Hello from Southeastern Pa, excited to be a part of this community. A little about me and then a doozy of a first question. I have been grilling for about 15 years and smoking for about five. I currently have a Weber, three burner gas grill and a cheap, Masterbuilt ~$100 smoker that I’ve had for about four or five years. The smoker is electric and is on the smaller side. I’d call it more of an outdoor oven than a smoker – cooks fine, just doesn’t really impart much smoke flavor at all. So I’m ready to take the next step and invest in something better. Therein lies my question – what should I upgrade to? Here is what I am looking for/ some details:
I have a family of six and occasionally have a few more people over
I’d like to cook ribs, butts, chicken/ turkey and work my way up to a brisket
Flavor is my main goal in this search/ purchase, my Weber is newer, so I am not necessarily looking to replace it for general/ high heat grilling – unless of course that makes better sense.
I’m ok with some attention, but don’t want to be handcuffed to it either – as mentioned, I am somewhat new to smoking.
Budget, I don’t know – I’d like to get the best bang for my buck, ideally keep it under $1,000, all in (thermometer(s), cover, accessories can add up quickly).
I was set on the Big Joe III until I saw the price and read some reviews about how it was limited due to its lack of two zone cooking.
Then I got to reading recommendations and reviews of the PBC – seems to be a good solution, but wonder if I can still follow recipes geared towards flat cooking surfaces? Can I wrap ribs or a brisket in the PBC – is that still necessary? Is the larger model capable of cooking at lower temps? Any other cons?
And I guess one last part of this very long question – if I can pull it off, is the BJIII worth the extra ~$1,500 (plus accessories like the Joetisserie)?
Thanks in advance!
I have a family of six and occasionally have a few more people over
I’d like to cook ribs, butts, chicken/ turkey and work my way up to a brisket
Flavor is my main goal in this search/ purchase, my Weber is newer, so I am not necessarily looking to replace it for general/ high heat grilling – unless of course that makes better sense.
I’m ok with some attention, but don’t want to be handcuffed to it either – as mentioned, I am somewhat new to smoking.
Budget, I don’t know – I’d like to get the best bang for my buck, ideally keep it under $1,000, all in (thermometer(s), cover, accessories can add up quickly).
I was set on the Big Joe III until I saw the price and read some reviews about how it was limited due to its lack of two zone cooking.
Then I got to reading recommendations and reviews of the PBC – seems to be a good solution, but wonder if I can still follow recipes geared towards flat cooking surfaces? Can I wrap ribs or a brisket in the PBC – is that still necessary? Is the larger model capable of cooking at lower temps? Any other cons?
And I guess one last part of this very long question – if I can pull it off, is the BJIII worth the extra ~$1,500 (plus accessories like the Joetisserie)?
Thanks in advance!
Comment