DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Mission BBQ - Mannnnnn

You want one of each.

What to buy depends on budget. Low end of spectrum would be a Weber grill for grilling and a drum smoker for smoking. This is my current setup.

High end would be something like a Lang Hybrid 36, which has a grill and a smoker and is custom made using 1/4" stainless steel:



This is on my wish list once I stop paying thousands of dollars in NICU bills for the twins

A Lang is my dream smoker also, I'm hoping to get their 36" reverse flow next summer. Right now I've got an ugly drum and an Oklahoma Joe offset that I've sealed and modded out to hold steady temps across the entire cooking surface.

The drum smoker really is a "set it and forget it" apparatus. Once dialed in, you just have to kick it every hour or so to knock the ashes out of the basket. I'm trying to find an old weber dome lid for mine....I seem to get a lot of creosote buildup on the flat lid that i don't want dripping onto the food. With the dome, the nasty stuff will hopefully just run down the sides.

I use only split logs on the offset and it requires more effort to keep the firebox loaded and adjusted, but it's more fun and the meat seems to taste a little better.

Wow, that thing is tempting. I've been wanting a smoker for a long time, seriously considering a Traeger.

That is a fantastic idea.

Grill - whatever gets hot

Smoker - whatever holds a good temp

I have had cheap grills/smokers and I have expensive ones. They all cook the food, some are just easier to hold temps with.

You can smoke anything, but I would not smoke a steak. You wanna grill a steak, and you want the grill as hot as you can get it. You want a crispy outside, with red juicy meat on the inside. For a 2 inch steak - maybe 5 min per side if that on a grill that is HOT

I will not eat a raw steak. It has to be pink in the middle for me, not red.

Yesterday I did two zone grilling for pork. I had pork steaks and chorizo sausage. Get that grill very hot on one side, sear the meat, then put to the indirect heat side to finish. Very juicy and flavorful.

My KC style burnt ends I made over the weekend :-)

Then add a minute two tops to those cooking times. but still holds true, you want to cook a steak HOT and FAST.

I love my Traeger, but for smoking only. It can fit a lot of food on it and is super easy to keep at temp. It just doesn’t get hot enough for steaks. If you want a grill that can do both really well get a big green egg. I can get the temp up over 800 degrees and also keep it at 220 for smoking for over 16 hours without adding coals for smoking. I use a bbq guru to keep the temp consistent.

Since we are talking about smokers, I have one I need to sell. Over the winter, I took advantage of 'off-season' pricing to get a present for a friend.

https://www.campchef.com/pellet-grill-smoker-dlx.html

Problem is my friend doesn't like the taste of smoked meats. So now I have this smoker/grill, new and in the box, sitting in my garage. It lists at $700-800, but I got it for $500 and that's what I want for it.

Anyone need a smoker?

BTW, this is what I'm using to smoke these days.

https://pitboss-grills.com/products/?product=copperhead-5-series

Anyone use an electric smoker? Is there a difference w/ taste? I have always used a charcoal smoker, but last year I got a propane one - and I cant tell that big a difference. Someone told me they don't taste a difference w/ an electric and its much easier to keep temp, but I find that highly suspect.

I used to have an electric smoker. It was a hand me down and was pretty beat, but it held temp alright. The problem I had with it was that I couldn't get a good smoke ring; meat had smoke flavor but you eat with your eyes first you know.

Every memorial day we do a family and friends rib cookout, usually between 15 to 20 guys, at our lake. Five years or so ago we had a dozen guys or so trying to use electric smokers, but it overloaded the power at the pavilion; there were some tough ribs at the buffet line that year. Even when power was plentiful the electric cookers finished towards the bottom. The most consistent cookers are the Weber Smoky Mountain and even the guys who use the $100 Weber can run with the guys who trailer in custom cookers. You can build a vertical barrel smoker out of a 55 gallon drum for less than $100.

def don't wanna lose my smoke ring! Im running a vertical propane right now, that has about 6 racks in it. water and chip pan goes on top of burner. works if I keep a constant eye on it, but I am finding I have to go out ever 30 min as the temps get too hot. once the water evaps, if I don't go out there and fill it back up the temps are like 250+. I like to smoke to slow and low, 180-220 for most.