Looking for a new stick burner....1/4 steel a must.

cayenne

cayenne

is one Smokin' Farker
Joined
Jun 12, 2004
Location
New Orleans
WOW....it has been a LONG time since I last posted.
Lots of life in the way......

Anyway, I have an older Bandera smoker. It served well for many. years, but has sat strangely idle...and sadly uncovered for a few years....it's rusting apart.

I'm looking to try a new smoker. I like the tower bandera style, but the metal is just thin on all the dedicated ones I see.

I've started looking at YouTube to see what's out there, at a decent price. I want at least 1/4 inch steel. So, looking at barrel ones.

I've been a lot of work out there with "Old Country Brazos BBQ Smoker"....especially with mods like extending the smoke stack and using an angle grinder to take out the factor welded in, down pointing baffle from the factory.

Any opinions on this one...or recommendations for something similar. The price range I see on these is about $1200 range.

Of course I was *drooling* over some top end stuff, like the FatStack 90 smoker, but $5K plus shipping from CA to LA isn't really in my budget right now.

I just shelled out for a Spike Brewing 15gal solo system and 10gal conical....so my toy money for most of this year is spend...will have to save for a FatStack level smoker.

So, in the $1200-$2000 range.....is what I'm looking at best bang for the buck, or do you have recommendations?

I am posting this before exhaustive searches on the forum....wanted to get some good recommendations that I"d use for more in-depth search terms.

Nice to be back....thank you in advance!!

Sorry to have been away so long!!

cayenne
 
Welcome back - I bought a Blue Smoke Smoker about 18 months ago and don’t regret it at all - $1700, 3/8th cook chamber and fire box - 24x48 cook chamber and 24x24 firebox - thing has to weigh north of 900 pounds - there are a few of the Brethren that have them

Here is the link to his website and a couple pictures of the smoker in action

https://bluesmokesmokers.com







Good luck with your search - so many good pits out in the market now
 
Somewhere in between the top end prices and $1200 is the Shirley Fabrication 24 x 36--a top end cooker below top end prices...many threads here about the quality and ease of use.
 
You askin’ me?

If we’re buying one today I would hands down buy Blue Smoke, no if ands or buts.

Everything you need and nothing you don’t.
 
TheHojo said:
Welcome back - I bought a Blue Smoke Smoker about 18 months ago and don’t regret it at all - $1700, 3/8th cook chamber and fire box - 24x48 cook chamber and 24x24 firebox - thing has to weigh north of 900 pounds - there are a few of the Brethren that have them

Here is the link to his website and a couple pictures of the smoker in action

https://bluesmokesmokers.com







Good luck with your search - so many good pits out in the market now
Click to expand...


WOW!!!

That does look impressive!!!!
I"m on the site now..I signed up for email list....

I don't see a lot about them ON the site yet....no word of shipping, but it appears they are in TX which should help a little since I'm in Louisiana....

It appears it has a nice tall stack....again I'm so new back in this game, but that appears to be a BIG deal now...for moving air through.

3/8" thick...goodness!!! That looks high quality...and that prices seems more than reasonable at first glance for what is being offered!!

Do you have any hot spots you found in yours? Did you find you had to do any mods on yours to get even cooking throughout the chamber?

What were the cons on this from your viewpoint? Did you buy extra accessories, say like for the fire box to hold wood better, etc?

But wow...first impressions that LOOKs amazing...
 
I added a stack damper, the half top shelf, the folding front shelf, a second therm and the warming tray on top of fire box - all in was like $2200

He is in Caddo mills - just outside of Dallas - so depending on which part of La. you live in would be fairly easy to come grab - rolls very easily on smooth surfaces

I can’t think of anything else I would have added - some folks have a folding stack - but mine stays outside under a cover - so no need

I did have a local metal shop make me a removable baffle - similar to the baffle in Franklin and Mill Scale pits - I think this really helps on evening out the heat - see below - but I think Phil has made some for other buyers as well after seeing mine








First picture shows the removable baffle - 2nd picture show a cook where I didn’t have the baffle in - and third picture was a cook with the baffle - baffle shrinks and concentrates the hot spot to underneath the baffle and directly in front
 
As for firebox - I had a v shaped wood basket from another smoker that I tried - just wasn’t necessary with a round firebox - and at 3/8th , it keeps a very good coal bed - I just set my fire up on the floor of the fire box - crack the door between 1/2 inch and 1.5 inches depending on how hot I want the pit to run - and let the pit do the work - the long wide stack does a great job drawing the heat and smoke thru the chamber
 
Money...I need money!! Haha.

TheHojo said:
I added a stack damper, the half top shelf, the folding front shelf, a second therm and the warming tray on top of fire box - all in was like $2200

He is in Caddo mills - just outside of Dallas - so depending on which part of La. you live in would be fairly easy to come grab - rolls very easily on smooth surfaces

I can’t think of anything else I would have added - some folks have a folding stack - but mine stays outside under a cover - so no need

I did have a local metal shop make me a removable baffle - similar to the baffle in Franklin and Mill Scale pits - I think this really helps on evening out the heat - see below - but I think Phil has made some for other buyers as well after seeing mine








First picture shows the removable baffle - 2nd picture show a cook where I didn’t have the baffle in - and third picture was a cook with the baffle - baffle shrinks and concentrates the hot spot to underneath the baffle and directly in front
Click to expand...

