Experienced Griller, but Novice Smoker

itschris said:

I'm interested in the "set and forget" styles form Treager, etc. I'm comitted to tending my smoker which to me seems like half the fun.

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Welcome to the club, and I hope your BBQ efforts go well. Let me say that there is danger in the words "set and forget." You risk fires going out, undercooked food, or blazing hot fires that burn the meat. Never a good idea.

Just like you would never walk away from a ribeye over the grill, I believe you should never turn your back on your smoker. Unless, of course, you need to blink the smoke out of your eyes.

You got it right in that tending the smoker is half the fun. Especially when it's accompanied by beer.

itschris said:

... I've got my choices down to two: The Brinkmann Stillwater Limited and the The Brinkmann Cimarron Limited. ... I'm hoping at about $1000, these will be good out of the box so to speak. Thanks in advance for the expert advice!

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Welcome!

I'm new here myself, so I won't claim to offer any "expert advice", but I do own a Cimmaron Deluxe, so I can share some experience with you. The Cimmaron and the Stillwater have the same cooking area and firebox size, the Cimmaron Deluxe also has a propane log lighter, and comes with a propane "turkey fryer" type burner. The main difference I noted between the versions of the two models was that the Stillwater has an extra shelf. I opted to pay my money for more cook top; shelves I've got.

In re mods: I found that I had to make a couple. First, as I suspect might happen with any offset smoker of this size, the proximity of the firebox to the meat can make for uneven cooking and even a bit of charring on the side of the meat nearest the fire. So I built a baffle so the meat doesn't get directly hit with the heat from the fire. Second, the bottom of the flue opens at the top of the cooking chamber, allowing the smoke and heat to pass above the meat and out. I solved that problem with a length of aluminum dryer duct, bent to a 90* turn and one end inserted into the flue, the other opening just at grill level. This (and the baffle) cost some grill space, but were worth it, I felt. I can fit two packer cut briskets (10# to 12#) in the cook chamber. Anything more than that, I fire up the big smoker. I also found that the grill supplied to hold the fire off the floor of the firebox didn't allow me to clean out the ash during a cook, so I hunted around the neighborhood until someone threw out a gas grill and cut the grill from it to fit in the Cimmaron's firebox, but about an inch higher than the one Brinkmann supplied; no more cleaning problem.

Shop carefully. These things run about 300 pounds and the shipping will kill you. I paid around $700 for my Cimmaron a couple of years ago, but the shipping (Yellow Freight) added another $250+ to that price.

Good luck!

One more thing... The positioning of the supplied thermometer means it's reading the temperature of the air 2-3 inches above the meat. I get around that by laying the probe of an electronic thermometer on the grill surface. I suppose I could have drilled a new hole for the supplied thermometer, but I just wasn't that ambitious.

Welcome, grab a cold one and jump right into the party.

If you are looking for set it and forget it cookin, then you are pretty much right there with your WSM. How many folks are you talking about in the "larger gatherings"?

Chris,
I too am not a "set and forget guy" although they WILL let you sleep if you have an overnight cook. But, as someone said, "There's time to sleep when you're dead"!!

Glad you found us and welcome aboard!

Arlin

Did you look at the small spicewine? He's a reagular here and makes a great product. Scott

Yakfishingfool said:

Did you look at the small spicewine? He's a reagular here and makes a great product. Scott

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I am a set it and forget it guy, so I am not going to bore you with my take on that. I know my next statement is going to offend some and I do not mean it to. The Brinkmann Stillwater looks like an aweful "cheaply constructed" smoker for $1000 bucks! I just looked at the Spicewine page(first time there, know wonder everyone raves about this unit), man you might want to look real hard at their $1000 unit!

itschris said:

MasQue - you said you that if you're cooking more than an #11 & #12 (to be honest, I'm not even sure what that means) you use the "big smoker"... what are using? Do you think the Stillwater LTD or Cimarron LTD have too limited a capacity? I'd like to be able smoke enough food for 15 people or so. It's hard to tell by Brinkmann's descriptions, just how big those smokers are and how much they can handle.

For that kind of money $800-$1000, are there signficantly better options. ...

