What Is The Best Starter Smoker?
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- Опубліковано 16 лип 2024
- Are you considering getting your first smoker? Are you eager to learn the ins and outs of cooking using this wonderful method? In this video I give you my opinion as to what the best smoker to start with is.
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Great advice. I didn't start with an electric smoker but they are certainly a great starter smoker. Would be great for over night cooks too.
Yep. I've used it for 'set it and forget it' long cooks. Works great :)
i like the process of a wood fire, it makes grilling/smoking a event which is half the fun to me . its not always about the product but sometines its about the journey
Every time I have a grilling question I always end up at RY's. And his advice always works the best for me no matter what I'm doing, buying a smoker or cooking a type of meat. For now on I will start looking here first.
That's very kind of you to say :)
Weber Smokey Mountain is a good option. Getting one used is probably the way to go.
I just bought one. I think it will produce better flavor than electric or pellet. Seems easy enough to regulate temps. Just open and close the vent holes on the bottom. The water pan holds temps down for the most part.
After years of wood smokers, I got an Old Smokey electric smoker and I love it!
Wow, what great, honest, straightforward advice! I’ve watched a bunch of YT videos that rambled all around and really seemed geared to experienced smokers ... this was just what I needed as a person who has grilled a lot and thinking about trying low and slow smoking. Thanks!!
I went Electric
You convey a confidence, knowledge, and generosity that really comes across. Thanks for posting!
I just bought my 2nd offset grill its the same as yours i wish i saw these videos when i got my 1st one you have helped me learn what i was doing wrong and ive got almost 15yrs in food sevice
I just got the same e-smoker as a gift. I have been using a Weber for decades to smoke and cook indirect. You are correct about capacity and temp control. The e-smoker is so easy. I did a bone in pork loin roast with some Ry's rub and apple smoke and it was awesome. Great video!
thanks for taking the time to shed light for a newbie on the pros and cons.
I've been wanting to take the plunge and smoking, so i really appreciate this great info.
Awesome! So glad you found this helpful :)
Love this guy! Answered all the questions I had about other methods. I live in Brooklyn and have a balcony and can’t have a grill, so this is perfect. Thanks!
So glad you found it helpful :)
Watching this video is like taking a class. Great resource! Thank you Ry.
Weber smokey mountain. It is easy to learn with, consistent, and doesn’t cost a fortune. I love mine.
You answered my question. I want to smoke but didn't know where to start.
Thank you for this. I'm looking at smokers now and struggling to spend $300+ for a decent small pellet smoker. This looks like a great option as I'm learning as I cook. Thanks again and keep up the great work.
Great video as always! I would add a weber smokey mountain to the list for those not interested in electric but want more than a kettle but not quite ready for the offset. Easy to learn and easy to maintain, and makes great BBQ.
Thanks for this enlightening demonstration of starter smokers. I have been checking into getting into this. I hadn't considered an electric one. Very interesting, I'll be checking into one soon.
My step mom was the best cook I've ever known. She used a Brinkmann electric smoker and made some meals I'll never forget.
I found this to be very helpful and has gotten me off the fence on my decision moving forward! Great video!
Great informative video! Like you I’ve had my trial and errors, learning the pros and cons on each smoker I’ve use. And the maintenance and clean up issues. I’ve even had welders make me a homemade double barrel smoker for hanging my meats, but even that you’re limited. Thanks to this video I think now I’m gonna go with an electric smoker due to it versatility, cooking space, cost, and the cost of the fuel ( charcoal, gas,wood, etc..) and portability. Also not worrying about the direction of smoke due to wind and neighbors. I’ve seen a few electric smokers that I’ve been checking out but I like that Char Broil one you have there. Because of the glass window door. You can see your cooking. Others have good ratings... but no glass window. Thanks... you’re the man!
For my 20 yr anniversary where I work I chose the CHAR-BROIL 40” Offset smokers. and recieved 2 of them. 😎. These are great.
