The Texas BBQ Forum

I was just wondering if anyone here has ever used the Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain smoker like they sell at Walmart? If so, what are the pros and cons? I was thinking about getting one for the times when it is too cold or rainy or I am just too lazy to fire up my offset. I could use it on my porch.
Thanks in advance.
Stan41

I have one I bought at Sams. It's stainless. I have it in a shed. When it's to windy, rainy, cold, etc., or I'm just to lazy to start a fire, it's what I use. I've had it for about 3 years, and have cooked a lot of good Q on it. Takes some getting used to . The ones at WM are a bit thinner, but on a porch or in a shed should do well. Or, you could spend a little more and get a WSM.

I've seen that cooker. Wasn't really impressed with it. Very thin metal etc... If I don't feel like firing up and babysitting one of the offsets, I opt for either my WSM or one of my UDSs. They will each burn for hours and hours unattended.

James.

Thank you both for your comments. I cook with mesquite wood almost all together. I have read great things about the WSM, but I don't like the taste of charcoal smoke. (The kind you buy in a bag). Can you use mesquite chunks instead of charcoal in a WSM?
Stan41

I don't think just chunks would work very well in a WSM. You can use lump charcoal instead of briquettes. I do that on a regular basis and mesquite lump is easy to find around here.

Since you already have an offset, I'd really try to push ya towards building a UDS. Cheap and easy to build and cooks great with Burn times about as good as a WSM.

James.

I'm pretty dumb, living way out in the country. What's a UDS?
Stan41

A UDS is an 'Ugly Drum Smoker'. Basically a 55 gallon barrel. Coals on bottom, food grate on top. A couple of intake and exhaust holes and away you go.

Check here.
http://www.texasbbqforum.com/viewtopic. ... hlight=uds

James: Since posting the above question I did a search on this site and found out all about them. Good Idea. I already have a barrel, just need to find a lid for it. Thanks for the suggestion.
Stan41

Hey Stan, I don't think you will be disappointed with it if you build it...

James.

James: Why wouldn't a 2 inch hole in the middle of the lid work fine for exhaust? You could place a 3 inch square piece of sheet metal near the hole and just cover the hole partly up if you wanted to restrict the exhaust.

I have several large cast iron dutch ovens with legs. Why wouldn't one of these work well for a firebox? You could start a fire in it outside the barrel and just lower it to the bottom inside the barrel. The 3 legs on the dutch oven would keep the barrel bottom from burning out.

I like the idea of using long eye bolts to support the grill and I suppose you could put two grills in it this way.

Any suggestions you have would be appreciated.
Stan

No reason a single hole in the lid wouldn't work. That's the great thing about UDSs. There is no one right way!

I don't think the dutch oven would work unless you were willing to drill holes in it to allow for airflow to the coals. I need to take a pic of the coal baskets I'm using now. I took the charcoal grate from a Weber kettle and had expanded steel welded around it and 4 inch sections of rebar welded on as legs. I had previously used the same charcoal grate and just used bolts, washers and nuts to fashion the legs and set the coal ring from my WSM on top of it. That worked great too!

Let's continue this discussion on the thread I linked above concerning UDS ideas.