew down with a metal hole saw. When I am using my New Braunfels, I do put big foil pans of water on the lower rack of the smoking chamber to help with temperature control and added moisture. Works quite well.

As to Klose. I went over there a couple of weeks ago. If you want to drool over smokers, that is the place to go. Those things are incredible. They seem to use 1/4" steel for most of their stuff. This is SERIOUS equipment. They make anything you want... custom.

http://www.bbqpits.com/

edited to add: This place is just a few blocks from my high school. Is that karma or what?

Edited July 24, 2003 by fifi (log)

[FoodZealot]

IMHO, it really depends on what kind of set up you're planning, how many people you want to feed at once, how long you plan on living in your house, etc.  You can buy those $2500-$8000 smoker/grills that'll outlast your house, or you can go for the $100-$1000 bad boys that'll do the trick, but not be as beefy.  At any price, the only guarantee is to know what you're doing.  I've seen people make award-winning BBQ using a Weber kettle, and I've seen people make shoe leather using $6000 smokers.

[...]

Very true. My favorite saying to that effect is, it ain't the pit, it's the pitmaster...

I have the New Braunfel's Black Diamond, which is available at the Home Despot and Barbecues Galore, I believe, for somewhere around $200. I like it, but it's designed for hot smoking. I'm not familiar enough to speak about the Char-Griller, but the NBBD is sturdy if you assemble it well. Personally, I believe that you can fit quite a bit more food in it than a WSM.

Here's a great FAQ. If you do get the NBBD, take that section about the tweaks with a grain of salt. Most of the tweaks are concerned with keeping the smoke in. But in my experience with the unit, the problem is not getting enough smoke onto your food (plenty of that), but getting the right tasting smoke.

~Tad

[fifi]

I have the New Braunfel's Black Diamond, which is available at the Home Despot and Barbecues Galore, I believe, for somewhere around $200.  I like it, but it's designed for hot smoking.

Huh??? I'm not sure what you mean by hot smoking but I could routinely smoke at about 225 chamber temperature with my New Braunfels. That is about optimum for brisket or pork butt. You leave the exit stack wide open and regulate the temperature with the air vent on the fire box.

Edited August 2, 2003 by fifi (log)

[FoodZealot]

I have the New Braunfel's Black Diamond, which is available at the Home Despot and Barbecues Galore, I believe, for somewhere around $200.  I like it, but it's designed for hot smoking.

Huh??? I'm not sure what you mean by hot smoking but I could routinely smoke at about 225 chamber temperature with my New Braunfels. That is about optimum for brisket or pork butt. You leave the exit stack wide open and regulate the temperature with the air vent on the fire box.

Sorry, I was not clear. I meant to offer the caveat that it's designed to cook in the temperature range you described, around 225 degrees, rather than cold smoking, which would be much lower, for things like bacon and cured fish.

[fifi]

I have the New Braunfel's Black Diamond, which is available at the Home Despot and Barbecues Galore, I believe, for somewhere around $200.  I like it, but it's designed for hot smoking.

Huh??? I'm not sure what you mean by hot smoking but I could routinely smoke at about 225 chamber temperature with my New Braunfels. That is about optimum for brisket or pork butt. You leave the exit stack wide open and regulate the temperature with the air vent on the fire box.

Sorry, I was not clear. I meant to offer the caveat that it's designed to cook in the temperature range you described, around 225 degrees, rather than cold smoking, which would be much lower, for things like bacon and cured fish.

Oh... Now I get it. However, I have been known to have the temp drift into that range when I drink too much beer and don't pay attention to the fire box. Did you know that at 160-180 it will take days to do a brisket?

[Sugar Toad]

I have the New Braunfel's Black Diamond, which is available at the Home Despot and Barbecues Galore, I believe, for somewhere around $200.  I like it, but it's designed for hot smoking.

Huh??? I'm not sure what you mean by hot smoking but I could routinely smoke at about 225 chamber temperature with my New Braunfels. That is about optimum for brisket or pork butt. You leave the exit stack wide open and regulate the temperature with the air vent on the fire box.

Sorry, I was not clear. I meant to offer the caveat that it's designed to cook in the temperature range you described, around 225 degrees, rather than cold smoking, which would be much lower, for things like bacon and cured fish.

Oh... Now I get it. However, I have been known to have the temp drift into that range when I drink too much beer and don't pay attention to the fire box. Did you know that at 160-180 it will take days to do a brisket?

