Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation For You Smokin' Cookers

Thinking about up grading to a wood burner for our deck and this one keeps popping up.A bit more $$$$$ than I want but the quality seems to be A-Plus.


http://pittsandspitts.com/products/vid/?vid=6926443

Comments welcomed.

That seems awful high for a smoker...It does look good though...

That's a lot of money for a smoker of that size. I've seen some very nice ones online that appeared well made. I've laid my hands on some in stores that were heavy gauge and well built for 1/3 that price. But if it's a want, and you can swing it...get it!

I would look at smokers with the smoke stack on the same side as the firebox. There is a baffle 1/10 of the length of the smoker. The smoke comes out of the firebox, rolls down the length of the smoker under the baffle, wafts around and rolls over the food and out the chimney on the other side. This makes it much easier to control the heat and not burn anything. Traegers have this design but use wood pucks. I like the design but with a firebox. There's probably a hundred makers down Texas way putting smokers like this together.

rob p, I think you are talking about the reverse flow design. ????

Becoming very popular and makes sense ta boot.

yeah Texas does have quite a few builders down their way.

I need some more space for my cooking and certainly don't need to spend that much on a smoker.Always respect the opinion of those here. Suspect that four or five hundred or there abouts will do the trick.

Feel like a woman shopping for shoes with Daddy's credit card.



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Acme Custom BBQ grills and pits
Friendswood, TX
http://www.acmewelding.com/BBQ.html

Austin National Smoker Company
Noblesville, IN
http://www.austinnationalsmokers.com
Pits made from New steel pipe and plate
Backyard/Competition/Catering
Specializing in rotisserie barbecue pit smokers

BBQ Pits by Klose
Houston, Texas
http://www.bbqpits.com

BBQ Pits and Smokers
Cedar Park, Texas
http://www.bbqpits.biz/index.html

Big Drum Smokers
Rocky Richmond
Naples, NC
http://groups.msn.com/BigDrumSmoker-BDS
New steel drum construction, various sizes

Big Jims Custom BBQ pits
http://www.bigjim.freeservers.com/smokers.html
Propane tank smokers


Cattle King BBQ Pits
Family Owned & Operated
Fred L. Voigt
New Braunfels, Texas
http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/RigWelders/CK.html

Cookers and Grills
Watkinsville, GA
http://www.cookersandgrills.com
Reverse Flow, new propane tank construction
Backyard/Comp/Catering

D Wiley BBQ Pits
Buda, Texas
http://myjobisthepits.com
New propane tanks

Davis Smokers and Grills
Glennville, GA
http://www.davissmokersandgrills.homestead.com

Diamond Plate Products
Ballinger, Texas
http://diamondplateproducts.com
Makes full Custom BBQ pits from new steel tanks
Backyard/Competition/Catering

Detroit Grill King
Detroit, MI
http://www.detroitgrillking.com

Gator Pits of Texas
Houston, Texas
http://gatorpit.net
Makes full custom BBQ pits from steel pipe and plate
Backyard/Competition/Catering
Pit accessories
Excellent customer service

Grillnsmoke bbq smokers
Laredo, Texas
http://www.grillnsmoke.com/Page_1.php
Custom smokers

Holstein Manufacturing
Holstein, Iowa
http://www.holsteinmfg.com
Very large range of grills and smokers

Horizon Smokers
Perry, OK
http://www.hightide.com/horizon2/products.html

Jedmaster Cookers
McCalla, Al
http://www.jedmaster.com

JR Enterprises
Dewitt, Arkansas
http://www.jrenterprises.com

KCK BBQ Smokers
Kansas City, KS
http://www.kck.com

L&R Custom BBQ Pits
Stephenville, TX
http://www.lrbbqpits.com

Lang Smoker Cookers
Nahunta, GA
http://www.pigroast.com
Pits made from new propane tanks
Backyard/Competition/Catering

Lone Star Welding
Richmond, TX
http://www.lswelding.net/index.html
Custom BBQ pits with some interesting art add ons

LONE STAR
Custom Pits & Grills, Inc[b]
Humble, Texas
www.lonestarcustompits.com
Custom BBQ Pits

[b]Long Horn BBQ pits
Uvalde, Texas
Available at Factory Direct BBQ Pits and Smokers Cedar Park, Texas
http://www.bbqpits.biz/index.html

Lyfe Tyme - BBQ Pits
Uvalde, Texas
http://www.lyfetyme.com
Manufactured pits with some customizing available
Pits made from New steel pipe including uprights
Makes full custom mobile pits

Meadow Creek Welding
New Holland, PA
http://www.meadowcreekbbq.com/Welcome.html

Olalla Smokers $ Grills of Olalla
Chuck Senn
4345 SE Burley-Olalla Rd.
Olalla, WA. 98359
Phone: 253/ 857-4420

Old Country BBQ Pits
Laredo ,Texas
http://www.bbquepits.com
Mass Produced old style BBQ pits

Peoria Custom Cookers
Peoria, Illinois
http://www.peoriacustomcookers.com
Backyard and mobile pits. Rolled plate construction.

