(cross posted in Outdoors Forum)

I am in the market for a backyard pit smoker. I was looking at the All Seasons Feeder smokers at Bucee's the other day and it got me to
wondering what were the better/best one's out there.

I have been looking and pricing the following companies:

All Season Feeders
Texas Original Pits
Gator Pits
Lyfe Tyme

let me know if I am missing some.

Not looking for a trailer rig, just something to put on the back patio and
smoke meats on the weekend. Range of about $800-$1,200 in price.

Anyone who has one of these, please let me know the good, bad and ugly about them.

Thanks!

BGE or other kamado

I have a Pitmaker Sniper (trailer) and recently inherited an All Seasons from Bucee's. The All Seasons pit is solid and HEAVY; it's leaky but no real complaints. Nothing compares to my Sniper, though. It has zero air leaks and the hot-spots are almost nil. I visited the shops at Gator, Pits & Spits, Klose, Pitmaker and Pits by JJ. They all built respectable pits but Pitmaker is in another category, imo. If I had to choose one amongst all the others, excluding Pitmaker, I'd go with Ritchey at Gator Pits.

I can't offer any advice on the listed brands but I will say that if you're looking for a pit and the smoke/flavor a pit imparts, don't get a BGE.

Lone star Grillz needs to be on your list.

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Lone star Grillz needs to be on your list.

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I've seen another poster's Lone Star Grillz smoker an it's high-quality, and seems to be a little cheaper than the others. I believe the owner used to make pits for Gator.

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yuppie backyard crockpot

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Awesome

Never had anything done by these guys myself, but Triple G Group is Aggie owned and operated and the pictures on their website look awesome. Looks like they can do anything you want. Plus a portion of every sale they make goes towards their non profit disaster relief organization.

http://www.tripleggroup.com/

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Those mentioning BGE or anything like it, please understand. This guy wants a real smoker and not a yuppie backyard crockpot.

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a real man would weld one up himself. Since he can't do that, we end up arguing over the level of yuppie he should sink to

Bought one 2 years ago from Johnson Smokers in Ennis. Great pit and I have really enjoyed it. I got about twice the amount of pit at my price point than what any of the Houston pitmakers will give you (Gator, pitmaker, Klose, etc.).

The Houston guys are good--- but they are damn proud of their work.

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a real man would weld one up himself. Since he can't do that, we end up arguing over the level of yuppie he should sink to

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I can and I did. I've given the result to my dad with the intention of pulling together materials for a larger smoker. Unfortunately, I'm too busy to weld right now and the pro-built smokers I've seen are worth the money in time and materials.

Thanks for all the recommendations (yes, even the yuppie crock pot). I have got some shopping to do. If y'all have any other suggestions, please keep 'em coming.

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a real man would weld one up himself. Since he can't do that, we end up arguing over the level of yuppie he should sink to

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I can and I did. I've given the result to my dad with the intention of pulling together materials for a larger smoker. Unfortunately, I'm too busy to weld right now and the pro-built smokers I've seen are worth the money in time and materials.

Thanks for all the recommendations (yes, even the yuppie crock pot). I have got some shopping to do. If y'all have any other suggestions, please keep 'em coming.

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Fair enough

I don't get the BGE recs. They are great if you want something that can do a lot. But, if you want it just for smoking there are so many better options, especially for the price.

Orag You answered you own question with your firest sentence. They do a lot.

Yeah, but he posted he wanted smoker, not an all around great thing. He probably wants lost of space, which the BGE doesn't have.

Fair enough

Can you smoke a brisket or ribs on a BGE? Or would a side box smoker be better for that task? Not any immediate need myself, but just wondering what I will get when I move back stateside someday. Already have a nice gas grill and a Weber Kettle.

I mentioned Lone Star Grillz on your other thread but I'll say it here too. Check them out. They build a hell of a pit and as has already been mentioned, they are more affordable than most of the other big name pit builders. These guys don't cut corners and the craftsmanship is excellent.

Here is my pit:



And some of the 'que that has come off of it:

BGE or GTFO

I have used both kinds a lot and currently am using bge.

Bge- more versatile and easier. You can grill, reverse sear steaks, brick oven pizza, or set your fire right and leave it alone for about 8-10 hours, maybe longer. Basically, I prefer them for cooking at the house for the family.

