Next smoker purchase...?

[mikeTRON]

I have a 18.5" WSM and I am am thinking about my next smoker. So I am doing research now. :becky:

Who has a lang? or a reverse flow on a trailer?

Would you recommend this or a cabinet style smoker?


http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/spo/2010189310.html
This is a lang 48 and is about $900:

I am just researching my next smoker and looking for input

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/for/2022785558.html
Two 18" for about $800

How does the Bubba keg compare to the BGE and other smokers?

These are vague questions so feel free to chime in with whatever you might feel is relevant.

 

[bmanMA]

i am also looking to upgrade from my 18 wsm and am really hoping for a backwoods.

 

[gtr]

So far I'm really enjoying my Klose BYC. Pros: it holds heat very well, it will last forever & I love the vertical chamber for holding and slower cooking, very versatile for large cooks. It's also just a beautiful thing to look at - clearly made by someone who takes pride in their work. Cons: not practical for small cooks, i.e. a single pork butt or a rack of ribs or a chicken (to the kettle for that stuff), also not exactly cheap - at all - but like i said, it'll be around forever.

Also since it's a large beast, it takes about an hour to get to temp - my old NBBD was much smaller and very responsive yet obviously didn't hold heat as well.

Never had a WSM or BGE, but from what I've read around here seems like those vertical type smokers require less babysitting than the offsets.

 

[kyle corn]

Both of those seem like pretty good deals, I don't know which one I'd rather have. There are a few threads that debate the BGE vs. the Bubba Keg, I don't think you can go wrong with the Keg. I think the real decision to be made is do you need the mobility of a trailer?

 

[qnbiker]

i am also looking to upgrade from my 18 wsm and am really hoping for a backwoods.

Considering professional teams compete with WSMs, a new smoker isn't necessarily an upgrade.

 

[thillin]

I like the Lang. Do you have a place to keep a trailer cooker? With wheels on the table, you could load the Kegs fairly easy. Are they the newer version of Kegs? Love my eggs, but since I got the Spicewine, at comps, only chicken goes in the egg. And do you want to control 1 fire or 2? It's really your preference and call.

 

[Chenernator]

It has to be said - UDS!!!

 

[Rookie'48]

Read my sig line :becky:. A lot of top teams use only WSMs or UDSs.

 

[mikeTRON]

Well the thing is I dont normally cook for a bigger group BUT if I bought a smoker large enough I KNOW FOR A FACT I would be contracted to help out with a local catering company I know
The WSM just cant do the volume necessary but I do like the thing

I would love a trailer mounted offset BUT thats not really practical. If I find one cheap enough I might buy one just to try it out for a while

I know I am going to build a UDS or two as soon as I get any FREE TIME!!! So maybe this will no longer be an issue after I learn how bad@$$ everyone keeps saying they are!

 

[The Grill Sergeant]

Well the thing is I dont normally cook for a bigger group BUT if I bought a smoker large enough I KNOW FOR A FACT I would be contracted to help out with a local catering company I know
The WSM just cant do the volume necessary but I do like the thing

I would love a trailer mounted offset BUT thats not really practical. If I find one cheap enough I might buy one just to try it out for a while

I know I am going to build a UDS or two as soon as I get any FREE TIME!!! So maybe this will no longer be an issue after I learn how bad@$$ everyone keeps saying they are!

Perhaps 2 or 3 WSM's might be a solution... :heh:

 

[Bonewagon]

I think you need to decide what style of cooking you want to do. If you want to get into the catering, then you'd probably be better off not picking the kegs just for the sake of capacity. But if you want to get into more than low 'n slow and into some of the things that the bge-style cooker excels at, then think about the kegs. Decide on the job you want the tools to do before you get the tools.

 

[Massey Q]

It has to be said - UDS!!!

Yes it does!

 

[BBQ PD]

Another thing to consider is how much do you want to tend to the fire. The offsets need to be tended to way more than the insulated verticals, but if I were you, and I was considering an offset, I would take a real serious look at Pitmaker since they are in Texas. They have come up with an ingenious new offset with a clam shell style opening. I have a Backwoods and an offset Pitts and spitts on my trailer, and both have their place, although the Backwoods get used way more than the offset.

 

[RedPig]

If you don't mind keeping post all night, then a offset might suit you. Granted, the offsets generally have a larger capacity and offer what some might call 'curb appeal', but they need constant attention. The WSM's, UDS and BGE's style offer longer unattended burns and produce outstanding results in the hands of an experienced cook. It all boils down to what you like and budget allows. IMO. Most of us have several cookers and this gives us the flexibility to use what best meets our needs at the time. :decision:

 

[BBQ_MAFIA]

Lang's are great cookers. I have two and love to cook on them.
My Large Spicewine gets treated like a baby. It lives in the garage and looks as good as the day it arrived.

I don't know if I can tell you that I like one better then the other.
I do know that if you are looking for a stick burner, you need to make sure that you can get fuel for it at a good price and that you have the room to store the logs.

You should also know that you will need to tend the fire more often compared to a vertical box cooker. Where I live, the Lang turns a lot of heads as it something you just dont' see much in my part of NJ.

As for my Spicewine. This is a work of art. I love to cook on it also. It holds rock solid temps with out assistance form any electrical divices and always turns out great product. My Large Spicewine weighs about 900LBS so it takes a lot to move it around. Needless to say that you will need a trailor if you plan one taking it to a comp.

At the end of the day, you need to make a choice as to they way you want to cook. If you can't do that, then do what Mrs Mafia did, and buy one or two of each.
That will solve the problem once and for all.

Good luck with your choice and don't forget to let us know what you end up doing.

 

[42BBQ]

In the spring, Meadowcreek SQ36 with added charcoal pan and second tier grate, can't wait for my first stick burner!

http://www.meadowcreekbbq.com/PC_smallgroups.php