ntmeyer
Found some matches.
New joiner here, although I've been stalking the forums and threads for a few years it seems. Had a WSM 18.5 until I recently moved back to DFW area and the movers destroyed it. With the tax return, the wife said it's time to buy another!!!
So, here's where I am. I've looked at 4 smokers in tremendous detail:
1. Jambo Backyard Model - ~$1850, no options or shipping required
2. Backwoods Fatboy - ~3400 with options and shipping
3. Superior SS-2 - $3600 with options and shipping
4. WSM 22.5 - ~1000 with options and mods
Main option above is CyberQ guru for those wondering.
My decision is really based on 2-3 issues that most struggle with based on my reading of the forum, but open to some new perspectives for other points of view:
1. Flavor profile of wood vs charcoal with little seasoning (i like central tx style BBQ, so salt and pepper for me usually). My guess is wood is probably the best, but heavy fuel consumption and lots of lost sleep is probably not going to be a good thing in the wife's eyes. Especially since i really like cooking packer briskets and those can take forever...
2. Safety and Cleanup - Wife likes idea of insulated smoker for kiddos, but I'm more worried about cleanup. HATED WATER PAN CLEANUP on WSM 18.5. Seen many a post on WSM clay pot mods, but also seen a lot of posts on grease fires in cabinet styles. Starting looking at Superior GF design as a result since Stumps seemed to have a bigger problem in this space (although this may have been fixed)
3. Ease & Fun - hated lifted off grates on WSM to get into the middle section. Like idea of cabinet style or offset for this reason. all but offset give burn times that rival an oven, so struggling a bit with the fun factor here. Maybe the engineer in me will just really love the cyberQ and I'll forget about the ease of non-offset smoking.
So, with all that said, what are your thoughts? Which one and why? I've also looked at about 30 other smokers and brands, so no really trying to argue Klose vs Jambo as an example, more trying to decide between vertical water vs vertical GF vs insulated offset vs $400 WSM. Can a WSM 22.5 really hold it's own here (assuming the chef is as good on each)? Is there a $3000 taste difference?
So, here's where I am. I've looked at 4 smokers in tremendous detail:
1. Jambo Backyard Model - ~$1850, no options or shipping required
2. Backwoods Fatboy - ~3400 with options and shipping
3. Superior SS-2 - $3600 with options and shipping
4. WSM 22.5 - ~1000 with options and mods
Main option above is CyberQ guru for those wondering.
My decision is really based on 2-3 issues that most struggle with based on my reading of the forum, but open to some new perspectives for other points of view:
1. Flavor profile of wood vs charcoal with little seasoning (i like central tx style BBQ, so salt and pepper for me usually). My guess is wood is probably the best, but heavy fuel consumption and lots of lost sleep is probably not going to be a good thing in the wife's eyes. Especially since i really like cooking packer briskets and those can take forever...
2. Safety and Cleanup - Wife likes idea of insulated smoker for kiddos, but I'm more worried about cleanup. HATED WATER PAN CLEANUP on WSM 18.5. Seen many a post on WSM clay pot mods, but also seen a lot of posts on grease fires in cabinet styles. Starting looking at Superior GF design as a result since Stumps seemed to have a bigger problem in this space (although this may have been fixed)
3. Ease & Fun - hated lifted off grates on WSM to get into the middle section. Like idea of cabinet style or offset for this reason. all but offset give burn times that rival an oven, so struggling a bit with the fun factor here. Maybe the engineer in me will just really love the cyberQ and I'll forget about the ease of non-offset smoking.
So, with all that said, what are your thoughts? Which one and why? I've also looked at about 30 other smokers and brands, so no really trying to argue Klose vs Jambo as an example, more trying to decide between vertical water vs vertical GF vs insulated offset vs $400 WSM. Can a WSM 22.5 really hold it's own here (assuming the chef is as good on each)? Is there a $3000 taste difference?
