All Encompassing Whatcha Smoking With

[conVINCEd 21469]

1 hour ago, bigcigar said:

I think I’ll get an offset later this year, but I have no idea what’s important. A buddy of mine told me to check out millscale and workhorse pits. 

Any other recommendations? Also what makes a great smoker?

If you can easily load it into the bed of a pickup with two people you should pass unless the two people are NFL lineman.

[Da Fino 2776]

Check out this Jayhawk dumbass at 4:35. Youtube pro, I tell you!!
 

What the fuck? Why?

[Steel Shank 9421]

40 minutes ago, Da Fino said:

What the fuck? Why?

He recommends doing it every time you smoke, silly.

[Da Fino 2776]

He recommends doing it every time you smoke, silly.

Incredible.

[ROFL BOX 6647]

14 hours ago, bigcigar said:

I think I’ll get an offset later this year, but I have no idea what’s important. A buddy of mine told me to check out millscale and workhorse pits. 

Any other recommendations? Also what makes a great smoker?

Where do you live?

[bigcigar 1164]

6 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

Where do you live?

Dallas. I was also pointed to kcw smokers yesterday. He’s a welder out of grandview and his prices seem pretty reasonable for custom work. 

[Baboontyme 2809]

22 hours ago, bigcigar said:

I think I’ll get an offset later this year, but I have no idea what’s important. A buddy of mine told me to check out millscale and workhorse pits. 

Any other recommendations? Also what makes a great smoker?

A good cook. 

[ROFL BOX 6647]

14 hours ago, bigcigar said:

Dallas. I was also pointed to kcw smokers yesterday. He’s a welder out of grandview and his prices seem pretty reasonable for custom work. 

I'm thinking @luke duke would be a good resource for a rig up thataways... he's always posting when a good product comes along on Craigslist.  You wanting a smaller backyard setup that is good for maybe 1 whole brisket & a rack of ribs or... a trailer setup that you can tote around?

[bigcigar 1164]

9 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

I'm thinking @luke duke would be a good resource for a rig up thataways... he's always posting when a good product comes along on Craigslist.  You wanting a smaller backyard setup that is good for maybe 1 whole brisket & a rack of ribs or... a trailer setup that you can tote around?

More of a mix. I don’t need to tote around, but I’d like to be able to do multiple briskets. I have a primo xl now that I’d still use for smaller cooks (up to 2 briskets).

[ROFL BOX 6647]

https://www.lyfetyme.com/retailers/

 

Find the product you want (size, features) & go with one of these.  The crap found @ Lowe's, etc. have skinny thin metal & will burn through pretty easily if you own it a few years & use it regularly.  From what I've seen on these rigs, they are probably perfect for your wants.

& Of course keep your eyes on Craigslist or your local FB Marketplace ads.  Always a possibility you find a motivated seller & you can get a good deal this way.  What's your budget?  We talking 4 briskets + a top grate for some rib racks?

My trailer smoker if stuffed full can do 18 whole chickens, spatchcocked or 6 briskets + maybe 6 racks on the top grate.

 

 

The guy I got mine from is a welder & he got into a financial pinch, sold this to me for $ 3,000.00.  It was his personal rig for around 6 months.

*Ignore the apparent smokestack location; it actually goes through the body & draws air fully horizontal... the inlet for the stack goes 1/2 way down through the smoke chamber.

[StassneyHorn 6574]

PSA

I work part time as an in-store shopper at Whole Foods. The guys in the meat department are saying there’s a price war going on now with briskets at HEB and Costco, and that HEB prices theirs against WalMart. Whole Foods isn’t getting involved and keeps all their brisket in the back cause it’s all over 100 dollars. Apparently HEB is losing money on brisket, and some stores are limiting briskets to 2 per customer. This is the SW Austin area, and I have no idea on verifying it, but that is what the meat dudes said.

 

 

[bigcigar 1164]

2 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

https://www.lyfetyme.com/retailers/

 

Find the product you want (size, features) & go with one of these.  The crap found @ Lowe's, etc. have skinny thin metal & will burn through pretty easily if you own it a few years & use it regularly.  From what I've seen on these rigs, they are probably perfect for your wants.

