Charcoal/Smoker : Which one?

[Overproof]

One basket/16lbs of charcoal at 235º will burn for 85 hours.
Not a lotta airflow to dry out your meat there..

[Elvis]

If you go BGE, definitely suggest getting the Nomex gasket straight off the bat.

And for steaks, the cast iron cooking grid:

http://www.biggreenegg.com/eggcessories/cooking-grids-racks-extenders-pans/cast-iron-cooking-grids/

[Habana Mike]

And for steaks, the cast iron cooking grid:

http://www.biggreenegg.com/eggcessories/cooking-grids-racks-extenders-pans/cast-iron-cooking-grids/

Didn't want to go in to the whole accessories thing but yeah, absolutely!!! That and some fireproof gloves are necessities!

[Guest scsi]

I like to keep smoking/BBQ and searing separate

So the Smokey Mountain has purposes and my standard griller has purposes

[TonyAccardo]

I have a Traeger which is a smoker that runs off of pellets. Works great!

[Fuzz]

Wow that looks amazing! I stand corrected. Although you think for searing you'd have to use the lower rack and reach in a bit unless you can lift the pit. Your not wrong about the price though.

The bottom rack is fairly low down, but the middle rack is still good for high temp searing. Just get a long pair of tongs and welding gloves.

[Homebrew]

I am guessing you don't need one this big.

This is my Brinkman outlaw.

I have several friends that swear by their Big Green Egg. Judging by the food they put out, it is a pretty good choice.

Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)

[Duxnutz]

Offset smoker is all you need! Those green eggs suck.

[reliefdvm]

Anyone got a pellet smoker?

I went with a pellet grill because I am basically lazy. With the charcoal you have to keep checking and adjusting.

I've had a traeger for ten years now, and use it 1-2 times a week year round. I love the set it and forget it. Turn the knob to the desired temperature - it will light itself and maintain the temp as long as you keep the pellets full and have electricity. The pellet will not produce a strong smoke, other platforms do a better job. For pulled pork, set it at 225 F and measure temp of the meat 12 hours later. Cooking steaks and burgers - it's OK it takes a while (about 20 minutes)to get up to temp but has a great flavor. I did a standing rib roast for Christmas and it came out great - a very different flavor form the oven.

Is a pellet grill better than the egg? For me yes, that is just my short attention span. For others the egg is Far superior.

[mcease022]

I bought a Weber Smokey Mountain a couple of years ago and it has been a stellar performer for me

Ribs, Boston Butts, briskets, whole chickens, beef jerky have turned out great with this smoker

This has been a proven winner with Rib and brisket cook offs, used by some of the most seasoned Pit Masters in the USA

Highly recommended and won't break the bank. I think I paid about 400 CAD

As far as charcoal.... after trying both high quality lump and Kingsford brickets, the consensus is that the Kingsford burns longer and more evenly than the lump coal.

http://www.weber.com/grills/series/smokers

http://amazingribs.com/

Hope this helps Rob

+1 On the Webber Smokey Mountain. Green egg is good too but it is mucho dinero - unless you are going to be smoking in the winter it is not necessary. WSM is a set it and forget it smoker.

[potpest]

I've been looking for a smoker recently myself to go alongside my weber kettle. Does anyone have any experience with the PRO-Q range? I was interested in the weber smokey mountain but its not exactly readily available where I live; the pro-q range seed to be a good alternative

[moryc]

I have a Weber Smokey Mountain 22". I think at the price point it is an excellent cooker. With two levels of cooking surface I have done as much as 6 pork shoulders for pulled pork (about 6lb each). It is a wet smoker, so there is tray with water between the charcoal and the meat. It might need a bit more maintenance when cooking than a Green Egg or some of the other higher end smokers because the seal on it is not as tight, but it does the job.

[Phillys]

Offsets are nice, but the stick burners require more attention. For ease of use, Weber Smokey Mountain is hard to beat; durable, inexpensive (relatively) and easy to use. I have the 22", debated between that and the 18", but between briskets, big parties and a ton of ribs every summer, I do not regret buying the largest one available.

The WSM is one of the best purchases I have done in a while.

[BigRay023]

Got this badbboy at HEB, Texas supermarket. Can do direct heat and indirect smoking. And the one good thing about west Texas is you never need charcoal. Mesquite grows like weeds, walk outside and hack a few trees down. Burns hot for searing steaks and smokes a killer brisket!

