Would anyone care to shed their insight into what would be the best entry level charcoal smoker for someone looking to get into the charcoal game? My cheap offset has gone to be with the scrap pile so I was looking to get a charcoal smoker to start playing around with. I have a pellet grill, propane smoker, and gasser still so I would like to start playing around with true live-fire again. After reading many posts, it seems like a weber kettle or PBC would be a good start but any input would be greatly appreciated!
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Looking for a charcoal smoker - MCS
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Club Member
- Jun 2018
- 62
- Nebraska
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Smoker / Grills
- RecTeq RT-2500 BFG
- Weber 26"
- Camp Chef FTG-600
- RecTeq RT-340
- Vortex
- SNS XL
- Thermapen mk4
- Thermopop
- Thermoworks Smoke x4
- Grill Grates for Weber and BFG
- Anova Sous Vide
- Meat your Maker Dehydrator
Working on social media: @bigsexybbq
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Club Member
- Feb 2018
- 2825
- Northshore MA
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Home:
XL BGE
PK360
PKGO
Alfresco Gasser
Alfresco Power Burner
Alfresco Sear Station
Blazin' Grid Iron Pellet Cooker
Shirley 36 Patio Offset Smoker
Up at Camp:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grill
Check out Weber Smokey Mountain also.
What is your budget? BGEs are excellent, WSCG also excellent.
Kettle with a Slow and Sear.
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Club Member
- Apr 2016
- 18127
- Near Richmond VA
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Weber Performer Deluxe
SNS
Pizza insert
Rotisserie
Cookshack Smokette Elite
2 Thermapens
Chefalarm
Dot
lots of probes.
Fireboard
Kettle + SnS There are a ton of accessories made for the kettle so you can rotisserie, make pizza, go low and slow or hot and fast.
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Club Member
- Nov 2017
- 7146
- Huntsville, Alabama
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Jim Morris
Cookers- Slow 'N Sear Deluxe Kamado (2021)
- Camp Chef FTG900 Flat Top Grill (2020)
- Weber Genesis II E-410 w/ GrillGrates (2019)
- Weber Performer Deluxe 22.5" w/ GrillGrates & Slow 'N Sear & Drip N Griddle & Vortex & Party Q & Rotisserie (2007)
- Custom Built Offset Smoker (304SS, 22"x34" grate, circa 1985)
- King Kooker 94/90TKD 105K/60K dual burner patio stove
- Lodge L8D03 5 quart dutch oven
- Lodge L10SK3 12" skillet
- Anova
- Thermoworks Smoke w/ Wifi Gateway
- Thermoworks Dot
- Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
- Thermoworks RT600C
- Weber Connect
- Whatever I brewed and have on tap!
If you don’t need to grill, I would look at the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) or PBC. I have a Weber Performer (kettle) which can smoke with the Slow ‘N Sear and grill, but if I just wanted a smoker, I would choose between the WSM and PBC.
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Club Member
- Jul 2017
- 1408
- Southeast Illinois
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Cookers I have:
Weber S-335 gas grill
Weber 26†kettle
Weber 22†kettle
Camp Chef XL Smoke Vault
Camp Chef 3 Burner cook top
Camp Chef Woodwind 36 Pellet grill with sidekick burner
PBC
Accessories:
SnS XL
SnS standard
Vortex
Weber Rotisserie for 22†Kettle
1st gen FireBoard
2nd gen FireBoard
Griddle for Camp Chef cooktop
Several Thermoworks items
Set of Grill Grates
I have both a PBC and a 26†Kettle. Really like both and either one would give you great food. But if I had to choose I would get the 26†Weber kettle and add the SnS and vortex. It’s easy to clean, a ton of after market accessories are available for it and it can easily go from low and slow to sear temps in just a few mins. Don’t get me wrong I like my PBC with its large capacity and distinct flavor profile but for versatility and ease of use I give my nod to the 26†Weber Kettle.
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Club Member
- Mar 2016
- 1630
- Sunny SoCal
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Cooking gadgets
Weber Summit Charcoal Grill Center
Weber Summit Platinum D6
Blue Rhino Razor
Dyna-Glo XL Premium Dual Chamber
Camp Chef Somerset IV along with their Artisan Pizza Oven 90
Anova WiFi
Thermometers
Thermapen Mk4 - ThermaQ High Temp Kit - ThermaQ Meathead Kit - ThermaQ WiFi - ThermoWorks IR-GUN-S - ThermoWorks Signals & Billows - ThermoPop -ThermoWorks ProNeedle - ThermoWorks TimeStick Trio x2 - and a Christopher Kimball timer - NO, I do not work for ThermoWorks...I just like their products.
Other useful bits...