My new Braunfel's leeks to much air into it and runs to hot. The webbers cost less and works better; just leave out the water pan and save it until your charcoal pan is all crapy and drill holes in the water pan and use it for a new charcoal pan.

[fifi]

I have heard similar complaints about New Braunfels. I think they make some that are cheaper and not as heavy gauge. I paid about $200 for mine about 7 years ago. It works fine. It looks a lot like klink's set-up if you have seen those pictures. I just got the Weber Smokey Mountain bullet style to use on my apartment balconey for now. I intend to take it out for its maiden voyage this weekend.

I would never get rid of the water pan. That is what helps to keep temperature swings at a minimum and adds moisture to the smoking chamber. In the New Braunfels, I put two big aluminum pans of water on the bottom shelf of the smoking chamber.

[FAMU_OHIO]

Anyone know of anyplace where they detail modifications to the char griller. I just got mine earlier this summer, great for grilling, OK for smoking but WAAAY too many leaks. I also did not get the offset firebox so I'm thinking of ordering that from the manufacturer or fabricating one myself if I can think of a way. My other problem with the Char griller is the air intake valve does not offer enough temperature control. Any suggestions would be appreciated

[mnebergall]

SG--

Have you considered either the Big Gree Egg:

www.biggreenegg.com

or the Kamado:

www.kamado.com

[CathyL]

I would never get rid of the water pan. That is what helps to keep temperature swings at a minimum and adds moisture to the smoking chamber. In the New Braunfels, I put two big aluminum pans of water on the bottom shelf of the smoking chamber.

Water pans add negligible moisture to the air in a vented smoker. They're useful as a heat baffle, though.

[col klink]

D'oh! I never answered you inquirey. Sorry about that.

I learned from my father-in-law that you boil for three hours in water with salt, pepper, cloves and juniper berries. After that you peel the skin. Last night I was running out of time at my bbq and only boiled for an hour. What should've been an easy peel turned into a really tiresome project. Also, I only smoked it for five hours (people were getting restless and it was getting late) instead of six. There was a noticable lack of quality in the end product, the tip of the tongue had dried out and the base (underneath the tongue) hadn't really rendered properly and I didn't get the smoothness I was looking for. The tongue itself though was quite tasty.

So in summation, boil for three hours, peel and then smoke for 6 hours at 200 to 225. Pretend it's a brisket and go by feel as to when you should pull it off, you don't really need to look at the temp.

edited to add: I haven't smoked with pecan before but it's my understanding that it's not a strongly flavoring wood. Beef tongue is a tough cut with plenty of it's own flavor and woods like maple, oak, hickory and mesquite would be a little more appropriate. What will probably happen if you smoke with pecan is that it won't be as smokey as you were hoping for.

Edited August 3, 2003 by col klink (log)

[col klink]

Anyone know of anyplace where they detail modifications to the char griller. I just got mine earlier this summer, great for grilling, OK for smoking but WAAAY too many leaks. I also did not get the offset firebox so I'm thinking of ordering that from the manufacturer or fabricating one myself if I can think of a way. My other problem with the  Char griller is the air intake valve does not offer enough temperature control. Any suggestions would be appreciated

Here's what I wrote a while ago:

When I'm at home, I rarely use the weber since I have my smoker and everything tastes better when it's been smoked. For the most part the chargriller pro that I have (pictured above) has been a real trooper and I can see at least another 5 years of heavy use. After about the 6 month period I had to tighten all of the bolts again, but so far it's done well. There has only been one thing that I've had to replace and that was the fire grate in the side firebox. The fire box comes with a small weber style grate (rectangular though, I'm just referring to the diameter of the steel rods) and another grate welded to a false bottom. After about 10 to 15 uses, both grates were just mangled and pretty much useless. Of course they were pretty useless to begin with. I had my buddy take off the small diameter grate and build a new one out of rebar in about 1" to 1.5" spacing. You can see it below:

That fire grate has been a real champ, now I can get my smoker to above 400F without any problems. I don't have a cover for my smoker, but I part of my porch is covered so I just roll it back under when I'm done or it's raining outside. The paint on the firebox is not for high temps and it comes off pretty quickly so if you don't repaint it with special high temp paint, you need to spray it with oil after each use to retard oxidation. That may sound like a pain, but you really should have spray bottle of veggie oil by your grill or smoker anyway for spraying the grate before you put your meat on. I will grant that I don't spray down my cast iron grates because they're pretty well seasoned and if they're not, they soon will be with the all of the pork ass I smoke (snicker, snicker).

