super low budget get a Weber kettle, the big one, but will need a few mods.
Also what should I start with for wood chips? A quick search on amazon brings up so many options.
I started out with the Weber kettle with the Smokinator. I then moved up to the "18 Smokey Mountain. Once you have it dialed and seasoned, its fantastic, but not optimal for longer smokes. Buddy of mine has the Egg, and I hijack it from time to time to do ribs and brisket. The Egg is next level. Holds temp so well, and has the flexibility to do so much more. This shit is like bike riding, you get a bunch of cheap stuff and end up at the high end eventually, having spent 3x as much vs. going straight there. I'd say go straight to the Egg, even if it's a bit of a stretch, you won't be disappointed. And get a good thermometer.
Going to try my first rack of ribs this weekend on the large kettle. What kind of mods do you suggest?
Also what should I start with for wood chips? A quick search on amazon brings up so many options.
Ceramics like the Egg and Primo are great home smokers, they are heavy so if you need to move it around, I think the XL size is about 200 lbs
I've talked to a number of guys at the smoking comps who brought them around and they swear by them, but are always concerned with damage during the moves
My only problem with them, the kettle and WSM is that they are round and limits the number of racks I can cook without some odd configuration
Also I think Pat mentioned this earlier, not the easiest to get to stay under 200F for fish is my preference. The sweet spot for the Egg is around 275-300F which I think is ideal for poultry. If money weren't an issue, I'd have the XXL Egg, I'd make bread and pizzas in there one week and a suckling pig the following. If you can't get at least the XL I'd wait and save for it, the others are too small IMO.
At the end of the day, you'll need to decide how often you plan to cook on a smoker. If it's once a month, dropping over a G seems excessive, even at twice a month, which is my norm I can't justify it at the moment.
@Monkey Soup what has your experience been smoking with Egg in the winter? The kettle is useless below 40F regardless how much I feed it or try to insulate.
Going to try my first rack of ribs this weekend on the large kettle. What kind of mods do you suggest?
Also what should I start with for wood chips? A quick search on amazon brings up so many options.
You can cook with the Egg all winter. I would recommend a size large, you can find them between $7-800. Once you get it up to temp, it holds pretty well, even in cold weather. Obviously I wouldn’t smoke on those single digit, 30mph wind days, but you can easily smoke in the 20-30’s. You can do it with the Smokey Mountain also, but wind is the killer there. It’s a leaky bastard, so the wind actually spikes your temps. The Egg on the other hand seals very well, you can control everything with the bottom vents. Other thing with the Egg is you can crank it up to close to 1000 degrees and get a steakhouse quality sear on your thick steaks, which is pretty amazing.
Any thoughts on egg vs Kamado Joe?
Okay, I have to ask, are you cooking brontosaurus ribs?Blocking the wind is key with the WSM - good point there.
this is a good site - http://virtualweberbullet.com/tipsfaq.html
talks about different charcoal methods (i do minion)
mods and accessories.
you know, i never thought to buy a second one, and stack the center sections.......
at the end of the day, they are still round - and fitting 4 racks on 1 shelf is problematic.
unless ya do crown rack of ribs (which i have.)
Okay, I have to ask, are you cooking brontosaurus ribs?
I know you said you don't like the standing racks, but with those I can work in 4-6 babyback racks easy per level just curving the ends.
Plenty of separation for smoke circulation.
But yes, valid point on the wind block. Ask me about the time I tried smoking 4 butts overnight in 30* temps with 15-20 mph winds.
Part of me died that night.
Me too bro!i shall take a picture. perhaps i have the 18.5" wsm.
my ribs go to 11.