Smoker / Grill v. Grill & Smoker

[Steve R.]

Welcome to the Pit! I currently use a Weber 26" kettle and a Weber Ranch kettle for grilling and smoking, and love them both. But if I was starting from scratch, I would be all over the Masterbuilt Gravity Series, as mentioned above. Whatever you choose will only be the start, so there is really no wrong answer here.

[glitchy]

If convenience is your driving force, a Woodwind with a SearBox or Sidekick would be a great option. Pellet grills are great for low and slow, but mediocre at best for high heat grilling in general. This is because they are designed to be indirect heat. The Weber SmokeFire redefines this, but it still has some quirks being worked through by the user base and Weber. I love burgers on the pellet grill, but they take 30-40 minutes usually versus the 10-20 they would take on a gasser/charcoal grill. You should probably read Max's review of the SmokeFire and see if maybe it's what you are after though: Weber SmokeFire EX4 and EX6 Wood Fired Pellet Grill Review.

If you go Traeger and searing a steak is something you desire, you will likely end up supplementing it with a Kettle or Gasser. I've reverse seared many a steak by cooking to 115 internal temp on a 180-225 pellet grill then tossing it on the gasser to sear. The Woodwind w/Searbox just gets you this combo in a smaller footprint.

I see you are trying to get this quickly:
Traeger available everywhere
Weber SmokeFire should be around if you have a Lowes close as well as other places
CampChef Woodwind is available at some SportingGoods stores, they have a dealer locator on their site to see if anyone close to you carries it, I had to order mine from an online retailer

I've had 4 Traegers, a lot of people bash them, but they are decent pellet grills with the exception of the cabinet model Costco offers. The new D2 models produce less smoke flavor than the older dial controller models from my experience. The Costco model doesn't produce any noticeable smoke flavor do the the airflow restrictions in it's design. If you don't really feel you require WiFi, you might be happier with the food results from a dial controller Pro model.

...and Welcome to the Pit!

[glitchy]

Also, I missed the recommendation for the Masterbuilt Gravity series, after reading Huskee's review it's definitely worth strong consideration. It looks like it has some serious potential. If I wasn't a little overboard in the cooker department already, I'd probably be dying to try one out.

[Dadof3Illinois]

In your situation I recommend a Weber Kettle. A 26” if you can find one but the 22’s are awesome too. A kettle is one of the most versatile cookers on the market for the money.

[klflowers]

Welcome to the pit! I don't have anything to add - these posts have covered everything.

[Greygoose]

Welcome to the Pit
Have walked a few miles in ur shoes
Teaching the youngins how to grill,bbq and cook is great entertainment and engages them with fun stuff to learn
A Weber 22” kettle and maybe a Pit Barrel cooker would give you some good options

[RichardCullip]

You can start small and relatively cheap with a 22" Weber Kettle and add stuff to it later on. When I first started low&slow smoking I used the fuse technique (sometimes called the snake) to lay out the charcoal in a ring around the outside edge of the charcoal grate and lit a couple of coals on one end. Put the meat (pork butt is my favorite) in the middle of the cooking grate and fiddle with the vents to get a nice 225F temperature going. You can get a nice long burn (perhaps up to 8 hours) this way.

I have since added a Slow&Sear which made life easier. Finally I added a FireBoard controller with a Pit Viper fan this year and upped my smoking game. Still just using my old 22" Weber Kettle and haven't felt the need to acquire anymore cookers yet.

[ofelles]

Welcome from the California Delta. Plenty of good advise above.

[troymeister]

Welcome from the Chicago area.. The Weber Kettle for me is one of the most versatile grills out there. Even more versatile with the SnS and the Vortex. I have to agree with many of the above posters. The Weber Kettle for starters. Everything else after is an enhancement.

[Richard Chrz]

Personally for me, cost all considered, It is hard to beat a Weber Kettle, I run my 22 as a daily driver, and have smoked some really good food on it as well, without a slow and sear, just with snake method and a water pan. I think the 26 is less efficient then the 22 for basic cooks, but the 26 offers larger smoking space in comparrison, With the 26 I may suggest a vortex, as is a bit bigger and takes a bit more fuel (coal) then I would like to use for small cooks, it may help reduce the extra fuel needs, I also have a 22 wsm, and I am sure the bottom section of it could be used as a grill, so if you preferred every weekend long smokes, I would go with an 18 wsm or a 22wsm. With a kettle, I do think a table, whether from Weber, or custom built, is a must for outdoor cooking With a 22 you can buy a table built on. 26 you would need to have one made. As important as grilling, I would get a good temp probe system, that helps you set your grill / smoker more then anything. You will learn to set and forget a weber as well, and they build beautiful bark once you learn to harness there abilities. I can't speak to efficiencies and cost of other styles.

[surfdog]

A kettle would be a fine choice. Incredibly versatile without breaking the bank.

Accessories like the Vortex, and SNS, can be added later as “needed.” (Read: wanted) No accessories are strictly necessary for it to preform well...they just make things more convenient or simplify getting the desired results. And the Weber kettle has countless accessories available for it.

Personally, I would probably opt for the performer series as I like the added table. Though there never seems to be enough table space for my liking...thus my current search for a decent table. Those grills are available just about everywhere so you could have one at home this afternoon.

I wouldn't discount a gasser either. While most are not great for smoking, they’re great for quick items like burgers & dogs. I smoked for years on my Summit gasser before I purchased my first true smoker. It requires a little finesse but it was, and is, still capable.

A good instant read thermometer is a must IMO...with a leave in added if it’s in the budget.

And welcome aboard from sunny SoCal.

[Murdy]

Is your Weber a kettle or a gas grill? I smoke a lot on my kettle. And it comes out great. Add a fan controller for ease, but honestly, I don't really have to fuss with mine that much in most conditions. As I understand, a weber kettle will produce a heavier smoke flavor than a pellet grill and will sear better.

[ColonialDawg]

I have a Weber 26 inch kettle, SNS, Fireboard, and Guru PitViper fan. Add a Vortex knockoff on the cheap from Amazon and you can cook just about anything.

[Rick Triviski]

so you can make quick hotdogs or burgers on a pellet grill? Are there other reputable brands of pellet grills?

[tenphases]

You have to have a fire with kids! Get some sort of weber kettle for the dogs and burgers. As far as a smoker, I have a bunch and some of them are really expensive. The truth is that all the money and all the fancy is great but there is nothing that I cant do with a stock weber kettle. Here is a bonus. After your done grilling throw a couple of wood chunk on the fire, leave the lid off and toast marshmallows.