Ready to Leave BGE Behind - I need some help deciding

[mug15]

Thanks to all for the many quick responses. First some clarifications: 1) I am ditching the BGE b/cause it keeps cracking AND I cannot find good consistent hardwood charcoal here in the desert AND Meathead (along with Dr. Blonder's famous "smoke" interview) has convinced me that sawdust and corn starch >>> hardwood due to consistency of its cooking/heating characteristics. 2) My reading convinced me that its not good to smoke fish and meat in the same unit as the "fishyness" stays in the smoker.

I had not thought of a kettle/SNS for fish smoking - its seems face-palming obvious now that its been pointed out here, but hey - I'm a newbie to everything but the BGE (looking now for the smiley face emojis but it looks like we only have real editing buttons because this is a serious subject - FOOD! - or maybe I'm just a blogging newbie and don't know the symbols).

Also regarding the overnight low and slow cooks, years ago a Meathead article convinced me to be gat a BBQ Guru digital fan and temp probes, which all these years later still keeps the BGE humming at 225 (although I have not done a L&S cook since I found the latest crack). My question was whether the WSM was likely to be a "set it and forget it" for 8 hours once I learn how to dial it in given there does not seem to be a way to attach a control fan to the air intake (at least I have not read about that being an option anywhere).

Also I had not thought about an electric pellet smoker as I wanted wood to be the heat source (more flavorful meat but that probably doesn't matter with the fishies?) - Can you really direct grill over the pellets? - I thought the pellet box is typically not located below the cooking chamber.

[Old Glory]

That's what I'd do, run it hot with some chunks and goodby fish odor. That said I'd probably keep it out of the BGE since the ceramic is porous.

When I lived in Gloucester my neighbors used to smoke bluefish and Mackerel. Smelled like burning trash.

[FireMan]

Or or means At The Chiropractor.

[FireMan]

I know what that means, YMMV. Your mileage may vary, Ol’ Bonesy told me so.

[Skip]

PS---I wouldn't do Lutefisk on any cooker that you valued at all. If you aren't sure what Lutefisk is that's just as well. Visit the midwest in Dec-Jan and you will be able to smell the Lutefisk. It's quite fishy and ...LOL

[Skip]

I've done fish on several of my cookers and just let them burn off for a little while afterwards and then I don't feel like there is any fishy carryover. Just my opinion.

[mug15]

ATC must be some kind of Automatic Temp Control? Brand or link so I can learn more?

[Ground Chuck]

I feel like I remember Meathead recommending a separate pit for fish. Anyone know if that is necessary? I'd hate to mess up my new offset by cooking fish in there! I'd definitely keep the Egg if I were you .

[TripleB]

So it sounds like you've decided on a gasser for convenience, a dedicated grill for grilling and looking at two smokers, one for fish and one for meats. my 2 cents:

Gasser - Weber. They work great, built well and easy to rebuild and replace parts.
Grill - PK. Either a PK original or PK360. I love my PK360 and use it all the time, but it's a bit pricey.
Smoker for fish: An electric smoker. But I don't smoke a lot of fish, so this works well for me. Use if for sausage as well.
Smoker for meat: 22" WSM with ATC. Gotta have the ATC. Set at 11pm and temp is rock solid at 6am. Also, the Gateway rib hanger is a gem.

Personally, PBC and SnS don't do a lot for me.

[Jon Liebers]

uh I would never ever dissuade a new cooker purchase let alone two. But I think you would be very well served by getting either a fireboard or BBQ guru for the temp control issue . I NEVER miss any sleep over a cook in a BGE (or any Komado cooker). As for cooker, well again you can do it all on that BGE. In fact its great at searing , low and slow , pizza etc . Personally the two main drawback I see are real estate-the BGE just isn't big enough for me to do the size cooks I would like without all that extender grill nonsense. And two ,its difficult to get temp down if you've overshot. But again with electronic fan control not really a problem. So , as for real estate well, you're not really picking up any at all if youre considering a WSM or PBC as replacements. So......if your just wanting to add cookers for fun and to use along with I would get something that provides for good two zone cooking (something the BGE doesn't do well with out moving around grids in the middle of a cook)
But I for one would say the BGE is a better low and slow cooker than either PBC or WSM. So looking at good two zone stuff I would consider the PK360 or if budget is much higher I like the M1 grills( been trying to get myself to buy one) .

