Whitewater Smokers

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Never heard of them. When in doubt, stick to reputable brands. Smokers require the right engineering to work correctly. Brand X might be cheap, but you may end up with a poorly designed pit that doesnt run right

Well, I googled them, and the first hit was this thread.
Whitewater BBQ Smokers is located in Harrison, Ohio.
Their website makes it look like they know what they are doing. Prices seem good.
If I was in their neighborhood, I would check them out.

planeles said:

Does anybody know about the quality of these smokers? Anybody using them?

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I can't speak on the quality, but their website states "we use 12 gauge steel". So that means the steel is really thin and when looking at the prices of the 60" model, you can get way better pits for cheaper or around a little more money.

Here are a few to help your search:

http://www.lonestargrillz.com/Vertical-Smokers.html This 24 x 30 smoker is $1,925 and made out of 1/4 steel everywhere and has a small footprint, but its not reverse flow.

http://www.shirleyfabrication.com/smokers/patio-models/ The 24 x 50 patio model with warmer is $1,950 and is made out of at least 1/4 steel everywhere and is a reverse flow.

East Texas Smoker Company

Pits by JJ

Bubba Grills

Lang


All these companies are just off the top of my head, but I would with any of them before I would purchase a 12 gauge 60" smoker for $2,050. If you let us know your budget, anyone on this website would be willing to help you find the best bang for your buck.

There is nothing wrong with 12guage steel. I personally use it and have built a lot of smoker ang grills with. Some of which are 13 to 14 years old to date and still running strong. It's more about the care you put into keeping one up. A lot of builders are using lighter material than 12 guage and are doing very well selling them. Some of whom are major pit builder in the world of BBQ. Thicker is not always better. I have thirty five years of experience in structural steel and fabrication business.

JM2C there are better options. Two things stick out on these pits> Thin metal and in the one picture that has the pit running the firebox is leaking you can clearly see TBS leaking around the FB door. I'd move on.

smokstaclightning said:

There is nothing wrong with 12guage steel. I personally use it and have built a lot of smoker ang grills with. Some of which are 13 to 14 years old to date and still running strong. It's more about the care you put into keeping one up. A lot of builders are using lighter material than 12 guage and are doing very well selling them. Some of whom are major pit builder in the world of BBQ. Thicker is not always better. I have thirty five years of experience in structural steel and fabrication business.

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smokstaclightning: You are correct about many pit builders using 12 gauge steel, but I see those mainly on insulated pits like Stumps, Pitmaker, Rebel, etc.

My view is that if I'm going to purchase a reverse flow smoker and the prices are the same, I'm going to choose the thicker steel.

For my dollar 1/4" or nuttin'.

All, I purchased a 48” tall custom Whitewater smoker in April 2015. (The tall versions have a taller cooking chamber and a removable second rack) Since bringing this machine home we smoke almost every weekend and I have burned about a cord+ of apple wood in the last 6 months. I can’t speak to how long this smoker will last yet, but it is a solid machine! John the owner has been building these for about 15 years, and he will customize just about any request. Mine had one small area in top of the hood that leaked a little smoke so I sealed all the openings with about $25 of high temp NOMEX felt. With this being a reverse flow it cooks very even and temps do not fluctuate that much. Of the 48” in the cooking chamber about 40” will remain at about 210 – 225 at all times. Open the fire box door, throw some wood in there and surprise it is still at 210. No temp spiking here. This weekend was the first time in cool weather. 45-50 degrees outside during the smoke and still 210. My father’s original Oklahoma Joe may be 1/8+ steel but it fluctuates like a 50 year old going through menopause. This machine is pure low and slow. I have not been able to get the chamber above 250. The fire box is decent in size and can swallow 24” – 28” logs. Mine also has a door at the opposite end of the firebox that allows for easy access to remove the reverse flow steel plate for cleaning or I can turn it into a grill by swapping the solid steel plate with the extra grill grate. I spent quite a bit of time doing research and was preparing a trip to Alabama before I stumbled on Whitewater smokers. At this point money well spent.

smokstaclightning said:

There is nothing wrong with 12guage steel. I personally use it and have built a lot of smoker ang grills with. Some of which are 13 to 14 years old to date and still running strong. It's more about the care you put into keeping one up. A lot of builders are using lighter material than 12 guage and are doing very well selling them. Some of whom are major pit builder in the world of BBQ. Thicker is not always better. I have thirty five years of experience in structural steel and fabrication business.

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I would be interested to know who the major pit builders are that make uninsulated smokers out of thin metal?