Anybody used one of these?

http://www.weber.com/grills/series/smokers/smc-smoker-185

The wife gave me one (or something similar) as a combined Father's Day/Anniversary gift.

She's well aware that I dream of a full-on off-smoker that's well built - that's a ways off and I'm realistic about that.

She recently had someone bring in some bbq at work that she claims was fantastic and suggests that a rig like this will at least let me do some weekend cooking without the full set-up that I really want.

I'm intrigued, but haven't ever cooked in such a contraption.

What says the Outdoor Board?

I have one and it does a pretty damn good job.

You will want to spend some time on this site
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/

I have one and love it. Easy to control temp, cooks great que and easy to maintain. Cooking 3 briskets Wednesday night. It takes some practice, but what is wrong with that?

really like mine. that forum linked above is great. make sure to check out the minion method for temp control

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make sure to check out the minion method for temp control

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Definitely.


These are awesome additions:
https://www.rocksbarbque.com/ or http://www.thebbqguru.com/

Best smoker out there for the $$$ IMO, love ours! As mentioned, spend a lot of time on the Virtual Weber Bullet site, TONS of great info, modifications, recipes, etc. Plenty of room for a good amount of meat on the 2 racks. Easy to use and maintain, what's not to like?

[This message has been edited by Dorothy Mantooth (edited 6/17/2013 5:05p).]

My buddy has one, and it cooks damn good ribs. As a matter of fact, I made a cedar grill table for his. He supplied the cedar and the screws, I took care of the rest. It turned out great.

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I have one and it does a pretty damn good job.

You will want to spend some time on this site
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/

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+1 I'll eventually get a larger smoker, but this is perfect right now. Follow the recipes on the website to get started and you'll be impressed at how easy it is to make good BBQ. My favorites are the BRITU ribs and the renowned mr brown pork butt.

I have the 22.5" version. Huge capacity. Easy to use. I have gotten 12 and 14 hour cooks without adding fuel. But the larger version does use a good bit of fuel compared to the 18.5".

At first, I had a a hard time keeping temps close to 225 - 250. Lots of spikes to 300. Lot of air inflow around door and seal between sections. Much better after several cooks.

Eventually I hope to have a massive custom made one, but plan to get a Bullet soon. Everything I've read is they are awesome producing great BBQ for the price. Hard to go wrong with Weber.

I've got the 22", and love it.

I am not a very skilled cook, and very forgetful. This puts an offset smoker out of reach for me. I bought the WSM 18.5 last year and everything I have made my family thinks is the best they have ever had of that meat. Followed a book called Low and Slow to learn the smoker. I've smoked chicken, ribs, pork butt and brisket and have been very satisfied with the outcome every time. I think the longest without adding fuel is about 12 hours. That's 12 hours between 200-230 degrees. Have just had to refill the water bowl every few hours or so.

Its awesome!!!! I have a 22 weber and I have a large offset trailer smoker...so its not like I dont have another option!!!! Absolutely love it!!!!!

Thanks for the great reviews.

Are you guys using lump or briquette charcoal?

I'll admit that most of my skepticism is built around using charcoal as the primary fuel source vs. firewood and the heat source not being offset.

ive used both (currently using royal oak), i dont know that it makes that much of a difference. i have always used offset smokers in the past and was also skeptical about using charcoal. I guess it has to do with the the direct path, but its actually easy to overpower the meat with smoke if you use too much hardwood.

one thing i would suggest is blowing off the water. it makes the temperature a bit more volatile, but also produces a better bark on the meat. apparently you can stick a clay pot saucer in the bowl to act as a heat sink instead if you cant baby sit the temp

[This message has been edited by BCO07 (edited 6/18/2013 8:17a).]

Tell me more about the function of the water tray.

Is it's purpose primarily to absorb the heat and help maintain temperature? Boil off slowly - does the vapor do anything?

the water does 2 things.

1. as you mentioned it acts as a heat sink, helping to hold temps. a con of using water is that it takes much longer to get to temp because you have to heat up all that water. thats where the clay plate comes into play for some. holds heat and doesnt take forever to get hot.

2. some say that the steam help keep the meat from drying out. a con there is that you typically have a mushy bark layer.

i have tried it both with and without water and been successful. i havent had an issue with the meat drying out and prefer the bark without water. that said, it does take more babysitting without water. i have been too lazy to go get the plate to give that a try.

I use lump charcoal mainly in mine with a few mesquite or hickory wood chunks for more smoke. Like someone said earlier, it is possible to overpower the smokiness with too much wood chunks, the thing is very efficient in smoke delivery to the meat.

Another thing with the water pan is it catches nearly all of the drippings, which limits flare ups in the fire. I'm sure the clay piece does this also, but on longer smokes I would assume you will have grease running over and into the coals. Just guessing though, haven't tried it yet.

Also something I do with the water pan is add the hottest water I can from my kitchen sink inside. That way the smoker isn't having that much of an issue heating the water back up to temp. I just use a large old juice container, probably about 1.5 gallon size to transport to the pan.

There are pros who use WSMs...that should tell you something right there.

Love my 18.5 WSM. I added a tel-tru thermometer to the lid ( bought mine when they didn't come with one).

I've run mine with water in the past, but even with a foil lined bowl its still a mess to clean up it seems like. I'm going to try clay and/or sand in there with foil on top for awhile and see if I notice a difference.

You can fit 2 pork shoulders on one 18.5" grate nicely...

Sweet jesus, I just saw this picture:

Is that a 22" with a second mid section and modified chimney?

I plan to get a 22" and if it's nice may get a second (maybe one 18 and one 22) and have them both built into my kitchen but still able to pull them out if I want to travel. Seems an awesome solution for the price compared to custom.

I'm a fan of vertical smokers and have used them more than offset.

Forget water in the pan. Fill it with sand and cover that with foil. Good heat sink and you don't have to deal with the PITA of adding more water every few hours. If you insist on water, get a brinkmann pan that is much bigger and will hold more.

If you aren't gonna jump on a temp controller, get a remote thermometer with a high and low temp alarm. You can catch some zzz's and know that your fire is steady.

What temp controle options are there?

^
i use the "crap, thats way hotter than i wanted better tap it shut what seems an insignificant amount and see what happens" method. works every time

ORAggieFan

http://tvwbb.com/forumdisplay.php?107-Automatic-Temperature-Control-Systems

I've got an older Stoker.

BCO07, you subscribe to the same temp control methods I do! Amazing what closing one vent 1/3 of the way will do to the temp. Or how high it gets when I forget to tap them closed a millimeter when I start cooking.

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I'll admit that most of my skepticism is built around using charcoal as the primary fuel source vs. firewood and the heat source not being offset.

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You realize that lump is just half burned firewood...

Also...all the BGE love on this board...that's all charcoal based