Last year i got a heater meter set up and love the idea. but my old cheap side box smoker/grill just isn't cutting it. Holding any sort of temperature has the heater meter running 100% and I'm using a ton of wood and charcoal during a cook. So looking to spend $300-$400 to get a stand alone smoker that I can use with the heatermeter and have less headaches with temperature. I see a lot here use the WSM. That a goodset up with the heatermeter?
<snicker> Steve, I've gone down that rabbit hole..... what I built added at least an extra zero to your budget (and then some...) I ran for over a year on a Brinkmann (now bankrupt) Oklahoma Joe knock-off which ultimately ended up frustrating me significantly.
The positive draft aspect of the HeaterMeter works best with well sealed smokers, i.e. no air leaks. Having said that, yes, the WSM with draft air tubes do seem to work pretty well.
Secondly, keep the wind off. Anything you can do to keep the breezes off the smoker will be to your advantage.
Dont know about best
But i think the wsm does work ok.
As said above, smoker needs to be pretty tight
Air should be directed near coals
My output just oscillates near the point where fan turns on the majority of time. Very little fan needed.
Last edited by MartinB; 02-11-2019 at 10:58 AM.
Brinkmann is what i have. gas grill/charcoal/w smoke box combo. for basic things it works fine but getting into the world of slow smoking has been a struggle. no matter how hot i get that side box i struggle to maintain temps above 220 degrees. Even tried putting gaskets all over the grill and just too much leaks through the thin metal.Originally Posted by JKalchik
I always had luck with my 18" WSM. I also have a Chargriller Akorn which works quite well with the HM. My go-to though is my home built insulated gravity feed cabinet smoker, but as JKalchik mentioned above, it was pretty pricey to build, but it keeps temps withing 0.5 Degrees with the Heatermeter controlling it.
Ugh. If you have what I think you do, it's barely made out of something better than tinfoil.
Can't be worse than the Meco I used to have.
Had to wrap in cardboard to get to 250
No top vent
The top vent was the leak between the lid and the shell the fit was so bad
Last edited by MartinB; 02-11-2019 at 06:24 PM.
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