Pits by Jambo
Jamie Geer Phone 817-572-7631 home, cell 817-822-1689
Hand made one at a time with incredible attention to detail. These are the pits used with great success by Johnny Trig of the Smoking Triggers, Uncle Earnie and Jamie and his Buckwheat Express team.

Pits by JJ
Houston, Texas
http://www.pitsbyjj.com
Makes full custom BBQ pits from steel pipe and plate
Backyard/Competition/Catering

Pitts and Spitts
Houston, Texas
http://pittsandspitts.com
Pits made from New steel plate and stainless steel
Backyard/Competition/Catering

Quality Grills
Detroit, MI
http://www.qualitygrills.com
Huge custom mobile pits

Real Grill
West Palm Beach, Florida
http://www.realgrill.com
New propane tank smoker/grills

Southern Yankee Bar-B-Q
Anderson, IN
http://www.sybbq.com
Makes full custom BBQ pits from steel pipe and plate
Backyard/Competition/Catering

SWS Superior Welding Service - Southwest Smoker
North Little Rock, AR
http://www.southwestsmoker.com
Pits made from New steel pipe and plate
Backyard/Competition/Catering

Tejas Smokers
Houston, Texas
http://www.tejassmokers.com
Well engineered production backyard smokers and grills
New 1/4" steel plate construction
Great selection of outdoor cooking gear and accessories for your smoker
Great customer service

The Good One- Goodwin Enterprises
Burns, KS
http://www.thegood-one.com

TMP BBQ Pits
Midland, Texas
http://www.gotmp.com/bbqpits.htm

Tucker Cookers
Memphis, Tennessee
http://www.tuckercooker.com
Very nice mobile smoker/grills

Western Rebel BBQ Pits
Chino Hills, California
For more information call 909-994-5826
Out of this World BBQ Products
Distrbutor for Western Rebel BBQ pits
http://www.outofthisworldbbq.com/index.html

Cabinet style smokers

Backwoods Smokers
http://www.backwoods-smoker.com

Jacks Old South Cookers
Birmingham, AL
http://brittsbarbecue.com/html/jack_s_old_south_cookers.html

Spicewine Iron Works
http://www.spicewineironworks.com
Columbia, MO

Stumps Smokers
Perry, GA
http://www.stumpssmokers.com

I have an 80 gallon compressor tank in the garage I will be turning into a smoker. When some more free steel arrives, I'm going to make a "reverse flow" smoker. I got a lesson from a barbecue circuit pro and a drawing of his smoker and how to build one. The trick is to be able to have that baffle in the right place that you can lay aluminum pans underneath to hold a little liquid and catch the grease. I'm also looking at commercial grates to try and find a good fit.

You might want to check out the round Ceramic Smoker/Grills. I don't have one, but might be my next grill purchase. "Big Green Egg" is one. Good luck.

George

I love my tucker cooker. But its just not for the family dinner thing. You need a heard to cook for.

Just did a barn raise'n. 10 slabs didn't even cover the first cooking serface.

hoot

go with "grill dome" or "Big Green Egg",great for a smoker, oven, or a grill. most versatile grill/smoker you can get. burns natural lump charcoal and I can smoke for 30 hrs without refilling or grill at 800'.

Here' the link for those who want a smoker that can also grill, bake, sear or make jerkey- grill dome As good as, or better than the big green egg but significantly less expensive. After A LOT OF RESEARCH and comparing the options I went with grill dome hands down.

Why do you say the dome is hands down better? As far as I can tell from their web site they are made in India. Do you have to send it back to India to get parts replaced under the warranty? The handles and vents look a lot less desireable than the egg. The up side with the egg is that there are local dealers. I can't imagine a 175# crate is very cost effective to ship.

Stetson, all great questions.
1. All domes, parts and materials are located in Atlanta and have a lifetime warantee. You can actually call and speak to the owner of the company (TK). In fact customer service was one of my factors in choosing the grill dome. If you have a problem with anything just call TK and he will have it shipped out immediately. The only thing you would be charged is shipping and probably not even that if it was defective to start with.
2. Down side as you say is no local dealers (except in Houston).
Everything is shipped from Atlanta so unfortunately you may not be able to get your hands on one for a genuine feel. Upside is Green egg store offers the egg to see and demonstrate. Now just double the ceramic thickness, Choose a various color add stainless steel hardware, subtract 1-2 (even with shipping) hundered bucks and you've got the grill dome.
3. Shipping I think runs around 70 bucks. But if you ever pass though atlanta or houston you can put your hands on them and pick one up. Not dogging the egg, but check out the forums and try comparing one to the other. Egg won't let you do it, for domers, it's no threat. Both are great products. I'm just letting you know how I made my decision. I just felt I would be spending more for the name "green egg" with no significant advantage. Also search the egg forum about fried gaskets. The dome has machined mating surfaces which keep heat in the dome and prevents frying the gaskets at high temps. If you leave the egg w/ wide open vents and the temps ramp up to 850, chances are you'll be replacing the gaskets (top and bottom). This is much less likely with the domes design. All that being said, I'd take an egg if I got a steal of a deal. I'd love to have as second ceramic just for the versatility. If you have the egg please take no offense. Any ceramic beats the stew out of a gasser or barrel smoker for flavor, versatility, and moisture retention (imho)

Thanks for the info. It's greatly appreciated as I have been thinking about buying one and was planning on looking at eggs this weekend.

