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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking. |
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03-13-2012, 07:34 AM | #1 |
is One Chatty Farker
Join Date: 10-29-11
Location: Chicagoland
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Smokenator vs WSM?
I have a friend who can get me an 18 inch WSM for about 200 after tax, but the smokenator doesn't look like a bad choice either.
Is one better for smoking, especially at lower temps? Full slabs of ribs and whole turkeys- I'm guessing for this the smokenator might be a better choice? The 18.5 and 22.5 inch smokenator both look tempting to me. |
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03-13-2012, 07:36 AM | #2 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 07-15-09
Location: Memphis, TN...Formerly of Decatur, AL
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If it's a choice, it's a no brainer. WSM. There are other things you can do to mod a kettle on the cheap that will work just as well as the Smokenator.
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Guerry [FONT=Book Antiqua]Pit Beeatch for Team Munchkin[/FONT] [FONT=Book Antiqua][B]Avatar by Northwest BBQ [/B][/FONT]"...In nature, there are predators. I believe the common denominator of the universe is not harmony, but chaos, hostility and murder..." Werner Herzog |
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Thanks from:---> |
03-13-2012, 07:39 AM | #3 |
is One Chatty Farker
Join Date: 10-29-11
Location: Chicagoland
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What other cheap mods can you do?
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03-13-2012, 07:46 AM | #4 |
is One Chatty Farker
Join Date: 06-20-11
Location: Mooresville, NC
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Just get two fire bricks to hold the charcoal on one side. Put your wood in via the hinged grate. Will cook low and slow for a long while. Also, you can get a pitmaster IQ 110 for $130 and have steady temps without having to check on it.
P.S Get a WSM if you are going to buy anything. The 22.5" is great and can hold a ton of meat.
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Hillside BBQ 2013 Stumps Classic - Delivered 4/15/13 Large BGE - Rescued 2012 2010 WSM 22.5" 2010 Weber genesis gas grill Rescued 22.5 Weber One-touch gold Yellow Thermopen BBQ Guru CyberQ 2011 Built UDS - Retired Last edited by Jaskew82; 03-13-2012 at 08:52 AM.. |
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03-13-2012, 08:47 AM | #5 |
is One Chatty Farker
Join Date: 10-06-08
Location: wading river, ny
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Honestly the smokenator is a waste of money. As stated above, 2 firebricks and a small pan of water does the same thing. You will never get more than 5-6hr's out of a kettle smoke. If you you put about a 1/3 of a lit chimney on top of unlit, barely crack the bottom vent, and leave the top about half open it'll hold 250-275 as long as you keep the lid closed, the first chance that fire has to get air and light itself up, you'll never get it to go out.
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L trailer spicewine, webers, 2-26.75's, performer, heineken 22 1/2, 7 level pro-q 20 excel |
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03-13-2012, 08:47 AM | #6 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 10-10-10
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana
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^^^^What they said. I bought a Smokenator for our 22" Kettle. Used it a few times.....its now in the shed. Can do everything without one, using an offset method. And get a WSM when you can, you will NEVER regret it for nice long slow cooks with little attending!
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22.5" OTG - 18.5" WSM - Weber RoTo - SJ Rescue |
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03-13-2012, 09:24 AM | #7 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 05-10-11
Location: East of Atlanta, GA.
Name/Nickname : Colin
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My 22.5 OTS came with a Smokenator when I bought it from CL. The previous owner had used it once... so have I.
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Colin - "Drinking alcohol can cause memory loss... or worse, memory loss" New Braunfels Hondo Offset New Braunfels Bandera (Refurbished & Improved) Char-Broil 450 (Purchased new in 1981) 1996 Blue Weber SS Performer Weber charcoal Go-Anywhere 2 Weber SJSs & modified stock pot Mini-WSM Weber rotisserie, Rib-O-Lator & Smokenator system Blackstone Tailgater Combo & STOK Island gasser |
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03-13-2012, 09:46 AM | #8 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 11-05-10
Location: Orange County, CA
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smokenator is a big waste of money
wsm is an amazing smoker. never ever compare the two again :) |
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03-13-2012, 12:04 PM | #9 |
is One Chatty Farker
Join Date: 09-11-11
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
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I have booth. The smokenator is a great way to see if you like smoking. But at most I only got 3 hours from a full load of charcoal and having to add water every hour was no good. It might be better without doing that.
Once you know you like it, the wsm is the way to go and isn't a comparable device. |
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03-13-2012, 12:39 PM | #10 |
Full Fledged Farker
Join Date: 02-02-12
Location: Nashville, Tn
Name/Nickname : Jim H.
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I also have both, and I'd say that a couple of firebricks are both cheaper and better than the Smokenator if you want to smoke in your kettle. I used the smokenator maybe 5-6 times and regret spending money on it, and I wish I had learned more about it before I bought it. Now, I use two firebricks placed end to end about 4" from one side of the kettle, leaving a small empty coffee can's worth of space at one end and light 10 briquettes for a Minion start with some wood chunks thrown in for flavor. Before I found my WSM, I would smoke a butt or two on the top grate for 5-6 hrs. until the coals burned out, then finish them in the oven.
The WSM is a fantastic cooker that will hold temps for hours and once you learn how to cook on it, it will prove a better investment in the long run.
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BWS Extended Party, 18" WSM, Green SS Performer, 22" OTG, KCBS CBJ |
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03-13-2012, 12:44 PM | #11 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 07-08-10
Location: Texas
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200 bucks for a new WSM? That's a great deal. I love mine.
You don't need a Smokenator to smoke on a kettle, either. I've done it many times. CD |
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03-13-2012, 12:58 PM | #12 |
On the road to being a farker
Join Date: 09-05-11
Location: Woodbridge, VA
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Another vote for the WSM. Plenty of of help over at the Virtual Weber Bullet forum too. That's how I made my choice and got hooked on Q.
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[FONT=Arial Narrow][COLOR=black]Primo XL[/COLOR][/FONT] [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial Narrow]CG Akorn[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial Narrow]2 WSM 18.5[/FONT][FONT=Arial Narrow]"[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]Blazing Blue Thermapen[/COLOR] [COLOR=#2e8b57]BBQ Guru DigiQ DX2[/COLOR] MABA Member |
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03-13-2012, 01:03 PM | #13 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 06-30-08
Location: Flushing, NY
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Build a UDS!
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Butts-N-Gutts BBQ Team ( NYC Chapter Member ) Official MOINK Ball Maker ( Certified Dec 2008 ) Not So Ugly Drum Smoker, now on wheels!; 22.5" Weber Kettle One Touch Gold (CL Rescue); 22.5" Weber [B][COLOR=blue][I]Cool-Blue[/I][/COLOR][/B] Performer; 14" Table Top Kettle Grill; Turkey Fryer; [B][I][COLOR=red]Rapid-Fire-Red[/COLOR][/I][/B] Thermapen!; [COLOR="SeaGreen"][B][I]Mini, Small, Medium & Large BGE![/I][/B][/COLOR] |
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04-04-2012, 12:54 PM | #15 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 11-18-10
Location: USA
Name/Nickname : Rick
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Rick |
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