smokers Weber Smokers

I'm only aware of what I saw folks pulling out of it in Youtube videos, and it looked good.

80/20 good, perhaps ...

It's also RibGuy approved, so there's that ;)

It's definitely not the best choice for a first and only unit though, and that's for certain ...
 
I've had the 18" for over 5 years, and think it's about the best cost/benefit smoker out there. Holds temps great, uses real wood chunks (not a pellet pooper), and people win competitions using these things. No matter how many times I think about getting a fancy MAC or Yoder, I just can't justify it. The WSM does almost everything well, maybe better than the expensive stuff.
 
I typically have to cut about 2 ribs off for the rack to fit, but I use those to flavor the beans anyway (which go great on the lower rack). I can also fit whole ribs with a horizontal rack holder (bending the ribs a bit).
 
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Sauce on the left, dry rub on the right.
 
(edit) PS. I've pretty much done everything on the WSM - brisket, pork, chicken, ribs ...
... and I've smoked a ton of peppers. It does low heat very well. You can even use it as a hibachi (super high heat) with just the bottom section and charcoal.
 
Here was the end result of that day.
 
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Scuba_Steve said:
Is this any good?
 
https://www.bigpoppasmokers.com/big-poppa-s-engineered-drum-smoker-kit
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Bigpoppa makes great stuff !! :)
While I love WSM fantastic for butts,chicken roasts,all types. Ribs,brisket, do better in my humble opinion on a horizontal smoker preferably rotisserie style or cabinet style and while cheaper cookers do a fantastic job nothing beats quality and unfortunately with quality comes PRICE :(.
While I've produced great Bbq on cheap rigs the Q I've made on a quality unit can't compare :) So I agree with THP on this one while WSM have their place I believe using the right tool for the job whatever that may be!!
 
oldsalty said:
Bigpoppa makes great stuff !! :)
While I love WSM fantastic for butts,chicken roasts,all types. Ribs,brisket, do better in my humble opinion on a horizontal smoker preferably rotisserie style or cabinet style and while cheaper cookers do a fantastic job nothing beats quality and unfortunately with quality comes PRICE :(.
While I've produced great Bbq on cheap rigs the Q I've made on a quality unit can't compare :) So I agree with THP on this one while WSM have their place I believe using the right tool for the job whatever that may be!!
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That's why I love my offset smoker. I like the rectangular surface, and the fire not being directly under. Access is better too.
 
The Hot Pepper said:
That's why I love my offset smoker. I like the rectangular surface, and the fire not being directly under. Access is better too.
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I'm with ya THP!!!! If you could have one smoker and you use it at least a couple times a month it's worth the expenditure and I would go for the offset every time :) their cheap enough and easy to modify.
 
And they are a regular grill when you want a grill too. And no fussing with removing a top grate to access a second grate. No funky doors for the wood, a firebox with a lid. They are the best overall. That's why you see them at the comps.
 
grantmichaels said:
I'll trade in the lot for 'just' an Primo XL ...
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I've cooked on an egg. No big deal to many restrictions on what you use to fire them. Give me a real smoker those are a nice toy but not what I consider a true smoker. :)
Scuba_Steve said:
I was under the impression that offsets were pieces of garbage unless you either modify the shit out of them, or spend around a grand on one.
 
http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/offset_smokers.html
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I've owned dozens of smokers this site is bullsh@$ Just trying to sell sponsored product!!
If offset smokers were so cheap then why are they used by 90% of competition cooks having competed for many years this is straight up bull!!!!!
I've owned cheap offset smokers that produced comp quality bbq with little to no mods!! :)
Though nothing beats quality!!!!!
Don't be fooled by seller's hiding behind forums that proclaim their Bbq knowledge is the right way!!
I'm talking from experience and have been in the BBQ game my whole life. :)
Most mods are cheap and take a little American ingenuity!!! While a uds smoker works very nice you get better smoke penetration then if you have product staked on top of each other a simple baffle in and offset smoker makes a cheaper smoker cook like a million bucks!! :)
But to each his own no matter what you cook on like riding a horse to get the hang of it requires time in the saddle :)
Cheers
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Saturday morning and my offset is kicking ass!!! Yyyeeeeeehhhhhhaaaaaaaa
 
I agree, go to a real comp and you see almost all offsets. Yes they are custom trailer rigs, or Langs, but it is the basic design that is key here.
 
The Internet experts will surely scare you away from buying one with their mod talk. There is no perfect smoker. Some mods can help but most mod talk comes from wanna be experts, impatient or inexperienced people, those that just love to tinker, and people who look at pro smokers and try to emulate some of the designs that (mostly) don't matter in smaller smokers. Example: For better smoke flow, lower the inside chimney to grate level, otherwise, the smoke makes a diagonal pattern out, not across the meat. No. The whole chamber holds smoke and pushes it out with the air. You are talking about a little 30" smoker here not a big Lang. Yes, there's a reason they do that on pro smokers, the huge amount of space inside. But to look at that and say, oh now I must mod my small chamber smoker is silly. Do me a favor and open your offset during a cook and see how much smoke is in there! However that is a $5 mod with a trip to the hardware store if you wish. The baffle too. If you are getting a lot of heat/flame on the box side, block it. Easy. Other than that not much to mod. Smoke escaping from the lid is normal. It's a smoker! It is pushing out an opening. Check these smokers out in person and make sure the lid closes snug. You should feel it close with a bit of effort, you may have to give it a little push down. That is good. Don't rush out to buy oven gasket from a little bit of smoke.
 
Is it harder to maintain temps? Sure. That comes with experience and knowing what kind of fire to build and when to add wood etc. If you want set it and forget it, go for gas or electric. But if you want the best tasting meat, I've always felt it is from the offset design.
 
Back to the WSM. Backyard barbequers swear by these so go for one of those if you want. But go for the 22 or you will be kicking yourself later.
 
Personally I'd go offset. They are not as daunting as made out to be! I love mine. And I like that I can grill when I want and it acts as a normal charcoal grill without a MOD like the Weber needs. :D
 
Here's a good affordable one.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_131736-82210-13201747_0__?productId=4329992
I have seen this in person. Very well made. Heavy gauge steel like pro models and pro model features. This compares to $1300 smokers I have seen. It also has 100% positive reviews out of 17 on a popular smoking forum.
 
My next purchase may be a gas grill. Eat a lot of fish and various burgers, and no wood or charcoal costs. Can still rig up a smoker box for a little smoke flavor on grilled fish.
 
I've scaled down my cooks and like the fast and now.
 
Sorry dude, I like the grilling experience of being outdoors so gas grill trumps sous vide for me. :)
 
Yeah yeah, I do have an outlet out there but I ain't sous viding outside lol.
 
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