When the wife says “you need a new smoker”

[MJG99]

The day has come that many men wish for, when your wife says “why don’t you get that nice smoker you have been wanting, buy once cry once”. But then comes the dilemma WHAT DO I GET?!? Ive been eyeing The Good-One Heritage for years, but Meathead the BBQ master says Hasty Bake is the way to go. These are dire times, i need advice.

The breakdown:
- I want something very durable, im in Florida so its hot and humid and not kind to metal.
- I need big enough to entertain and feed a growing family with lots of boys, but not too big that it wont fit on my patio (about 12ft - 10ft)
- I need to be able to grill and smoke on it
- Its gotta be charcoal

I need advice ladies and gents, would i ever regret the Heritage? Will all the moving parts of a Hasty Bake survive Florida?

[jgreen]

Cant say i have ever heard my wife say that. You cant go too far wrong with a Webber kettle and various accessories like the SNS to make a great smoker that can also be used as a grill.

[MJG99]

I frequently do larger cooks, and it is tempting but the wife and i want a lot if kids and we like to entertain. I have a charcoal grill similar in size to a weber/sns and I barely have enough room.

[RonB]

Weber makes a 26" grill and the Ranch Kettle is 37".

[barelfly]

MGrills! They come in stainless! Check them out! Low and slow, grill, charcoal!

[Troutman]

So does Hasty Bake

[Jerod Broussard]

MGrills, Lone Star Grillz, Johnson Smokers in Ennis, TX. I'd also check Florida and Georgia fabricators to ease the pain of shipping.

[mrichie1229]

MJG99, you are a lucky man! The Pit Barrel Cooker or Bronco barrel smokers can fit a lot of meat and have a small footprint. They run on charcoal and lots of Pit members have them. fzxdoc is the PBC Queen because her cooks are all amazing...

[Livermoron]

That's how I ended up with a KBQ. She rolled her eyes at the PBC until the first batch of bacon came out...

[Jessterr]

The Weber Summit Kamado satisfies all of your stated requirements, I’d highly recommend taking a look. That Heritage looks nice, but I can predict from experience with my Open Range that you’d be fighting progressive rusting on the fire box section over time, and the grates are expanded steel that require a lot of attention. I think the WSK is a dream cooker in comparison. Can’t speak to the Hasty Bake.

[MJG99]

Good info thank you, the WSK is a beauty and the popularity of weber speaks for itself. My concern with it is space. In my experience with round grills the headroom around the edge and the shape limits how much i can put in.

[JCBBQ]

As above I have two recommendations. If you’re going to keep your grill then go for a dedicated smoker - KBQ fits tons of food but it’s not designed for grilling. If you’re ditching your grill you’ll need something more versatile- the Weber summit kamado is amazing.

[JCBBQ]

I just looked up Mgrills. Looks great too…if ditching your sns.

[MJG99]

MGrills are real nice, price goes up quick though. I currently have a char-broil doubleplay or i think they renamed it to 50/50. Its lasted 3 years and it still cooks i just smoked a brisket on it but its in rough shape and it flies through fuel. I do plan on curbing it once i get a new one.

[JCBBQ]

Lots of real estate on the Weber kamado. Definitely give it a look. Not too pricey

[Troutman]

First of all, when the wife EVER gives you the bbq green light you don’t walk, no you seize the day my friend 👍😉

I don’t own one but the Hasty Bake is a great versatile cooker. If you’re concerned about humidity they have a model in stainless.

[Jfrosty27]

Lone Star Grills adjustable charcoal grill/smoker.

[MJG99]

Its a gem but $3400 is rough

[Jfrosty27]

MJG99 yeah it’s pricey. With shipping and a couple accessories, it’s about $4 grand. Ouch for sure. Frankly, that’s why I do not have one. But I want one bad.

[realdocBBQ]

Look into a Super 55. Good capacity, small footprint, EASY to run.

[jfmorris]

I looked at the The Good One when it was a prize option still in 2021, and ultimately took it off my short list as I've got concerns about longevity and parts availability long-term on The Good One open range and other models. If you do a search, you'll see where folks who bought that grill ended up not even being able to buy replacement cooking grates that fit just a few years down the road, due to design changes that rendered the new grates unable to fit the earlier grills. And it's not stainless.

Hasty Bake has a much longer track record in business, and as others have pointed out, offers models in partial or full stainless, as well as stainless cooking grate options. There are several here who cook often on the Hasty Bake and can offer advice on setup for low and slow smoking on that cooker. ecowper comes to mind off the top of my head.

I also agree with going for charcoal as a primary fuel source, unless you have lots of space and wood availability. I've got the space, but wanted something more hands off myself, and ultimately did not choose the Hasty Bake, instead going with the SNS Kamado. I would suggest you also look hard at some of the larger kamado grills - maybe the Kamado Joe Big Joe III series, or an extra large Primo, if you have the cash. Kamados can fit a lot of food too with multiple levels of cooking, and will last a long long time as well. They will likely use a lot less fuel and be more hands off for long smokes, and be similar in fuel usage for grilling to a Hasty Bake.

[MJG99]

Very informative, Kamados are interesting my mom as a Kamado Joe Big Joe and its pretty nice Ive smoked a couple legs of lamb on it and a pork butt as well as some pizzas. Maybe i had the grates wrong or something but i barely had enough headroom for the pork butt which was a little frustrating for such a massive beast.

[Smoker_Boy]

The day has come that many men wish for, when your wife says “why don’t you get that nice smoker you have been wanting, buy once cry once”.

Are you sure you weren't asleep and just dreaming???
This is important information to have right when the bill arrives.

[MJG99]

😂😂

[Finster]

The more important question is...


Does your wife have a sister?

[MJG99]

Lolol yes a stepsister, but I wouldn’t wish that on any man

[Duanessmokedmeats]

Pit Barrel. PBC, PBX