[TheLiquidGator]

I also have a Weber Smokey Mountain. It is a great tool. Many competition teams use them. They work great.

[gpt104]

Another vote for a Weber Smokey Mountain. Just got one and it's been a blast so far.

[golfinfool]

Prez,

I've been bbq'ing for a long time and if you want to do it right get a Komodo Kamado. The quality of the materials and the function is hands down the best out there when it comes to a BBQ grill/smoker. High temp grilling or doing low and slow this one does it all. Dennis the owner is a great resource and has a wealth of knowledge to impart if you wish to speak with him. His forum is very popular and a great place to start your research. As a man who appreciates the finer things in life you no doubt will be amazed by the food that comes off of this grill/smoker!

Equate this to smoking Cubans or NC. There is a huge difference and it's worth the extra coin to get the best!

Check him out at:

www.komodokamado.com

The forum is accessible from there as well.

[foursite12]

I have a Bradley pellet smoker. I like the set and forget ability. Unusable in winter here but that's not an issue for you. In my experience it's useful solely for smoking and slow roasting--not grilling in any way shape or form. Turns out spatchcocked smoked chicken that is a wonder.

My sister uses a BGE and I have to say, it's a very, very nice way to go.

[MIKA27]

Got this badbboy at HEB, Texas supermarket. Can do direct heat and indirect smoking. And the one good thing about west Texas is you never need charcoal. Mesquite grows like weeds, walk outside and hack a few trees down. Burns hot for searing steaks and smokes a killer brisket!

The above from BigRays post Rob is PERFECT.

I myself have a Webber which is brilliant and 90% of the time it suits me fine as I can BBQ direct/indirect heat, smoke food etc. The issue is when you get a gathering, there's not enough surface to get a lot of food on it to cook hence why I like the above type you can also buy here in Oz and they aren't expensive.

Just yesterday I was at a mates place for Australia day, we had 20+ people, 2 Boston Butts, 2 Briskets and a Pork belly - They all turned out amazing and fed an army.

Just an example from BBQ's Galore this ones on sale BUT there are loads of others elsewhere and variations.

[ThePolskiOgorki]

I have heard a lot of good things about the Big Green Egg...

I personally have a Lang 36" Deluxe. It is a stick burner but you can use charcoal in it if you want or a combination of wood and charcoal. Lang cookers use an offset reverse flow design and is made of 1/4 thick steel that provides very even heat throughout the unit. They are built like tanks. Not a cheap unit but worth the money. Check them out.

http://langbbqsmokers.com/

[soutso]

Big Green Egg fan here! Be careful though, for high heat cooking you need to "burp" the lid (aka dome) as opposed to simply opening the lid which can induce a "fireball" effect.

My first time grilling with the "Egg", I lit the hardwood charcoal and then observed as the thermometer climbed to approx 200F (93C). I then went back inside the house. When I returned about 20 minutes later I was disappointed that the needle had not budged at all, so I promptly opened the lid to investigate. As I opened the lid, I heard a whooshing sound and found myself engulfed in ball of flame. While the thermometer had seemingly not budged, it had in fact made one rotation clockwise so it was probably hovering around 1,000F (537C).

No injuries just some hair and eyebrows singed. It did scare the heck out of me though. And my pillow the next morning had imprints of my eyebrows...

Also, I had to replace the gasket that goes where the lid and lower part of the grill meet. As luck would have it, I was able to get a Nomex replacement gasket.

Safety Tip: http://www.biggreenegg.com/burping/

I'm devoted to my Big Green Egg. I bbq often and buying one is the best thing I've done.

Yes, singed my eyebrows plenty of times LOL

I don't think you can get them in Australia anymore. Though Barbeques Galore do sell their own version of kamado cooker, my mate has one and it's essentially the same thing.

Caution - Never let water get inside it, it may expand the clay and cause cracks.

[Dijit]

It really depends on how you plan to use it. The egg is great for immediate family maybe up to 7 or 8 people. However if your backyard becomes the party a few rimes a year it is money well spent to get a bigger smoker. I have an offset dry smoker with temperature control breather. I can get up to 125 lbs or about 55 kilos and really love it.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[Guest rob]

Saw this beautiful looking beast today.

[El Presidente]

Thanks for all the fantastic information fella's

I will now start the search. Fuzz...I will be coming to you for the charcoal

[BigRay023]

Good luck, every man needs at least one great pit in his arsenal!