When the wife says “you need a new smoker”

[Mosca]

Geez. I have to buy stuff and wait for her to notice it, then lie and say we’ve had it for years and I just brought it out from under the deck.

I can’t make a recommendation, I don’t have any experience beyond the BGE. But I will say that ceramic kamados are impervious to variations in the weather.

[lostclusters]

Ultimately it comes down to budget and desire/need. From my experience I have tried the bullet/barrel style cooker and found them wanting.

I have a webber smokey mountain 22 with all the bells and whistles. I found it not big enough and accessing the lower grate a hassle. Also the temperature difference between the two grates to be too great.

I had a kbq and found it uses a lot of wood to do the job. And getting the smoke profile I was looking for was a lot of work. Granted, any smoker will have a learning curve but i decided to move on.

I also have a pellet smoker. The smoke profile is not what I prefer but it does have a place in my arsenal for long cooks.

I currently use a horizontal cos (cheap offset smoker). I use a mix of charcoal and wood and it works pretty good. It has a lot of real-estate. Although the firebox is a little small I find it very usable.

I would tell you that the metal is not really a concern. Keep it covered and preform the necessary maintenence when required. All metal will rust in any environment. I would also tell you to buy bigger than you think you will need. The more real-estate on a smoker the better. Once you get rolling the word will get out. The amount you cook will grow. When I cook my salmon I cook for a small army.

[Greygoose]

Well, U certainly came to the right spot for advice,,,😂🤣😂

[Grillin Dad]

I’m actually in a pretty similar situation. I’ve got a Weber Performer (22” kettle + cart) that I love. But I’ve got a growing family, in-laws who moved to town and “just happen” to show up anytime I light charcoal, and we host several summer bbq’s each year. So, I’m outgrowing the 22” fast. Like you, I’ve been given a pretty long leash to upgrade from. However, my cooker will be placed on a wooden deck, so I want to keep the weight down. This removes some of the heavier options ceramic kamados, lone star, M1, etc. that may or may not be a consideration for you. Also, like you, I want it to both smoke and grill very well (so this removes barrels, Weber Smokey Mountain, etc.). Personally, I’ve got it narrowed down to either the 26” Weber kettle, Hasty-Bake, or the Weber Summit Kamado.

Like I said, I love my 22” kettle. I feel that once you learn it, it can do anything, and do it really well. So the 26” kettle is the most obvious choice, and everything else is compared to that. The only real downside is that Weber doesn’t offer the 26” with a cart, which is a real bummer for me. I love the cart on the Performer. Also, the 26” is just a big kettle, and doesn’t have a real “cool factor.” It’s kinda minor, but if this is going to be my ‘forever smoker,’ I’d kinda like it to be cool.

The Weber Kamado is really cool, obviously well insulated, and is comparable with many (but not all) of my kettle accessories (namely the vortex and SNS). However, it’s not quite as large as the 26” kettle. I get it, it actually has more smoking surface, because it can smoke across the entire grate rather than ~2/3 with the kettle + SNS. BUT, my family loves vortex chicken and baby back ribs. Because the 26” is bigger, it can fit more chicken. Again, size and functionality are the two biggest factors for me. As a side note, most of the ceramic kamados are no bigger than the Weber Kamado (unless you go crazy with a XXL BGE, Kamodo Kamado, etc).

The Hasty Bake is the bigger contender. It’s actually a bit larger than the 26” kettle, not a lot larger, but a bit. By all accounts, it can smoke, grill, and everything inbetween very well, just like the kettle. The ability to raise and lower the charcoal grate would also make 2-zoning a breeze. That’s actually not huge for me personally, but is a bonus. However, it’s not compatable with the vortex. I’m sure that it can churn out some great chicken, but the vortex is stupid easy and works really well. Again, my family loves it, and I don’t want to mess with that too much. However, for you, it also comes in stainless steel option (and it’s real 302 SS, not the ‘fake’ 403). It’s more money, but would make it impervious to the element. Also, if you’re worried about head space, the Gourmet model would have more than enough vertical room for anything you would need.

