Best under $450 Portable RV/Camp Smoker?

[willwillx]

Looking for something i can put in the back of the truck for a road trip. I was looking at the red box smoker. But, it seemed like it was in the price range i was looking for. I also saw a pellet, but i was looking for something with more smoke flavor. Right now i use my gravity-fed assassin not so often because it's such a chore to pull out and set up. So for the right unit, i might even use it at home.. So i'm often using my zgrill, although i am about done with it with how it always catches fire.

 

[SmittyJonz]

Drum Smoker - DIY or Pit Barrel Cooker for smoking

Weber Jumbo Joe for grilling

 

[Itsdone]

You might want to consider a Smoke Daddy "Heavy D" they work fantastic with pellet smokers. If you use it correctly, it will give you the same flavor as a stick burner with less hassle.


Problem is finding logs locally. Home depot sells Hickory and Mesquite. You can use chunks but they burn up too fast. Dimentions are around 8 inches long and 3 inches by 3 inches wide, Maybe 4 x 4 wide.
I personally prefer Oak , but its hard to find in my area, and online is way too over priced.
What i do is mix Oak chunks with Hickory logs. It much cheaper then trying to buy oak logs online. Ace Hardware sells Post Oak chunks for reasonable price.

 

[glitchy]

Weber kettle with Slow N Sear? WSM? CampChef Pursuit 20?

Pellet grills should never have grease fires by design. Is something wrong with the Z-Grill or are you putting food past the drip tray? Or is it having hopper fires?

 

[Badjak]

WSM?
Smoker and braai in one. Sorry grill, too used to calling any form of bbq a braai
The 14.5 is real versatile.
Depends on number of people you want/need to feed.

 

[willwillx]

Weber kettle with Slow N Sear? WSM? CampChef Pursuit 20?

Pellet grills should never have grease fires by design. Is something wrong with the Z-Grill or are you putting food past the drip tray? Or is it having hopper fires?

I think it's because i don't clean the drip area enough, it's happening on the heat diffuser plate when i am cooking at 350 or so. I set a water tray over the holes to catch the grease to try and stop it from happening, it didn't happen for 2 hours tonight after i was letting one piece finish

 

[Fooball]

If you liked the Red Box, I didn't see it readily available anywhere other than a sketchy website that I wouldn't order from. They must have quit making it.

Found a similar box- the Big Woods Smoker, but it's $700.

https://www.bwcooking.com/products/big-woods-smoker

It's also on Ebay.

 

[16Adams]

Build a mini wsm
The tamale pot Weber smokey joe
Smoker or grill

 

[16Adams]

This popped on search but when I first joined this site these were a big deal

https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/smokey-joe-mini-wsm-project/

 

[kls44]

Build a mini wsm
The tamale pot Weber smokey joe
Smoker or grill

These work great! I built mine for less than $50.

 

[Ron_L]

For me it is our PKGo from PKGrills. It is portable, fairly small, can cook indirect, direct, and can also be split in half and used like a hibachi for double the cooking space. It would be tight for ribs, a butt or brisket, but could be done.

 

[Grain Belt]

I like the Weber kettle premium (the one with the ash bucket) modified with 1 inch curtain rods for legs just long enough to remove the ash pan. Bungee straps to keep the lid on for travel. I can do everything I do at home and I grill and smoke anything I can fit on my kettles.

 

[tom b]

I have a PBC and a Jumbo Joe for travel. Touches all the bases for me.

 

[willwillx]

Thanks for all the tips. I think i am going to go with the WSM 18. At under 40 pounds, i think it's something i can add to the rv without much issue when i get an rv heh. For now, it will just go in the truck bed. Seems like my best option for getting smoke flavor in a portable format and i can grill on it as well.

 

[2liter]

I bought the GMG Trek for camping, fits in the bed of the truck and runs off a 12v battery if needed. I have a 18" WSM but it's more then I want to deal with when camping.

 

[nickmv]

If you liked the Red Box, I didn't see it readily available anywhere other than a sketchy website that I wouldn't order from. They must have quit making it.

Found a similar box- the Big Woods Smoker, but it's $700.

https://www.bwcooking.com/products/big-woods-smoker

It's also on Ebay.

What do you mean? Mark still sells it straight from his website: https://ssomd.com/products/red-box-smoker. I picked one up about a year ago, it's great though I prob don't use it as much as I should. But it's awesome for traveling.

As for OP -- I'd say the Red Box is a solid choice for an RV, but you'll want to master high temp cooking with the deflector plate (with fins). My personal recommendations would be:

• Red Box
• WSM-14
• Mini WSM (Smokey Joe conversion project)
• WSM-18

 

[plymaniac]

Portable RV Smoker

I use the AKORN Jr. Kamado Charcoal Grill made by Chargriller. Costs under $200. It essentially is a Little Green Egg but made out of insulated metal. 14" cooking diameter and @40 pounds. Fits nicely in the front storage compartment of my fifth wheel. I use lump with wood chunks. Been using for a few years with no problems. Smokes pretty well.