/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>14663181
Whirley pop. Don’t even question it. Just trust me.>>14663181

>>14663181
It doesn't replace a grill. You will want both. Many smoker types to choose from. Do some google searching, pick one you like and buy that thing. You won't regret it

>>14663181


If you get a kick out of babying your meat (plenty of people do) and want to do things the traditional way, get a charcoal smoker. It's nice to spend a lazy sunday with your bros enjoying beers and tending to the smoker. These smokers are simple in design and inexpensive and produce probably the best results.

If you prefer things hands-off and convenient, consider a pellet smoker. It'll manage temperature by itself and produce very good results.

>>14663181
pellet smokers can't really get much hotter than like 350 at best. you really will want both a grill and a smoker but they do okay for burgers and chicken.

>>14663913

Also, pellet smokers have the main downside of being considerably more expensive than other types of smokers. The specialized wood pellets you need to fuel your smoker with are readily available from wal-mart for like 8$ a 20lb-30lb bag (enough for a few long cooks).

Some brands worth checking out (non-exhaustive list) are:
Green Mountain Grill (GMG)
Camp Chef
Pit Boss
Rec Tech
I've also heard good things about a relatively new company called Z-Grill.

I'd avoid Traeger, they seem overpriced to me.

If you decide to get a pellet smoker, you must also get a shop-vac to help with cleaning it. The cheap 25$ buckethead vacuum from Home Depot works well.

>>14663936

Yeah, I don't like calling them pellet "grills" for that reason. A cheap Weber charcoal grill can easily out-sear any pellet smoker. Though a pellet smoker really shines with low n slow BBQ, which is pretty much the only use I have for them.

>>14663954
>pellet smokers have the main downside of being considerably more expensive than other types of smokers
true but nothing is better than putting a pork but in at 10pm and have it for lunch, no effort required. I think the time you save makes up for the pellet cost DESU.
I also agree traegers are overpriced and I would avoid them. I got one for free(it was in the trash) and fixed if for 50$. if you have a drum you could use for you can also just buy the pellet feeder.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0829GG1Z5?pf_rd_r=BZMJSWX9Z3YPGDEQFN4Q&pf_rd_p=edaba0ee-c2fe-4124-9f5d-b31d6b1bfbee

>>14663936

but basically yeah, what this guy said.

OP, if you're new to grilling, I suggest you get yourself either a charcoal or propane grill to start with. Use charcoal for authentic flavor and high heat output. Propane for convenience.

Charcoal grills are cheaper since they're literally just a kettle that holds the charcoal with vents to control the heat.

But if you want to get into smoking meats regularly low and slow like brisket or pulled pork, get either a charcoal offset smoker or a pellet smoker in addition to your grill.

>>14663954
traeger is like the original company to make the pellet fed stuff. I have one of their medium sized ones and it was $799 when I got it. they're about 30-40% cheaper now but still more expensive than basically any other brand. The pellets are so much cheaper now at retailers too and my city actually has them at many places when previously you could only buy them from traeger dealers. I'm so glad pit boss sells their pellets everywhere.

>>14663181
as someone who used to work at a bbq restaurant running a smoker that cost as much as a new Toyota I'll tell you this: temp control is king. you can build a smoke pit out of cinder blocks for the fraction of the price of the set up we were running and get the same results as LONG AS YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER TEMPERATURE that's all that fucking matters when smoking. also cherry wood or don't even fucking talk to me.

>>14663418
Many off-smokers can be used as grills too no?

I'm actually considering buying the Primo Oval XL 400 but it is expensive, not sure it's worth it.

i have a weber "bullet" smoker
it is very good, has very stable temperatures
you can get that thing set to your cooking temperature and it will sit there for 12+ hours with practically no babysitting
has enough room to fit something like 6 pork shoulders
i mostly used it for pork ribs which came out un-fucking-real
that said, probably would have went with an electric smoker with the wood pellets
clean-up is just not worth it

>>14663181
if you like to babysit your meat AND want something that'll function as a regular grill too, you don't have to spend too much money, just get something like this: wayfair.com/Royal-Gourmet-Corp--30-Barrel-Charcoal-Grill-with-Smoker-CC1830F-L7305-K~RGTC1000.html

I have that, but I also like being able to set it and forget it. For those instances, I highly recommend an electric smoker with an additional wood burning box. This is my setup:
amazon.com/Masterbuilt-130B-Digital-Electric-Smoker/dp/B07CN38M23
combined with:
amazon.com/Masterbuilt-20070112-Smoking-Digital-Smokers/dp/B008DF6WWE

The reason you get the second box is to extend smoking time. You can smoke 6-8 hours before reloading wood chips with the side box, but only about 1 hour without it.

Also, FUCK "wood" pellets, fuck Traeger. It's basically compressed sawdust with a crazy markup. Fuck off.

>>14663954
>you must also get a shop-vac

Please don't make the mistake I made and get a charcoal smoker. I started smoking 10x more often after I replaced my finicky charcoal smoker with an electric one. You will get superior results because you can set a temperature and let it do its thing rather than doing the stupid airflow dance you have to do with charcoal all the time.

South eastern US redneck here. Not a professional chef or even a cook but I have been doing BBQ all my life. If anyone knows about smoking meat it's me.

Number one: the best fuel is the simplest. Wood is fine. Don't worry about charcoal, propane, whatever the fuck. You are wasting money, and it won't taste as good. Use wood. Doesn't really matter what, though pine is plentiful down here and that seems to work and taste best. You don't even need to chip it: just a standard bonfire shape of log is fine. Although you might get more smoke if you get off your ass and take an axe to it, cut it into splinters, 1-2 feet long and only a few inches in diameter, doesn't really matter. Considering you are strong enough to even pick one up. Great way to get rid of dead crap around your property yoo (although you liberal city folk probably don't have any, so eat shit losers).

Number 2: Why buy one? Build one of your own. Take an old oil drum, cut it up, slap on a set of hinges, get a grill plate or some long pieces of steel and weld/screw them on, drill a hole, etc. Get fucking creative. Much cheaper and works just as well.

Pussies.

>>14666667
so close

>>14663181
if you just wanna smoke some meat easily and reliably get a pellet smoker.
My cousin bought a cheap wood fired smoker years ago and couldn't get over the learning curve of temperature control. I bought a traeger pellet smoker and made a damn near perfect brisket my first smoke.

>>14666816
>using materials that release noxious fumes at high temperatures to cook food

>>14666863
Fuck you

>>14666870
>guys it is TOTALLY worth the immediate cancer you get from your non-heat rated materials to save $150 in a smoker! Trust me, I'm from the CUNTREE

>>14666894
pussy

>>14666816
Pine is full of resin. Your skill at making yourself out as a retard is extraordinary.

>>14666863
>>14666937
not him but we regulary bbq over mystery wood.
light fire, dumb massive amount of fuel and let burn down
all left are embers, volatiles long gone
coal is the true boomer way of booming

>>14667353
Those fumes have gone to your head, son

>>14667393
>son

Cheap offset smokers are not worth it, you'll want to buy one with at least 1/4" steel and preferable the chimney to come down to grate level. Charcoal bullet smokers like the WSM are super easy to use and require minimal attention while cooking. Get an electric smoker if you refuse to put any effort in and a pellet smoker if you refuse to put any effort in and waste additional money.