I'm looking at purchasing a smoker from academy. Any recommendations or suggestions?

My wife got me the "small" Oklahoma Joe's smoker from Academy last month ($299 model)... very pleased with the build quality... thick walls, cast iron grates, good damper control and I've made some GREAT food on it.

That said, it's good for one large brisket or a few racks of ribs. Suits me fine, as I seldom cook for more than 10 or so people, but if you plan on entertaining a big crew, you probably want the next size up.

OB, I have to second the above post. My wife purchased one last week. I've been seasoning the smoker this week with mesquite, and I've lightly covered the entire inner surface with veggie oil. I'm very impressed with the constant temp it keeps (buy a thermometer either at Academy or Wal-Mart).

The only negative is that there is no deflector plate between the fire box and smoker box. However, these two pieces are actually bolted together. You can use some thing-guage metal with holes drilled in to create a deflector that will allow the heat/smoke to run across the bottom of the smoker and more evenly cook/smoke a brisket, ribs, etc.

Chemist and I both have one of the larger OK Joe or. Outdoor Gourmet smokers. They are just smaller than the NB Longhorn. Awesome pits for the price. I added a baffle and lowered the exhaust pipe to grill level to improve flow.

tx4, what do you mean by lowering the exhaust? Angle? cutting?

The stack on mine exits the top not the side. I took it loose and welded an extension on it. The bottom of the stack pipe sits on the grate. Lowered it about four inches which let's more heat build up inside and creates more circulation.

Note the LACK of white smoke billowing out.

I like my New Braunfels Longhorn Smoker. It's $399 at Academy.

So...your stack now extends into the smoker segment and down to the grates? Just clarifying? Might jerry rig something before I get started in the morning.

I wish I had opted for the larger 20" longhorn instead of the 16". Could cook a lot more.

Example mods:

http://www.texasbbqforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10936&start=0

Jim. Exactly.

I have a Horizon Smoker I got from Atwoods. Absolutely love it. At times, I'm like AC, would like to have the 20 inch compared to 16 inch, but I can still cook two decent size briskets on the 16 inch.