Hey all, I'm looking at getting a smoker/grill combo - I've seen a lot of threads on this in the past but wanted to ask for my situation. I've been using a Big Green Egg for 10 years and have gotten used to it, but would like something easier to smoke with as I find myself not smoking anything anymore. My wife doesn't use it as well for normal grilling, so I am looking for something easy to use as well.
Max budget is 3k - I don't want to go that high but will if I need to.
A bit about my situation:
Thanks for any and all help! The research I've done seems to suggest Yoder, MAK, and Pitts and Spitts as likely candidates for me but as I said, I'm open to any other suggestions.
Max budget is 3k - I don't want to go that high but will if I need to.
A bit about my situation:
- I have a crazy good infrared broiler in the house that I use for searing a lot now (does almost as good as my egg loaded with lump), but I still want to be able to sear on the grill - it doesn't need to be nuclear temps like you can get with charcoal though.
- I typically cook for my wife and I, but can cook for upwards of 15 a few times a year (I don't mind multiple batches in theses cases - these are usually all day affairs). I also tend to cook 4-5 meals out when I do cook for the both of us.
- Convenience is king for most cooking, but would like to be able really get heavy smoke flavor if at all possible (I know pellets fall on the lighter spectrum here). This isn't a dealbreaker at the cost of ease of use.
- This smoker/grill would be left outside in the Texas sun year round (I have no covered outdoor area), things like the paint issue on the Yoders scare me. Are covers necessary?
- Also would like something easy to clean. For reference, my big green egg sits out year round - if I need to clean it - I just load it with some charcoal and let it get real hot (then vacuum out the ashes). I know with a pellet cooker I need to empty the hopper often, but other than that I want it to be super simple.
- My wife would like to get rid of the egg for space reasons if we get another grill.
- Could be open to the idea of a small dedicated smoker as I can't imagine we would smoker more than a pork shoulder or a few chickens/rib racks at once
Thanks for any and all help! The research I've done seems to suggest Yoder, MAK, and Pitts and Spitts as likely candidates for me but as I said, I'm open to any other suggestions.