1 smoker vs 3

[Raider18]

As mentioned in another thread I'm thinking about getting the quality offset smoker that I've wanted for a very long time. Now that I have the money I'm getting nervous about pulling the trigger. Part of me wants to get it, then the other part of me is like I can buy a WSM, PK Grill and a Pecos and have a grand left over to do whatever with and be perfectly happy. Being cheap is a blessing and a curse. ha!

[amusick10]

Let’s chat, I can get you in a custom built tuning plate rig that doubles as a charcoal grill and add on anything you’d like.

The only box you won’t check would be the pellet.


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[roaniecowpony]

I went thru the same dilemma a dozen years ago. I got the offset I wanted. I think it's a smoker that everyone should learn to use. Everything I learned using the offset has helped me on other smokers.

That being said, my offset is seldom used. I've been using a Bubba Keg kamodo for many years now. Maybe once a year the ol offset gets fired up. There are a few reasons I moved to a kamado. I can have my kamado up and running in a matter of minutes. The offset takes about an hour to get running. The offset has a much higher airflow than a kamado and therefore cooks on a kamado tend to be much more moist. My offset takes a lot of fuel to run. The offset can take a bag of charcoal to do a couple pork shoulders where my kamados can do the same shoulders with about 2-3 lbs of the same charcoal.

In the end, I don't think it's as much about which smoker you have as it is about how you use it.

[Papa Tom]

Decisions, decisions..... If you do not get what you dreamed of you will always probably wonder....
I have had all types of cookers but I am old, only do patio cooks for the family/friends and like to sleep so I currently (last 20 years) have pellet cookers.
But I guess decisions always linger so i have 3 different ones and usually cook on the least expensive one.

Enjoy your selection...

[roaniecowpony]

Like Papa Tom, I like to sleep too. So, I don't do long smokes anymore and i'm eyeing a pellet smoker. These days, I do a lot of tritip, which I combine searing and smoking and they take about 2-3 hrs. Once in while, my wife can convince me to do some babybacks and I do a few pork shoulders a year. But I've learned some shortcuts to get flavorful pulled pork without much of the pit tending.

[woodenvisions]

+1 on roanie regarding a Kamado.
Weather it's a low end which I've loved the last 4 or 5 years or a high end Egg. It all comes down to what you feel like cooking that particular day and your Bank acct.
With a Kamado and time served, you can smoke, grill, bake, steam pretty much anything that you can do with a smoker, oven, steamer, or stove top.. One day, a 250/75 grate temp Smoked Brisket, next day a 700 degree grate temp seared Steak, next night one of the Absolute best Pizzas followed by a Super Moist Chocolate Cake.....
Extrememely efficient, somewhat easy to move around and easily run 15-24 hrs on ONE basket of Lump. They also tend to not dry out your cooks either.
And Yes, I'm partial to them so just my opinion.

Good luck on your hunt and don't contemplate too long, tomorrow is never promised ya know .....That's why I eat Desert FIRST

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[roaniecowpony]

An offset tends to be an expensive cooker. If you do get the offset you want, later, a WSM or clone is a much smaller investment. I've seen some WSM clones for very little.

[Raider18]

Thanks for the feedback!

Yeah my problem is I kinda get bored with smokers after a while and want to change things up. The biggest reason I haven't pulled the trigger on a nice offset yet is the fact that offsets take so much time when you cook. For years I cooked on a UDS and it produced fantastic food with little effort, I just hated the flat top lid on humid days. I ended up selling it and buying the big Rec Tec, but I missed live fire, the pellet grill was just too easy so I sold the Rec Tec. Pellet grills produce the best flavor IMO on chicken, pork chops and steaks but for large cooks butts, briskets and ribs I prefer charcoal or sticks. My current lineup is an Akorn, the GMG Davy Crockett and a Weber Kettle. I'm starting to think that my best bet is maybe getting the Old Country Pecos for now and when the Akorn goes out (Avg lifespan is 5 years) reevaluate a nice offset or just replace the Akorn with a WSM and PK.

[Chasdev]

If you have to have a stick burner buy a better one than the Pecos.
It's a good start point for the money but for another $500 or so you can get a much better smoker.
I''m pretty much a pellet guy these days and I'm having fun cooking packers overnight (and up to 24 hours).
My Kamado and large stash fancy lump don't get much use these days.

[roaniecowpony]

I have an Old Country All American 20x36 pit with 20x20 fire box. I would buy something better like a Gator if I had to do it again.
If you were closer, I'd make you a deal you couldnt pass up.

Regarding a flat lid on the UDS, I recall some guys using Weber kettle lids.

I've been thinking about another smoker lately, since my original Bubba Keg started rusting thru and I had to pull out a backup Ive had NIB for about 10 years. I stumbled onto the Karubecue. Sounds like it smokes perfectly and holds temperature thermostatically, but requires constant tending. You sound like the kind of guy this thing is made for. It's worth a read on his take on all the different smokers. https://kbq.us/product/kbq-c-60-pit/

['BoutTime]

I have a 22” Weber Kettle smoker/grill that was under $100. I smoked my first brisket less than a month ago, and my first ribs a week later. The brisket came out great, in spite of a few mistakes. But the ribs were unbelievably great. Best I ever had in my life.
Call it Beginner's Luck, or whatever, but the point is you can do great Q with the cheapest of equipment. So as much as we guys** like to brag about our equipment, it's the way you perform that actually matters. And yes, I AM talking about BBQ here!
(**Not to suggest all the posters here are guys)

[Raider18]

Ha a year later and same thoughts. I ended up selling the AKORN and GMG and got myself a PK, WSM and REC TEC Bullseye. I love all three, but I still yearn for the stick burner.

[Chasdev]

This is going to sound like a broken record BUT I moved on to a Masterbuilt 560 gravity cooker, it uses charcoal, any type, mixed with hardwood chunks which smokes meat that's very close to what a stick burner produces.
It's a set and forget cooker with an internal fan and holds temps all day long, which was a big deal for me.
I still like a pellet spitter for pork ribs, I don't like a lot of smoke on pork and I still use a kamado for for low and slow pork shoulder, but for smoked beef the Masterbuilt is king.
It's a pain to put together but it's inexpensive.

[rus_bro]

Move on that offset. If you have the money, pit it inot a quality offset over a pecos (not saying anything bad about a pecos, but its definitely the lower level of smoker). Get that 24" pipe and 3/8 steel you will never regret it.

I thought i may not use my offset that much, but I fire it up as much as any of my other pits. You will never regret it.

rb

[rus_bro]

I have a 22” Weber Kettle smoker/grill that was under $100. I smoked my first brisket less than a month ago, and my first ribs a week later. The brisket came out great, in spite of a few mistakes. But the ribs were unbelievably great. Best I ever had in my life.
Call it Beginner's Luck, or whatever, but the point is you can do great Q with the cheapest of equipment. So as much as we guys** like to brag about our equipment, it's the way you perform that actually matters. And yes, I AM talking about BBQ here!
(**Not to suggest all the posters here are guys)

I make fabulous BBQ on my Kettle & WSM. But there is a difference when compared to being cooked on an offset smoker using flowing smoke and heat. I have competed with my WSM and done decent, but the meat i can put out on the Shirley is a whole different beast..

rb