& Of course keep your eyes on Craigslist or your local FB Marketplace ads.  Always a possibility you find a motivated seller & you can get a good deal this way.  What's your budget?  We talking 4 briskets + a top grate for some rib racks?

My trailer smoker if stuffed full can do 18 whole chickens, spatchcocked or 6 briskets + maybe 6 racks on the top grate.

 

 

The guy I got mine from is a welder & he got into a financial pinch, sold this to me for $ 3,000.00.  It was his personal rig for around 6 months.

*Ignore the apparent smokestack location; it actually goes through the body & draws air fully horizontal... the inlet for the stack goes 1/2 way down through the smoke chamber.

How long is it? Was thinking 6 briskets is probably the max I’d do. In a pinch I could throw a couple on the primo. The welder said 60” x 24” would be about $2700 - no trailer. Not sure if that fits 6.

[MirrOlure 14760]

Red Oak
Pecan and hickory.

On my patched together Dragon Smoker (made 25+ years ago on same pattern as Lifetyme

[Baboontyme 2809]

On 5/28/2021 at 1:49 PM, bigcigar said:

How long is it? Was thinking 6 briskets is probably the max I’d do. In a pinch I could throw a couple on the primo. The welder said 60” x 24” would be about $2700 - no trailer. Not sure if that fits 6.

That would easily fit 6. Mine is 24x48 and I could probably fit 8-10 if I used both shelves. I've had I think 14 pork shoulders in there. 

[bigcigar 1164]

54 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

That would easily fit 6. Mine is 24x48 and I could probably fit 8-10 if I used both shelves. I've had I think 14 pork shoulders in there. 

So overshooting the size a bit, but 100 lbs+ of brisket that’s DAF seems like a good value proposition.

[Anastasis 23463]

1 hour ago, Baboontyme said:

That would easily fit 6. Mine is 24x48 and I could probably fit 8-10 if I used both shelves. I've had I think 14 pork shoulders in there. 

This.  I have a single door 24x48 and 6 would be no sweat, but another 12" never hurt anyone (SA's mom). 

Edited May 31, 2021 by Anastasis

[horn4life 3759]

OK you may Laugh but because I said I loved Butterfinger on the Candy thread...  Turned out fucking delicious!

 

[ROFL BOX 6647]

How long is it? Was thinking 6 briskets is probably the max I’d do. In a pinch I could throw a couple on the primo. The welder said 60” x 24” would be about $2700 - no trailer. Not sure if that fits 6.

I think I'm 6 ft. long on the smoke chamber, maybe 18" added for the firebox.

There is a wood bin on the backside. If I was to pull the wood & re-stack vertically, I could easily fit a plastic folding table back there.

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[luke duke 6412]

On 5/26/2021 at 10:04 AM, bigcigar said:

I think I’ll get an offset later this year, but I have no idea what’s important. A buddy of mine told me to check out millscale and workhorse pits. 

Any other recommendations? Also what makes a great smoker?

@bigcigar

https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/for/d/denton-klose-custom-bbq-smoker/7329119432.html

[Anastasis 23463]

3 hours ago, luke duke said:

@bigcigar

https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/for/d/denton-klose-custom-bbq-smoker/7329119432.html

that's a beast with a 3/4" firebox according to the listing. 

[pops 6980]

Bought a 20lb bag of cowboy lump...choices are limited up here. Takes a long time to come up to temp and doesn't get that hot. Is this just dogshit charcoal?

[Sam Lin 3551]

It isn't great, just based on other anecdotes I've seen. No personal experience.

[luke duke 6412]

that's a beast with a 3/4" firebox according to the listing. 

I’m guessing that it’s 1/2” at most.

[Anastasis 23463]

45 minutes ago, luke duke said:

 

I’m guessing that it’s 1/2” at most.

 

Yeah, I've never heard of 3/4"...that would be kinda nuts. It's a beast either way. 

[crainiac 37]

Bought this klose 30” for $225 about 6 weeks ago.


Took awhile to get to it with all the rain, but got the rust off, painted the shelves, and went boiled linseed oil on the firebox and cook chamber. H-town, you got a good source for post oak?




