ngiovas
Found some matches.
- Joined
- May 9, 2016
- Location
- Clarkston, MI
I have been a long time lurker on the forum, but decided it was finally time to post. I know there are a ton of threads comparing types of smokers, but unfortunately there is so much information I can't keep it all straight :wink:. I was hoping some of you could point me in the right direction before I order a new smoker.
First of all, a little background about my smoking experience. My first smoker was a Brinkmann bullet smoker about 25 years ago. I liked it, but felt I really didn't have as much temperature control as I would have liked, so I switched to a 30" Masterbuilt electric smoker around 10 years ago. It gave me the temperature controls I like, but over time there were some issues that are making me want to upgrade to a new smoker:
Now that you have the background, here is my dilemma - After looking into smokers for the past couple of months, I am 99% certain that I want a Lonestar Grillz smoker, but I can't decide which is right for me.
Sorry for the long winded first post. I just don't want to make the wrong choice and regret it later. Either choice will be far more expensive than anything I have owned in the past. I want to make sure it fits my needs for many years to come.
Nick
First of all, a little background about my smoking experience. My first smoker was a Brinkmann bullet smoker about 25 years ago. I liked it, but felt I really didn't have as much temperature control as I would have liked, so I switched to a 30" Masterbuilt electric smoker around 10 years ago. It gave me the temperature controls I like, but over time there were some issues that are making me want to upgrade to a new smoker:
- Capacity - This is a huge problem. I can fit two pork butts nicely, but really don't have any room for more. When it comes to ribs - forget about having a large party with ribs for everyone. While I often cook for four of us, I love loading up the smoker or grill and inviting friends and family over. It doesn't matter what time of year it is either (I live in Michigan). I have a large Super Bowl party every year with 30-40 people and always have something on the smoker. I am usually forced to something like pulled pork due to quantity.
- Smoker design - While the electric smoker is nice, it just doesn't feel like I'm smoking when I throw some small chps into the MES wood box. I really like the idea of being able to fuel the entire smoke session with wood.
- Flavor - I'm not sure if this one is true or not, but I would think that I can get better flavor from from a smoker that allows me to burn more wood - not just chips.
Now that you have the background, here is my dilemma - After looking into smokers for the past couple of months, I am 99% certain that I want a Lonestar Grillz smoker, but I can't decide which is right for me.
- Vertical Offset - this is what I am leaning towards. tons of capacity, and I don't mind tending to the fire, even for longer smoking sessions. My only concern is that there may be the occasional long smoke where I do want to tend to it a bit less. I am really wondering if using a charcoal basket and a BBQ Guru would give me the control I occasionally desire, or am I not going to get good results.
- Insulated Vertical Smoker - the other option is to spend the extra monely on an insulated vertical smoker and have the convenience when I need it. If I do that, I would be cooking with charcoal and wood. It's not really the experience I want most of the time and I'm not sure that it would give me the same result (I could be competely wrong here).
Sorry for the long winded first post. I just don't want to make the wrong choice and regret it later. Either choice will be far more expensive than anything I have owned in the past. I want to make sure it fits my needs for many years to come.
Nick