Looking to build a smoker!

[twenty5]

Anyone have any experiance?

Needs to be done on the cheap or maybe I would buy one if the price is right. Not something large enough to do a pig, just a couple racks of ribs, chickens etc... It does not need to be massive, just halfway decent looking and something that will last a couple yrs, not just 1 summer.

Here are a couple options I have looked into:

Option 1 (Basic and cheap but is this really a smoker? Or is it more of a grill??

Option 2 (A bit more serious, more room and a lot better looking)

Option 3 (More of what I was looking for, seems expensive to buy and impossible to build lol)



Any help or stories from your previous builds would be appreciated!

 

[smokingIsh]

I have the option three. Picked it up at wally world about 5 years ago. Very heavy duty and well made. I like the option of if you dont have much to grill, you can use the wood box as a tiny grill.

 

[dpricenator]

#2 looks cool, and relativley easy to make.

 

[twenty5]

Ish,
I didnt know that walmart sold smokers etc... Just looked them up and their pricing is pretty good, better than I expected from looking at lowes / home depot.

Is yours a good size? Seems like it can fit a lot, like I said before I am just looking for enough space to make a meal for 6-8 or so.

 

[smokingIsh]

Yeah, its a pretty good size. But not so big it cant be versatile. I like the fact that because of the design it can function as a grill or a smoker.

 

[twenty5]

New options lol:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Char-Broil-American-Gourmet-Charcoal-Smoker/13056699
Char-Broil Smoker
•426 sq. in. of total cooking surface area
•288 primary and 138 warming
•Smoke stack
•Temperature gauge
•Clean-out door for easy ash removal

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brinkmann-Split-Door-Smoker/10854142
Brinkmann Split-Door Smoker:
•Over 354 square inches of cooking area
•Heavy-duty gauge steel construction
•Four adjustable air vents to control heat and smoke
•Professional temperature gauge
•Locking front doors for easy access to food, water and charcoal pans
•Porcelain-coated cooking grates
•Model: 810-5502-W

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Char-Broil-Offset-Charcoal-Smoker/13056698
Item Description

•Smoke, barbecue, and grill - all in one
•1,280 sq. in. of total cooking surface area
•670 primary, 355 warming & 255 firebox
•Top mounted smoke stack with damper
•Temperature gauge
•2 wheels for easy movement
•Convenient front shelf and storage rack


Anyone familiar with these? I have never seen the box looking one before. Better or worse than the other 2? The third one is a bit more than I wanted to spend but that thing is HUGE! lol

 

[dpricenator]

The 2nd one does not look like it would double as a grill. The 1st could be used to grill up some burgers and dogs too, if you were not in the mood to wait 4 hours for something to finish smoking.

 

[twenty5]

I should also mention that I already have a really nice gas commercial grill, big thing w/ side burners and all. It would be nice to grill every once in awhile over charcoal but the main goal of this baby is smoking for hrs ( while I hopefully smoke Tat A's and Illusione 1's lol)

 

[giantstogie]

well I have built 2, there are pics of the building process for the second one in the gallery. there are plans on the net for "big baby" smoker. built and wore it out. my best advice is to find one that fits, go a bit bigger and dont bother with something that is not 1/4 inch thick steel. , that said Webber makes a Bullet smoker that alot of people swear by and even us in compation. westlake ace hardare carrys some nice ones. look on line you can find alot. Just depends on what you want to spend.

 

[theribdoctor]

I'll respond when I get home.

 

[twenty5]

I'll respond when I get home.

I dare ya

 

[IndyPaintballSmoker]

If your doing ribs option #1 is fine

 

[BigFoot]

I have something similar to the #3 just a bit bigger though. I love it, it grills and smokes, lg. capacity holder for big pieces of logs. Jeremy will steer you the right way though, I mean he has to with a name like ribdoctor!!!

 

[5280Duc]

Not exactly cheap but worth the money if your going to get serious about bbq. I spent the dough and couldn`t be happier. Check out Ritch at Gator Pit

 

[jmatkins]

Yea I need one as well. I will most likely buy one since I know nothing about working with metal.

 

[twenty5]

I saw a bunch of good reviews on this one:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009NU5YY?tag=craiggoldwync-20&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=B0009NU5YY&creative=373489&camp=211189

More than I wanted to spend really but I dont want to just get a piece of crap either...

 

[.jacob]

I vote #2. The build looks fun as hell:

http://jmillerid.com/wordpress/2009/12/55-gallon-drum-smoker/

Plus the guy already did the 'hard' part and modeled the joint cut stencils in CAD which are available for you to DL.

 

[RonC]

clay pot smokers are ahelluva lot easier to make

 

[.jacob]

But pottery is lame

 

[theribdoctor]

Not home but, do you have a prive in mind? Personally for the versatility, I got a char griller, its heavy, holds temp for hours, has lots of options a big following in multiple forums. I have basically the smoking pro, big and have the side firebox. Some look great, and have lots of issues. These ones are built to last.