PDA

View Full Version : Need Suggestions picking out a Smoker


Knuckle Lickin Good
03-07-2012, 08:48 PM
I am looking to get a new smoker for comps and would like suggestions on the best smoker at a reasonable price. I am looking to start competing in cook offs, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

dmprantz
03-07-2012, 09:12 PM
If all you're looking for is some suggestions, let me save you a lot of time and sum up what you're likely to read in this post thread:

You can cook a whole competition on one WSM. three if you wanna get all expensive. They will pack in a minivan and cost around a grand total. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

Build a drum! They're cheap and have great flavour. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

Stick burner's rule! No need to sleep when you can put out flavour this good. Especially if it's a $12,000 Jambo. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

Get an insulated charcoal cooker: Spicewine/Backwoods/Stumps/Superior/etc/etc/etc. Some have baskets, others use gravity. Paired with a Stoker or Guru, they let you get sleep, put out good flavour, and are mostly imune to the elements. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

Get an FEC. Insulated, good flavour that won't over-smoke your meat. Imune to the elements. You get sleep, and these are super easy to clean. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

I'm sure I've missed something, but the above covers 90% of what you'll read. Figure out what your budget is and what you wanna do, and go from there.

dmp

Southern Touch BBQ
03-07-2012, 09:15 PM
You have to make a few decisions first. 1) stickburner or sleep? 2) water pan or no water pan 3)gravity feed or drawer style if insulated 4) what do you consider as a reasonable price?

With that being said, my favorite is Stumps Smokers. It has a gravity fed charcoal chute that will maintain your temperature throughout your cook. It has a wood box below the charcoal chute to add your favorite smoking woods for flavor. They have many different sizes and price ranges to fit your style and budget. I use a Stumps Classic. Alot of people use Backwoods Smokers as well. I also use a Backwoods Fatboy. If I had to pick one smoker to use from now on, i would definately use the Stumps. Dont have to worry about water getting low in the water pan and dont have to load more charcoal in the middle of a cook as I do with the Backwoods. Dont get me wrong, Backwoods makes a good cooker, but the Stumps is more user friendly and much better cooking racks to me. Good luck and keep us posted.

stumpssmokersinc.com
backwoods-smoker.com

TooSaucedToPork
03-07-2012, 09:17 PM
Tall order.

You gotta ask yourself a bunch of questions

For starters

1) Price
2) Pellet, Charcoal, Wood
3) Portability

RangerJ
03-07-2012, 09:24 PM
I've gone back to my drums( and a chicken cooking WSM) which I think are awesome but do require some practice.

If budget is the issue coming out of the gate and you want a smoker that has proven itself on the circuit..WSM.

( if your interested in a gently used Backwoods Party..holla')

Just my .02

HarleyEarl
03-07-2012, 09:25 PM
I'm personally fond of the drums. I use three of them for comps - 1 for brisket, 1 for pork butts, and 1 for ribs. The chicken usually goes in the pork drum. You can make all three relatively cheap. BTW, all three drums have produced award winning turn-ins.

The UDS's are fuel efficient and once dialed in the temps hold true. They allow you to cook different meats at different temps. with different wood selection.

Smokin' Bad Habit
03-07-2012, 09:47 PM
these are the best smokers out there!
http://www.americanbarbecuesystems.com/

Rich Parker
03-07-2012, 09:54 PM
If all you're looking for is some suggestions, let me save you a lot of time and sum up what you're likely to read in this post thread:

You can cook a whole competition on one WSM. three if you wanna get all expensive. They will pack in a minivan and cost around a grand total. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

Build a drum! They're cheap and have great flavour. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

Stick burner's rule! No need to sleep when you can put out flavour this good. Especially if it's a $12,000 Jambo. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

Get an insulated charcoal cooker: Spicewine/Backwoods/Stumps/Superior/etc/etc/etc. Some have baskets, others use gravity. Paired with a Stoker or Guru, they let you get sleep, put out good flavour, and are mostly imune to the elements. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

Get an FEC. Insulated, good flavour that won't over-smoke your meat. Imune to the elements. You get sleep, and these are super easy to clean. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

I'm sure I've missed something, but the above covers 90% of what you'll read. Figure out what your budget is and what you wanna do, and go from there.

dmp

Close but nobody says "flavour". :rolleyes:

BigHatBBQ
03-07-2012, 10:04 PM
There are lots of different options out there, even Ft. Worth has a nice pit builder :-)

deez butts
03-07-2012, 10:06 PM
18.5 WSM's work great but I would go with the 22 since you can fit a full rack of ribs on it and also a big brisket without having to fold the ends over or anything. We're cooking on an extended backwoods party and a pitmaker BBQ safe now. Much easier with the slide out racks and everything fits without having to monkey around with it. Only thing is that they are much more expensive than a WSM. Both the backwoods and pitmaker are great cookers but we find the pitmaker's quality to be a notch above the backwoods.

Knuckle Lickin Good
03-07-2012, 10:09 PM
I am looking for a smoker, pit, cooker, not exactly sure of the correct terms. Some people say go with a Backwoods Smoker, others say to go with a off set pit. I want to make sure I do lots of research before spending a few thousand bucks.

stan
03-08-2012, 06:20 AM
You reallly need to decide is it an investment for the smoker or not. For the money the wsm I think is the best and easiest to use for the dollars I used them at home for years. For cometition though I bought a bbq vault from pitmaker. They have now come out with the safe a smaller version. When I upgrade I may get two safes so I can vary the temp as needed betwen the two.

Knuckle Lickin Good
03-08-2012, 06:30 AM
Thanks for all suggestions, I am going to look into the Pitmaker.

