What type of smoker???

[EverettBBQ]

With your budget.....I would go with a gravity feed smoker.
If you want to struggle for a while...start with a off set stick burner.
Have fun:grin:

 

[bbqgeekess]

Harry Soo walked in all 4 categories, in the same contest, with a Mini WSM.

 

[smokinb]

Start small and look around the comps. You'll get the good, the bad and the ugly. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'd like bourbon with a strawberry blonde, in a Mercedes Benz.

 

[BB-Kuhn]

You can't go wrong with a wsm. Reasonably small investment, and if you want something more major later, I guarantee you'll keep the weber forever.

 

[Gowan]

One nice thing about the Weber Smoky Mountain is that they are very rust resistant and will pretty much hold their value forever unless you back over the cooker and crush it with your truck. I lucked into an 18" off Craigs List for 75 bucks and zoomed over to scoop it up before 9 in the morning - good thing because three other guys showed up minutes later!

Now days the original 18" WSM has somewhat lost favor with comp cooks who want to step up to the much larger cooking space of the 22" model. That may open the door for some great deals on the 18s, or you can even try visiting a comp and making an offer if you see somebody cooking on one - the lure of ready cash towards a new cooker after awards can be a powerful thing.

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[Scuffletown Smokers]

No one has said humphrey smokers yet. I've got one on the way right now and you could get a very nice one for your budget

 

[Alexa RnQ]

If we had it to do all over again, we'd still do the same -- WSMs. Seven years and 25 GCs later, we're still not looking to change.

 

[gettinbasted]

Check out Gateway Drums at gatewaybbqstore.com

They look great and cook even better for way under your budget.

 

[TailGateJoecom]

You mentioned the yoder 640. I am a pellet guy too, FEC120, and did my first 3 comps last year. I am happy I went with a high quality pellet unit from the beginning. After using it in a few comps, here are the positives I came away with:

• It allowed me to worry less about fire management and more about my preparations, techniques, recipes, and box building/presentation.
• Sleep
• It allowed me to have team members who had some cooking experience but not much bbq or smoking experience and have them still help managing the cooker. Pretty much anyone can monitor the pit
• Sleep
• I was able to cook a very large and competitive comp and still get a call doing the whole thing solo
• Sleep
• Most important, it is so easy to fire up the smoker and get cooking that I find myself practicing and cooking at home a lot more year round regardless of weather, which definitely helps improve my skills.
• Oh, and it allowed me to delegate some work and get some decent sleep before the last 3-4 hours before turn-ins.

Lots of people talking up the wsm, and I own a 22 and recommend it all the time to people looking to get into true bbq. But with the consistency and quality product I get from my fec120 I just find myself always going to that cooker. At some point I am going to buy a huge stick burner, but that would be to just further my education in my craft and hone my fire management skills. Pellet smoking will probably always be my main method of smoking.


Those yoders are pretty sweet. If I don't buy a second fec120, the ys1500 is the next toy on my list.

 

[chickenchoker]

WSM's have treated us well over the first five or so years. Most important thing is to know you cooker

 

[deez butts]

I'd go with these guys. It is comparable to the backwoods but built better and I think cheaper than the backwoods. We used to run an extended Backwoods Party and a Pitmaker BBQ Safe and have recently gotten rid of those for a Humphrey's Q'bed Beast. We couldn't be more happy about it.

http://www.humphreysbbq.squarespace.com/

 

[Candy Sue]

Got my first first on a WSM. Once upon a time a very nice lady from Texas cooked KCBS/IBCA on ONE 18" WSM. She made it to the Jack (and got a call there too). RIP

You should come visit at a local contest. There was an IBCA in Hot Springs just last month and there's a KCBS at the racetrack May 2-3. There's an IBCA coming up in Shreveport then Delight April 26th.

 

[triplezip]

Took the plunge on a BW Competitor when we decided to start competing. Glad I did -- It's a ribs and chicken machine, and great capacity for parties, etc. Still prefer the UDS's for butts and brisket, though.

 

[rdodd]

Candy Sue,, I did cook at the one in January (Randy Hill) and plan on cooking at Smokelawn .. I will come find you or you might even find me. My Team name is Don't Have a Clue Bar-BQ !! We are out to have fun and cook and learn....

 

[rdodd]

Lol !!!!!!!!!

 

[LTG]

Check out Gateway Drums at gatewaybbqstore.com

They look great and cook even better for way under your budget.

+1. I would go with a couple drums over 2 wsm's for the following reasons:

-intakes on my drums are way off the ground and are not effected by wind like my 22.5" WSM.

-drums have handles on both sides for easier loading and unloading

-drums have a hook to hang the lid off the side when checking temps, putting meat on, taking it off, etc. WSM has large lid that has to be set down somewhere.

-drum is easier on fuel. I can go a entire contest on one basket of charcoal. I almost always end up adding fuel to the WSM.

 

[BigBellyBBQ]

this question is something you have to ask your self..and what style of cooking YOU know how or want to do...All cookers work, it is the pit manager that makes the music. What fits your budget and how you want to travel will answer most of your questions, best go to a comp and walk around and belly up to a team that has a simular vision of what YOU would want..So many different roads you can take, so lock on and enjoy the ride!!

 

[Brother_Tim]

A WSM or similar can also be run with stoker which will give you a read out/log of the temps of the cooker and your food which may help you quite a bit.

If you decide to go another route you will always keep that bullet type.

I use a FEC100 and still bring along a bullet type for chicken.

 

[Untraceable]

Hard to argue the wsm. If your new to competing, theres going to be a million things youll want to get after the first contest anyways.

heck as a former wsm owner, I now have a pit that Im overwhelmingly in love with (Humphreys), but Im thinking of picking up another 22wsm just for convenience of transporting for camping-concerts-tailgating stuff.

 

[theBBQspecialist]

Hard to argue the wsm. If your new to competing, theres going to be a million things youll want to get after the first contest anyways.

heck as a former wsm owner, I now have a pit that Im overwhelmingly in love with (Humphreys), but Im thinking of picking up another 22wsm just for convenience of transporting for camping-concerts-tailgating stuff.

Overwhelmingly in love! Hehehehe.... Thanks!