Charcoal/Smoker : Which one?

[El Presidente]

Well Fuzz and my mate Adam from Singapore have convinced me to get into the world of Charcoal/Smokers.

I cook a lot. One of the really relaxing things that I enjoy. With my birthday coming up Feb 12 I thought it would be the perfect gift.

Now I am clueless when it comes to smokers/charcoal

• do I jump right in and buy the best there is?
• What is the best there is?
• Should I go to a good quality mid level?
• What would they be.

Steaks, roasts, ribs, pinchos will be what it is used for.

Whatever guidance you can give would be most appreciated! links and pics would be great.

[JohnS]

I think, from talking to Fuzz in the past, that charcoal can be purchased categorically for different temperature and time needed for cooking optimally. He gives detailed and specific answers to queries such as this one. I know he'll call out the best option charcoal for steaks, roasts, ribs and pinchos and why in this thread.

[Guest rob]

Funny this should come up.... I bought a Kamado just last week - and it produced the most insanely brilliant Boston Butt I have ever had.

For those in a rush, this style of cooking is not for you.... But I'm figuring of all people, cigar smokers appreciate the rewards that come with patience, and understand that good things take time.

Rob, I bought mine from Costco. Last year they stocked a brand called The Big Green Egg (which I understand is very highly thought of in the BBQ fraternity), however as I dilly dallyed, I had to settle for one called Pit Boss. It's very well made, and there are no compromises at all in its build. Hell, even the packaging and instruction manual are top quality.

In the past week, I have immersed myself with information, and after a few cooks can confirm that using top quality charcoal "lump" is a must. I also recommend not trying to get the cooker to hot, to quickly. It's much harder to bring it down to temp if you overheat it.

Enjoy mate. I'm cooking / smoking salmon this arvo

[NIZZLE]

I been smoking food for awhile now and just picked this up for $35 it is awesome and really easy to control!

[Guest scsi]

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

[jwr0201]

Best bullet type smoker hands down is the Weber Smokey Mountain. Charcoal smoker. Often used in BBQ competitions and wins regularly. Not too costly and lasts literally decades. Mine is 18 years old and still works beautifully. Comes in three sizes, mid size is best unless you cook for more than 20. I can do two pork butts or two turkeys, ribs and sausages at same time. Check out the BBQ FAQ site for some of the best hints and recipes. Here's a good tip for cooking Pork Butts... internal temp best for slicing is 142 to 145, no more. Will be medium and remains moist. If you go more for slicing, will get dry. For pulled pork, go 190 to 200. Higher internal temp breaks down meat more and is good for saucing. Habby Q'ing!

[saintsmokealot]

Green Egg. I have a large and love it. Steady at 225 for Boston Butts/Ribs/Brisket. 800+ for steaks and so much in between.

[ElPuro]

I use an electric called Smokin It. It is not cheap but is much less work and easier to maintain temps than charcoal. There are trade-offs, but only with electric can you "set and forget" it.

[MrGTO]

If you want lots of room to smoke lots of meat the Weber Smokey Mtn is what you want. If you want to cook hot for steaks or double it as a grill the big green egg is what you need, but you sacrifice volume with it.

Pick the right tool for the job.

[Elvis]

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/

[joeskow]

The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is a great way to go... takes up little space, easy to use and maintain's steady temps like a dream... I own the 18.5" version and easily cook 4 - 9lb pork butts at a time.. Load it up with Kingsford blue bag briquettes, favorite smoking wood, water and your ready to go.. I do a lot of overnight smokes (12+ hrs) with Pork shoulder and Brisket and the Weber holds temp all through the night. I sleep like a baby knowing this thing is rock solid... Once you get the smoker dialed in you will be smoking some amazing food.

Only rec is that you get a digital thermometer because the one on the lid is useless

[Drguano]

Perfect for rump roast!

[oliverdst]

Sorry, guys, some English problems here.

What's the difference between charcoal, lump coal and bricketes?

If you don't use charcoal/lump/bricket do you use eletricity?

PS: some questions answered here http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/05/grilling-smackdown-lump-charcoal-vs-briquette.html

[Fuzz]

Sorry, guys, some English problems here.

What's the difference between charcoal, lump coal and bricketes?

If you don't use charcoal/lump/bricket do you use eletricity?

PS: some questions answered here http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/05/grilling-smackdown-lump-charcoal-vs-briquette.html

Charcoal refer mostly to lump charcoal, though in some places can also refer to briquettes. The term is interchangeable.

Lump charcoal are charcoal wood pieces (branches, trunks, roots, etc). Lump Charcoal provides smoke and flavour. Temps are harder to control as they will dip and spike.

Briquettes are machined formed charcoal pieces. Usually made from a mix of char, starch, and a few other chemicals added to improve burn and duration. The char can be made out of sawdust, coconut or other bio matter. Some briquettes (eg Heat Beads) are made from brown coal mix with wood char and additives. They give you no smell or flavour as they are designed not to smoke. More even heat production.

[wabashcr]

I also have a Weber Smoky Mountain smoker. It's a great entry level smoker. There is an entire forum dedicated to cooking on them. http://virtualweberbullet.com/ If all you're looking to do is BBQ (smoke at low temps), this is perfect. It's well constructed, which means it doesn't have much in the way of air leakage. Airflow is critical, because that's how you regulate temperature. With BBQ, you want to keep a steady temp in the 225F area. I can hold 225F with my WSM for 10-12 hours (depending on ambient temp) with one full bowl of charcoal.