Absolutely what I started on. I am moving on to a yoder pellet smoker now. But will always keep my masterbuilt. Great video,keep them coming.
Enjoy that Yoder!
I really appreciate the advice ive been wanting to learn how to smoke for a while and have been trying to see an easy transition I’ll definitely be checking out your other videos
It's a great way to start. That's how I started, and I still use mine all the time :)
Great video and great advice. Thank you for sharing!
I enjoyed your video Ry. I started out with a Char-Griller Smoking Pro, which I've had for just shy of 10 years now. I've had to learn the lessons you referenced as far as temp control, and all. I think I'm ready to step up to a newer one, but I'll never forget the lessons learned on it.
I'm still learning from every piece of cooking gear I have :)
As always Ry, you always give great opinions and I always enjoy them. My first smoker was the Oklahoma joes highland. It was rough for the first few smokes but, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Great video, thanks. I've never smoked before, but every time I've tried smoked food, I've loved it. I was eyeing an electric smoker before this video and this pretty much confirmed a lot of what I was thinking.
Even if you 'move up' to another smoker, like an offset like I did, you'll always find the electric useful. I just smoked fresh pastrami in mine last week :)
Great advice. Thanks
Hickory with a vine of poison ivy, yummy! - which is why I like to shave of the bark.
Great info and I learned a lot!
One word - Cookshack. Okay, they aren't cheap, but you get the best of everything - quality build, precise temp control, good smoke penetration, easy clean up, no water, and you use actual "chunks" of hardwood. I use mine in the dead of winter when it's in the teens and twenties. The temp control is rock solid because they are so well insulated. They're sealed up tight as a tick with only one half inch hole in the top. Nothing but good results with ribs, pork butts, turkeys, chicken quarters, pork loins, brisket, and sausage. I cook my BBQ beans in there too!
Thank you for the video! I am going to upgrade to a electric smoker for now! I have smokes three different meat and they where amazing! I did it in a junk pile find Weber smokey! Love the videos! Helping my two daughters and I a ton😁
I started out with a propane smoker. The reason that I went that route was because durring the summer months its so hot outside that the electric element that burns the wood would not come on as often because the smoker was already at temperature. With the propane i found that you always have a continuous burn od the smoke chips. Yes you have to watch the temps but once i get the temp where i want it my digital thermometer will tell me where im at. Its usually very consistent.
Great video, and great advice thanks for sharing
I started just this year year on a 22" Weber kettle. Wish I seen other videos and got the 26" Weber kettle. I do love it though, might move up to something better some day
Great video Ry. Keep them coming. They're very inspiring. I started almost follow the same path: smoke packages on my gas grill to a propane smoker. I'm eying the Oklahoma Joe reverse flow currently.
Excellent video and explanation for a beginner! Thank you
Hi Ry,
I just watched your video from belgium. I wanted to by a real smoker as I'm struggling with temperature in my small ketel grill as you well said it. So I ordered an electric one after I listened to your advices. Thank you for all those explanations. Now I will move to your receipes. The smoker should arrive tomorrow :-)
Sage advice Ry, I totally agree with you sir!
I went with a Masterbuilt electric to start. Chips are easy to load, water pan included and even though I screwed a few things up, it was great learning on it.
1 year later and now I use charcoal.
Thanks for the Advice , im gonna get a Vertical likecyou recommended
Great Information! Thanks!
I love your videos!! Great editing, lots of information and no unnecessary music/editing/filler. Thank you so much for what you do. I'm really excited about buying my first Weber Kettle Grill (26in).
Thanks! I'm jealous. That 26" Weber is on my 'want' list :)
I've been slumming it on my tiny Weber Smokey Joe for the last 2 years. 😂 I demand more meat!!
Selma and you need more meat!
Very informative. Thankyou
I'm planning on buying my first smoker and this video brings up some good points. Although I'd like to smoke the old fashioned way, I think with something with such tuned temp control, I can first try my hand on some recipes and see if it's something I'd like to dedicate my time to. I can learn what a good smoke tastes like, and if at the end of it all I decide it's not for me, it would be much easier to sell than your average smoker. Great video.
