Searching for a first smoker

Hi Brethren,

I mainly came to this forum looking for THE BEST smoker for the money, but found that this forum is way much more than that. I have enjoyed pouring over tips, tricks, and constant positivity found here and since then, my food has greatly improved. Thank you for that!!!

Any-who, after watching pitmasters, I want to get a smoker and had no clue where to start; however, I had an inkling cheap smokers bought at box stores were not the best beginning. So, I researched and found the Myron Mixon Smokers, and fell in love with them, but found them to be well out of my price range. Then I found the LSG cabinets and pipe smokers or a shirley fab and thought that were everything I was looking for. So, my fiance and I agreed that after we get married (11/5/16) I could start saving for one. Then we started planning the wedding, and my budget crumbled. Bc of this, I became very depressed, but I stumbled upon a WSM and have read of all of the AWESOME food it produced, bc I learned that it is THE COOK that makes great food, not necessarily the vessel in which you cook in.

That being said, I can almost immediately purchase a WSM but I am unable to find a dealer in the Springfield, IL area that caries them. I did not know if you guys had purchased one online and if so would you recommend one site over another??? Also what size should I get??? I have read to go bigger than what you originally intent to use bc it will fill up fast and I will outgrow it if I take it to comps and such...

If this is a duplicate post or in the wrong section I am sorry and if that is the case, could you point me in the correct direction :grin:

Thank you
Josh

alright, cool! thank you for the info! hopefully i can get to ordering one in the next couple of weeks! but tonight, its on to grilling up chicken fajitas (fiance does NOT like steak) that ive had marinating since this morning

hammb said:

She does NOT like steak AND you're marrying her? Wow...that would probably be a deal breaker for me!

I hope she at least likes BBQ. I'm lucky in that my wife loves it almost as much as I do...which is good because she thinks I have an obsession.

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oh she loves everything BUT steak, including burgers and brisket, just doesnt like steak.

she can also cook some awesome food (ive put on some serious lbs since weve been together lol) which is why shes a keeper haha

revkab said:

Regarding which smoker is the best of the best -

The best smoker is the one you can cook with the best. Get a smoker and learn how it runs, then get good with it. That WSM you been talking about will work real well, so will a UDS. If'n ya wants to have fun, get the WSM, then git started building a UDS. Learn those real well, THEN think about what to git next. Lotsa good advise here on everything from building to Q'ing.

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thats exactly what i was thinking, except im absolutely terrible with building things. hell i could barely change a tube on a bicycle back in my bike racing days, which is why ill probably stay away from a usd for a bit.

i might have to prove to both myself and the future wife that i want to cook and keep cooking so that i can convince both of us an extremely nice smoker would be a wise investment