Help Needed! New Smoker Purchase

[SmittyJonz]

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=221325
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[SmittyJonz]

BBQFreak's videos......

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[BillATL]

There are definitely people who make pits like what you describe - in fact there's one for sale on the Brethren Sales forum right now:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249764

Other than BQ, I know some folks with Alveron cookers who swear by them

 

[Notorious Q.U.E.]

I've got a stretch. I've only been able to cook on it 6-7 times so far because I've been working overseas. When I was home during the month June I was fitting racks front to back on it. Maybe it's cuz I trim off the tips at the end that don't carry all the way through the meat. Those bits are my taste testers.

Spot on Big N Hot. Full un trimmed St Louis spares were just a tad too long by 1-2 inches. They ended up brushing up against the interior of the cook chamber. It wasn't a huge deal and they turned out fine but I definitely went larger when I bought my current rig. I love that I don't have to worry about the meat clearing the edges.

I have to agree with other posters that if you're already ready to spend 2000, an extra 500 shouldn't factor too much

 

[Bob C Cue]

I have to agree with other posters that if you're already ready to spend 2000, an extra 500 shouldn't factor too much

And to the OP: Now that your budget is $2500 if you add just $500 more you open up so many more possibilities. Look into the Shirley line for example!

 

[Texian]

I'm only familiar with the first too smokers:

1) Horizon 20" Marshall (Same comments apply to Yoder Smokers a nearly identical manufacturer across most of their smoker lines)
~IMO Horizon is old fashioned design and too expensive compared to the competition. They're selling at custom smoker prices but short on custom feature set and quality. They don't have tunning plates and the smoke stack is poorly placed op high. For traditional
direct-flow smokers like this I'd look at Peoria Cookers, Lone Star Grillz or Jambo just to name a few that are better quality for similar pricing. BTW Peoria is in your neck of the woods and you could save ton he shipping costs. For full disclosure, I have a LSG pit being built now...

2) Lang 36" hybrid
~These is are awesome bang for the buck smoker/grills. I'm not a big fan of reverse-flow smokers, but that's not a knock on them. My preference is just direct flow & tunning plates. Lang has a well earned reputataion and fan base. You won't be dissapointed.

One random thought, can you get hardwoods suitable for smoking in your area? I ask because offsets require lots of fuel. You may want to consider some of the insulated verticals smokers that use charcoal and wood chunks if hardwoods are difficult procure or expensive. Added benefits are they run with little user intervention and they're easy to run in cold weather too.

Best of luck selecting your smoker. Be sure and post whichever smoker you choose.

 

[jmitch43]

Ended up going with the assassin 48". Loved talking to the owner and hearing his passion in his product was a big plus. Living in Michigan it gets cold which would make an offset more difficult year around comparatively. The larger cooking capacity was also a huge win. That mattered a lot and was a big deciding factor. That and how the v pan can be used to sizzle the juices back into the meat. It was close between the M1 and assassin but the larger cooking area and price gave the knod to assassin.

 

[Texian]

That insulated smoker is a really smart decision given your latitude. I can't wait to see what you produce on that Assassin :thumb:

 

[Kikaida]

Grats on your purchase! Seems like a great choice. What color did you get?

 

[jmitch43]

Got alabama crimson red. Roll tide!

 

[jmitch43]

Question with the assassin smoker charcoal grill and smoker... I know it's recommended to use wood chunks with charcoal when smoking with it, but can I use a little charcoal with larger wood pieces like the m1 uses?