Thanks for the advice. I’ve been watching people smoke for over a decade. I was not sure how to approach this situation. Long story short; I have a propane grill and just purchased a a-maz-n tube. I figured I’ll try that first to see if I would want to become fully invested. My understanding from your video is that I might have to smoke longer to get the flavor profile I desire. I also plan on cold smoking first. Thanks for the advice and you my friend just earned a subscriber. Keep up the good work. If you have any recommendation it will be greatly appreciated. Your advice is good but I’m going to go forward with my first idea just to see if this is something I really want to do or if it’s just something I’m doing just because it looks nice. If that makes any since. Thanks
Well done...verified my feelings on the subject. I started smoking with a cardboard box...great results, but time to move up.
Wow, I didn't see such an obvious answer. I know how to smoke, but I've been eyeing one of those for years.
I started with a offset and learned a lot more about smoking that way. Switched and WSM does the job for me now.
Would you prefer the WSM over the offset? Looking into buying my first smoker between a WSM and cheap offset
My dad and his electric smoker are why I have charcoal smokers. I wanted to do the same things he was doing but have it be different. And then he decided I was in charge of grilling and smoking when I was like 22, now I’m 30. We are gonna be doing a big batch of jerky and we are gonna be using the electric, and the offset!
Really great advice. Clear and balanced. Thanks. I’m considering which smoker to buy and this video helped me the most.
I'm glad you found it helpful :)
Cooking With Ry do you have a video on smoking burgers? There’s a joint in town that does it and I liked it. They did a two-step process: smoke and sear. Any experience with that?
I don't have a video on that, but it's on the To Do list. Done it many times. The key is generating a good volume of smoke in a really confined cooker (like a kettle) and then searing at just the right moment to get your desired level of doneness. I usually find you can get about 10-15 minutes of good smoke before searing. Now, the place you're talking about probably has a way to speed that process up so that people aren't waiting for 20 minutes for their burger :)
Great video! Learned a lot! Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it :)
So glad I ran across your channel.....great video....wish I would have seen this before my last purchase.....
I do love my electric. Still use it a few times a month :)
Great recommendation. My first smoker was and Old smokey electric smoker.... man, I miss the convenience of that thing.. I can't remember what happened to it ... Moved to using a slow n sear on my kettle with a temp controller. Makes fantastic bbq but as you stated, capacity is an issue. Next moved up to a weber smokey mountain using the temp controller and added a few mods including a beast basket that holds enough charcoal to smoke for 24 hrs completely unattended. Now looking to go back to my smoking roots by adding an electric smoker just for pure convenience..
I learned on Weber kettle. You are right. You just can’t get enough meat on it. 2 racks of baby backs is max. I have one of those racks but I found it difficult to manage. I found that I can control temperature pretty good with minion method and experience. Great videos!
I'm still learning just now about to step up to a full smoker I've been learning in a Weber kettle just due to the convenience of having a grill that can smoke it was inexpensive and has helped me learn airflow and dialing. I think it was a good place to start and I'll always use it cause it's a grill lol but I can see where an electric smoker could be good to start on
I started with a cheap 2 Flame Gas Grill, replaced that with a 3 Flame. Now i own a 6 Flame Grill and i did Ribs and Pulled Pork on it and it was great. Time for the next level! I will get my electric Smoker today and i have some Famil coming over on the Weekend, so let`s smoke some Ribs :)
I really like your Videos, all the Best from Germany!
Thank much going to get one soon 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
Great video!! Very informative
Great video, Thanks.
Went from propane to electric to stick burner to pellet to a Weber kettle 22… paid my dues love the outcome now.. will be doing a WSM someday if I can find a nice used one..
Awesome advice!
Great video !!!! Thank you
I had a cheaper one than the Oklahoma, really thinking on getting a higher end so I can have it for many years to come. Thank you for your great video..
I love your channel Ry. I started smoking on a 22" Weber this year and have had good results with the snake method, but capacity will be an issue at times. Thanks for the info about electric!