Stetson, there are 3 major ceramic makers, 4 if you count the Kamado brand that has ornate tiles and is about tripple the price of the others. Primo, green egg, and grill dome all use the same basic approach. Primo's are a little different in that they can come in an oval grilling surface shape. They actually allow you to use dividers so you can cook both over direct heat and indirect heat at the same time which may offer some versatility. I think the ceramics of the primo is essentially the same as the green egg. I would encourage you to spend some time on the 3 major forums comparing quality, price and customer service issues. Grill dome is the only site that officially lets you compare between products. You will love what ever you get-no doubt about it. The biggest problem you'll have after getting one is that going out to eat will more often be a dissapointment. (no joke) They make bbq easy. I fill mine with lump, throw on a few hickory chunks, put on a rubbed butt at 10 pm on friday and never open the lid and it's perfectly done for pulled pork the next day early afternoon. I'm not kidding it's that easy. Ribs are the same, just need 4-5 hrs depending on which kind. None of the ceramics are cheap but you'll never regret a dollar you spend on one. And they won't rust out in a few years or need new burners replaced. They will easily last decades. Grill dome has perhaps the most clunky website and has no where near the marketing poweress of the green egg but the quality is second to none. PM me with any questions or if you want my # for more details or questions. The ceramic are something you'll still be passionate about 5 years after you buy one, at least that's the general concensus I've found. fwiw, pp

284, just noticed the price of that offset smoker you listed in the original posting. For that price you could get almost 3 large ceramics (domes) or 2 plus every possible accessory you could ever want. 2 ceramics and you could grill on one while smoking on the other or Bake (Pizza, bread, potatoes etc) on one with indirect heat and smoke with the other etc. etc. Shoot you could even get a "stoker", and monitor and control temps of meats and fire from the internet on you laptop- never needing to go outside till its ready, and still have change left over. pp

The initial problem I see with the ceramics in comparison is grill size. The second concern I have is that the dome seems to really focus on how fast it can cook. Not always what I want. Can you adjust yours to a slow smoke? Which size did you get? I couldn't find the dimensions on their web site. I don't see any way to use a ceramic with out direct heat, how does that work? The benefit to some of the others seems like a little more flexability. The off set smokers can be pretty darn sweet and more in line with what I want for salmon, Pulled pig etc. If I was going to spend as much as the OP I'd want solid SS and SS grates. I missed your last post so I sent you a PM. Thanks!

stetson, pulled pork is so easy a cave man could do it on the dome. Indirect heat is accomplished by a lower grid about 6" below the cooking grate holding a pizza stone, cheap 2" deep flower pot, cast iron skillet or even a disposable aluminum pan. Green egg actually has a "plate setter" (it fits the grill dome as well) that is a ceramic structure that sets in underneath the main grid for indirect cooking. It has legs that stick up and hold the cooking grate and has enough space inbetween to hold a good size drip pan. It can also double as Pizza/baking stone when turned upside down with the flat surface up and legs sticking down. I cook indirect all the time- "easy breazy". For example. If I want an 8lb butt ready to pull early afternoon on saturday, I just get the temp stabalized with the dampers at around 220' and put the meat on at around 11:00pm. I go to bed and wake up the next morning around 7 am, go out and check the grill and its still cruising along at 222' with out ever opening or changing the vents. Mid morning or early afternon I may have to slightly tweek the vents for more air flow as ash will slightly buid up changing airflow dynamics. I NEVER EVEN OPEN THE DOME TILL THE MEAT PROBE SAYS IT'S DONE-NO TURNING THE MEAT-IT'S LITTERALLY THAT EASY. GETS A GREAT SMOKE RING, TASY BARK THAT'S NOT BURNT AND PERFECTLY PULLS EVERY TIME WHEN THE MEAT GETS TO 195 TO 200'. In the last month I've made ribs, pulled pork, venison jerkey, smoked venison summer sausage, grilled whole spatchcocked chicken, wild pork loin, steaks, Venison back strap, burgers and pizza. Let me tell ya, nothing compares to the taste and texture of real wood oven fired pizza. Talk about impressing a guest Pizza on the dome is the bomb. My hunting buddy of 24 years came over when I grilled the venison backstap like a loin. His jaw dropped when he tasted it and said that it was the best venison he's ever put in his mouth. No joke and no exageration and we've eaten a lot of game together over the years.