My niece and her husband would like to try making real BBQ and are looking for advice as to how to start inexpensively. The WSM is great, but costs too much for someone who isn't sure if they'll like smoking. What advice would you give? Are any of the inexpensive units (Brinkman, etc) worth a try?
beginner's advice
- Thread starter Carl H.
- Start date
Dan H.
TVWBB Pro
well your on the right track if you ask me, except the tough part of this is that a rack of ribs cooked in a brinkmann, vs. the same rack of ribs cooked in a wsm, is that the wsm ribs are going to be totally different. My young brother had a brinkmann coal fired and electric both. The electric is BETTER. just my opinion though. that darn charcoal one was a horrible thing to keep temp in, and just thrown together. The electric held great temps and at least gave an idea of great food, w/ easy to duplicate results. I will always prefer a good charcoal fire though myself and the WSM is built much tighter and more controlable. The "older" units like mine last i knew ran 170 dollars or so. i don't know now what they want. When comparing both theres no comparison really and for the money you give for the wsm I feel it cant be beat. If you feel thats to much money then i'de do the electric "gourmet" (i think its called) Brinkmann smoker. Then go from there. But what if they love it and decide they want a wsm or something? The re-sell of the Brinkmann may suck a little bit, know what I mean? But thats ok too, at least they'll know for sure what they want by then.
Phil Hartcher
TVWBB All-Star
You can do more than smoke on the WSM.
Regards
Regards
Jim Minion
TVWBB Emerald Member
Weber Kettle can cook indirect, can always used as a grill when they figure out if they want to up grade as far as smoker is concerned.
Jim
Jim
George Curtis
TVWBB Olympian
i think that the weber 22.5 kettle is the best for starting out. it can do everything. sure it will take a little extra but boy the lessons you learn are for a lifetime. it would be a mistake to start on anything else.
Robert Oleksak
TVWBB Pro
I own three WSM's and here's my first smoke on the 22.5" kettle. It did a great job.Great cooker to start with at a good price.
Oh thank you Robert! I've been jonesin for some pictures to drool over
Carl, I bought my WSM before the performer, so I've never done any smoking on the 22.5 kettle, but what better place to start then a kettle. When I started smoking a friend let me borrow his "vertical water smoker". It was red and looked cool with smoke coming out of it, (thats about all it did) dont let your neice and husband suffer through trying to keep temp in a POS like that. I completely agree with the suggestion of buying a Weber kettle, even if they dont enjoy smoking (as if!?) they will still have a great grill that will last them for years.
Brandon
Carl, I bought my WSM before the performer, so I've never done any smoking on the 22.5 kettle, but what better place to start then a kettle. When I started smoking a friend let me borrow his "vertical water smoker". It was red and looked cool with smoke coming out of it, (thats about all it did) dont let your neice and husband suffer through trying to keep temp in a POS like that. I completely agree with the suggestion of buying a Weber kettle, even if they dont enjoy smoking (as if!?) they will still have a great grill that will last them for years.
Brandon
May I weigh in? I bought an ECB and was so frustrated the first few times I used it, I was ready to throw in the towel on smoking.
I used my Weber OTS 22.5 for everything, and I still believe it is the most versatile cooker in the world. Once you realize how little charcoal is needed to get to smoking temperatures and how to set it up for indirect cooking (hint - coals banked on one side only), there isn't too much you can't do with a Weber Kettle. I mean, come on, the thing is so simple that it's dang near perfect.
Still, I couldn't stand having something that I couldn't make work, so I did all the standard mods on the ECB. The result was that now I could actually make edible food on the thing but it still was frustrating.
Last September, my office staff and wife gave me an 18" WSM, and my BBQ-ing and smoking life changed! I cook on it about every other weekend, and have never cooked a bad meal on it. Each smoke is better than the one before and I learn more and more about the grill. I start on Wednesday thinking about what I am going to smoke or bbq on the weekend.
Be patient, watch ebay, Cragislist and the local classifieds. Like the Weber Kettle, the WSM is dang near perfection and smoking on it is a pleasure in and of itself. It only gets better when you get to eat the meat that came off of it!
Oh, the ECB? I still have it. I put the legs on the outside, removed the charcoal pan, substituted a Smokey Joe as the firebox, and use it on occasion for chicken and pork tenderloin, especially if I am cooking only for part of the family. It will now hold a steady temperature long enough to complete the cook - I attribute that to the Weber influence!
Pat
I used my Weber OTS 22.5 for everything, and I still believe it is the most versatile cooker in the world. Once you realize how little charcoal is needed to get to smoking temperatures and how to set it up for indirect cooking (hint - coals banked on one side only), there isn't too much you can't do with a Weber Kettle. I mean, come on, the thing is so simple that it's dang near perfect.
Still, I couldn't stand having something that I couldn't make work, so I did all the standard mods on the ECB. The result was that now I could actually make edible food on the thing but it still was frustrating.
Last September, my office staff and wife gave me an 18" WSM, and my BBQ-ing and smoking life changed! I cook on it about every other weekend, and have never cooked a bad meal on it. Each smoke is better than the one before and I learn more and more about the grill. I start on Wednesday thinking about what I am going to smoke or bbq on the weekend.