[Spinaker]

First of all, thank you for your years of support. We really appreciate it!

The BGE can be run all night long (and all weekend really) using a controller. They run steady as can be and you can do a ton of different smoking and grilling on the BGE, as you know. I would look into the FireBoard or DigiQ. I have been really happy with my FireBoard system and the ability to remotely control the BGE from anywhere is great. I routinely run my BGE overnight with no issues. They are much easier to do than the WSM or the PBC in that regard. (In my experience anyway)

If you do decide to get rid of it, I would go with the PBC over the WSM. That is just a personal choice after running both. I just prefer the PBC. Fewer parts and I think it is build more solid. The door not he WSM really irritates me, flimsy and leaky. Don't get me wrong, the WSM is still fine smoker, but I prefer the PBC. The PBC can handle a lot of ribs. I've done 8 in mine before and they cook in about 5 hours or so. the PBC ribs are tough to beat. The 26" Weber Kettle is also a must if you are getting the WSM or the PBC as the grilling on those units leaves a lot to be desired.

As to the fish, I would use the kettle. It will be the easiest way to go because you have tons of great space, it lays flat and you can control the temp very easily. The WSM or PBC are much better at ribs, brisket, shoulders or any other larger cut.

Congrats on your retirement and thank you for the years of support!

[RonB]

When I bought my Cookshack electric smoker many years ago, the person I talked to said that if I cook a lot of oily fish, I should have a dedicated smoker for fish. If I just occasionally smoke fish, a dedicated smoker would not be necessary. I do know that cooking salmon with meat changes the taste of the meat enough that I don't like the result, YMMV.

So my recommendation would be a 26" Kettle with SnS and add a 22" kettle with SnS if you smoke a lot of fish. If you won't be using both at the same time, you could get away with one regular SnS shared with both.

[Old Glory]

Weber Summit - one grill to rule them all!

Why get rid of the Egg? It gives you lots of versatility. It does things many other grills cannot. Pair it with a Kettle/Slow and Sear or PK360 for easy direct and two zone grilling and then get a barrel or WSM.

The PK is a master of two zone and makes killer steaks and chops. Only downside for me is I want to get to 350 -375 to cook chicken and it won't get there and hold temp for me. It runs at 250 for hours. I would think it would be great for smoking fish.

The kettle and Slow and Sear can do the same thinks as a PK but can hold 350 better. PK is better insulated though.

Why do you need a dedicated smoker for fish? I assume because of fishy smells?

[HawkerXP]

I use my kettle for the fish we eat. pbc, pbc,...Like you mostly salmon but am looking to expand on this. I do have a PBC, never done an overnight. I prefer to get up early get it going and snooze until time to get moving. Brisket 15lb figure 10 hours. I'll throw in some ribs with the brisket towards the end of the cook. pbc, pbc,... good luck with your search!

[Huskee]

I've slow smoked and quick grilled all manner of fish from salmon to tuna to pike & bass on all manner of cookers. Love it all, but my favorites are slow smoked with all wood or charcoal & wood, and quick-grilled with the pellet cooker (for a very mild, yet still outdoor grilled flavor).

My suggestions are a pellet cooker (instead of gasser, more convenience than a gasser and better flavor) and a 26" Weber kettle w/ SnS. But, I've never been drawn to a WSM so I am reverse biased I suppose. I do have a PBC but hanging meats isn't my personal favorite. A 26" kettle with a SnS is a smoking/grilling force!