Such a good way to go
I have been smoking on my little kingsford walmart grill for a few years now. I havent done any cooks longer than about 2-3 hours. I have made some great salmon and some good ribs. But this past week end my wife and children picked me up the Oklahoma highland for fathers day. Since then I have been watching alot of your videos. This week end I'm jumping into the deep end. I'm supposed to smoke two racks of ribs and a pork butt. Thank you for the all of the very informative videos.
Those ribs and that pork butt will do great on the Highland. Enjoy!
Great advice! I bought a Smokin Tex electric smoker about 15 years ago. I still use it. I just bought a Oklahoma Joe offset to replace a brinkmann grill / smoker that is falling apart. Some purists will poke fun at the electric but I have smoked a 20 pound turkey every thanksgiving and Christmas for 15 years. Turn it on the night around 6ish when bed time rolls around I go to bed, the bird will be done about noon. Cooking in the offset is a matter of waking up every few hours to stoke the fire which is great for the lazy Saturday but not for something that goes all night. I like both and the offset has better flavor, ring, and bark but the electric is great as well.
I love my electric, but that smoke ring and flavor from the offsets are top notch :)
I started on a pellet smoker and they worked great I think! A little spendy but still you can set it and forget it for the most part. And you get a lot of smoke flavor off of them.
awesome vid sir my first smoker was an two oil barels conected with vent pipe ... wasn´t easy to use that tough posible... stil remebmer hours of looking at temp reading lol... at some point got my self okie Joe and fell in love with it tough quite hard to keep the low temp in that awesome bugger, for hot smoke and bbq awesome ... and yeah just get that charbroil little smoker, holly scrapolly 5 years after you do review on it... oh well im looking forward to use that tiny bugger... cheers sir happy smoking 👍
If you ask me , I think the Little Chief types are king for a starter and long lasting smoker. They are efficient and don't overheat either. In addition to no buttons or computers to break. I find it a real waste to burn tons of wood or charcoal to smoke and cook. When all it takes is a very short time to smoke and the rest being pure heat. So I use the Little Chief for smoking and either finish in a propane grill or in the case of a big turkey in the house oven to a point where the meat falls off the bones. (I hang the turkey vertically on a hook in the smoker) I also like the new Smoke Chief that turns any cooker into a smoker at a fraction of the operating cost. The other thing to look for is repair parts and maintenance. My little chief is more than 20 years old and is still in very good shape and still has readily available parts. Many smoker companies go out of business quickly after selling off rebranded junk. In the end a person can have good tasting food even on a hibachi if they have experience.
I started with a hand-me-down brinkman electric smoker with a simple heating element. I tried a stick burner but I didn't care for the babysitting. My favorite is my masterbuilt dual fuel propane smoker. It all very subjective though. Great video though.
Awesome video,very helpful.
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Great Teacher!! I’ve had my Master built Electric for over a year and I’ve smoked so many great everything!! But I wasn’t getting a very nice Smoke Ring
I convinced 2 good friends to buy Their Electric Smokers for under $240.00 and they are having so much fun!
I researched for 6 months and watched 100’s Of Video’s And I purchased a Yoder Cheyenne Offset😇 $899 plus $350 shipping to California
It’s just Fantastic With in 24 hours that it arrived at my house I was smoking Ribs & Chicken. I really wish I bought a Texas Gator Pit but at over $2500 I’ll have to save up for my dream Pit😜
I just smoked a Australian Wagyu Brisket and it was absolutely Outrageous!! 1/2 dark red smoke ring
Some of the guys said it was the best they have ever had😇 Smoking is so much fun and I love cooking for people
Thank You for your Great Videos
Cheers
It is a great thing, isn't it? I just love cooking for people and seeing them enjoy the food :)
best advice ive seen so far
Thank you :)
I’m starting with an Oklahoma Joes Highland. I’ve spent more on the mods and accessories so far than I have on the actual grill. I can’t wait to get started with this. It’s gonna be so much fun. Thanks for your videos. I’ve learned so much already in just a few days. Got all the mods ordered and waiting on those to come in before I put it together. I got the rubber thermometer grommet, the door gaskets, the door clamps, the inside 3” elbow for the smoke chimney, gonna use the food grade RTV to seal it up, also ordered the lava lock diffuser plates in stainless steel with their little water tray that sits closer to the fire box.