Be patient, watch ebay, Cragislist and the local classifieds. Like the Weber Kettle, the WSM is dang near perfection and smoking on it is a pleasure in and of itself. It only gets better when you get to eat the meat that came off of it!
Oh, the ECB? I still have it. I put the legs on the outside, removed the charcoal pan, substituted a Smokey Joe as the firebox, and use it on occasion for chicken and pork tenderloin, especially if I am cooking only for part of the family. It will now hold a steady temperature long enough to complete the cook - I attribute that to the Weber influence!
Pat
I have the Performer, WSM, and Smokey Joe.
I have been researching the towable smokers and making plans for the 22.5 WSM.
On a website I read a great quote.
"My daddy said that when you buy quality, you only cry once"
I have done ribs on the kettle but you can't beat the ability to low and slow without constantly monitoring temps. 12-14 hrs on the WSM without adding the coals opens a whole new world of food.
I can't beat the fact that I did 16 lbs of pulled pork and 14 lbs of brisket for about $37.00 meat alone. No brainer for family functions.
I did pork loin, roast, and ribs on the kettles. While researching found the WSM and this website. The rest is history. I am hooked. Yesterday did brisket, pork, homemade sauce and homemade beans. Huge hit. I can't imagine the pain of an inferior product.
I have been researching the towable smokers and making plans for the 22.5 WSM.
On a website I read a great quote.
"My daddy said that when you buy quality, you only cry once"
I have done ribs on the kettle but you can't beat the ability to low and slow without constantly monitoring temps. 12-14 hrs on the WSM without adding the coals opens a whole new world of food.
I can't beat the fact that I did 16 lbs of pulled pork and 14 lbs of brisket for about $37.00 meat alone. No brainer for family functions.
I did pork loin, roast, and ribs on the kettles. While researching found the WSM and this website. The rest is history. I am hooked. Yesterday did brisket, pork, homemade sauce and homemade beans. Huge hit. I can't imagine the pain of an inferior product.
Sell them yours! And put that money towards a new one for yourself. Those larger WSM's look sweet!
I think other than starting them out on the kettle there's no substitute for the WSM when it comes to value, versatility and actual usability. I started with a cheap horizontal used it for years. The WSM is much better by comparison. More air tight and controllable right out of the box.
like others have said, keep checking local classifieds for a used WSM. you could even buy replacement grills for cheap and essentially have a brand new smoker. these webers will last a lifetime with poor care, and most of the used ones that i see have been 'used once' or 'never used'. the people with well used webers don't sell them!
Brian Durant
TVWBB Member
Originally posted by Bryan S:
I cook everything on the WSM. I smoke on it, grill on it... Why not let them borrow your WSM before they lay down the $$$ for one. I'd take my WSM over any of the 5 Weber grills I own.
It wasn't until this past summer, when I received my WSM, that I really started getting into BBQ. I love the taste of real low and slow smoked flavor but had never done it on my own. The WSM has changed that in so many ways. Just being able to do it myself is all the more gratifying. Just like Bryan had mentioned I now smoke, grill and cook a lot of our meals on this unit. I have a gasser and it does not even compare to the taste a get from using lump or charcoal. I knew when my wife said that "charcoaling(I include the flavor of lump in this) is the way to go" that I knew she had been hooked also. I am in the process of finding a Kettle myself but I will be looking for something used. Maybe I can find someone to trade me for my gasser..JK!! LOL!! I do use the side burner a lot on my gasser though!!
Brian
"like others have said, keep checking local classifieds for a used WSM. you could even buy replacement grills for cheap and essentially have a brand new smoker. these webers will last a lifetime with poor care, and most of the used ones that i see have been 'used once' or 'never used'. the people with well used webers don't sell them!"
Very good point.
I agree. although I see many kettles used between $30.00-$70 and a few performers around $100 all the time and rarely see the WSM. The best prices seen on the WSM (I have only seen 4 or 5 for sale in the last year) is when people don't know what it is and list it as a 2 level weber kettle
This gives great options
Very good point.
I agree. although I see many kettles used between $30.00-$70 and a few performers around $100 all the time and rarely see the WSM. The best prices seen on the WSM (I have only seen 4 or 5 for sale in the last year) is when people don't know what it is and list it as a 2 level weber kettle
This gives great options
Chris W.
TVWBB Pro
I'm going to jump on the "Buy a kettle" bandwagon. That's how I started. In the summer of 2007, I bought an 18" One Touch Silver, and tried smoking on it over Labor Day. It was not nearly as easy as my WSM, as I had to constantly check the temps and add coals and wood chips, but after sitting with it all day, I had some awesome ribs. Now that I do own a 2009 WSM, I use the kettle for grilling steaks and hamburgers.
Tim Harris Sr.
TVWBB Member
I started out on a Webber kettle using indirect method.
It works great! Its affordable, durable, and real easy to learn on.
You also can smoke using wood chips if you soak them in water applying every 40 mins or so...
all kinds of things you can do on the Weber kettle!
It works great! Its affordable, durable, and real easy to learn on.
You also can smoke using wood chips if you soak them in water applying every 40 mins or so...
all kinds of things you can do on the Weber kettle!