Personally, I can find no reason to not go with the 26” with a homemade cart (I’ve got a set of plans ‘in my head’). I know you were concerned with head space, but other than shank end ham, I’ve had not issues with that in my 22”. When I do ham, I cook up the butt end (think spiral sliced) instead. For me, no big deal. However, if you’re really worried about weather corrosion, the stainless steel Hasty Bake may be the way to go. The porcelain-coated 26” kettle would probably hold up for awhile, but I’m sure it would eventually succumb to rust and corrosion. But the SS HB is about 4x the price of the 26” kettle, and the kettle still has a 10 year warranty from Weber, which I’m pretty sure includes rust and corrosion. So that’s really a personal question.

If you are leaning toward the HB, you might want to know that HB runs a scratch-and-dent sale every Labor Day. Grills are generally about 20% off. This would bring down the cost of the SS Legacy to ~ $1840, SS Gourmet to ~ $2400, and the over-the-top 357 Pro to ~ $3200.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Regardless of what you do, let us know!!!

[MJG99]

A lot of good points appreciate it greatly.

[MJG99]

Weight isnt an issue for me as im working on a concrete patio, the thing i really like about ones like the hasty bake and now m1 is the separate door for coals while smoking. I really like the M1s design it really seems like the most versatile. I dont like having to open the lid and move meat and grates while smoking just to put on more charcoal which is an issue i have now.

[Grillin Dad]

MJG99 The food grate on the kettle is actually hinged, so that you can add charcoal without moving the food or removing the grate. But yeah, you do have to remove the lid, which throws your temperature all out of whack for about 45 minutes or so. So the HB and M1 would have an advantage there.

[ecowper]

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.

Lucky! And yes, Meathead is correct. I bought a Hasty Bake in 2011 because of his advice and I have never regretted it. I'll put answers to your points below.

The breakdown:
- I want something very durable, im in Florida so it's hot and humid and not kind to metal.

I also need something durable. The Pacific Northwest is cold, damp, and rainy. I get 70" of rain annually at my house. This is not a kind environment for anything but cedar trees and moss. I have had my Hasty Bake Gourmet 256 (bottom half powder coated, top half SS) for 13 years. No rust or corrosion issues on the SS and very minor rust on the powder coating that I dealt with using sandpaper and high temp black paint and hasn't come back.

- 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)

My patio is 20x12 .... half of it belongs to me for the Hasty Bake, SnS Kettle, and WSM. The other half is my wife's with a big table to seat 6 people. It works out well. Pictures below.

As far as entertain and feed a growing family, well ..... see my food pics below. And at peak, I had 4 kids at home .... 2 boys and 2 girls. I could handle that no issues. AND I have had summer parties of 20-25 people that cooked for easily. I once cooked pulled pork for my neighbor's daughter's graduation party ..... about 100 people. I had no issues cooking 4 very large pork butts at once.

- I need to be able to grill and smoke on it

I have cooked everything you can imagine on the Hasty Bake: ribs, pork shoulder, brisket, chickens, 25 lb turkey, burgers, tri-tip, steaks, and much more. Will have a couple cooking pictures for you, too.

- Its gotta be charcoal

Lump or briquettes work great on it.

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

I firmly believe the Hasty Bake will do fine in Florida. Get a cover. Do maintenance and cleaning regularly, like once a quarter. It will last a lifetime.

Here's the Hasty Bake and the WSM on the patio to give you an idea of the space I work with


How much do you want to cook on the HB?


3 tri-tips? no worries


3 racks of ribs ..... easy


20 chicken thighs for teriyaki .... yup!


Cooking for a backyard bbq party


20 lb turkey? no problem


These pork butts are 8 lbs each

[lostclusters]

Hey ecowper how is the grease management on that cooker?

[ecowper]

lostclusters I ditched the grease drip rod thing, it really just led to flare ups on the direct side and not much help on the indirect side. The v shaped grates channel the grease to the center and then into the firebox it goes

[TripleB]

If I ever win 1st prize on the monthly sweepstakes, I'm picking the HB. I learned about them about 20 years ago and always wanted one.

[fzxdoc]

Grillin Dad (and MJG99 ), you've received a lot of good suggestions here. I'll throw in one more: a PBC plus the Weber Summit Kamado/kettle to make a perfect arsenal with your 22" Weber Performer, Grillin Dad. With that combo, you'll have flexibility galore.

You'd be surprised how much more food you can fit on that 24" Summit grate. Plus the heat profile is pretty good across the grate. In addition, you've got a kick-rearend kamado--no issues with weight, easy to clean, and rock solid temps for smoking. I bought an ATC for it a few years back and have yet to install it, it holds temp so well.