Ceramic cookers like the Big Green Egg and the Kamodo are much more versatile. They are capable of low/slow BBQ, and can also produce heat upwards of 1000F, great for searing steaks or cooking pizza. They can do just about anything. There are several good forums for Big Green Egg cooking. I'm guessing for what you're doing, this is probably more what you're looking for.

Edit to add: You'll also want to pick up a good digital thermometer, preferably one you can leave in. I go with the Maverick ET-733. It has two probes, one for ambient temp, and one for the internal temp of the meat. It has a wireless receiver that you can carry around the house while monitoring your temps. It also has alarms, so, say, if your cooking temp goes too high or too low, it will alert. Likewise, if your meat hits a certain internal temp, it will beep at you. Works great for overnight cooks when I want to get some sleep. The WSM is pretty steady, but the thermometer is extra peace of mind.

[oliverdst]

Charcoal refer mostly to lump charcoal, though in some places can also refer to briquettes. The term is interchangeable.

Lump charcoal are charcoal wood pieces (branches, trunks, roots, etc). Lump Charcoal provides smoke and flavour. Temps are harder to control as they will dip and spike.

Briquettes are machined formed charcoal pieces. Usually made from a mix of char, starch, and a few other chemicals added to improve burn and duration. The char can be made out of sawdust, coconut or other bio matter. Some briquettes (eg Heat Beads) are made from brown coal mix with wood char and additives. They give you no smell or flavour as they are designed not to smoke. More even heat production.

Thanks.

I have some considerations about it and later I will write, now I am using my cell phone.

[Guest scsi]

as for thermometers and probes for checking temperature, nothing beats Thermoworks

[Habana Mike]

Big Green Egg fan here! I've had Webers, Brinkmanns, Char-Broil and others but the Egg is the most versatile and reliable of all I've tried.

Highly recommend you go for the extra large if you go this route as, like humidors, you'll find you need the capacity at some point.

I do everything from hot-smoked salmon (165° for 6 hours after a dry brine) to flash-seared ribeyes (4 minutes at 1200°) and everything in between. Turkey, ribs, butts, chicken. Did a great 3# pork tenderloin tonight, about 35 minutes at 450° with the grid raised.

It's amazing how stable you can get and keep these at like 220° for 16 hours for perfect pulled pork.

Here's the salmon cook:

A roast:

Some pulled pork:

Spatchcock chicken:

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

[Overproof]

I'm using a Primo XL (another Kamado style cooker) You won't find a Kamado cooker that with a bigger cooking capacity. Does 2 zone cooking with heat deflection plates and also has extension grill racks you can get to double the space.

Does everything and is the best IMO. Mind you they don't come cheap here in AU. Use lump only.

Whatever you choose, There a guy here out called the charcoal man he does big bags of BBQ lump and its A1, better than any of that **** you find at hardwares.

http://www.primogrills.com.au/Primo-Grills-Videos

BBQ with charcoal. There is no comparison! Its awesome!

[MrGTO]

The only problem i have with the BGE is the cooking chamber is small. I smoked 47lbs of pork butt for nurses week for my wife's company and i did it in 2 loads in my 18.5 Weber with one 20lb bag of charcoal.

I really need to build a offset smoker but that's another topic...

[ElPuro]

Anyone got a pellet smoker?

[oliverdst]

In Brazil most of the houses have a churrasqueira (from churrasco).

Some pics:

Usualy it's outdoors but in some houses, like mine, it's indoors. If it's a good churrasqueira the smoke will not escape.

We only use charcoal. As a matter of fact I really can't remember the last time I saw a churrasco being burned with other thing than charcoal.

It takes time to learn the tricks of churrasqueira. I burn my meat since I was a teenager and there are still some kinds of meat that I don't know how to cook.

[Fuzz]

I'm using a Primo XL (another Kamado style cooker) You won't find a Kamado cooker that with a bigger cooking capacity. Does 2 zone cooking with heat deflection plates and also has extension grill racks you can get to double the space.

Does everything and is the best IMO. Mind you they don't come cheap here in AU. Use lump only.

Whatever you choose, There a guy here out called the charcoal man he does big bags of BBQ lump and its A1, better than any of that **** you find at hardwares.

http://www.primogrills.com.au/Primo-Grills-Videos

BBQ with charcoal. There is no comparison! Its awesome!

Biggest? I have to disagree. Have you seen Komodo Kamado's 32" Big Bad? Total cooking space is nearly twice the size of the Primo XL... of course it is more than twice the price.

Not only functional, but also a work of art.

[Deodato]

Agree with the posts re: Big Green Egg... I love its versatility. Holds low temps for hours (my record is just shy of 50 hours without changing charcoal) or else gets fierce hot for searing.

Sady, I managed to break my BGE and we can't get them here in Australia anymore. I picked up a Kamado Joe (XL) and to be honest I think the quality is better than the egg. It's a really solid unit. Highly recommended!

[Overproof]

Biggest? I have to disagree. Have you seen Komodo Kamado's 32" Big Bad? Total cooking space is nearly twice the size of the Primo XL... of course it is more than twice the price.

Not only functional, but also a work of art.

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.