Trumpstylz
03-08-2012, 06:39 AM
I am looking for a smoker, pit, cooker, not exactly sure of the correct terms. Some people say go with a Backwoods Smoker, others say to go with a off set pit. I want to make sure I do lots of research before spending a few thousand bucks.

If you're considering an offset, don't forget you also have to consider reverse flow!

Big A
03-08-2012, 06:48 AM
I'm glad for post such as this,I don't have to ask the same question just read the results!!

Knuckle Lickin Good
03-08-2012, 07:21 AM
What brand of reverse flow do you recomend?

va_connoisseur
03-08-2012, 07:28 AM
If all you're looking for is some suggestions, let me save you a lot of time and sum up what you're likely to read in this post thread:

You can cook a whole competition on one WSM. three if you wanna get all expensive. They will pack in a minivan and cost around a grand total. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

Build a drum! They're cheap and have great flavour. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

Stick burner's rule! No need to sleep when you can put out flavour this good. Especially if it's a $12,000 Jambo. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

Get an insulated charcoal cooker: Spicewine/Backwoods/Stumps/Superior/etc/etc/etc. Some have baskets, others use gravity. Paired with a Stoker or Guru, they let you get sleep, put out good flavour, and are mostly imune to the elements. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

Get an FEC. Insulated, good flavour that won't over-smoke your meat. Imune to the elements. You get sleep, and these are super easy to clean. Multiple teams consistantly win on them.

I'm sure I've missed something, but the above covers 90% of what you'll read. Figure out what your budget is and what you wanna do, and go from there.

dmp

Brilliant! :clap::clap2:

va_connoisseur
03-08-2012, 07:44 AM
What brand of reverse flow do you recomend?


The brand of reverse-flow that leads the way is Lang (http://langbbqsmokers.com/).

I had a local fabricator build me a reverse flow (www.spatulaman.com). Saved a ton on shipping and got something that was the exact size I was looking for. You may want to do a local craigslist/Angie's list search from welders and fabricators, you could save a ton.

Southern Touch BBQ
03-08-2012, 08:03 AM
The Pitmaker Vault looks like a really good cooker. You can see it on youtube...a very detailed look at it. It looks like the way a Backwoods should've been built with good strong racks. Price is pretty reasonable too. As someone previously stated, Lang sets the standard in reverse flow offset pits, but you'll be cutting and splitting (or buying) alot of wood and you'll have to feed it all night at comps.:bored:

rkoener
03-08-2012, 08:33 AM
What about DW's Kountry Cookers? I have been looking at their stuff and it looks very nice. Anyone have experience with it?

Southern Touch BBQ
03-08-2012, 08:53 AM
DW's are basically the same as Stumps and Superior...never used one but they have to cook very similar.

HawgNationBBQ
03-08-2012, 08:55 AM
Jambo

GreenDrake
03-08-2012, 09:02 AM
I am secretly saving for a Pitmaker for sure. What a gorgeous pit, just trying to decide on whether to go vertical with the Vault or offset with the Long Rifle Sniper.

Lake Dogs
03-08-2012, 09:22 AM
If I could redirect this back to the start. Like the first few said, but they gave specific details, the first thing you have to come to terms with is who you are and what type of cooking you enjoy cooking on/with. Some enjoy tending fire; others enjoy sleeping. Then, once you decide, you have to think "do I want to do this in a competition". There's another piece of the decision.

Also, and I haven't read anything above on this, what type of competition are you planning to compete. All BBQ competitions are NOT the same. Some are just 1 category, others multiple categories. Some have just 1 turn-in (of each meat), others have multiple turn-ins per meat. Some are completely blind, others come on-site. All of these factor in because of volume of meat you'll need to cook and at what cleanliness level you need to maintain. For that matter, some have you cooking whole hogs (it's tough to fit a whole hog on many smokers)...

To make the correct decision, for you, you need to first understand yourself and what your plans are. Then you can begin to answer the questions. Most will answer themselves.

As far as offset smokers, there are reverse flow and traditional smokers. There are insulated and un-insulated. While I would like an insulated one, I frankly cannot afford a Jambo. Also, I prefer reverse flow for many reasons. That lead me pretty much to two major players in this style, being Bubba Grills (www.bubbagrills.net) and Lang (www.pigroast.com). Both built well, sturdy, solid, will last a long time. I'd chosen the Bubba Grills because I know Lonnie (the owner) and they're slightly less expensive than Lang, but in my search I found a used Lang that fit the $$$ better, so I have a Lang. I love it, but also love the Bubba Grills models too.

I happen to like tending fires and enjoy it. That's just me; there's nothing wrong with the other types. Most competitions I compete in there's no getting much sleep anyway. Also I tend to compete (when I do it) in competitions that require more meat cooked than others, so I need the capacity that some other smokers dont provide. Again, that's me and my preferences. Yours may vary and put you on to a completely different smoker, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Best of luck. I hope you choose a smoker that you'll use and enjoy for many years to come!!!

BigBellyBBQ
03-08-2012, 09:41 AM
figure your budget first, and a post will not answer what you need to know and before spending $$$$$$$$$$$ go to a comp or find someone local and look at the cookers in person and decide on which way to go as only you can answer what style fits your style and how you have cooked in the past and each style cooker has a different flavor or flavour profile releative to the medium being burned...remember if you go to pellets you are held hostage to the pellet makers, with a muti fuel pit you can burn charcoal, wood....but it has to be up to you and what can be transported by you...good luck!

smokinit
03-08-2012, 01:41 PM
Backwoods of coarse:becky:

rowdycowboy
03-08-2012, 05:02 PM
I have a ABS pit boss for sale. If interested e-mail me. It is a rottessorie setup.