Newbie... Looking for a new smoker

Rommoz · Sep 30, 2015

Morning everyone,
I hope I put this in the right spot.
My name is Joe, and I'm from PA at the southern edge of the pocono mountains (a few hrs north of philly). I'm realitivly new to this, and by no means do I consider myself an expert. My experience is a little more than ribs and beer can chicken.
My current rig is nothing more than a barrel grill that I set up for indirect cooking. Leaks like a sieve. And has almost zero temp control. So as my rig is useless in the winter and rusting out this will be its last season. Which means I'm in the market for a new setup. I can only justify about $300 to the wife for it (although spending a little to mod it over time is ok). I was looking at the dyna glo vertical offset (wide body). Any other suggestions?

BBQdisciple · Sep 30, 2015

for insulation, temp control, versatility and price, I am a HUGE fan of the Akorn by Char-griller. I have mine tuned in where i am comfortable using it without a thermometer on over night cooks.

A good old weber kettle offers all of that at a more affordable price, but will not have the insulation, therefore require more fuel in colder/windier weather

I am currently considering a 55 gallon drum build which can be done for cheap.

Anyway, there's my 2 cents.

landarc · Sep 30, 2015

I am not familiar with the Dyna-glow, for that money I would definitely look at a Weber Smoky Mountain, or even building a UDS. There is also the Pit Barrel Cooker that seems to work well

SmittyJonz · Sep 30, 2015

UDS. Dynoglow no good.

SmittyJonz · Sep 30, 2015

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80125&highlight=uds+build

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23436

Bludawg · Sep 30, 2015

I'd Shy away from that Dynaglow they are Really Thin and won't hang on heat well (It gets cold in them there mountains) With your budget I'd be looking at a 26" Weber kettle. Lots of real estate & easy to control and cook like a dream right out of the box, short learning curve and with care will last you 20+ yrs.

midwestsmokeboy · Sep 30, 2015

I'd build a UDS or go with the Pit Barrel Cooker.

jjjonz · Sep 30, 2015

I love my PBC, but for all around cooking I would probably go with the Char-broil Akorn kamado Kooker. Check on You Tube. They have them on sale locally at Walmart for $250.Good luck on your search.

umrebel26 · Sep 30, 2015

i second the char griller akorn. Very easy to maintain a steady and stable temp. They are also insulated so you don't have to worry as much about the rain and cold affecting them. I have 3 of them i use for comps and cooking around the house

Dmakkk · Sep 30, 2015

WSM... You can not go wrong...

BBQdisciple · Sep 30, 2015

The money you save in charcoal will pay for your Akorn. I can dump not even half a bag of KBB, do a 15 hour cook in overnight freezing temp and still have 75% of the coals with no ash for the next cook.

Only downside, it is not the biggest cooking surface.

Rommoz · Sep 30, 2015

Thanks for the replies... I currently am having trouble finding food grade barrels (I am still looking) which makes the pit barrel or wsm more attractive than a uds I also have no welding skills. But I also have all winter to come up with something

Lowki · Sep 30, 2015

You do not need any welding skills to build a UDS, basically just a good drill a step bit and some other basic tools. high heat epoxies and clever use of nuts and bolts will get you there. A cheap insulating blanket may be called for in the colder months, but here in New England i make do without that.
All that aside, if this is your only rig, i would go with the Weber grill. Versatile and like Bludawg says, works right out of the box. Plus if you are patient you can score 1 (or more) off CL for cheap.

Bludawg · Sep 30, 2015

Rommoz said:
Thanks for the replies... I currently am having trouble finding food grade barrels (I am still looking) which makes the pit barrel or wsm more attractive than a uds I also have no welding skills. But I also have all winter to come up with something

:crazy:Food grade drums have phenolic epoxy liners that you need to remove and they are a bitch. By the time you have removed it you have bare steel save the time, headaches and nasty job and just get any unlined drum. You can build a UDS without welding I've built several.

Drkman47 · Sep 30, 2015

I would agree with the Weber, if you want to smoke there are many different methods. I have used the snake method at my buddy's house and have a smokinator myself.

SmittyJonz · Sep 30, 2015

You don't need food grade barrels.

Rommoz · Sep 30, 2015

thanks for all the info... The big problem I was having was not being able to actually SEE AND FEEL what I was considering buying (you never know which reviews to trust... I usually read the bad first). I do have a gas grill also so the smoker will only be a smoker

landarc · Sep 30, 2015

Insulated cookers like the Akorn are great if you are in cold areas and only cook medium sized cuts of meat. My UDS serves me well, and I have done two 15 pound packer briskets and up to four butts on it with no problems. When I had to do 9 racks of St. Louis ribs, the 26" kettle was the thing, no other cooker I have could have done it, not mu UDS or my WSM. A lot of this comes down to the size of the cook

jefferson10940 · Sep 30, 2015

Personally I bought PBC and have been very very happy. I had next to no experience and everything comes out fantastic. I also have a gasser and Weber performer. I barely use the gas, really just for hot dogs/burgers and sometimes chicken in a rush. The reason I chose the PBC over the Akorn was the amount of food that you can cook in a PBC is much much more at a time. 8 full racks of ribs at once compared to maybe a rack cut up to fit. They both serve a purpose, but I am super satisfied with PBC. I use it at least once a week.

Rommoz · Sep 30, 2015

landarc said:
Insulated cookers like the Akorn are great if you are in cold areas and only cook medium sized cuts of meat. My UDS serves me well, and I have done two 15 pound packer briskets and up to four butts on it with no problems. When I had to do 9 racks of St. Louis ribs, the 26" kettle was the thing, no other cooker I have could have done it, not mu UDS or my WSM. A lot of this comes down to the size of the cook

Once or twice a year I cook for a bunch of people, but usually 2 or three racks of ribs will do it.. Gotta ask how did you fit 9 racks on a 26" kettle? I figure you had the smokinator in there so 1/2 of your grill space was gone...

Newbie... Looking for a new smoker

Found some matches.

Full Fledged Farker

somebody shut me the fark up.

somebody shut me the fark up.

somebody shut me the fark up.

somebody shut me the fark up.

Full Fledged Farker

Take a breath!

Got Wood.

Take a breath!

Full Fledged Farker

Found some matches.

Full Fledged Farker

somebody shut me the fark up.

Found some matches.

somebody shut me the fark up.

Found some matches.

somebody shut me the fark up.

Knows what a fatty is.

Found some matches.

Similar threads