Buying a spare smoker... Suggestions???

EggSmokeVa

whats up guys! (Hopefully this thread won't be as controversial as my lump thread lmao)

i travel frequently to the mountains in PA where my ol lady's family lives.. (4+ times per year) and I always do the cooking for everyone. (Massive family.. Sometimes 50+ people in attendance.. Usually more in the 25-30 range)

I want to buy a nice smoker to keep up there.. That is somewhat portable.. (More so than another BGE which would be ideal.. But I want to move it between their house and the cabin they own in the mountains) 

any recommendations? I would like to keep the price under $1,000.. As I plan to buy a pull behind smoker trailer within the next couple of years. I don't know much about pellet smokers but I've heard good things..any feedback would be appreciated.. I just want something nice that I can turn out a sizeable amount of Q occasionally on and relatively portable. Thanks!!

johnnyp

There is a relatively cheap product called an akorn.  It's a double walled metal komado style cooker made by char griller.  My BIL has one and the product is just fine.

 It's just a cheap version of the egg. Because it's metal walled, it's not as well insulated. And i think it's only available in one size, comparable to Large BGE.

Ive cooked on it now and the food comes out just fine. Not as good for set it and forget it, but you can make food comparable to the egg, although with more effort.

slovelad

Look at green mountain pellet smokers

pgprescott

Traeger has upgraded their product. They now offer digital thermometer with integral meat probes. Great BBQ, just not the best for grilling. 

Spaightlabs

slovelad said:

Look at green mountain pellet smokers

I've got a green mountain and have had great luck with it so far.  It is truly set it and forget it.  I've only had it for 3 weeks but have cooked a lot on it so far, and have had 3 friends get one after eating the food off of it.

jimithing

You might think about buying one or two 22.5" WSM's.  Very portable and can hold a lot of food.  Also relatively cheap.

Mosca

Just for smoking, the Pit Barrel at $289 is hard to beat for consistency of cook and volume. You could get three of them for under a grand. It's as portable as an empty 30 gallon steel drum, which it is.

Foghorn

johnnyp said:

There is a relatively cheap product called an akorn.  It's a double walled metal komado style cooker made by char griller.  My BIL has one and the product is just fine.

 It's just a cheap version of the egg. Because it's metal walled, it's not as well insulated. And i think it's only available in one size, comparable to Large BGE.

Ive cooked on it now and the food comes out just fine. Not as good for set it and forget it, but you can make food comparable to the egg, although with more effort.

This is a really good option.  I've cooked on several of them.  I actually think it is insulated better than my egg as I can put my hand on the outside of it and leave it there when cooking at 300-350 degrees - and I can't do that with my egg. 

The other option is a Napoleon AS300K.  I have one from the original British manufacturer (ProQ) and love it for travel/camping.  It all latches together and can be carried by the handle on top.  It works as a grill or a smoker.  It has two levels of grids allowing huge capacity.  And you can travel with as much or as little as you like.

http://www.napoleongrills.com/grills/product-details/productid/23/ccd/en-ca/apollo-300-charcoal-grill-and-water-smoker

ChuckR

Weber Smokey mountain is what I would get

Lit

Another for the 22 weber smokey mountain. Had one years ago before the egg and they work great and you get 2 levels of 22" grate so you can cook a lot. 

EggSmokeVa

My only draw back for the Smoky Mountain is I need to turn out BBQ for 25+ people some times... That won't be big enough for that right? @Lit @ChuckR

Lit

If by BBQ you mean pulled pork I bet you can get 80lbs in 1 22" WSM. I have put 4 shoulders on a single line in my xl egg and it has 2 levels that size. I can't think of anything with that capacity that you can move so easily. For well under $1000 you can get 2 and just leave one at each place and only have to move the one back and forth for larger groups.

EggSmokeVa

That's a good point.. How many racks of ribs can fit? @Lit

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Foghorn said:

johnnyp said:

There is a relatively cheap product called an akorn.  It's a double walled metal komado style cooker made by char griller.  My BIL has one and the product is just fine.

 It's just a cheap version of the egg. Because it's metal walled, it's not as well insulated. And i think it's only available in one size, comparable to Large BGE.

Ive cooked on it now and the food comes out just fine. Not as good for set it and forget it, but you can make food comparable to the egg, although with more effort.

This is a really good option.  I've cooked on several of them.  I actually think it is insulated better than my egg as I can put my hand on the outside of it and leave it there when cooking at 300-350 degrees - and I can't do that with my egg. 

The other option is a Napoleon AS300K.  I have one from the original British manufacturer (ProQ) and love it for travel/camping.  It all latches together and can be carried by the handle on top.  It works as a grill or a smoker.  It has two levels of grids allowing huge capacity.  And you can travel with as much or as little as you like.

http://www.napoleongrills.com/grills/product-details/productid/23/ccd/en-ca/apollo-300-charcoal-grill-and-water-smoker

I have a buddy with an acorn and it's a great little cooker for the money. I agree that it's even more insulated than my egg. 

Lit

You should easily be able to get 8 racks in there. 3 full rack down the middle of each grate and a half rack on each side. That's with being able to lay them flat. 

EggSmokeVa

Sold! @Lit

78 T140E

The Broil King Keg has an adapter that mounts it to a trailer hitch on your vehicle.  The Keg is the same size as the LBGE and can use most if not all of the BGE accessories.  It's double walled steel with oven grade insulation between the walls.  It's VERY efficient with charcoal and you can lay your hand on the exterior when the dome temp is 600°.  It comes with a 2 level cooking grid.  But, If your cooking for 25-30 or more, it may not be big enough.

You can check it out here: Broil King Keg

I have one and it cooks as well or better than my nephew's LBGE.

bboulier

You can cook a lot of meat on a Weber Smokey Mountain 22.  I recommend it highly.