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Sorry for not being clearer... Both Brinkmanns have a 16" by 30 " cooking surface. I can fit 2 ten to twelve pound packer cut (flat and point together) briskets in the Cimmaron, even after the mods. Say that I trim that size brisket to around 9 pounds, we're talking about ending up with somewhere in the vicinity of 12 to 13 pounds of cooked meat. More than enough for 15 people. You could easily cook 3-4 pork butts or shoulders or several racks of ribs if you used a rib rack. You'd have to drop the grill level somehow to do a beer can chicken as the diameter of the pipe is 16".

I'm sure other people will have other suggestions as to what you might get in your price range. One thing you might try is to look for a "Silver Smoker". They cost about $150 in any big box store. Last year, the Walmart near me had them on sale for $99, so I bought one. They aren't as well made as the Brinkmann (14 gauge steel as opposed to 1/4" welded), but they are very similar in size. The mods would be pretty much the same and it would give you an idea of what a horizontal offset is like, and it's possible to make decent food in one. (No shipping, either, but you'll need someone to help you carry it.) I ended up giving mine to my cousin as I just couldn't justify having the the Brinkmann, the SS, two Webers and the trailer all around the house.

A picture of my bigger pit follows. I use it for parties and catering (and comps). This last weekend I cooked a case of briskets and a case of butts and used about 1/3 of the cooking area. Toys are good.

I'm not a WSM owner, and I'm very glad you're here, but I would suggest kicking around the WSM for a while before "moving up." There are a lot of guys here who have a bunch of experience with the WSM, and they are regularly used in competitions across America.

For my thousand, I'll echo the Spicewine. When I get the itch again, I'll be making the road trip to pick one up. Otherwise, look around for a Bandera. Lots of guys here also use them, and they seem to be a smoker that you dicker around with while it's doing its thing.

Welcome to our backyard brother... check your PM.

Welcome to the forum. I have different types of smokers and love them all because you can really get into the different ways they cook. Don't own a WSM but looking at what the brothers say about them, you are definately on the right track. Use that for a while before you decide. Enjoy the new smoker and enjoy this forum!:grin:

Variety is the spice of life. Looks like you have a nice hoizontal. Try a vertical. I have a Spicewine and it fits nicely anywere on the patio.

Chris,
I guess I'm in a unique position here as I have the cookers you are talking about. First, the difference between the Cimarron Limited and the Stillwater Limited is a bottom shelf under the cook chamber. If I was to choose, I'd go with the Cimarron Limited (which is what I have). Both units are constructed of 1/4" steel and are heavy duty units. It's just a lot of $$ to pay for that storage shelf.
As with many cookers, the design could be better, but I'm sure to save $$ Brinkmann didn't build in decent baffles/tuning plates.
I started with the Cimarron Limited in 98 (gift from my dad), and have since acquired 2 WSMs. I use the WSMs way more than the Cimarron. The hot spot near the firebox mentioned earlier is the reason why. I am currently trying to get some 1/4" steel plate to make a better baffle/tuning plate mod. If just the tuning plates don't work the Cimarron will get converted to a reverse flow cooker by moving the stack from the top of the cook chamber to the left rear at grate level.
If you go with an offset like the Cimarron, raise the charcoal grate as previously suggested, and also get yourself a charcoal basket of some sort. Makes a big difference.
Also, when $$ are available I will change the thermo placement in the door, and put 2 thermos in, on either end of the door closer to the grate to get a better temp reading.
All in all the Cimarron is a good cooker. It was my only pit for a number of years and I turned out some outstanding pork and brisket. With the changes I want to make it will be even better and more versatile.
I also added a cooker recently that is similar to the Southfork, it too requires some major mods that I have designed and now need to get built.

itschris said:

I'm still leaning towards the offset, likely the horizon, but now I'm hearing nothing but great things about the Smoke King Deluxe vertical. I now know that just about whatever I buy is going to need modifications, so I know that's something I'll need to address.

Thanks again. The more info I get the better decision I can make. I can't stand buyer's remorse.

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Menards has the BSKD (aka Left Handed Bandera) in stock. The BSKD is not nearly as robust as the Cimarron or the Stillwater. Steel not nearly as heavy. FYI.
My Cimarron was a gift, I love it, and I will never part with it. The "Southfork clone" I bought was only $100 for a huge 1/4" steel pit. I would not have bought it if it was more.
If it was me spending the $$ ($700-$1000) now, I'd be getting the likes of a Spicewine or a Backwoods. Just my $.02