When should you upgrade your smoker?

WvQ

WvQ

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At what point should you upgrade your smoker? For most of you was it just a size thing? I cook with a Chargriller as my signature says and currently haven't had issues with size (20 lbs of pork shoulder is enough). It doesn't hold heat very well, but otherwise is okay. Will I really see an improvement if I upgrade to a much more expensive offset cooker or am I just being silly?
 
i am in the same boat. using a chargriller with side box. i would think about a better smoker only if i start to go to competitions. for backyard i think it does the job pretty well. from grilling hot dogs to smoking turkey its a great all round cooker. it is a little hard to hold temp but i dont mind because i have to sit with the smoker and a beer while the wife has to watch the kids. :becky:
 
IMO if you are happy with your results (you have your pit dialed in) and you are getting enough product on each cook, you run that sucker until it falls apart. That is, of course, unless you just NEED a new cooker, then you go get what you NEED.
 
almost like the new car itch. you just gotta scratch it sometimes. my itch is a wsm.
 
It reminds me a lot of guitars. I started playing guitar without any real direction of what I wanted to play. I just wanted to play guitar. Same for me with smokers. I was enchanted by the of "real" bbq. So I bought a cheap offset. As I cooked more I realized more about what I needed. Advice I'd heard from other folks made more sense. I wanted to do overnight cooks, was interested in trying different styles of cookers etc. So it led me where I am now. Plus lot of experience on the way. So no you probably don't need one but will reach a time or capacity tipping point possibly at some point.
 
I've got an older New Braunfels that I have figured out and modded to work well. Yet I can't help but want a "better" unit.
 
When I first started driving a car on a track, there were lots of rich guys on the track with GT3s and 360 Stradales who had the same skills I did. I felt a need to upgrade my track car. A wise instructor told me, "When you reach the point where your car is holding you back, it is time to upgrade."

Basically, he was saying I should master driving in what I had to drive, before moving up. I had a cheap, but well prepared track car. I needed to outgrow it before even thinking about moving up.

Assuming you have a workable cooker, I think the same thing applies. If you can produce good BBQ on a 20-year-old kettle, then you will produce even better BBQ on a high end smoker. If the food you produce on that old kettle sucks, then buying a high-end smoker ain't going to do any good.

When you reach a point where your cooker is holding you back, lose it and upgrade. Or, if you are rich, just buy the Ferrari of cookers now, and fark up in style. :becky:

CD
 
NJ2 BBQ said:
i am in the same boat. using a chargriller with side box. i would think about a better smoker only if i start to go to competitions. for backyard i think it does the job pretty well. from grilling hot dogs to smoking turkey its a great all round cooker. it is a little hard to hold temp but i dont mind because i have to sit with the smoker and a beer while the wife has to watch the kids. :becky:
Click to expand...

I just wonder with all the selling features of higher priced smokers, reverse flow, more insulation, etc, does it really improve your product?
 
Makes it easier to consistantly produce the product you want
 
dwfisk said:
IMO if you are happy with your results (you have your pit dialed in) and you are getting enough product on each cook, you run that sucker until it falls apart. That is, of course, unless you just NEED a new cooker, then you go get what you NEED.
Click to expand...

I agree, if it isn't broken, don't fix it.

From personal experience I have found that you do not want to let your "WANTS" control your desire for a new cooker. Think about your "NEEDS" and you will find the smoker that will always work best for you...
 
I had a new braunfels for 10 years the legs rusted off so I built me a trailer smoker and used the old smoke box as a warming oven on the new one so it still lives today
 
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I'm with CD on this. I've had the same offset smoker for 20+ years. It took me years of practice and tweaking to get to the point where I was really comfortable with it.

You newbies are fortunate to have this forum to help you through the learning process. Read, read, read...and then practice, practice, practice...only then will you know if your equipment is inadequate.
 
An upgraded cooker may smooth out the process but I believe there are plenty of brothers and sisters here turning out top notch products on inexpensive units. Look at how many guys are running UDS's in comps and doing very well.
Sometimes I think we tend to BS ourselves into buying something we don't actually need but simply want based upon "What If? If it is something you really want, research the options and go for it. Sometimes I really just enjoy using one of my old drums without a guru. Sometimes I like running on autopilot. I wish you well in whatever choice you make.
 
If you have mastered cooking things on your current setup and you are turning out good food, sure upgrade away!
 
I learned how to cook some great 'q on my chargriller. I did a few mods and was able to hold the heat. The only reason I upgraded was to cook more quantity for parties and to eventually try cooking all four meats for comps.

If you don't have a need to cook large quantities, just do a google search for chargriller mods and you'll be good to go.
 
The biggest single step up in my smoking was the purchase of my egg. The ceramic cookers, IMO, take it to a new level. They provide a moist environment (highly efficient, little air passing through the cooker), extremely stable temps for long periods (think, I can sleep at night) and repeatable results. Costly but worth it!
 
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