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[luke duke 6412]

https://killeen.craigslist.org/grd/d/belton-bbq-pit-by-klose/7335092709.html

[bigcigar 1164]

I went with the custom build and it’s almost done. He was going to do 60” x 24” using 1/4” pipe, but found a good deal on a 125 gal propane tank - so final dimensions are 68” x 24”. No idea how much meat space that equates to, but my wife signed me up to cook for a back to school event so I guess I’ll find out. I’m waiting on the powder coat then I’ll pick it up.  

[bigcigar 1164]

Also, some surly inspired humor to brand it. DAF has become a frequent term used with friends to describe each other’s bbq.

 

[Baboontyme 2809]

Looks awesome. Any reason why you had them make the door on the firebox so small? 

[bigcigar 1164]

38 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

Looks awesome. Any reason why you had them make the door on the firebox so small? 

I didn’t know what I was doing. He just built it like he’s built them before — basically just said here’s the size I’m going for

[Baboontyme 2809]

39 minutes ago, bigcigar said:

I didn’t know what I was doing. He just built it like he’s built them before — basically just said here’s the size I’m going for

I don't know what I'm doing, either. My entire face of my firebox is on a hinge. I think it would be a PITA to clean among other things without a full door. Just a minor observation. 

[UncleBuck 6452]

Anyone have any experience with the All Star Feeders 20" "Oven Up" vertical offset? No, I didn't read the whole thread. Just browsing smokers and this one caught my eye along with others, just not a lot of info on it.

[bigcigar 1164]

8 hours ago, Baboontyme said:

I don't know what I'm doing, either. My entire face of my firebox is on a hinge. I think it would be a PITA to clean among other things without a full door. Just a minor observation. 

It’s hard to say without seeing the inside of the box yet. It’s insulated but I’m not sure how much of the inner tube will be exposed with the door open. Guess I’ll find out (hopefully this weekend).

[Baboontyme 2809]

Inner tube? Smoke intake? 

I was thinking about this last night for some reason. I don't have any experience in building these things but I feel like I would really want to rethink that door before I take delivery. I guess if you're strictly burning logs it might work out, but even still I would think think you'd want more room to play with your fire, add fuel, some kind of a grate, etc - not to mention the cleaning. Maybe @Paco or @luke duke can weigh in. 

[Da Fino 2776]

8 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

Inner tube? Smoke intake? 

I was thinking about this last night for some reason. I don't have any experience in building these things but I feel like I would really want to rethink that door before I take delivery. I guess if you're strictly burning logs it might work out, but even still I would think think you'd want more room to play with your fire, add fuel, some kind of a grate, etc - not to mention the cleaning. Maybe @Paco or @luke duke can weigh in. 

I think I can visualize it now. The bottom of the door is rounded to match up with an interior rounded floor that acts as the firebox. Maybe that interior pipe has some sort of lagging or insulation around it to make it more efficient? Just guessing here. 

[bigcigar 1164]

2 hours ago, Da Fino said:

I think I can visualize it now. The bottom of the door is rounded to match up with an interior rounded floor that acts as the firebox. Maybe that interior pipe has some sort of lagging or insulation around it to make it more efficient? Just guessing here. 

Yeah - that’s my understanding. His non insulated fire boxes are just pipe. This one has insulation around the pipe and a square exterior.

But I think the door was the result my requested letter location based on other smokers he’s done. I think a good portion of his clients are either competition cooks or restaurants and know what the hell they’re doing. Just double checked the 2 restaurant builds he’s posted and they’re full door. Oops.

[UncleBuck 6452]

Any of you cook on a Pits by JJ 20x36 reverse flow? Looking hard at that, and the 20x42 LSG.

[TXSG8R 3362]

Does anyone make a small insulated cabinet smoker or is a WSM the better way to go?  I want something that takes up less room on the patio than my offset and can cook for 3-4 people (a single brisket, or a rack of ribs or two, etc) that I don’t have to fight with to keep at temp.

[UncleBuck 6452]

Does anyone make a small insulated cabinet smoker or is a WSM the better way to go?  I want something that takes up less room on the patio than my offset and can cook for 3-4 people (a single brisket, or a rack of ribs or two, etc) that I don’t have to fight with to keep at temp.

Just get a WSM. Unless you wanna spend 4x+ what a WSM costs, then you can look at Humphrey reverse flow cabinet smokers. They’re good.