KitchenAid 7-qt Pro Line stand mixer
A Black & Decker food processor that I can't seem to murder
A couple of immersion blenders, one a "consumer" model & the other a "high end" Italian thing. Yes, the Italian one is a bit better, but only marginally
Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 8-qt + accessories like egg-bite & egg holders
All-Clad pots & pans, along with some cast iron...everything from 7" Skookie pans to 8.5qt Dutch ovens
Weber GBS griddle, pizza stone, and wok
Knives range from Mercer to F. Dick to "You spent how much for one knife? One knife?!" LOL
Well, before a certain someone chimes in with "PBC, PBC, PBC!" LOL
I'd suggest a WSM.
Quite versatile, which some other types don't seem to match, and with a relatively easy learning curve. And if you feel you need to hang whatever it is you're going to smoke...there are hangers made for that.
You didn't state a budget, but given the options in your initial post...I'm going with x hundred dollars. The WSM fits that bill...yes, the WSCG (I own one) or a BGE does all of that but seriously raises the ante.
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Club Member
- Aug 2017
- 7570
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Primo XL
Weber 26"
Weber 22"
Weber 22"
Weber 18"
Weber Jumbo Joe
Weber Green Smokey Joe (Thanks, Mr. Bones!)
Weber Smokey Joe
Orion Smoker
DigiQ DX2
Slow 'N Sear XL
Arteflame 26.75" Insert
Blaze BLZ-4-NG 32-Inch 4-Burner Built-In
- With Rear Infrared Burner
- With Infrared Sear Burner
- With Rotisserie
Empava 2 Burner Gas Cooktop
Weber Spirit 210
- With Grillgrates
​​​​​​​ - With Rotisserie
Weber Q2200
Blackstone Pizza Oven
Portable propane burners (3)
Propane turkey Fryer
Fire pit grill
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Club Member
- May 2016
- 5615
- Huntington Beach, Ca. Surf City USA.
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Equipment
Primo Oval xl
Slow n Sear (two)
Drip n Griddle
22" Weber Kettle
26" Weber Kettle one touch
Blackstone 36†Pro Series
Sous vide machine
Kitchen Aid
Meat grinder
sausage stuffer
5 Crock Pots
Akootrimonts
Two chimneys (was 3 but rivets finally popped, down to 1)
cast iron pans,
Dutch ovens
Signals 4 probe, thermapens, chef alarms, Dots, thermapop and maverick T-732, RTC-600, pro needle and various pocket instareads.
The help and preferences
1 extra fridge and a deep chest freezer in the garage
KBB
FOGO
A 9 year old princess foster child
Patience and old patio furniture
"Baby Girl" The cat
Erik S.
Lower costs.... Kettles (26 and 22) as I have 2 with the accessories. I love my kettles.
more money and quality are the Kamado. KJ, BGE and Primo.
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Club Member
- Sep 2015
- 5075
- Tennessee
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22" Weber Kettle w/SNS, 18" WSM, Bronco, Grilla Chimp, Traeger Tailgater, UDS, Camp Chef Tahoe Stove.
Like DavidNorcross mentioned, the SNS Kamado is pretty nice looking. 2 zone coupled with a kamado. A few more dollars though.
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Club Member
- May 2018
- 1671
- Northern Illinois / Southern Wisconsin
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Weber Kettle 22; Broil King Signet; OKJ Bronco
Follow up question if I may: The kettle's main advantage seems to be versatility. What would be the advantage of a WSM over a kettle?
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Capacity, especially in the 22" WSM. Also, flexibility. If you buy the Gateway 30 or 55 gallon drum hanger kits, they will work on the 18" or 22" kettle to let you dangle your ribs over the fire just like a PBC.
To me, where the PBC falls down is capacity for big hunks of meat like butts. A WSM 22 can hold 8, a WSM 18 can hold 6. With the PBC, 2 butts is about the limit, hanging, or grated. If you just cook ribs/chicken and never more than 1-2 butts or briskets, then the PBC is a rock star.Last edited by jfmorris; February 6, 2020, 10:57 AM.
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Along with capacity, the OP was looking for a smoker...
I like the versatility of the WSM. Good rack space, or use a hanger if so inclined. Water pan or no water pan...diffusion or not, operators choice. I also like the ability to control temperatures, low & slow to hot & fast. If I didn’t have the WSCGC I’d have another 22†WSM in a heartbeat.
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Founding Member & Pit Barrel Cooker Queen
- Jul 2014
- 7190
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My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron GriddleGrill Grate for SnSGrill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:Extreme BBQ Thermometer PackagePit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:Thermapen MK4 (pink)Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
Get into charcoal with the PBC, especially if you only want a smoker. It's a great cooker for the price. Actually it's a great cooker for any price. It holds its own against the big boys (I have a Weber Summit Charcoal Grill/SnS/Kamado as well).
If you can afford it, get a 22" Weber kettle with the SnS as well. That way you'd have all bases covered. There isn't anything you couldn't smoke or grill with a PBC and a kettle/SnS combo.
For a smoker only, the nod for me would go to the PBC because of the volume it can hold and the price vs a kettle+SnS combo.
Kathryn
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