Smokers - more cooking area, more of a true smoked flavor/product, but more work and harder to use. If all you do is smoke food and tend to make larger quantities and want the sitting around the smoker drinking beer while watching it experience, go with a smoker.

Bge can easily fit a whole turkey, 2-3 chickens, a large brisket,2 pork butts, or 6 racks of pork ribs. That is without adding a second layer to it. So you can easily feed 10-12 people with it.

I am likely to get flamed for this, but as a borderline old here is what I finally settled on and how I got to this point. I started with a stick burner and learned through long nights and lots of beer, but kids and life changes things.

I still cook competition with friends on their rigs, but I went with a Cookshack electric for home use. I also have a BGE knock off from Academy dubbed the Big Brown Turd for grilling and short smokes like ribs, and a cinder block pit that I use for whole hogs.

I can put meat in at midnight and pull it off the next morning for an early game and not have been up all night. I can also throw it in before work and it is ready when we get home.

There is an art to smoking meat, and once you get it you are good to go. Some think they will like it and hate planning 12-18 hours in advance. Some enjoy the process and at times that is the best part. My family enjoys BBQ, and by swallowing my pride initially, the Cookshack has allowed us to enjoy it while keeping up with life.

I just sold my first small cookshack to a buddy and replaced it with a larger one that can hold about a 100 lbs of meat and will feed any crowds I cook for at home or away.

I looked and at almost pulled the trigger on several brands you mentioned, but I simply know that I can cook more often with my current set up.

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BGE or GTFO

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BGE's and Primos are for people that don't know how to cook, or lazy asses. Cooked a pork shoulder on a Primo XL last weekend at father-in-laws house and it was the most boring cook ever. Light a bag of charcoal, add stick of wood, set air, come back 10 hours later. A retarded baby could make good food on one, but it's boring as hell and the smoke flavor isn't near as good as an offset.

agcrock is right. I'm a lazy ass with a family and have a BGE. I love it. That said, I just won a stick burner in a sweepstakes from Academy. Going to get it this weekend!

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BGE or GTFO

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BGE's and Primos are for people that don't know how to cook, or lazy asses. Cooked a pork shoulder on a Primo XL last weekend at father-in-laws house and it was the most boring cook ever. Light a bag of charcoal, add stick of wood, set air, come back 10 hours later. A retarded baby could make good food on one, but it's boring as hell and the smoke flavor isn't near as good as an offset.

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Lol. I'm fine with folks bagging bge but this is just dumb.

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Lol. I'm fine with folks bagging bge but this is just dumb.

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Okay, other than the retarded baby part, what is so "dumb"? Are you going to try to act like it's an art to cook great BBQ on a BGE? All you need is a rub and a watch, and to not be retarded.

I think agcrock is also the guy that hates temperature controllers. Just imagine how furious he would be if you attached a blower to an offset to get the smoke flavor he desires without any of the work!

Heat, meat and smoke are all that is needed make BBQ. Everything else gets in the way.

I wish everyone on my street had a pit, BGE or electricsmoker, because I would get BBQ more often. I don't care how they make it as long as it is right.

Have to go, so I can chop wood to heat the house, fire the oven and render the fat off the hog I just killed so I will have oil for the lamps. Electricity and those horseless carriages are going to be the death of us all.

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Lol. I'm fine with folks bagging bge but this is just dumb.

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Okay, other than the retarded baby part, what is so "dumb"? Are you going to try to act like it's an art to cook great BBQ on a BGE? All you need is a rub and a watch, and to not be retarded.

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lol. The only thing that's impirtant is how it tastes. If you can throw meat on your <device of choice> and end up with s good product the amount of intervention or 'art' doesn't matter at all.

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I think agcrock is also the guy that hates temperature controllers.

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Not sure where you got this...I use meat thermometers on briskets, tenderloins, shoulders...

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It's not an art to cook on an offset either. In fact it is the same damned thing except you're using 10x the lump and wood.

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I think it takes a lot more skill and attention on an offset, and the results are a better smoke flavor.

I don't really have a problem with the ceramic cookers. I personally find them boring, but I've had great food off of them too...cooked by retards that couldn't cook a hotdog on a weber!!!