Since I've posted that, I've added fire bricks, two on each side of the fire grate, 1/2" thick and I wouldn't think of going back, they're a necessity.

As for "leaks", I've had mine for almost three years and I've abused the hell out of it without having any problems with leaks. What temperatures are you trying to maintain? How are you using the air intake and what are you trying to do with the smoker? Is it running too cold? too hot?

[FAMU_OHIO]

Klink,

Generally my problem is running too hot, or having to constantly monitor to maintain proper temps. I hop this last problem can be eliminated by making a charcoal basket that I saw detailed somewhere using expanded metal and sheet metal; loading it up with unlit lump; and lighting using the "minion" method. The bulk of my problems are probably coming from the fact that I don't have a firebox yet and so I have to lift the lid every time I want to add fuel. Liike I said before, I will probably end up getting one from the manufacturer or attempting to fabricate one myself. I'm not too great a craftsman though.

[jmcgrath]

When I decided to start smoking I was discussing it with a guy who had just taken delivery of a $4500 trailer mounted Klose log burner.  He also had 2 Weber Smokey Mountains (WSMs) and a Brinkmann Stainless bullet.  I had mentioned the thought of buying a WSM, at which point he interrupted.  He said that he never used the stainless Brinkmann anymore, but that it retailed for close to the same price as a WSM.  He offered to sell it to me for $25.

Thanks for not identifying me:-) I guess it's time to come out of the closet. I was sorely tempted to just give you that piece of shit, but figured you would appreciate it more if you had at least a minor investment in it. I'll give you your $25 back the next time I see you.

Jim

[col klink]

So you're using coals. If it's running too hot, use less coals and/or spread the coals out so they're less concentrated. It's pretty easy to snuff a fire.

I would buy the side firebox from Chargriller. It's a pretty easy installation (except for punching out a couple of holes) and you'll have a real firebox that you can use actual firewood in. You'll get better tasting meat that way. Also, with the firebox, you have easy access to the fire without lifting the lid of the smoker. I can't recommend it enough.

[swint813]

I have been smoking meat for way too long.......don't own either one of these, but from what I have read and tasted for both, for a nice and fairly inexpensive piece of equipment, the Big Green Egg, or the Weber Smoky Mountain are ideal for smaller cooks.

Take a look at either of these.....and I am sure you won't be disappointed.................best of luck to you.........

[victornet]

I don't have a big green egg, but a friend swears by his.

I use a "mr. meat smoker" I got for a wedding gift 20years ago to smoke, and it's terrific. Probably fairly cheap if they still make them - flimsy metal and all- it still holds up great. I bbq on a weber kettle.

[FatTony]

Hi All

Apologies if this subject has already been covered (couldn't find a satisfactory answer after searching, so here goes...)

I want to buy a grill. I plan to go the charcoal route for better flavor. I'll start by grilling over direct heat but wouldn't mind graduating to some slow cooking (or barbecueing) if all goes well. I'd like capacity to cook for say, eight people, though most of the time it'll be fewer. I was planning on a 22.5" diameter Weber until I learned that neither the grill nor the charcoal can be raised or lowered, which seems like a glaring omission. Perhaps someone with experience of a Weber can contradict me? (I know there are one or two of you out there...)

I should confess, I have a few other ambitions - not all of which may be realistic - largely inspired by Jeffrey Steingarten's 'It Must Have Been Something I Ate'. He talks about using a grill to rotisserie roast chicken and, after generating some serious heat, to cook pizza. I'm also a little curious about whether a grill would work for tandoori cooking but that may be another thread!

So here's my question: can anyone recommend a charcoal grill that might meet any or all of these needs?

Many thanks!

Edited March 1, 2004 by FatTony (log)

[mnebergall]

You might want to look into the Kamado or the Big Green Egg. I doubt any of these have the ability to very the distance between the coals and the grill. Usually, you adjust the heat by adjusting the quantity of air flow, like with the Webers.

[FatTony]

mnebergall, thanks for replying so quickly - what a positive intro to EG!

Have you any experience of the Kamado? It certainly looks amazing

[Dave the Cook]

Welcome, FatTony.

There are a lot of smoking/grilling threads on the boards. Try using the advanced search, "smoking" or "grilling" as terms (separate searches); any date and clicking on the "search titles only" button.

Also check out Col Klink's Home Smoking Course in the Culinary Institute. I'm pretty sure he talks about using Webers, as well as other types of grills.

But to cut to the chase, here's the grill many of us (including the Colonel) recommend:

Char-Griller.

[FatTony]

I knew joining EG was a good idea... thanks!