Smokenator

[WichitaSooner]

So I have finally decided to finally do the right thing as a true American and buy my first Weber Kettle charcoal grill... the true icon of outdoor grilling and barbequeing....

http://bbqlikeapro.com/wp-content/uploads/Weber-Silver-One-Touch-22.5-Inch-Grill.jpg

And I am also getting the Smokenator to do some smoking.

http://bbqposse.com/images/Amazon_Smokenator_1000.jpg

http://smokenator.com/

I have the little Brinkman R2D2 water smoker, but I'm looking for a different experience now. I've always wanted the Weber kettle charcoal grill and the smokenator seems like a great way to turn it into a smoker.

Anyone have any experience with the Smokenator? The reviews for it are almost universally great, but just wondered if any of the SF.com peeps have used one?

[NormanPride]

I want to get a WSM.

[WichitaSooner]

I want to get a WSM.

Yeah, the Brinkman I have is a 'poor man's' WSM. It doesn't have the vents or the ability to control the airflow like the WSM, though. You just put it all together and let it go. But, it's not quite what I was looking for as the "smoking experience."

I was seriously looking at offset box smokers, but you have to drop a decent amount of money to get one that is heavy enough gauge to be worth a ****.

That's when I found this smokenator....

[Sooner_Tuf]

It's cool just don't expect it to perform like a real smoker.

[OULenexaman]

It can perform better than a real smoker....some of my best stuff has been done on a Weber and even without the smokenator gizmo...I remember the 1990 or 91 Grand Champion at the American Royal used only 4 Webers....

[StoopTroup]

I'm gonna call BS. The way you control your BBQ is by heat and smoke. Good smokers can control both much better and for a much longer time. Also....a decent meat thermometer is key.

I will say this...about the Weber grand champion in 1990 and 1991....

That was 20 years ago....

[sooner ngintunr]

Also....a decent meat thermometer is key.

There is only one meat thermometer worth using. A Thermapen.

[StoopTroup]

Got it. Thanks for the tip. :D

http://www.thermoworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/image004.jpg

[StoopTroup]

http://www.tommyeats.com/.a/6a00d8345173e969e201156e8277aa970c-320wi

[Sooner_Tuf]

I'm gonna call BS. The way you control your BBQ is by heat and smoke. Good smokers can control both much better and for a much longer time. Also....a decent meat thermometer is key.

I will say this...about the Weber grand champion in 1990 and 1991....

That was 20 years ago....

That's right. You won't enough control in a single chamber that small to actually smoke. Plus if you keep the fire small for that area you would be tending it nonstop.

There is a reason real smokers are built the way they are.

Doesn't matter if it was this year or 500 years ago. Smoking is not high tech. Webers are great BBQ grills for very little money but they are very limited in what you can do well with them.

[sooner ngintunr]

Got it. Thanks for the tip. :D

http://www.thermoworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/image004.jpg

He did it wrong.

[StoopTroup]

I'm guessing that SicEm has a Thermapen....:D

http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww276/jeep-dad/Jeepdad%20II/040.jpg

[3rdgensooner]

I was seriously looking at offset box smokers, but you have to drop a decent amount of money to get one that is heavy enough gauge to be worth a ****.

That's when I found this smokenator....

Quit being a cheapskate and buy a real smoker.

[sooner ngintunr]

http://www.tommyeats.com/.a/6a00d8345173e969e201156e8277aa970c-320wi

Those people should have their BBQ license revoked.

[OULenexaman]

That's right. You won't enough control in a single chamber that small to actually smoke. Plus if you keep the fire small for that area you would be tending it nonstop.

There is a reason real smokers are built the way they are.

Doesn't matter if it was this year or 500 years ago. Smoking is not high tech. Webers are great BBQ grills for very little money but they are very limited in what you can do well with them.

Which is why I use my Weber for Salmon and other smaller items....and to **** you up more....I actually took the legs off my Weber and dug an oval pit lined with rocks that the Weber sits down in...this keeps the heat better controlled and allows a better constant smoking...yes it can require a little more tending to but the result is outstanding. You bastards made me hungry now...

[WichitaSooner]

Quit being a cheapskate and buy a real smoker.

:P I will eventually... You know this.... But, I gotta get a Weber anyway and hone my charcoal fu...



Which is why I use my Weber for Salmon and other smaller items....and to **** you up more....I actually took the legs off my Weber and dug an oval pit lined with rocks that the Weber sits down in...this keeps the heat better controlled and allows a better constant smoking...yes it can require a little more tending to but the result is outstanding. You bastards made me hungry now...

Yeah, I've been looking at this stuff this morning and it has made me start craving some good bbq quite terribly... And that sounds like a pretty sweet setup. I'm getting my Weber on what appears to be a decent craigslist deal. So, it is a grill that I could end up doing something custom like that with... hmmmmm.

[My Opinion Matters]

BBQ snobs amuse me. I get amazing results out of this $150 smoker bought from a hardware chain:

http://i52.tinypic.com/8ycaxu.jpg

[Curly Bill]

Bought a WSM last year. I love it!

