Help with a smoker

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zubby01

Knows what a fatty is.
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I'm pretty new to Que-ing. I've been reading up quite a bit and getting a little better each time at cooking brisket.

I would like a new smoker but maybe it is not justified - that's the reason for my question.

I currently have a Weber 18" kettle and the surface area is kinda small. Plus it's a pian to dump in the charcoal without it getting all of the grates and some other things that bother me.
What I would really like to have is something like an offset Oklahoma Joe. They have something similar for about $270 at Wally World. I realize the quality of this one is not the greatest but I don't Que all the time.
I want the offset because the surface area is bigger. Generally I might cook a brisket and some sausage or ribs and they're hard to fit.

My immediate family doesn't like Que all that much but I do. I mainly Que when my bro in law comes over w/ his 9 kids. That's about 3 times per year. Plus both g-mothers.

However, I realize there are other things I can cook that the family will like once I get better - such as chicken. I can't stand up beer butt chicken on the Weber as the lid is too low. Haven't done leg quarters on the Weber yet.

Plus I could maybe get a little bit of $ for the 18" Weber to offset the new smoker cost just a bit.

I've seen the WSM but they are as much if not more than the OK Joe's.

Any thoughts from any of you all that might have had the same thought process?
 
It's gonna happen anyways, so I'll go ahead and put it out there, but look at building an Ugly Drum Smoker. You can build a really, really nice one for less than $150 (no expertise needed), throw a 22.5" Weber lid on the top (can be had cheap on Craigslist), and fit all the food you need and then some. Not only that, you'll have a smoker that has an overwhelming number of positive testimonials. That extra $150 will buy an awful lot of food to stuff in that thing.

I built one for a buddy of mine and, having seen it in use over the past 6 months, I'm building one for myself to use in place of my New Braunfels Bandera that has a few bucks and a lot of elbow grease stuck in to it to restore/modify it.

Side note: Don't sell your Weber. You won't get that much for it, likely, and there is never, and I mean NEVER, a problem with having an extra Weber laying around.
 
For your price range and needs I think you sound like the perfect candidate for a UDS (ugly drum smoker). Do you have some simple DIY skills?
 
I was gonna say that but thought someone with the style smoker he's looking at would chime in.
If the means are there, build a UDS.
 
In that price range I would go with the 18.5 WSM. I was researching for awhile and wanted to stay in the same price range as you. WSM was what I went with, couldn't be any happier. Two level cooking on the WSM gives plenty of room for that size group.
 
You may want to get a New Brumfiel offset like this one.
nb_Offset.jpg

It's what I learned to smoke on. I still use it for larger grilling space also. They are on CL here for around $100. They are fuel hogs but you can learn without a lot of cash. Then get a WSM or something. And yes keep the Weber.
 
I think the first thing you should do, zubby, is decide what style smoker you want. An offset like the OK Joe or the Walmart one will require constant tending while a UDS or WSM can be set up, stabilized and you won't have to touch it for hours.

Once you figure that out, then you can look at the options in your price range.
 
OK I will check out a UDS. Saw a thread here about them the other day. But, I really stink as being handy. I've seen food grade barrels for about $35 on CL.
 
Also check CL for a WSM. You can probably pick up a used one for the price of building an UDS. Especially if you aren't handy.
 
Ron_L said:
I think the first thing you should do, zubby, is decide what style smoker you want. An offset like the OK Joe or the Walmart one will require constant tending while a UDS or WSM can be set up, stabilized and you won't have to touch it for hours.

Once you figure that out, then you can look at the options in your price range.
Click to expand...

Here's one huge issue that I always have which I forgot to mention. When the family show's up, it's always for lunch on Saturday. I ain't getting up at 2 AM to start smoking. So, if I could smoke something overnight and have it ready by lunchtime (e.g. brisket), that would be great. I know with my Weber that I'm not good enough yet to dial in the temp too well w/out having to adjust it often. Plus refueling. Haven't done enough research yet to realize the UDS or WSM doesn't require as much tending. I'll look into it. Thanks for the tip.
 
If you do go the UDS route, get an UNLINED barrel.
Save a whole lot of headache.
 
zubby01 said:
OK I will check out a UDS. Saw a thread here about them the other day. But, I really stink as being handy. I've seen food grade barrels for about $35 on CL.
Click to expand...

Just don't get overwhelmed by the folks that have really wicked metalworking and artistic skills. You don't have to weld anything, it an be painted with a rattle-can, and the remaining parts can all be assembled with nuts/bolts. Give yourself a couple of weekends to work on it and you'll have a really sweet UDS that you'll be monumentally proud of.
 
OK - ya'll have me thinkin'. I'll go over to the UDS thread and start researching.
 
I went with a WSM because of all the folks who talked about how it's about as close to set and forget as you can get in a charcoal smoker (next to a UDS). I also didn't want to mess around with buliding my own because I'm just not into that. I have never regretted the decision.
 
One more vote for the WSM, I can load it up and sleep for 6-7 hours without messing with it. There is even a whole forum dedicated to it- the virtual weber bullet
 
If you like the idea of a UDS, but are not much of a do-it-your-selfer and would like to support a small business owned by a war veteran, you should look into to Pit Barrel Cooker. Several Brethren who own both prefer the PBC for its ease of use and the consistently great bbq it produces. Amazingribs.com say:

"The Pit Barrel Cooker is a very basic Ugly Drum Smoker, aka UDS, that has many of us scratching our heads in amazement. It provides large cooking capacity at a great price, and produces delicious results with an ease of use that approaches the set it and forget it bliss of digitally controlled pellet smokers. This charcoal burning, 30 gallon steel drum with a lid on top and a small hole on the bottom is one of the more impressive cookers we've tested."

Good luck in your search!
 
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