The PBC can easily take up the slack for large cooks, especially with an ATC attached; it will perk along nicely next to your Summit Kamado.

Plus you get a nice built-in table option for the Summit, which I really like. I bought the OG Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (table attached), and it is one of the best outdoor cooking purchases I ever made. With your 22" kettle to handle Vortex overflow from a Summit+Vortex cook, and the PBC to handle ribs or other things that need to be smoked at a different temp than what you may be using the Summit for, you'd have all the bases covered without a huge footprint. Plus the PBC makes killer roast chicken. You can do 3 chickens and 2 racks of sausages in the PBC all at the same time.

Get wheels for the PBC and you can park it anywhere. Great food, and 5 minute cleanup. Nothing not to like about it. Or try the PBX if you want more real estate for larger cooks.

With the Summit Charcoal Grilling Center+Vortex, the PBC and the 22" Performer with its Vortex that you already own, you'll have, to my mind, the perfect arsenal. Why? Because you will have great flexibility for large and small groups and for ranges of cooking temps for multi-meat-types cooks. Plus you'll have solid performance and cooker longevity to boot.

Kathryn

[fzxdoc]

Hahaha, Jessterr , you hit the nail on the head. So much MCS here!

Most of us here have more than one cooker and use at least a couple of them pretty much equally. That speaks to my point about flexibility, if that's one thing you're looking for in a cooking arsenal.

Knowing what you like to cook and how much of it you need cook at one time, then getting the cookers that will serve that food up just the way you like it is what it's all about.

Good point about the Bronco, ecowper .

K.

[Jessterr]

Agree wholeheartedly, fzxdoc. As with yourself, I too have a PBC and an OG WSCGC that are indeed my workhorse cookers, along with a kettle (26” in my case). Have a few other smaller units for fun and variety, but don’t really “need” them, the “big 3” can do it all.

[ecowper]

I have a “Big 3” as well: Hasty Bake, WSM 22, and SnS Kettle. Plus a pizza oven. With all of that, I can, as my daughter pointed out once, “cook for a rodeo” ….. or a great backyard BBQ

[Purc]

Here are pictures of the Bronco and the Triple grates.

[Redwng]

I live in central FL and my wife suggested the same thing so I ordered a LSG pellet grill AND a LSG offset, I couldn't decide. Was hoping I didn't walk into the garage to see a new Mercedes in there......not yet at least.

[lostclusters]

Now you're talking! I my opinion that's the dream setup. For long cooks you go 2 hours on the offset with wood splits for that real wood smoke flavor, and then the rest of the way (usually over night) on the pellet cooker. It does not get any better/easier than that. And it doesn't hurt to have LSG quality!

[Midwest Economist]

Redwng , I stand in awe of your ability to cobble together enough Wifey Approval Factor to order both! I’ll get there, someday…

[FireMan]

I sorta agree with Troutman , if not on content at least in concept. Spend the most money you can! You may never have this opportunity again! We are all pullin fer ya!!, 🕶

[hoovarmin]

I think we live pretty close to each other and I get what you are saying about metal not lasting. That's why I went with a Big Joe III instead of the Weber Summit. Most people cannot comprehend how destructive the salt and humidity we have here is to metal cookers. The only drawback of the Kamado is (even with the Big Joe) capacity for smoking. With rib racks you can get 4 racks of ribs max on the Big Joe or the BGE XL. Someone mentioned a PBC or a PBX. For the money, they are really tough to beat, especially if you have something for grilling (searing really, because you can definitely grill on a PBC or PBX). You can buy a few Pit Barrels and Kettles for the cost of the Hasty Bake, the Big Joe, or The Good One.

[Grillin Dad]

MJG99 Did you ever make a final decision? Inquiring minds need to know!

[MJG99]

I have made a final decision and it required a little more saving lol. Im decided on an mgrills, much to my budgets chagrin, but I love how they work and the materials used. I will definitely be posting when I get one, don't hold your breath though.

[Grillin Dad]

MJG99 Sweet choice man! M1 looks like a killer cooker. Kinda like a Schwarzenegger version of a HB. The ability to use it as a wood smoker makes it super versatile too. The weight took it off my list of possibilities, but hope it will work out for you!