Steak grill/smoker

[Bwing96]

New to the forum, been lurking in the shadows reading everything I can find. Been grilling and smoking for years on cheap or homemade junk and now ready to get something better.

My current smoker looks like an outhouse that I built out of cypress and put a fish cooker in the bottom for heat source. I get my smoke from a box off to the side connected with 4" dryer duct. A hot pate with wood chips in a pan provides the smoke which is blown into the main chamber with a small fan out of a computer. It does a really good job on ribs and butts, also a good cold smoker.

As for my grill its a Brinkmann Smoke'n pit from Wal-Mart that's almost 25 years old. I think it was $165 back then.

I grill steak for 2 - 8 every Saturday night and smoke only 2 or 3 times a month. I'm looking something that would be an excellent grill as well as smoker. I haven't found what I would call the perfect solution. Grillin is one thing and smoke'n is another I know. I was hoping to solve this problem for less than $2000.

Surely someone has crossed this bridge before. I'm not against getting a grill for steak and another for smoking if I can stay within my budget. I kind of like the Big Hat meat locker smoker, anyone here have any experience with one? JJ's pits make a Fajita grill that looks like it would be good for steaks.

[ucsteve]

If your around San Antonio check out Bad Habit, he puts a fire box on one end and pull put coal drawer on the other, should cover what your looking for and in your price range.

www.badhabitbarbequepits.com

[k.a.m.]

You could buy a 22.5" WSM smoker and when you want to grill just use your lower cooking grate as a charcoal grate for grilling.
Or you could buy a 22.5" WSM and a 22.5" Weber kettle.

[Bwing96]

I'm leaning more towards a 20x48 from JJ's or Lone Star Grillz. They both look to be good quality pits. Anything special that would make one better than the other?

[k.a.m.]

I do not know anything about Lonestar grillz. I know Jose with PitsbyJJ personally and can say he builds a mighty fine cooker.

[Scott P]

I don't know of any units that are great at both styles of cooking. I would go with a 22.5" Weber Kettle and a Weber Smokey Mountain for smoking. The 18.5 is big enough for a couple butts pr a few racks of ribs. It does work with briskets, but you have to watch their size. The 22.5" is much bigger, but in my experience, it burns a lot of charcoal. You could have both units for $500 or so I would guess.

[All_Grilla_No_Filla]

Getcha a Weber Gold kettle (there is a new model, the Premium, so the Golds are being sold at a discount in several places) and a Smoke-EZ insert. I have a 26.75 with one, it's awesome. With the kettle I have an outstanding grill, and when I want to smoke, I put the insert on and I have a great vertical smoker. I also have legs from Cajun Bandit because the legs under the 26.75 kettle are slightly weak in my opinion. Plus, I like it just a little lower to the ground. Anyway, very versatile setup.

[Bwing96]

Those kinda remind me of the old Cajun cooker smokers. I had one 30 years ago and it burned out pretty quick. Doesn't look like its capable of cooking 10 racks of ribs or 10-15 rib-eyes at one time.

[bighatbbq]

Have you pulled the trigger ? I've been checking back to see if you made a decision. If so please give some feedback on what you chose and your experience with it so far. It really helps me and Big Hat understand what actual users are looking for. Thanks Beau

[M Grills]

If you are still looking for the perfect steak grill and smoker, I highly suggest you check out our M1.

This grill is the ultimate combo of a grill and smoker. It grills, sears, and smokes extremely well. It's built far better than other grills on the market. We fabricate our grills out of thick 10 gauge steel. The M1 has the adjustability with the coal grate so you can get it very hot for searing steaks and easily crank the grate down to cook everything else. The entire mechanism is built extremely well. For smoking, you have an integrated firebox with a 1/4" thick firebox door. The smoker design is a unique reverse airflow/vertical design. There is a fully welded baffle that goes under the coal grate in the main chamber of the grill. There is an opening on the right of the baffle where the smoke and heat enter the main chamber. The vent is on the opposite side of the lid allowing the smoke to travel back over the meat. There is a coal basket in the firebox that slides out for easy convenience. Everything inside the pit is made of 10 gauge steel and fully welded. We use very heavy duty hinges that run the full length of the grill. The cooking and coal grate are both solid 1/4" 304 stainless steel and made in house. You can also use the coal grate as a secondary smoke rack leaving you will enough room to smoke a 15 lb or so brisket on the bottom rack and 2 to 3 racks of ribs on the top grate. The M1 is very versatile and built to last. We make our grills here in Mesquite, Texas. Nothing is made over seas or in Mexico. Rather than your typical barrel style smokers and grills, the M1 features a unique design that looks great on your patio and cooks even better. The counters, Tel-Tru thermometers, handles, and every nut bolt are all stainless steel. When you lift the lid of the M1, you know its quality. There is no wobble from flimsy sheet metal or weak hinges. The grill seals very well.

The M1 goes for $1500

http://mgrills.bigcartel.com/product/m1

If you have any questions, please contact me at travis@mgrills.com or call 972-285-2554.

Have a great day.

Travis Magee
mgrills.com