Buying a Smoker. Any insight?

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I get to play with every brand,size and type smoker on the market as well as many UDS units and every time 100% I can honestly say the Weber Smokey Mountain WSM 22.5" with a BBQ Guru is the easiest most reliable all around unit you will ever use.

If you can get away with the smaller size 18" go for it.

Add three wheels to move it around easy and PLEASE do yourself the best favor on earth and get a Thermapen online.....last forever!
 
I get to play with every brand,size and type smoker on the market as well as many UDS units and every time 100% I can honestly say the Weber Smokey Mountain WSM 22.5" with a BBQ Guru is the easiest most reliable all around unit you will ever use.

If you can get away with the smaller size 18" go for it.

Add three wheels to move it around easy and PLEASE do yourself the best favor on earth and get a Thermapen online.....last forever!

Welcome to DC Blacksmoke. What do you do for a living that you get to have so much fun? :angel:
 
I get to play with every brand,size and type smoker on the market as well as many UDS units and every time 100% I can honestly say the Weber Smokey Mountain WSM 22.5" with a BBQ Guru is the easiest most reliable all around unit you will ever use.

If you can get away with the smaller size 18" go for it.

Add three wheels to move it around easy and PLEASE do yourself the best favor on earth and get a Thermapen online.....last forever!

You've cooked on every size Lang, Yoder and Horizon? All sizes of BGEs? When I think about smokers, the cheap brands available at local home improvement stores aren't even considered. BTW welcome to DC.
 
You've cooked on every size Lang, Yoder and Horizon? All sizes of BGEs? When I think about smokers, the cheap brands available at local home improvement stores aren't even considered. BTW welcome to DC.

If price,size and weight are not an issue I would choose a more robust unit,but with all those considered and the fact I love to have the option to easily move the WSM to the beach or wherever I choose.

BTW,a Brinkman is a cheap home improvement brand but in reality Webers are just one small step down in quality as the best out there as far as consistency of temperature and build quality as well as customer service.

The ONLY reason I may recommend a more insulated smoker is if you plan to use is in near freezing conditions.

Remember,there has been more than one BBQ champion who uses this same unit!;)
 
If I didn't have a UDS I'd probably own the 22.5 WSM. The closest thing I have to the WSM is my midi-wsm, a 16 gallon drum on a Smokey Joe. I use this setup for hanging up to 6 full slabs of ribs.

img_1366425_0_9faa54de626c965ad15ab66b7ab2b448.jpg
 
If I didn't have a UDS I'd probably own the 22.5 WSM. The closest thing I have to the WSM is my midi-wsm, a 16 gallon drum on a Smokey Joe. I use this setup for hanging up to 6 full slabs of ribs.

img_1366427_0_9faa54de626c965ad15ab66b7ab2b448.jpg

That thing is truly cool!!!!

I still want a lil joe to use for cold smoking!
 
If price,size and weight are not an issue I would choose a more robust unit,but with all those considered and the fact I love to have the option to easily move the WSM to the beach or wherever I choose.

BTW,a Brinkman is a cheap home improvement brand but in reality Webers are just one small step down in quality as the best out there as far as consistency of temperature and build quality as well as customer service.

The ONLY reason I may recommend a more insulated smoker is if you plan to use is in near freezing conditions.

Remember,there has been more than one BBQ champion who uses this same unit!;)

Ok, I'll bite, name some that have placed in category. I won't ask about grand champion.;) Weber makes great grills, but by no means are their smokers "one small step down in quality as the best out there". Just the gauge of steel used should be a clue. I will never again buy a cheap smoker that will wear out and require replacement, when I can spend the money on a quality product that will last a life time.
 
Ok, I'll bite, name some that have placed in category. I won't ask about grand champion.;) Weber makes great grills, but by no means are their smokers "one small step down in quality as the best out there". Just the gauge of steel used should be a clue. I will never again buy a cheap smoker that will wear out and require replacement, when I can spend the money on a quality product that will last a life time.

Slap yo daddy BBQ is just one.

All I can tell you is in California climate I can smoke anything,95% I set it up and can walk away and every time my maverick will show me from two doors down in a pool my WSM is within 2 degrees of my target temp for up to 16 hours in one fill.

Their 10 year warrantee and the fact that I still have a grill from 1990 in perfect condition.......

Listen,I'm known to have the best of the best of everything,I can afford any smoker and as I said for reasons posted I choose the WSM and the results alone speak volumes.

Thanks for the warm welcome.:chef:
 
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Ok, I'll bite, name some that have placed in category. I won't ask about grand champion.;) Weber makes great grills, but by no means are their smokers "one small step down in quality as the best out there". Just the gauge of steel used should be a clue. I will never again buy a cheap smoker that will wear out and require replacement, when I can spend the money on a quality product that will last a life time.

Heres a nice pic of the lil 18" WSM
 

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Ok, I'll bite, name some that have placed in category. I won't ask about grand champion.;) Weber makes great grills, but by no means are their smokers "one small step down in quality as the best out there". Just the gauge of steel used should be a clue. I will never again buy a cheap smoker that will wear out and require replacement, when I can spend the money on a quality product that will last a life time.

