i know this has been discussed before but i was wondering from you BBQ masters which brand of smoker/grill is good to buy. behad...arnt you the BBQ grand master? hook a brother up.
well which kind of smoker do you recommend. i need to introduce BBQ to the great northwest since it's pretty nonexistent up here.
Home built out of a 7' section of 30" diameter 3/4" pipe. Make steel lower frame, cut 2 doors for access, use piano hinges cut 2' off the end lower it and weld it on for the fire box. Sounds easy, took about 4 days, but has made it through many many BBQ's!
I originally asked Behad and Pole to try to talk me out of $800-1200 smokers. I probably made a mistake buying the cheaper ones, but there is a lot to be said about buying at the New Bruenfels price range when you are in the position to even ask the question. I find that now I know more what I want, and would feel more confident making an expensive buy. Doing it over again from starters, I'd buy what Behad has. The Hondo. <img src="http://64.95.118.51/images/opti/12/57/New_Braunfels_Silver_Smoker1-resized200.jpg"> However, I think it has a different name now. The other alternative is this: <img src="http://www.nbsmoker.com/images/products/99205600.jpg"> It depends what you want to smoke...and other people can tell you more about why to get the second one than me. I think I'd get the second one based on what it's meant for, but I have zero experience smoking in that The Hondo probably has easier hot spots/cold spots to control, but the Bandera is supposed to have more overall versatility...for big versus small smoked good.
economies of scale. Go with the New Braunfels......best bang for your buck. I have that bottom one (Bandera) that HP showed you, but the hondo is a great one too. I used to have a big one on a trailer back in college, but like the moron I am, I sold it.
This was 8 or 9 years ago, I was still in school. Total cost of materials was $200-250 and that SOB is in perfect shape. Hell I just bought a gas grill a year ago that cost more than twice that. I have not priced one since back then. Could you let us know how much you spend, and what one that size is going for, I often wonder what one like mine would cost.
thanks guys...i think ill go with the honda for now since i like the larger grill area for other stuff. but i manly want a smoker for brisket and ribs. im not much of a sausage errr person. $ is not an issue. is the bandera better for brisket and ribs and stuff...?
I bought a Bandera about 5 years ago - I have space issues and the smaller footprint was a plus. I have been very pleased, but occasionally would like a bigger grilling surface, in which case I sometimes pull out my gas Ducane and get them both going. I would be remiss if I didn't point out that, while we all like our toys , patience, not equipment, is the key ingredient in smoking. Some of the best bbq ever has been smoked on 55 gallon drums cut in half. I got a great book for Christmas that I would recommend to bbq affecionadoes (sp?). It is a combination cookbook and historical perspective on the many variations of Texas bbq by Robb Walsh, food writer for the Houston Press. Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue Bible, is a believer too: "Barbecue is true religion in Texas. And no one knows more about Texas barbecue than Robb Walsh. This book is so full of tips, stories, advice, opinions, and lore, the smoke fairly rises from its pages." http://www.robbwalsh.com/01cookbooks/1legends.shtml
The good thing about the hondo-style smokers is there are times your temp will get too high and you can move the brisket or the meat further or closer to the heat source as needed.
just as aside. i know Robb (actually his girlfriend) pretty well...heyschweetie knows her much better. Robb is a true snob with an attitude, to the point many of heyschweetie's girlfriends think he tries to be that way. While he knows a great deal about history, and is an absolutely fantastic writer who is a true pleasure to read, it is quite a stretch to say "knows more about Texas bbq" than anyone. but...I still have that book!!! hehe I love food history books. I've discussed cooking with him on several occassions. With him, you are just supposed to listen, unless you are a professional chef. You can tell when someone is book read, full of second-hand tips but never tried, versus when they've done it. I always find it interesting when it comes to having cooking discussions with strangers who've never tried your cooking. Contrary to my personality regarding talking Rockets basketball, my personality wrt swapping cooking tips is to listen and not speak much unless asked. You have to with your moms, or you'll never get the hand-me-downs. Robb seems like a jaded man whose mom couldn't cook, so he was deprived as a child and had to learn the world of culinary arts on his own. But, moms teach you that there is just waaaay too much to learn out there to think you know it all. Yet like many hobbies, many of the biggest hobbiest cooks often talk to you from above. Robb's that way. For instance, he wrote this once, "East Texas brisket is very tender and often a little wet, too; it is often held in aluminum foil or in a sealed container so that it continues to steam itself after smoking." Well, that's a mistake. Don't steam your brisket at the end. I'll tell you another way to make it tender and wet, Robb, if you weren't such a snob. imo, the fact of Texas BBQ is there is no restaurant that can out-do a contest brisket. First, they don't buy a good piece. Secondly, they don't serve them right away. The best briskets I've ever had were cooked at contests or at parties. Commercialism has its problems. Following their lead you'll end up buying into this idea to steam your brisket...which is fine and makes a tasty brisket in is own right especially if you prefer brisket saturated in a great sauce, but remember, there was no aluminum foil, tupperware or igloos 150 years ago...these technological conveniences do not make the brisket betterl Don't be a snobb Robb...you're such a great writer!!
New Braunfels smoker is definitely the way to go. Buy one and I guarantee it will outlive you, and the taste gets better the more you use it. Mine is 10 years old and still going strong...my Dad originally bought it, and he gave it to me two years ago when I bought my house (so I could do all the cooking and all he had to do would be come over with an appetite!)
By the way, I just went to New Braunfels website, and I didn't see the hondo there.....or maybe it's just renamed as HP suggested. I did see this one though: This is a hondo style smoker that I've seen at Sam's club, but the guage of the metal is a bit heavier than what I recall of the Hondo. Of course, it's a bit more expensive too, but you indicated that isn't a big deal. I can't remember the exact price, but I'm pretty sure it's worth it. I've cooked on the Hondo (a good buddy has one), and of course, I've cooked on my bandera. They both have pluses and minuses, but there's something to be said for that heavier gauge metal. Obviously, it retains heat better, but it also seems to heat more evenly. Anyway, this is the one I'd get if I were buying a new one.
