Advice for buying first smoker

[Bob Mckee]

Hi,

I am looking at buying a new BBQ and I have decided to get a smoker so it gives me more options.

I really like the idea of low and slow cooking.

I am really struggling to make a decision and I am wondering if you can help.

My Budget is £100.

I have looked at the following:

The Pro Q Amigo

The Brinkmann Smoke and Grill and the Brinkmann Gourmet.

I have also found the website best budget buys .co.uk they have 3 indirect smokers and I am wondering if someone can advise on the difference, I can see one has an extra rack on the main BBQ area. Will there be much difference in the quality?

Thank You in advance.

[JEC]

Personally I'd look for a Weber One Touch Kettle, it will smoke and grill and is a top quality product. The others will work but nearly always require a bit of DIY to get them functioning consistently. Check out the virtual weber bullet for advice on the Weber one touch for smoking, there are people on that forum who have managed 12 hour smokes in a kettle with excellent results.

http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/9040039023

Above is a good place to start but we can all help you on here to get good results.

[Riverrat]

I will second what JEC has just said, for your budget the Weber is the best option - get a 22 incher not the 18!!!! The Weber will last for years and comes with a 10 year warranty on the important parts, my 22 OTS is now in its fourth year of service and will last for many more. My first dabble in the world of low and slow was with a Brinkman Gourmet - and yes it did a fair job for what it cost, BUT, the bottom rotted out of it after only 18 months.

My largest cook on the OTS so far has been a 14 lb Turkey, about 8 hours cook time, have gone longer cook times when doing Pork Butts - 10 hours without topping up the coals ( should have taken it off sooner but fell asleep!!!! Turned out to be the best Butt I have cooked! )

You should be able to find a 22 OTS that fits your budget, the better buy in my opinion is the Premium at around the £150 mark, comes with all the goodies that you will need to get started low and slow.

[Bob Mckee]

Thanks for the advice guys.

My friend and I have been getting all BBQ obsessive over the last couple of days, and it's nice to get a point in the right direction.

We're both going to go for the Weber One Touch. I've been reading about the various methods to try and achieve low and slow cooking in the kettle. Any top tips? It looks like blocking off your coals with some fire bricks seems to be the way forward?

I've got a bit of a dream of being able to set the BBQ up for a long cook for a few hours, leaving it basically unattended to return later to scoff my delicious food. Is this a bit of a fantasy? I suspect the reality is I'm going to have to check up on it every now and then.....what do you all think?

[JEC]

Thanks for the advice guys.

My friend and I have been getting all BBQ obsessive over the last couple of days, and it's nice to get a point in the right direction.

We're both going to go for the Weber One Touch. I've been reading about the various methods to try and achieve low and slow cooking in the kettle. Any top tips? It looks like blocking off your coals with some fire bricks seems to be the way forward?

I've got a bit of a dream of being able to set the BBQ up for a long cook for a few hours, leaving it basically unattended to return later to scoff my delicious food. Is this a bit of a fantasy? I suspect the reality is I'm going to have to check up on it every now and then.....what do you all think?

Fire bricks and tin foil will help you achieve a consistent low temperature, basically use the bricks to keep the heat away from the meat, put tin foil on the grate on the 2/3rds that aren't directly under the coals, this will help keep the temperature stable, you can also use a water pan on top of the tin foil if you want to. If you can afford it at some point in the future a Pitmaster iQue110 will help you achieve your dream, Google it there are YouTube videos of the controller on a one touch grill

Have fun

[Steve]

I'll also second what the guys have said above regarding the £100 smokers you mentioned, avoid, avoid, avoid.

The One Touch is a fantastic device for out and out flexibility, you'll be able to do the low and slow cooking but work with the high heat options too.

Being totally honest with you, the kettles aren't as good as a (quality) dedicated smoker for low and slow but in terms of your budget, I think they fit the bill best for you. If later on you get bitten by the bug, you can invest in a dedicated machine or build a UDS.

[BBQFanatic]

I second the Weber purchase, its the best all round kit you can buy... you can grill and Q on it with no issues. I did a mini review of the Brinkman http://bbbqs.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f= ... t=10#p7546 and the effort you need to put into it, just to get it to work!

[bbqbob]

I purchased the weber one touch premium after getting advice on here and am well pleased with it. I paid £135.00 which is pretty close to budget

[BigM]

thats a good price they go for upto 179£ where u get it may i ask ?
and i hope you keep us informed on how ya cooks go

check out bbq pit boys on utube they do most of there cooks on a weber grill

[Bob Mckee]

So we've gone ahead and bought the weber one touch BBQs. Went for the slightly smaller size (47) and seemed to get quite a good deal from wow BBQ. £92 with free delivery. Pretty happy with that.

We're looking forward to getting a first smoke on. Thinking about easier stuff to start with. Obviously there's sausages and the like but was thinking maybe some ribs or a beer butt chicken for some practise. What do you all think?

Thanks for all the help by the way guys. The advice has been great.