How far have you traveled to buy a smoker?

From Georgia....three times to Tuscaloosa Al....twice to Little Rock Ar... once to Houston Tx...… once to Ennis Tx....and once to Nahunta, GA.
 
I didn't necessarily mean there was anything wrong with the Meadow creek stuff just that from looking at various other manufacturers they seem to be on the higher end price wise. But again a drive from the Poconos to Lancaster and back is probably cheaper than whatever I would pay in freight or in fuel and time driving.

The driving a distance thing would probably be more for buying a used smoker. I've been looking on Craigslist and Facebook marketplace but there's not a lot in the area. I saw someone selling a Lang 60 in Phillipsburg, NJ for $2000 which is like a 2 hour round trip but from the photos its pretty rusty. The tank is rusted near the firebox all the way to the door opening and the grates are rusted.

I keep looking at the Shirley that's for sale on here but West Palm Beach FL is a haul.
 
5,237 miles one way.Sorta.I went to Argentina and saw them doing the live fire cooks there.That was the first time I ever witnessed it in person.I was impressed with the site and the food we ate that was prepared that way.When I got back home I had to give it a try myself.I probably would have never tried it if not for that experience.
 
drove three times 800 miles each way to Shirley Fabrication headquarters and was a fun to meat the guys and see how your smoker was made .
 
Chicago to Atlanta for my SouthernQ, but I took Scott Smith’s competition class while I was there.
 
Most of mine were bought locally or within about 50 miles. The farthest I've driven was about and hour and a half one way to pick up a brand new Hasty Bake Legacy for $450.
 
18 hour round trip to pick up my Shirley but had other motives also. Went an other 2 hours northeast to visit my great grandmothers and great great grandparents graves.
 
Picking up a new smoker is a pilgrimage and an excellent excuse for a road trip with best friends.
 
I saw the pictures of the one in Jersey. I agree it looks really rough. I saw another one on Facebook out in Jersey for $2700 and it is in much better shape. It looks like it was well taken care of. I am also in PA and am finding the same struggle with finding a manufacturer in our area. My in laws live outside of Huntsville Alabama so I am going to try to set something up when we go visit.
 
Turkey Shack said:
I saw the pictures of the one in Jersey. I agree it looks really rough. I saw another one on Facebook out in Jersey for $2700 and it is in much better shape. It looks like it was well taken care of. I am also in PA and am finding the same struggle with finding a manufacturer in our area. My in laws live outside of Huntsville Alabama so I am going to try to set something up when we go visit.
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Yeah I got him to send me some more pictures of the $2000 one the rear side is just as rusty and the grates have quite a bit of rust on them. I don't know what the inside looks like. I'm sure it could be sandblasted and cleaned up but I don't think its worth that much in that condition. I saw the one for $2700 too that doesn't seem like a bad deal but I'm not sure that I want the chargrill. I don't think I will use it much I have other grills. If I am using this its going to be for smoking. I'd rather have the basket to put splits in.
 
Turkey Shack said:
... My in laws live outside of Huntsville Alabama so I am going to try to set something up when we go visit.
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I lived there for a while. There are a ton of pit makers around Northern Alabama and Southern Tennessee, mostly home-fab type shops that look a little rough. However, folks around there really know how to make a smoker and produce some good BBQ.

Don't miss Big Bob Gibson's in Decatur when you go to Huntsville! :hungry: I'm not a huge fan of the 'white sauce' but, it's good BBQ and worth the trip, at least when I lived there.
 
jonnymac said:
Yeah I got him to send me some more pictures of the $2000 one the rear side is just as rusty and the grates have quite a bit of rust on them. I don't know what the inside looks like. I'm sure it could be sandblasted and cleaned up but I don't think its worth that much in that condition. I saw the one for $2700 too that doesn't seem like a bad deal but I'm not sure that I want the chargrill. I don't think I will use it much I have other grills. If I am using this its going to be for smoking. I'd rather have the basket to put splits in.
Click to expand...

I felt the same way about giving up the basket for wood splits.
 
700 miles roundtrip from New Orleans, LA to Houston, TX for my Klose

1780 miles roundtrip from NOVA to Tuscaloosa, AL for my Shirley

Always fun to meet your pitbuilder.
 
The more I think about it I think I may just try to buy something decent used within a few hours of where I live and if I like it then order a Shirley or whatever based on what I find that I like/want out of a smoker.

I actually was looking at the KBQ's also but to me that seems like more of a pain than anything. As an engineer the temperature control aspects are pretty cool (why I have a BBQ Guru control for my WSM). Part of the appeal of that setup with my WSM is that I can get it all ready to go and go sleep or whatever and know that the temperature controller is going to provide the required heat to the fire.

If I'm getting a stick burner that the fire needs to be messed with every half hour or hour I think I'd rather learn to manage a fire properly than be tied to an electrical cord.
 
Traveled from Lansing, MI to Houston, TX and back to purchase my old smoker (man I wish I still had it)
 
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