Damn thing's so easy to use even I make the great smoked meats with it! :D

[StoopTroup]

My smoker was $250 and is still working after 12 years. I'm not sure that's being a BBQ SNOB.....but it has been a good value and nobody has ever spit out my meat. Everyone has swallowed and gone back for more.

[jk the sooner fan]

i didnt know they still sold those Webers......it's been eons since i've had one of those

[OULenexaman]

BBQ snobs amuse me. I get amazing results out of this $150 smoker bought from a hardware chain:

http://i52.tinypic.com/8ycaxu.jpg why don't you just call them Home Depot?

[My Opinion Matters]

why don't you just call them Home Depot?

I don't do free advertising.

[NormanPride]

But you shampoo frogs.

[My Opinion Matters]

I worse forced into an early retirement for that gig. :(

[northspeter]

dont let the people scare you wichita... i got a plain charcoal grill a couple months back... the first thing i did with it was smoke a brisket(also the 1st time i had done that ever) after doin some research, i found some techniques that were very helpful... it was a long day... i think my total smoking time was around 6 and half hours... woulda been a little shorter but it was about 25 degrees that day... so i had to keep stokin the fire and dropping in the wood chips... sprayed the brisket with apple juice about every half hour and i also put a pan of water on the grill with it to help keep some moisture in it.... turned out awesome!!! love smoked meats!!!

[Curly Bill]

dont let the people scare you wichita... i got a plain charcoal grill a couple months back... the first thing i did with it was smoke a brisket(also the 1st time i had done that ever) after doin some research, i found some techniques that were very helpful... it was a long day... i think my total smoking time was around 6 and half hours... woulda been a little shorter but it was about 25 degrees that day... so i had to keep stokin the fire and dropping in the wood chips... sprayed the brisket with apple juice about every half hour and i also put a pan of water on the grill with it to help keep some moisture in it.... turned out awesome!!! love smoked meats!!!


Sounds like too much damn work. With the Weber Smoky Mountain ya just start the damn fire, put the meat on there, and check it a few hours later.

[Sooner_Tuf]

Most of you guys are making it way too complicated. It is virtually impossible to "smoke" anything using most the methods described in this thread.

Pan of Water? You're not smoking anything. You're steaming or braising.

Propane? See above plus the BTU output is so high even on low you are baking or tar coating your dinner.

Some of the electrics like WSM are really good and easy to use. They just don't turn out a lot of at one time. If you love to cookout it's a great purchase.

If you want to turn out more food you need either a two chamber cooker or one with incredible interior volume with good air flow. The later is very difficult to achieve as you will be fighting cooking at too high a temperature or the airflow will be so low the smoke will tend to condense on your food and turn it black, tarry, and bitter.

If you are producing food you like and it's not making anyone sick then it's a good method for you. But the methods described above are not smoking and not nearly as tasty in my opinion.

Don't take my word for it. Call around. The guy that owns Horizon Smokers in Perry has won more contests than anyone else I know of. He basically traveled around for 15 years and entered anything and everything.

They will tell you the temps you need and how much airflow you need. I'll guarantee you your ribs, brisket, shoulders, w/e will turn out excellent and the same time after time.

We cook for between three and four hundred three times a year. Our food was never bad but it was inconsistent and we were always missing our estimated cooking time.

I don't think we necessarily needed new cookers but we bought a couple from Horizon. They gave us some simple instructions on how to set them. It has really made it easy to get great food and it's always on schedule.

It's worth a few minutes to get the instruction.

[GDC]

Don't forget some of these...

http://www.polls.newsvine.com/_vine/images/users/nws/sean-fallon/6718911.jpg

[jk the sooner fan]

i smoked a nice brisket (and many other things) with one of these

http://www.echters.com/Images/O/TraegerDetails.jpg

[northspeter]

Most of you guys are making it way too complicated. It is virtually impossible to "smoke" anything using most the methods described in this thread.

Pan of Water? You're not smoking anything. You're steaming or braising.

Propane? See above plus the BTU output is so high even on low you are baking or tar coating your dinner.

Some of the electrics like WSM are really good and easy to use. They just don't turn out a lot of at one time. If you love to cookout it's a great purchase.

If you want to turn out more food you need either a two chamber cooker or one with incredible interior volume with good air flow. The later is very difficult to achieve as you will be fighting cooking at too high a temperature or the airflow will be so low the smoke will tend to condense on your food and turn it black, tarry, and bitter.

If you are producing food you like and it's not making anyone sick then it's a good method for you. But the methods described above are not smoking and not nearly as tasty in my opinion.

Don't take my word for it. Call around. The guy that owns Horizon Smokers in Perry has won more contests than anyone else I know of. He basically traveled around for 15 years and entered anything and everything.

They will tell you the temps you need and how much airflow you need. I'll guarantee you your ribs, brisket, shoulders, w/e will turn out excellent and the same time after time.

We cook for between three and four hundred three times a year. Our food was never bad but it was inconsistent and we were always missing our estimated cooking time.

I don't think we necessarily needed new cookers but we bought a couple from Horizon. They gave us some simple instructions on how to set them. It has really made it easy to get great food and it's always on schedule.

It's worth a few minutes to get the instruction.

i did research, thats where i got that method... it was highly successful for me... and no, it wasnt steamed or braised... nice thick smoke ring when all was said and done...