So, please bear with me! There are just two of us in this household and my husband is not a BBQ enthusiast. Nevertheless, I love Texas-style brisket and pulled pork. I successfully cooked some killer brisket for about 100 people using an electric smoker and Meathead's instructions a couple years ago. It was a huge hit. I also freely admit that I am historically lousy at charcoal control, although I much prefer the flavor of charcoal. I am currently the owner of a three-zone gas grill, which has suffered from a lot of rust. I've attempted zoned cooking on it, which has been iffy. I recently acquired a smoking thingummy that actually succeeds in delivering smoke at a low cooking temperature: you stuff it with chips, set it on fire, and put it in the grill. So I have finally given up on winning a smoker in the monthly raffle: I need to buy something. I was thinking about buying a Slow n' Sear grill. My other option is probably some kind of electric smoker where you feed in chips from the side. What do you think? Advice??
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If you want a simple and easy electric smoker, take a look at Smokin-It smokers - they are easy to use, not heavy on smoke if that is something your husband doesn’t care for, but enough of a smoke profile that is nice. May not be in your price range/budget, but I have one and really enjoy it. Simple, set it and forget it type smoking. My dad has a smaller Smokin-It for him and my mom, works great for them as well.
I do love my Kettle cooker, but I do mostly grilling, 1-2 hour cooks. It’s fun to cook with.
You could also do a pellet cooker, but I don’t have experience with those.
But, hope you find something that works for you and lets you cook some great food!! -
I think I would go with a 22’ Weber or the SlownSear. Long low and slow cooks work well with the snake method. You can check that out on YouTube. It grills well. Add a Vortex to it and you have great versatility. You can’t beat that combo for wings. As opposed to an electric smoker if there is a loss of power you can cook on with the 22”.Comment
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A Slow ‘n Sear kettle or a Weber kettle with a Slow ‘n Sear insert is perfect for a small family, and produces great smoked food. As for being "lousy at charcoal control", with some easy to follow instructions from us you’ll be an expert in no time.Comment
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You can’t go wrong with a kettle and SNS insert. Almost foolproof. And plenty of guidance here on how to use it effectively.Comment
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I will second/third the advice on a kettle with the SNS insert if you want to grill with charcoal and also smoke. I've smoked a TON of stuff on a 22" kettle with the SNS insert. 20 pound turkey, 18 pound brisket, up to 5 slabs of pork ribs using a rib rack to stand them on edge. If you get creative the sky's the limit.
I used to have an offset smoker, for 30+ years, but used it less and less after I started smoking on the kettle, and ended up giving it to my nephew a year or two ago.
Another suggestion if you want just something for smoking more than grilling - a Pitbarrel Cooker. It makes smoking chicken and ribs, and I suppose brisket as well, super easy.Comment
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You could also go with an Oklahoma Joe Bronco. It is really good with temp control and can be used as a grill when you want that function.Comment
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Man, I read that and all I thought was “This woman is the perfect customer for a pellet smoker.”Comment
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I agree with the kettle. In addition to the ease of use, there are a number of accessories available, like the sns, the vortex, the rotisserie. I haven't done long cooks on mine because I have other smokers that are designed for low and slow cooks, but plenty of folks around here do just that.
If you can do with a lighter smoke profile and you are OK with plugging it in, pellet grills are great set and forget appliances. I use my grilla chimp a lot because i can set the temp and put the food on. Of course, if the power is out it is useless. I am also having problems with the temp monitoring system and need to replace the rtd; that doesn't happen with a charcoal grill/smoker. I have had the chimp for quite awhile and this is the first problem I have had with it though.Comment
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You will find, with a Slow n Sear, that within 1-2 cooks you've got the hang of it. And are turning out great pork butt and brisket and ribs
Here's my experience with one
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I have a 22" Weber kettle with a SNS.
If I put a Butt or Brisket in at 11:00 PM I can sleep the whole night with temps 250-270.Comment
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Please keep in mind that whatever you buy, a chuck roast is smaller and cooks much faster than a brisket, and it cooks the same as a brisket.Comment
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It comes down to what you want the most. Do you want a particular flavor profile or easy of use the most? How much do you want to be able to do with one cooker? Pellet grills are as easy as it gets, but the majority of them are smokers and not really grills. I love my pellet grills. Easy to cook good food when I don’t have time or want to mess around managing a fire.
If you want the charcoal flavor profile, you might consider the new Weber Smart Performer to help you with fire control. Supposedly they’ve fixed the firmware and have it working pretty well now. The plus is you can smoke a brisket or do a wonderful 2 zone steak cook on the same grill. A vortex turns it into a chicken cooking machine. So much you can do with the kettles and so many accessories available for one grill. You could also do similar with a SnS grill and a separate fan system from Fireboard, Thermoworks, etc.Comment
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Consider a PK360. It grills and smokes anything from 2 hot dogs to Butts and Briskets! Webers, which I,ve cooked on for years, are fine, but, thave a lot of parts that rust or need replacement. PK's are practically indestructable. Cast aluminum body and marine S/S coal and cooking grates last forever as well! Four vent air-flow makes temp control easy! It will be the last grill you buy unless of course you start cooking for large groups every weekend than you'ld have to trade up to something bigger! good luck in your search.Comment
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I love my 22" Weber kettle with the SnS, Vortex and rotisserie. I also love my OKJ Bronco with their Triple Grate . Between these two, I can smoke and grill anything. That said, I would suggest you look at the Spider Grills Huntsman kettle. It is charcoal with a controller and has options. The charcoal and wood chunks used meet the flavor you want and their controller meets your needs to control your cook. You can grill, smoke, 2 zone cook, add a rotisserie, etc. Uncle Bob has one and maybe he can give his advise.
Here are several YouTube videos on the Spider Grills Huntsman. As always, YMMV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYxqE6OkBLA&pp=ygUWc3BpZGVyIGdyaWxscyBodW5 0c21hbg%3D%3D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE90LNx-cfc&pp=ygUcbXIgZmxhdm9yc21pdGggc3BpZGVyIGdyaWxscw% 3D%3D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwcmMgJjgjA&pp=ygUcbXIgZmxhdm9yc21pdGggc3B pZGVyIGdyaWxscw%3D%3D
Regardless, have fun and enjoy your cooking journey on whatever cooker you decide on.Last edited by Purc; Today, 06:58 AM.Comment
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