smoker question

N

nascarchuck

Guest
I have a question and hope that I am in the right forum.

On a fishing forum that I frequent, there is a guy that builds smokers. I have heard that he does a good job and that they are nice smokers.

I have been researching and have pretty well narrowed my choice to the Char Griller Smokin Pro. I can get the Smokin Pro for a little less than $200. This guy is wanting $600 for this smoker.

My question is, would I be better off just getting a SmokinPro because they are proven to be good or should I take a look at what this guy has to offer? He said that he could build me a cheaper one out of thinner materials.

If I was to go with a "home made" model, what do I need to look at in one?

He posted pics of this one that he just completed the other day, so here they are.





Thanks for your input...

Chuck
 
3x the cost. The photo of the black one looks nice. Check out overall capacity and workmanship. 1/4" steel I imagine. See if he will negotiate down a little without changing the grade of steel. Nothing wrong with the one you're eyeballing but then again the price of steel and labor ain't going down soon.
 
Chuck, you are definatley on the RIGHT forum..... There's more insight here than you'll be able to take in.
I would suggest you do alot of research..ask lots of questions and make an informed decision.There are tons of models and tons of styles. They all have their place and, lots are really good units. You can spend alot of money and not be satisfied if you don't think it through.
Ask yourself some questions;
-What do I plan on doing with the smoker ie...cooking for yourself and a couple others in the backyard occasionally??
-Cooking for a crowd??
-what type of smoker best fits my need??? offset, upright, pellet type, stick burner, ets.., etc...
Weigh your options and you'll be alot happier in the end.

There's a wealth of info here,don't be shy.. just ask the questions and they'll get aswered...

And by the way the offset in the pic. looks like a really nice pit.
john
 
whats the size of the 600$ homemade one?

it maybe 3 times the cost, yes, but will save fuel and time(babysitting).
 
tommykendall said:
3x the cost. The photo of the black one looks nice. Check out overall capacity and workmanship. 1/4" steel I imagine. See if he will negotiate down a little without changing the grade of steel. Nothing wrong with the one you're eyeballing but then again the price of steel and labor ain't going down soon.
Click to expand...


I forgot to include this bit of info in my original post...

18" dia, 1/4" walls,3' main chamber,1.5' fire chamber,4" stack
 
BBQchef33 said:
whats the size of the 600$ homemade one?

it maybe 3 times the cost, yes, but will save fuel and time(babysitting).
Click to expand...


And that is one thing that I like about the Smokin Pro... You don't have to babysit it like some of the others.

Now, how will I make that determination if this homebuilt smoker will need to be babysat? I would imagine that this is a hard question to answer...
 
heavier steel retains the heat better, and better seals on doors and dampers will give you a more controlled burn. If the homebuilt is 1/4 inch steel, its better than the smokin pro,and the smoking pro is not known for great craftmenship. Smoking Pro is rolled steel, where the homemade maybe 1/4inch pipe which is most likely a denser steel. Ya need to check out the homemade, or call the guy and get some specs for us.

if u have an acadamy sports near u, or bass pro.. check out the brinkman cimmaron or longhorn. i think one of them is in that price range too and is built better than the chargriller.
 
3x the price sounds a little high, but it is good material. might ask for references on how well they cook. looks pretty nice.
 
Have you smoked long or just starting out?
How often are you planning on smoking and for how many people?

I started out with the $80 Chargriller from walmart and learned a lot, but I out grew it in about a year.
 
The specs that I was able to get are:

18" dia, 1/4" walls, 3' main chamber, 1.5' fire chamber, 4" stack and the main chamber is 33"x17" and the firebox grill 16"x17"
 
......... 1/4" steel (what they said) thermal mass, temp stability, etc. Your local one may be very good. A proven one from Horizon is not that much more, but you can drive to get one ... I cannot. May be a good benchmark for you to compare against though.
 
Offset

My offset was given to me, but with that said I had to make alot of mod.s because of the differant temps across the board, like raise the fire grate,add an ash pit and moved the stack to cook grate level, which improved the smoker greatly, so if your thinking about dropping that kind of money make sure you have a very informed dicusion or you'll be very fustrated in your cooking!!
 