Thank you!
I just found (finally) a YouTube comparison that showed the BlueSmoke against a bunch of others in roughly the same category of size and thickness...with one by Bell, FatStack, Workhorse, etc.

One thing I think I noticed, on the BS...there's no damper on the fire door? And no lid on it?
I saw this on one or two others...do you have to keep the door open to get O2 for the fire??
I'm not used to seeing that.

But I did come across one YT video...that touched lightly on this...is it the thing now to run your firebox wide open and your stack wide open? He mentioned keeping lots of air flowing.
I think he said he controlled the heat by how much fuel he had in there.

I guess this is somewhat new to me since I last looked in on this...and I'm a bit puzzled how you could accurately control your fire only through fuel....?
:(

I'm going to research more on the forum here on the BlueSmoke smoker...it looks, even with add ons, best bang for the buck on a higher end smoker.

But, while I have your attention, thought I'd ping a few more questions like the fuel control of heat thing.

I would get a stack baffle too...and likely a folding stack...as that I'd think it would make options for a cover more readily available?

Did you do the linseed oil finish? That's new to me...not sure what difference that makes over where I see guys spray down their cookers with Pam and fire it up hot to polymerize is, much like seasoning a carbon steel pan....is that worth $100?

Anyway, this has really piqued my interest.

There's just almost nothing on YouTube about BlueSmoke smokers....that I can find. The search term pretty much only brings up videos of people trying for "blue" thin smoke as opposed to white smoke, etc.

Ugh...money I don't have yet is already burning a hole in my pocket...haha.

Thank you so much everyone for the great advice so far...NOW I remember why I liked this forum so much...good, helpful folks here for sure!!
:)

cayenne
 
Also...

Does the Blue Smoke Smoker have a grease drain on it?
I don't see one in any pictures...and nothing in the description on the site (which is pretty bare bones).

Thank you again!

cayenne
 
I did the linseed oil myself - pretty easy - just need to be careful with disposing the rags/sponges you use to apply the oil - see my thread on this when I first got my pit

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=297360

I have since switched to food grade linseed oil - based on some comments I have read along the way. I have done mine every 6 to 8 months - that is reapply the linseed oil - I now just apply a thin coat and fire up the smoker and run a hot fire for an hour or two

Phil doesn’t put doors on the top of his fireboxes - believe he doesn’t see the benefit -

Yes, airflow to fire is controlled by opening the door wider - fairly easy once you get the hang of it - seems like many pit builder are going the way of controlling the fire just with the door to the firebox

Glad to help
 
cayenne said:
Also...

Does the Blue Smoke Smoker have a grease drain on it?
I don't see one in any pictures...and nothing in the description on the site (which is pretty bare bones).

Thank you again!

cayenne
Click to expand...

Yes - on the far end opposite the fire box - I did have him add a ball valve to mine so that I can open and close if need be - normally just comes with a drain

On one of the pictures I posted - it sits above the bucket on the firewood rack
 
Last edited:
This one is on the radar for me as well if I can swing it during my outdoor kitchen remodel.
 
cayenne said:
Is this the place?
https://www.shirleyfabrication.com/smokers-cookers

C
Click to expand...

That is the company but they haven't updated their website in many years. Check out other threads on this site and Youtube videos--especially ones from FamEats. Excellent information. Can also find many photos by simply Googling Shirley 24 x 36.

What I love most about mine is the reverse flow allows you to have nearly identical temps all throughout the cooker. Slightly warmer on top shelf and towards the non-firebox side. But it drafts like a champ and is soooo easy to run!!

Being in Alabama shipping to you shouldn't be too much.

Happy shopping!
 
Some HEBs around here sell lyfetyme pits, the single or double lid 20x40.
https://lyfetyme.com/product/single-lid-grill-w-firebox/

Cabelas and/or Bass-pro used to / may still sell Horizon smokers http://www.horizonbbqsmokers.com/backyard-smokers-1

Perhaps you can find one close enough to pickup and save shipping.

Both are probably not in the same league as Blue Smoke or Shirley smokers in terms of features, but solid smokers with models available in lower prices, hitting your <$2000 price point.

Pits by JJ is in Houston, and make solid looking smokers as well. https://pitsbyjj.com/smokers/?orderby=price
 
Call around and ask about lead times. I was about to buy a workhorse pit but the lead time was long and I didn’t like that there wasn’t a lip between firebox and cooker.
Between price and lead times the blue smoke was a no brainer for me.
 
Erikg said:
Call around and ask about lead times. I was about to buy a workhorse pit but the lead time was long and I didn’t like that there wasn’t a lip between firebox and cooker.
Between price and lead times the blue smoke was a no brainer for me.
Click to expand...

Current production has a lip.
 
Erikg said:
Call around and ask about lead times. I was about to buy a workhorse pit but the lead time was long and I didn’t like that there wasn’t a lip between firebox and cooker.
Between price and lead times the blue smoke was a no brainer for me.
Click to expand...

Awesome!

What is their lead time?
 
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