Offset BBQ Smoker?

[Bear55]

Ok I have been itching to get a smoker for years now, been doing tons of research on the web and I'm kind of stuck on where to go from here. I know the charcoal/wood offset smokers are much harder to operate but I don't really care, I want maximum flavor and I want to keep it old school.

My question for anyone with experience using this smokers is which one to buy? You can find them anywhere from $100 to $10,000 so there are plenty of options. I want a quality rig but I also don't want to break the bank. Does anyone have any suggestions or would it be possible to build one on my own and keep it fairly air tight? Thanks for any advice.

[polarsusd81]

I have one of the Chargriller models with the side fire box. While it does an okay job, as you said, it is very difficult to keep a constant temp and takes a lot of tinkering to get it right. If I were to put a welders blanket on it and made a couple more mods, I am sure it would work better, but I am considering buying a tower smoker just for the convenience. I think when I do my ribs in a couple weeks, I am going to smoke for about 2 hours in there and then finish them in the oven this time. It is hard to sit next to that grill with the smell coming out for 8 hours straight and not go absolutely crazy.

[Jim Almquist]

I have a charcoal and a gas and for most of my smoking I use my gas just because it is so much easier to keep the temps even and the flavor is still great. If I smoke a turkey breast I will smoke it at 180 for 3 hours and then kick it up to 275 till my internal temp is at 170 and then I will pull it and wrap with tin foil and let it rest.

"Does anyone have any suggestions or would it be possible to build one on my own and keep it fairly air tight?"

It needs to have some venting to help regulate the temps expressly when you are cool smoking.

[Heidi]

BIG GREEN EGG. Can't go wrong. Will last forever

and nothing smokes better and easier than the EGG.

I looked at side boxes too, but the EGG is king.

[Skeeter21i]

Traeger Wood Pellet Grill is another option. Very versatile...will smoke, bbq and grill. Easy to use with great results. Big Green Egg is an excellent option as well.

[kingr]

I've got the Brinkeman side smoker. It does a great job, but you can't leave it alone for very long. I am leaning on getting a newer gas or electric because of convience.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I have one of the Chargriller models with the side fire box.

My bro-in-law has one of these, too. I think it's kind of cheaply made and haven't been too impressed with it.

[polarsusd81]

Originally Posted By: polarsusd81

I have one of the Chargriller models with the side fire box.

My bro-in-law has one of these, too. I think it's kind of cheaply made and haven't been too impressed with it.

Don't get me wrong, I love it for grilling, but for smoking it is kinda a p.i.t.a. I have whipped out some awesome grilled food though.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Don't get me wrong, I love it for grilling, but for smoking it is kinda a p.i.t.a. I have whipped out some awesome grilled food though.

Yeah, it is nice for grilling when we've got the whole family at the cabin. We smoked a brisket on Friday, though, and my bro-in-law basically spent the entire day looking over it.

[Bear55]

Hi Everyone

Thanks for your input. I have heard a lot of good things about the green egg but I think I want something bigger. Usually once a year a group of us try and pool any trout/salmon that we have and smoke up a large batch so I want something a little larger.

I think I might try and build one myself, luckily for me I am related to a welder, now I just have to convince him that free labor for smoked goodies is the way to go.

[Dark Cloud]

Heres a few pictures of my buddies rotiserie smoker that he made from scratch. It has a side-box with fan. It needs a fair amount of attention between adding wood and adjusting the fan speed. It could be modified with racks, you would have to rotate whats on the racks as internal temps vary from side to side and top to bottom. We did two cajun injected turkeys and two pork butts on the 4th, both turned out great...