Here's my unit with some goodies.
 

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I have never thought I'm a good cook because I have good equipment. I wish it was that easy.

I can smoke with my gas grill or Weber kettle. One can also smoke with a WSM or a big, auto feed pellet smoker with computerized controls and continuous temperature monitoring. Better equipment only makes it easier.
 
I have never thought I'm a good cook because I have good equipment. I wish it was that easy.

I can smoke with my gas grill or Weber kettle. One can also smoke with a WSM or a big, auto feed pellet smoker with computerized controls and continuous temperature monitoring. Better equipment only makes it easier.

Exactly my point,and when you can load the coal and meat and KNOW it's at temp with no fussing that's easy.......

My 24 year old Weber shows quality and yes it's not the thickest steel but with care they can last a full lifetime,the portability is also great.

Did I say how much I LOVE my WSM?!?!:ohmy:
 
Nice thing about Weber is their customer service. Their product warranty is the best out there.
They also stay on top of the bbq community. Take the recently re-introduced 14.5 WSM for instance. They took notice of the popularity of the tamale pot/Smokey Joe mini-wsm conversions people were making and decided to market the 14.5 WSM again, after it's been discontinued since the early 80's.
 
I am a Weber user and have three Weber units. A Genesis Silver gas grill, a Weber kettle grill and a Smokey Joe.
I also have a Brinkman tunnel smoker.

I love all three Webers, but have found the Brinkman tunnel smoker to very hard to control. Uses to much wood or charcoal and its very heavy.
I have heard much talk about metal thickness and insulation. I was told my Brinkman had thin metal and was not a good smoker.
I have to agree its not that good a smoker, but 3/16" sheet metal seems quite thick. Any thicker and I could not roll it out of my basement. That smoker is well over 100 lbs easy.
I have done some reading on modifying the Brinkman for better heat distribution, but no tips on better temp control. Namely redirecting heat and smoke to the bottom in the tunnel in contrast to allowing the heat and smoke to escape up and out the chimney.
Its only in my dreams can I imagine any wood or charcoal smoker cooking for 18 hours with a 2 degree fluctuation in temperature without having to add any additional fuel. Did I read that correctly?
If this is possible, I am interested in buying one today.

This Weber Smokey Mountain WSM 22.5" with a BBQ Guru can accomplish the task of cooking for 18 hours without any additional fuel with only a 2 degree drop during the full length of cooking time?
How much is this unit.

Lastly. Anyone working on modifying the tunnel smoker. I could use more input. To bad i no longer have access to my old machine shop and metal fabrication shop.
I could have got the design and had my guy do the mod at work.
 
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I checked prices quickly and found the WSM 22.5" @ $399. and the Guru has various models around $150.
 
Speaking of temp control I don't use any kind of ATC (auto temp control). My UDS, for instance, will settle anywhere between 250 and 300, and I'll let it cruise between those temps for the duration of the cook.
 
I am a Weber user and have three Weber units. A Genesis Silver gas grill, a Weber kettle grill and a Smokey Joe.
I also have a Brinkman tunnel smoker.

I love all three Webers, but have found the Brinkman tunnel smoker to very hard to control. Uses to much wood or charcoal and its very heavy.
I have heard much talk about metal thickness and insulation. I was told my Brinkman had thin metal and was not a good smoker.
I have to agree its not that good a smoker, but 3/16" sheet metal seems quite thick. Any thicker and I could not roll it out of my basement. That smoker is well over 100 lbs easy.
I have done some reading on modifying the Brinkman for better heat distribution, but no tips on better temp control. Namely redirecting heat and smoke to the bottom in the tunnel in contrast to allowing the heat and smoke to escape up and out the chimney.
Its only in my dreams can I imagine any wood or charcoal smoker cooking for 18 hours with a 2 degree fluctuation in temperature without having to add any additional fuel. Did I read that correctly?
If this is possible, I am interested in buying one today.

This Weber Smokey Mountain WSM 22.5" with a BBQ Guru can accomplish the task of cooking for 18 hours without any additional fuel with only a 2 degree drop during the full length of cooking time?
How much is this unit.

Lastly. Anyone working on modifying the tunnel smoker. I could use more input. To bad i no longer have access to my old machine shop and metal fabrication shop.
I could have got the design and had my guy do the mod at work.

Did I read correctly that the WSM can cook for 18 hours without adding any more charcoal/fuel?
Yes gentlemen up to 16 hours with one load of charcoal,I use real wood charcoal using the minion method.

I seal all the intakes except the one that has the Guru,open the Guru vent 30% set it at 225F. and it will in California ambient temps go that long,I need that cook time for pork butt's.

I been looking on Amazon for years for a buddy because I got mine for about $260 when they came down in price just after Christmas 3 years ago but they have for some reason kept the price solid at $399.

Here is my Guru......
 

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