[Both Tacos 1806]

Does anyone make a small insulated cabinet smoker or is a WSM the better way to go?  I want something that takes up less room on the patio than my offset and can cook for 3-4 people (a single brisket, or a rack of ribs or two, etc) that I don’t have to fight with to keep at temp.

I've got a small insulated cabinet smoker that has been sitting around lonely ever since I got a bigger one from LSG. It's perfect for family/small gathering cooking but I do catering every once in awhile (at least use to until my real job got crazy busy) so I upgraded.
It's made by Backyard Bombers BBQ. It's the MJH version.
"The MJH Smokers" https://www.backyardbombersbbq.com/smokers.html

[TXSG8R 3362]

12 hours ago, UncleBuck said:

Just get a WSM. Unless you wanna spend 4x+ what a WSM costs, then you can look at Humphrey reverse flow cabinet smokers. They’re good.

Yea, that’s where I’m at.  It’s really hard to justify the cost of one when the WSM seems to do the same thing for so much less. 

[UncleBuck 6452]

1 hour ago, TXSG8R said:

Yea, that’s where I’m at.  It’s really hard to justify the cost of one when the WSM seems to do the same thing for so much less. 

I'd get the 22", just 'cos you might regret not having the space when you have a couple of more people over, or if you wanna cook a bit more comfortably. Then later on you can get another 22", or an 18" to accompany it for larger cooks if you want.

But if Both Tacos is selling his Backyard for a good price and it's in decent condition, you'd maybe jump on that. You'll be using nearly the same amount of fuel in that as in a 22" WSM, but it'll cook a whole lot more, and more comfortably.

Edited September 22, 2021 by UncleBuck

[TXSG8R 3362]

2 minutes ago, UncleBuck said:

I'd get the 22", just 'cos you might regret not having the space when you have a couple of more people over, or if you wanna cook a bit more comfortably. Then later on you can get another 22", or an 18" to accompany it for larger cooks if you want.

But if Both Tacos is selling his Backyard for a good price and it's in decent condition, you'd maybe jump on that. You'll be using nearly the same amount of fuel in that as in a 22" WSM, but it'll cook a whole lot more, and more comfortably.

I have a bigger offset, but it leaks like a sieve and is more work than is justified for a single rack of ribs.  Holding temps requires hourly attention so smoking something becomes a chore.  I want something I can set for at least 4+ hours while I get other shit done on a Saturday.  

[UncleBuck 6452]

17 minutes ago, TXSG8R said:

I have a bigger offset, but it leaks like a sieve and is more work than is justified for a single rack of ribs.  Holding temps requires hourly attention so smoking something becomes a chore.  I want something I can set for at least 4+ hours while I get other shit done on a Saturday.  

Once you work your WSM you can do that 4 hours and more, even without air temp controllers. Same with that unit Both Tacos is talking about. Once you learn how to set it, you can walk away.

On longer cooks like brisket on my WSM, I can get my temp dialed in then disappear for a few hours. Go fishing, whatever.

But of course I'm going opposite of you and looking to get back into sticks. I mostly hang around the house and backyard all day when I'm smoking anyway.

[bigcigar 1164]

I did my first brisket(s) cook on the smoker last weekend. We had a block party of sorts and went with a bbq and tacos theme - 4 briskets, ~10lbs of smoked beef cheek/ barbacoa and al pastor.

Wish I had more pictures of the food but serving a ton of people didn’t leave much time to capture the results. The briskets were probably all in the top 5 I’ve done. Beef cheeks are cheating since they’re effectively like a richer version of beef ribs - definitely a crowd pleaser.

The smoker draws beautiful clean smoke like a freight train - really impressed so far with its performance. 

[ROFL BOX 6647]

Did you throw a pot of something or other on top of the firebox?  A crowd like that, you should be running some beans or whatnot.

[bigcigar 1164]

10 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

Did you throw a pot of something or other on top of the firebox?  A crowd like that, you should be running some beans or whatnot.

I deferred all sides to other people. Never made it past brisket and tacos, so no idea what people brought.

[UncleBuck 6452]

That pit is gorgeous. Congrats.

[luke duke 6412]

Did you throw a pot of something or other on top of the firebox?  A crowd like that, you should be running some beans or whatnot.

#ROFLBOXED

[Anastasis 23463]

That pit is bad ass. You need to build it a little house.