Puppyboy said:
Have you smoked long or just starting out?
How often are you planning on smoking and for how many people?

I started out with the $80 Chargriller from walmart and learned a lot, but I out grew it in about a year.
Click to expand...


I am just getting started.

My smoking will mainly consist of food for the family and maybe sharing some with some of the guys at work. I would also like to be able to smoke for our family reunions (about 50 to 70 people) and other get togethers.

I normally grill several times a week now. I would like to get a food saver and just do one or two good smokes/grills a week and freeze them.

Not planning on smoking anything extravegant. Mostly briskets, ribs, BBC, etc...

Actually, I don't want to buy something too small and a year or so later have to buy something larger. Wife just doesn't understand these things.
 
I've seen his post on hias cookers. I think they're a little small at 18". You could save up another $200 or so and get a Klose. For $400 the Longhorn at Academy is hard to beat for the price, size and construction.
 
thillin said:
I've seen his post on hias cookers. I think they're a little small at 18". You could save up another $200 or so and get a Klose. For $400 the Longhorn at Academy is hard to beat for the price, size and construction.
Click to expand...


I was hoping that you would see what he has and then throw your two cents worth in. I figure that you have seen his post and/or smokers in the past.
 
nascarchuck said:
I am just getting started.

My smoking will mainly consist of food for the family and maybe sharing some with some of the guys at work. I would also like to be able to smoke for our family reunions (about 50 to 70 people) and other get togethers.

I normally grill several times a week now. I would like to get a food saver and just do one or two good smokes/grills a week and freeze them.

Not planning on smoking anything extravegant. Mostly briskets, ribs, BBC, etc...

Actually, I don't want to buy something too small and a year or so later have to buy something larger. Wife just doesn't understand these things.
Click to expand...

I understand that! I've used the same Weber kettle for, oh, I don't know, at least a couple decades or so. I kept asking for another kettle so that when we have all the family members over I didn't have to cook the food in shifts.

I'm really thankful for my son-in-law-to-be. He convinced the wife that I -needed- the smoker so I could have more fun when everyone comes over.

So now I have PLENTY of room for the get togethers and I can grill and smoke at the same time.

It's a great idea to think first about how you'll be using your new smoker, then buy the right tool (or tools) to do the job.

/Brother Dave
 
6 Bones isnt bad for that cooker. The big question is how serious are you about your Q? The homemade one the metal is probably twice as thick which means 2 things #1 it will hold heat better and more evenly which along with practice equals GOOD EATS! #2 is the thicker metal will hold up a whole lot better so once you get used to the cooker it isnt already time to buy a new one.
(It'll also probably last at least 3 times longer than the other one.)
 
nascarchuck said:
Not planning on smoking anything extravegant. Mostly briskets, ribs, BBC, etc...
Click to expand...

That's what I said. Since I've been here and chatted with so many brothers and sisters, I have come to find there is no such thing as "anything extravegant". You'll want to cook everything you hear about and try something new.
 
i have had my chargriller for 1.5 yrs. Do I want a spicewine, or egg or even a WSM, sure. I dont think any of us are ever content with what we have. I have done the chimney mod, and made a charcoal basket. I use a water pan for a baffle. For what i do, its a great 1st smoker. I have loaded it with 2 briskets, 2 butts, a few slabs and some ABT's . For everything you ever wanted to know about the CG, check this out.

http://www.barbecuebible.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1467&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0


mods, sorry if posting another board isnt kosher but at 130 pages of discussion its an amazing resource
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

W
New to The PK
Replies
16
Views
593
WeberWho
W
T
Buying a new smoker/grill. Which one?
Replies
1
Views
714
bschoen
B
B
Recteq size
2
Replies
24
Views
1K
SweetHeatBBQnSC
SweetHeatBBQnSC
B
Pellet smoker
Replies
5
Views
1K
Headgear
Headgear
S
Water Smokers?
Replies
4
Views
447
SmoothBoarBBQ
SmoothBoarBBQ
Back
Top