Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker?

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BroncoGlenn

New member
I'm thinking about getting a smoker when I get back home and am considering the Weber Smokey Mountain model. It's priced pretty nice at under $200. It's a vertical water smoker and looks to be a reasonable size for family cooking. Anybody have any experience and comments about this model and how well it would serve a novice smoker?
 
Glenn, to get true smokey flavoring, a turkey, ham, or roast needs about 10 hours in the smoker. That long in the Weber will reduce your meat to cinders.

The reason is that the Weber places the firebox directly underneath the meat. Even with the waterpan, the meat is still in an "oven". After a few hours your meat is cooked but not very smoked.

What you should look for is something with an offset firebox. The Brinkmann Smoke'N Pit Pitmaster Professional is a good one. I bought one at K-Mart about 4 years ago for a little over $200. Right after Christmas last year I bought a look-alike for just $149. It is almost identical, but not a Brinkman. I use one just for fish, and the other for everything else. I put two 20 lb. turkeys in mine at 10 PM on Thanksgiving eve. I use a waterpan with diluted marinade close to the firebox to permeate the meat. I served them "hot and juicy" for dinner at 11 AM. You might want to look at something like that.
 
Thanks NASA. From what I've read the Weber can maintain a 220 degree temp. Do I need to go lower than that for what you are describing?

I'll check out the Brinkmann. The offset boxes look easier to add fuel to, but I've heard they have problems keeping the cooking area uniformly heated. Have you had any such problems?

Another concern of mind is wind resistance since the wind frequently blows pretty good in Vegas. It seems like a vertical design has less places for the wind to intrude.
 
I don't have a smoker, but we have a local butcher that smokes turkeys with great success. He once told me that the temp is maintained around 165 deg for turkey.
 
Tripod's right. Low and slow is the way to go. You want to smoke but not dry out the meat. Ideal temp is between 165 and 175. It will fluxuate some but that is your target zone. Before I start I put sand in the fire box. Put a double layer of heavy duty foil down first, add about an inch or so of sand, and fold the rest of the foil over the sand to make a seal. Then put your charcoal on top of that. It helps maintain the even temperature you want, especially with windy conditions. Of course, you'll want to place the smoker in a location with some protection from gusting winds, just as you would a BBQ grill.

As far as problems, I've never had any. I have smoked everything from trout to tuna, and sausages to a small pig. I even did a goat for a neighbor once. Well, he said it was a goat. It kinda' looked like a dressed out doberman pincer. I mean, he was Korean, after all! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Mucho gracias for the info Nasa. I'll have to give the SnP a look see. I've been poking around on the internet the last day looking up info on them. The Brinkmann is pretty popular, and I guess I don't need to worry about a water or sand pan.
 
Todd, I was tempted to ask, but decided to pass. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Glenn, I should explain the sand. The wanna' be Brinkmann is made with a thinner gauge steel so the temp needs a little help to remain stable. The real Brinkmann is heavy duty and doesn't need any help.
 
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