Amazing amount of equipment choices and I have zero knowledge

T

tennsmokey

Wandering around with a bag of matchlight, looking for a match.
Joined
Oct 9, 2014
Location
chattano...
Good afternoon Gentlemen. Long time lurker here in Tennessee and I read most of your comments as much as possible trying to learn from the Pros.Cannot believe all the sites on the net with all the information pertaining to pits. I'm going to list some criteria pertaining just to me and request responses from any and all who will oblige in my search:
1. Brand new to "smoking"
2. Currently have a Pit Barrel BBQ drum and am experimenting with same
3. Wish to graduate into a real "stick burner" like you guys
4. No close family and friends are somewhat scattered ("Loner")
5. Currently reside on a boat but am anticipating purchasing a land location within a year and can then actively pursue a real smoker.

Looked over Gator, JJ, Meadow Creek, Lang...it is endless....
Just about decided on a Gator Pit Budget and then I discovered Jambo Pits and the "Economy Model". Bling! Bling! Bling! Anyone out there have one of these? I'm really interested in the Economy Model (now there's an oximoron). I would really appreciate any and all input into the decision process. Thanks in advance for considering and also for allowing me access to your forum.
Best regards,
:grin:
TennSmokey
 
I looked at all of those myself when I was wanting to upgrade to a new smoker. Through this site I found out about Shirley Fabrication (https://www.facebook.com/ShirleyFabrication) (http://www.shirleyfabrication.com/smokers/trailer-models/). You might want to check them out. They are just as pretty and built just as good, if not better than the other companies mentioned. Not to say those other ones you mentioned aren't good, but SF will definitely be cheaper and you can even customize it to the way YOU want it to be. Good luck in your search/decision, I'm confident you'll be happy with whichever one you end up going with!
 
First off, welcome to the forum.

You'll find a ton of info here. It sounds like the first thing you need to do is decide what kind of capacity your smoker needs to have. If you're not cooking large amounts of food at a time, you can get off a little cheaper. Of course it's always a fine line, as you don't want to buy something too small.

One thing you'll want to do is determine whether or not you want to tend a fire and feed splits to your stick burner every 45 minutes. Some folks (like myself) value sleep while others like the hands on experience a stick burner brings. No matter what you choose (insulated water smoker, gravity feed smoker, pellet popper, stick burner, etc), you can produce some great Q.

I don't have a PBC like you're using, but I do have a UDS. It's still my favorite cooker for hot and fast poultry smokes.
 
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Pull up some of the Shirley Fabrication posts. Top shelf folks....excellent workmanship and proven designs. Definitely worth looking into.

My .02,
Randy
 
Welcome!! Very good points above. Shirley Fab or Lone Star Grillz for the win. It seems like you're leaning toward a stick burner so now you have to decide if you want a reverse flow or traditional offset with tuning plates. Can't go wrong with either builder as they are top notch craftsmen.
 
Tennsmokey,I just bought a Shirley Fabrication offset reverse flow 60x24 trailer model smoker with a removable hitch. They are one of the best custom builders on the market. Just a day trip for you to go pick one up as they are based in Tuscaloosa,AL. Check them out. I have a few videos on Youtube showing mine from inception to first cook,if a pic is worth a thousand words then a good video is priceless! Just type in Shirley Fabrication smoker reviews and you'll see my videos under my user name(Beefnip) as well as a couple by Paul Shirley himself.
 
If you are going to cook on a boat, I would not recommend a stick burner due to the fire hazards involved. I would get a more contained set up like a wsm to use until I moved inland. Then I would get a stick burner. Actually, I would stay on the boat if it was just me, but that is another discussion for another time. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Blessings,

Omar
 
For those who don't know boaters especially sail are very friendly. Whether you're in a marina or on the hook just fire up the cooker and other boaters will be knocking on the hull. Great way to have a pot luck.
 
I would do my best to get to a few comps and spend time 3-4 hours BS'n with the cooks and checking out the pits in action. If you get there early before meats start going on you should be able to glean a lot of info. Cooks love talking about their pits!!!
 
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