Ground Chuck a lot of folks on here have the Camp Chef Smoke Vault and seem to really like it. I too have only smoked with charcoal and wood, but several folks I trust on here say they can get about the same smoke profile with wood chunks on their Smoke Vault.
I’ve thought for a while that a Smoke Vault 24 will likely be my next smoker, as it has a huge capacity for the price, and also can be converted to natural gas - I have a hookup outside my fireplace, and would have unlimited fuel.
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Are you a fan of propane smokers? He mentioned another guy recommended one but I immediately shot him down based off my own preference. I've personally never used a propane smoker so maybe I jumped the gun! -
I'm not hem hawing - my son is on his own for his outdoor cooking - I bought him a Weber Spirit II E-310 with a Weber cover and a set of grill tools, and gave him 3 surface panels of Grillgrates and a Grate tool. I just thought this looks like a good recommendation for a sub $200 charcoal smoker. -
Quit hemming and hawing, tell your son to go get the thing. As long as the porcelain looks decent it will probably cook and last nearly as long as a WSM. Those bullet smokers all cook about the same. You can upgrade to fan control (big plus), stainless grates and a Hunsaker hanger for about the price of a base WSM. DO IT !! -
The other option under $300 would be a propane smoker... like the Camp Chef Smoke Vault. -
Thank you, brother! I'm getting way too excited helping him research, lol! I was thinking that this might be his best bet, and I'm glad to have someone that knows a ton about bbq give me some assurance! lol -
For the price I think this and a good thermometer like the Smoke or Maverick XR-50 would be a good deal and come in under budget, including some charcoal and wood chunks! This seemed very well built, and pretty sure it has a temp probe grommet at each grate level. It is very comparable to the WSM18, but the WSM 18 is $339. This is a no brainer at $189 on the web or $179 in my local Lowe's. -
My buddy is asking me about a smoker for his dad for Father's Day, but with a $300 limit including accessories lol. I told him you're leaving Picasso without his paintbrush here, but I too stumbled across this and was wondering if it was worth it for the price.Leave a comment:
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I might keep an eye on those and if the price drops, pick one up. I don't really NEED a second smoker right now......Leave a comment:
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Did you pull the trigger on this?
​​​​​​If so, whatd ya think?Leave a comment:
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I looked at this cooker again at Lowe's today. Price was now $179, which is good. The build quality stills seems good - the grates seem beefier than on a WSM or a Weber Kettle. Too bad they are just chrome plated and not stainless, but then again, Weber is chrome plated too on all WSM models.
I wanted to look at the hook/hanger mechanism, and it was a little disappointing. See the photo below. This was the floor model - the 5 hanging hooks were taped to the inside of the lid. They hang from a bar attached to the inside of the lid! This means if you were to hang 5 slabs of ribs, a brisket, whatever, that you have to hold the lid up with all 5 slabs of ribs, while hooking them on, then lower it all into the smoker. That seems poorly thought out at best, and hard to work with compared to a Gateway drum hanging kit used on a WSM, or the PBC. The hanging mechanism appear to truly be an afterthought, tacked on where the bolts that hold the handle are.
In looking at the photos just now, I can see that the dome thermometer is more useless than most - it appears to cover a range of 0 to 500C, and the range for smoking, corresponding to 225F to 350F, is a very small portion of the range.
Last edited by jfmorris; May 1, 2020, 02:46 PM.Leave a comment:
. It was the lowest cost decent looking smoker at the Lowe's he shops at.
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