Smoker Purchase Options

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Nick2

Nick2

Senior Cook
Joined
Jun 3, 2010
Messages
135
Location
Mississippi
Well, my wife just got layed off...so the good Lord has given me some more time to research this. I am going to buy a pit (eventually) whether the apartment people like it or not but now I am swimming in a sea of options.

Limitations:
-Up to $1,000 of cost (first smoker to be purchased other than a brinkman bullet or using dad's bullets or verticle offset(cheap) that I am have been using) (this includes the initial toys with it)
-I dont mind trying to build one...but havent built anything before and dont own any of the tools or a workspace

Ideas so far (in no particular order):
-WSM 22.5 with bbq guru and insulation jacket
-Backwoods Chubby with no intial upgrades
-UDS
-building a double 55 gallon drum smoker

I have always used an upright water smoker and am not sure I want to try out a horizontal (although I dont really have a reason for this other than I havent done it yet). I am open to suggestions differing greatly from what I have listed so far. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I think the capacity of the WSM 22.5 or the Chubby would be more than adequate for my needs (I have never needed to do more than 4 butts in my life). I want something that will hold temp and last forever.

Discuss!
 
Well...the brinkman smoke'n'grill and the new braunfels smoker I have used while growing up keep you tending fire literally all the way through the smoke. Of course, we didnt know the minion method until about 2 weeks ago...

I am just paranoid about temp drops and spikes- if I am going to actually own it myself and I have a choice this go around, I want more constant temp
 
Well I would snag that BWS in a heart beat for that kinda money. I thought they was mo expunsive than that. How much is the shipping etc? Know the big ones weigh a bunch.

bigwheel
 
Go with a UDS. Hell man, we beat 50 teams on Saturday, for a 7th place call in brisket on one of em! 12th in chicken. Make sure you use stainless steel hardware and it's food grade. Also get all the paint out. Otherwise the kids might start to grow a tail.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20394
 
BWS is 845 without shipping(haven't calcd it yet). But I can't get a feel for the size of it from their website.

The UDS looks like a cool idea but I am trying to get a feel for how hard it is to make one- like a one weekend project or more(gotta use dad's tools and yard-but he would help). Finding a steel drum is a little hard since I don't know anything about where to get one- craigs list is comming up a little short over the last few weeks. What other tools do I need to do that?


EDIT: Tri Tip- those 5 drums beating the catering rigs around you has to be the funniest thing I have ever seen. (and the cheapest). I am going to look into this further. Where are you getting the drums though? Are you actually buying the food grade drums unused ($75?)
 
I got mine on craigslist for $15. They had orange juice concentrate. Another one had sunflower oil. Bio Diesel will be fine too. My teammate spent $130 to have his sand blasted and powder coated. At the comp, the dudes next to us were giving us crap when we rolled in. They were referring to us as hillbillies. They had a $250K RV and two $8000 pits. We smoked em literally. The best part was they had a timer that was going off every 45 minutes the whole night reminding them to add logs to the fire. We were sound asleep with our trash cans holding at 240 with stokers working so we didn’t have too. If you want the best smoker there is without work, buy a 22.5 WSM and call it BBQ. ;)
 
Gut feeling is no on this, but i will ask anyway:

gasoline and diesel drums for UDS? I can get these free.
 
Just drop my old pal Rocky Richmond an email or go to his website and order you one already built. Last I checked the shipping run about 40 bucks. I forget now how much is the smokers. He calls his version a BDS meaning big drum smoker. Just plug all the factoids into Google and you should get some hits on how to get to his website.

bigwheel
 
His version is like $400 bucks (looks nice though). I am going to continue looking for a drum to use and make this thing extra cheap. Also, I just got a new power drill and am looking for a project for it. No offense, because it looks like a nice product, but I am not paying $400 bucks for something that is actually within my ability to build at home.

Funny: All the old guys (60+) in my church said "just go down to the docks and get the one from the oil company" and when I asked about it tasting like diesel, they said "nah, it burns off...we never noticed" I remain skeptical. It is absolutely not biodiesel in those things...
 
I know of some folks that said oil didn't have any effect. You get it sand blasted out and or burn it out and hit it with a grider. The first is the best. Hmmmm $30 or 4 hours of blood sweat and tears. Heck for the better part of the centry, pits were being built out of recycled oil pipe. Sometimes you can find drums without any lining. Just bare metal. I see em at work for the used oil rags.
 
Hmm did not realize them crazy pre built barrells has got so high. An original LDS could be built for about 20 bucks counting the grates and handles. Used only nuts and bolts to hold the grates and holes drilled for intake and exhaust. That assuming you got a barrell with a removeable lid of course.

bigwheel
 
Hmm.

Knowing you can have someone sandblast an oil barrell is useful info. Since my barrel would be free, it would just be as if I purchased a barrell for $30 (high, but not bad). Also, I dont have a grinder.

All in all, $30 to get started seems pretty cool compared to $400 real uds or a $380 wsm. Plus, I took my busted drill back to home depot this weekend and they gave me an upgraded one free (shazaam...its the little things). I might go ahead and do this just to get to try out the new drill.
 
Well enjoy your drilling. Wear eye protection. Now dont make me tell ya about my pals Daddy who got kilt drilling a hole one time. Its too sad.

bigwheel
 
Tri Tip said:
I got mine on craigslist for $15. They had orange juice concentrate. Another one had sunflower oil. Bio Diesel will be fine too. My teammate spent $130 to have his sand blasted and powder coated. At the comp, the dudes next to us were giving us crap when we rolled in. They were referring to us as hillbillies. They had a $250K RV and two $8000 pits. We smoked em literally. The best part was they had a timer that was going off every 45 minutes the whole night reminding them to add logs to the fire. We were sound asleep with our trash cans holding at 240 with stokers working so we didn’t have too. If you want the best smoker there is without work, buy a 22.5 WSM and call it BBQ. ;)
Click to expand...


Man I Love It! ;)

8)
 
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