It seems like the more I research the Ok Highland. I’m getting the vibe that, on it’s own with no mods that it’s a decent mid range smoker. With the mods though it looks as if the Highland could almost be into competition smoker territory. It’s not huge but seems like it’s going to definitely perform.
Thanks Ry!
The highland is what I started on. Once you start you will not want to stop!! Enjoy
Tony Capua III- unfortunately I’ve been busy lately with stuff so I haven’t been able to do as much smoking as I’d like to but it’s a great unit for the buck.
Love my dyno glo electric smoker.
I have two offsets and still watch these types of video I remember when I was starting out how fun the learning curve was
And also where do you get your bag of wood
For chips I usually just pick them up at Home Depot.
Good video, I’ve been thinking about a pellet grill or offset, never thought about electric.
I started with pellet smoker, it's aweosme for the smoke tste (wich is more present than with wood chips IMO) but it isn't as easy as an electric one i'll have to say.
great video thank you!!
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Thanks...amazing video
Thank you!
Totally agree. I also started w/ electric. I now have pellet and ceramic grills as well. My Weber gas grill suffers from neglect. I would also recommend getting a 40 in (vice 30 in) electric. The small price increase is well worth it. The longer racks in the 40 in means you won't have to cut a rack of ribs to fit them in the smoker. Also, the larger heating coil produces a more thorough wood burn. I like the Masterbuilt 340G from Sam's Club. Electric is my go-to smoker for veggies, fish, and anytime I just don't feel like lighting off my big boys.
Good point on the 40" vs the 30" :)
I am looking for my first smoker. I never considered the electric models but it makes since in that you can control the temperature and will allow repeatability
This is excellent advice and a great video. On a personal note, I do not want an electric smoker because only a small part of the joy comes from eating the barbecue. To me, it is the process of making it that is so much fun. It's kind of like golf. Honestly, that's a very boring game but the process of collecting your friends and hitting the Links for a day is wonderful. Sitting on the back porch struggling to maintain the right temperature and smoke, having a few beers and cigars, and just hanging out is the real joy of barbecue for me and you just can't get that if you are using a convenient tool. I need the struggle.
I have all of these also and, for me, it is the kettle all the way and every day. The Weber kettle is so simple, consistent, versatile, affordable, no breakdowns, historic, porcelaine coat lasts a lifetime, and the results are delicious. Did I mention flavor?.😊
Great video Ray....thank you!! I can tell you from experience that this is going to be all about flavor for me. The reward in learning a pit is not comparable by any means. The best flavor does come from cleaning burning blue smoke in an offset stick burner hands down not matter what. But is has to be wood....not charcoal! Pellet cannot beat it....gas cannot beat it.....electric cannot beat....the only two that come close are charcoal units built for charcoal with wood chunks and gas smokers. BUT....there are several factors to consider.....storing wood for the offset and getting a good one. I started out with a 1/4 inch thick Oklahoma Joe in 97. Still have it. There is a night and day difference between that and a modern OKJ. Modern ones have massive temp fluctuations. I tried a highland unit and even had it welded together and doors redone buy a metal fab guy that is local. I still could not get it to be nearly as good as the old one I bought at Sam's in 97 for the 399.99 price I paid. The thicker steel units do not have much of these flaws. The design is different too with the vent controls for it. The air is able to move through it much better with a better made offset. You will also burn way less wood. Now that does come with a price. What a lot of guys end up doing is they will smoke with a charcoal in an offset which in my opinion is pretty damn stupid because not only do you waste fuel, but you also take away its purpose....you might as well should have bought a pit barrel or a WSM. Same flavor with less work and less fuel. Offsets were made for wood. If you are frustrated with the result of using wood, you should have invested in a good offset. Now the cost of a good on is not cheap. I paid a lot of money for mine. But I will admit that are times where I just want to be basic and use my simple Weber kettle like yesterday. Latley I am into my roots. I have been doing a lot of Santa Maria. In terms of an electric smoker, there is a curve to them as well. The chips when they get crusty black put a bad flavor into the meat. So you have to watch that as well. It's pretty easy to maintain that.
