Smoker Christmas Present Recommendation

by Jon Stirm
(San Jose, Ca)

I'm a beginner. I love drop off the bone baby back ribs, brisket, chicken, etc and I want your smoker Christmas present recommendation. Please give me your thoughts.

I barbeque now using a propane barbeque mainly for steaks. I want to go to the next step and do great baby back ribs, etc in a smoker. Help me get started.

Answer:-

When thinking about buying a smoker there are two key factors to consider but before I go there, allow me to explain my advice below. I'll give you some links to examples of what I'm talking about and these links will take you to different pages on my site which will have a further explanation of the equipment and pictures so you can visualize what I'm talking about. Also on these pages will be links and green 'buy now' buttons and when you click here it will take you through to where I know you will get not only good pricing information but also the best prices for each unit and that will be from eitherBBQGuys.com or GrillsDirect.com. For more information on these stores and other, check out my BBQ buyers guide.

The first thing to consider is how much to spend?
Secondly, what fuel do you want to burn?

I'm going to do it back to front and tackle the fuel issue first and this is basically revolves around how much you want to get involved in the cooking process. If you want to simply flick a switch then go electric because these units can be left alone to run and you can control the smoke using little discs of wood chips called bisquettes. Gas is also a good option when it comes to control and convenience.

If however you're like me and a bit of a pyromaniac then you won't be able to help yourself to anything other than charcoal. When it comes to charcoal units I would differentiate between an 'offset smoker' and a kamado in that you will need to come to newly tend your calls with an offset smoker whereas a kamado will better retain heat and therefore be supremely economic when it comes to fuel consumption.

Use this link for more on the charcoal or gas debate.

Price

Inevitably price comes into any decision making process and when buying a smoker this is no different. You might want to keep it low cost considering this is your first foray into smoking so if that's the case I would recommend a small Brinkmann such as the All In One or the Smoke 'N' Grill and these usually come in a variety of fuel types. They are a small torpedo shaped units, good for one or two people but not for BBQ parties.

If you're looking for something bigger and more traditional then you might want to consider an offset smoker such as the ones made by Traeger or Smith and Wesson. These units definitely look the part however certainly when considering charcoal smokers you have to be prepared to spend the time to attend your fire. Having said that the pages I have for you are both electrically powered and in both cases, prices of these units are quite high.

A kamado is not exactly cheap (because it's made out of ceramic) but they're great to cook on and a kamado will last you a lifetime. There are different brands of kamado including Primo, Dragon Fire, Grill Dome (cheapest), Kamado Joe and Big Green Egg. I've been cooking on a kamado for many a year and I have to say that my smoked meats are fantastic and I do genuinely believe that the kamado adds that extra dimension to anything I grill so this would be my recommendation if your budget will stretch.

Finally, a mid price option could be a Bradley smoker. These are electric so no mess, there's even a digital one, but they look like a built in oven. Perfect if clean is what you want but I'll stick with the charcoal, dirty hands and a lot more fun!

Hopefully that gives you some help and options to consider, but if you have more questions then please come back to me.