I've wanted a smoker for a while but the entry cost has always made me hesitate, plus I don't want it to become an unused appliance due to inconvenience or just being a cheap piece of junk making smoking unenjoyable. I've only done a brisket twice on my charcoal grill and once it turned out okay but didn't really have a nice smoke flavor like some of the BBQ joints I've been to. I know I need a little more practice there, but wondered if there was an easier method for low, slow smoking. Multiple chimney starters of coal, sitting nearby all day, not something I wanted to do regularly, nor does the GF appreciate me spending all day over a piece of meat. Some have suggested an offset firebox smoker, but that seems like tending to the fire too much (inconvenient) which led me to a pellet smoker. Is there any strong reason why a pellet smoker should be avoided? I hear great things about Traegers, but also that they're the iPhone of smokers and you end up paying extra for the brand name. I was leaning toward a Pit Boss Classic 700 because of the price and overall reviews seem okay.
Ideally I'd like to try a brisket all day, ribs, chicken, burgers, the usual stuff. I don't mind having it go all day and needing to be home to check on it every so often but having the option of letting it do its thing for a couple hours while I run errands would be nice. Looking for a little guidance on a first time smoker for an amateur griller. Should I be looking at the upright electric models at all?
Thanks for the help!
Ideally I'd like to try a brisket all day, ribs, chicken, burgers, the usual stuff. I don't mind having it go all day and needing to be home to check on it every so often but having the option of letting it do its thing for a couple hours while I run errands would be nice. Looking for a little guidance on a first time smoker for an amateur griller. Should I be looking at the upright electric models at all?
Thanks for the help!