Provo Pit Barbecue, after reading your post I realized that you must be swimming in money. You listed a 20 year old OKJ, a charcoal pellet smoker, a gas grill, an electric smoker, a charcoal and wood chunk burner, a gas smoker, a modern OKJ, a pit barrel, a Webber Smokey Mountain, a good offset, a simple Webber kettle an a Santa Maria grill. That is a ton of money to have invested in order to come up with your definitive conclusions. What has me confused is if you're so in love with your 1/4 inch 20 year old OKJ, why would you buy so many other other smokers and grills. Why would you try smoking on grills and why would you spend so much on trying to modify an inferior OKJ when clearly you could purchase top of the line quality equipment?
GREAT VID! I've been wanting to purchase a smoker for the past few years but I've been afraid to take the leap because I know that if it's something I don't like it'll end up being just another waste of money collecting dust in the garage. I think you've pretty much convinced me an electric vertical is the way to go for my first smoker. Thanks Ry!
It's a great way to start, and even if you move up from it, it's an awesome extra unit. I still use mine all the time :)
Cheezeburger....I hope by now you have made the plunge and got you a smoker. Like you, I was "scared". My thought was "I wish I could do that". I have had mine for a year now. I smoke everything. Brisket, pork, chicken, and tur key was my latest. I am now saying "I can do that". Good luck to you.
Dave S Did you go with a vertical electric? I am looking at the Masterbuilt electric to start smoking with. Thank you!
great comprehensive video
My 1st smoker was a UDS that I built. Still have it and use it on occasion. I also have a Masterbuilt electric smoker. The set it and forget it is nice with the electric but the flavor is better with the charcoal in my UDS.
Ry, great advice! I looked at starting with an electric smoker but got dismayed at the number of failures associated with them. I lucked out last Christmas and picked up a Masterbuilt Pro propane smoker from Lowes for $99.00. It's now selling for $179.00. As for the learning curve, well that's where you and several other great youtuber's come into play and actually teach us newbies how and why to do it right. My biggest problem now is I can't round up enough people to eat an entire pork belly worth of burnt ends. Just one of your many videos that left me drooling.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks! That's a great price on that Masterbuilt propane :)
Great video!
Wow Thanks!
Really like your videos ! Keep up the good work!!
Thank you!
Great video Ry but I think bullet style water smoker and a favourite of mine atm is a barrel grill with a stack are worth a mentio.the barrel grill. Plays well towards versatility and room for meat also.
Very true :)
I started on the offset smoker
I bought a Weber Smokey Mountain charcoal smoker 25 years ago and I'm still cooking on the same one if I want more food because of a capacity issue I'll just use my Kettle Grill in addition
Thanks for the video Ry, I'm looking to buy myself an electric smoker.
I still use mine all the time :)
Thanks
Started with Weber kettle then master built electric not too bad. Tomorrow my offset arrives The electric made decent meats but had to cut the ribs and brisket in pieces to make them fit.
I purchased a vertical Pit Boss electric smoker from Lowe's four months ago. I already have a nice Weber and gas grill and attempted everything you just mentioned trying to obtain an awesome smoked meal. From the smoker box for the electric to the Weber slow and sear, product but like you said a lot of work. I bought the electric smoker and I will have to say the wife and I have put on some pounds since its purchase. I truly agree with your recommendation.
I still use mine a lot :)
@@CookingWithRy Added a cold smoker tube to my arsenal of killer smoked meals, can anyone say salmon and cheese in the near future.