I've got a small 20"x30" or so smoker that I have been "storing" for a relative. They're looking to pick it up soon.

The Rib has given permission to shop for my own. I live in Houston and have been looking at a Klose, Pitts and Spitts, and Gator Pit.

The Gator Pit looks great but seems unreasonably expensive. Not too crazy about Pitts and Spitts - don't need a Stainless Smoker.

Klose seems to be in the middle range.

Any of you have any recommendations outside of these options or comments on these? I'd like something 20" x 48" or so. I'd also like a vertical smoker. I want something that is fairly easy to move around on the porch - as the wind shifts.

I'd like to stay around $3K

The smaller pit has been great but I'd like a larger one for the couple of times during the year I get asked to smoke a larger amount of meat. Anything else I should consider?

TIA

Pittmaker

I don't have any experience with them, but they are another Houston based fabricator that I've seen.

Check out Lone Star Grillz in Conroe too.

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Anything else I should consider?

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Custom one built out of scrap pieces? You can design it to fit exactly what you need and depending on what you do, will probably be cheaper than a premade one from a big name manufacturer. Downside is you have to know someone who can metalwork and weld if you cant do it yourself.

I just had a 250 gallon propane tank turned into a vertical smoker that cost a little over $1000, although I that was helped by my cousins giving me a free trailer to put it on and the guy building it not charging as much as he should have for time & labor since he is a family friend.

For a backyard pit, I like a 24" x 48".

You probably already hit on the major names (adding Lonestar).

Of course, I'm partial to the self-build.

Second Lone Star Grillz. AustinAgChef had one built buy this guy... damn nice rig...

I have a Pitmaker Sniper. It's simply awesome. If I were to go with a traditional barrel stick burner, it'd either be Gator or Klose. Go to each shop and talk to the guys before you buy.

On a side not, George and Victor were the brains behind Pitts & Spitts before they broke off to start Pitmaker.

Look at Big Bear Pits in Sugar Land. The website is at http://cbweldingandfabrication.com.

They have built a lot of pits for people on 2coolfishing.com. They had a 20"x48" smoker listed for around $1800. As someone mentioned above, a 24"x48" is the perfect size for a backyard pit.

nm

Johnson Smokers in Ennis. Check out their website.. I've had one for a couple of years and freaking love it.

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I have a Pitmaker Sniper. It's simply awesome. If I were to go with a traditional barrel stick burner, it'd either be Gator or Klose. Go to each shop and talk to the guys before you buy.

On a side not, George and Victor were the brains behind Pitts & Spitts before they broke off to start Pitmaker.

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Those doors and seal working out as designed? It looks like a nice evolution on the old pipe offset smoker.

We use one on our cookoff team.. While I'm an old school stick burner more or less, they work.

Lone Star Grillz really puts out a superb product at a reasonable price. I'll second the person who said 24 x 48 is a good size for a backyard smoker.

If you want a really great guideline on what to look for in a traditional offset, check out Aaron Franklin's book. It gives a ton of info geared toward the diy'er, but its also great for learning what features work.

R&O smokers in Granbury. They have a medium sized pit called the "Fat Girl" that my brother got. Loves it. Uses it at all of his competitions.

http://langbbqsmokers.com/lang48/lang48_patio.html

Love mine.

www.backwoods-smoker.com

Very impressive smokers that can make a cook out of anyone

Try Matt's Smokers. He was recommended by someone on this board several weeks ago. He is building one for me now. Price is more reasonable than some of the better known smokers.

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www.backwoods-smoker.com

Very impressive smokers that can make a cook out of anyone

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I had a Lang delivered and love it.

Unfortunately I've not used any of these smokers but I've done a ton of research back when I was looking for a trailer pit for my company. Now I'm jonesing for a backyard smoker for myself. Based on what I've seen/read I'm currently debating between the Johnson Compact Ultimate Patio and the Lone Star Grillz Vertical Offset.

If I had to pick today I'd likely go with Lone Star Grillz because 1) their product looks clean, well made and has a well thought out design. Watch the youtube videos. These guys put alot of time and effort in to the grills. And 2) I like the versatility the vertical gives me. Doesn't take up as much space and has more than double the cooking surface.

If you have any questions about the Johnson, let me know. I've had one of his for 2 years and I really like it. He does good work.

Would strongly advise against anything with Grillz in its name.

Love gator pit quality but waiting forever to get one is a turn off

Pits by JJ look reasonably priced

http://www.bighatbbq.com/store/the-marfa

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I have a Pitmaker Sniper. It's simply awesome. If I were to go with a traditional barrel stick burner, it'd either be Gator or Klose. Go to each shop and talk to the guys before you buy.

On a side not, George and Victor were the brains behind Pitts & Spitts before they broke off to start Pitmaker.

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Those doors and seal working out as designed? It looks like a nice evolution on the old pipe offset smoker.

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Yes, the gaskets are as good as new after six years. The door design makes it effortless to open. I cannot say enough good things about the sniper. I cooked 21 racks on Wed with amazing efficiency.

I also have a small Gator grill on my trailer and an All Seasons pit for my backyard . Both are very well made but Pitmaker is in another league, IMO.

Weber smoky mountain. I bought mine for $300 or so, and it is fantastic. The air vents provide excellent control, and I can smoke a brisket on a single load of charcoal.

The WSM is a huge step up over the boxy Home Depot ones, because the airflow and temperature control is infinitely better.

Maybe all these expensive smokers being posted are bigger which justifies the cost, but if you're only smoking for your 20 closest friends them a WSM is worth checking out.

G-town obviously doesn't know crap about this subject. Although the name is stupid their pits are very well made.

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Second Lone Star Grillz. AustinAgChef had one built buy this guy... damn nice rig...

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Chris at Lone Star Grillz is a great guy. I had him build me a trailer pit for competitions. This pic is from when I picked it up from his house. The next day my buddy and I seasoned it and adjusted the tuning plates. It has three temp gauges on it. After tuning, all three were within 1 degree of each other. Not many pits will do that! Another thing about Chris, he stands behind his products. There were a couple of design issues that I had while trailering my rig. I called Chris and learned that he was addressing those same issues on his new builds. So, two years after I bought it, I pulled it to his house on a Friday and picked it up Sunday. He did the modifications for FREE.

I bought one from Texas Original Pits about 6 weeks ago. Love it. They have two locations in Houston and reasonably priced too.

Just bought one of these. Pumped! What's crazy though is the wait time. This dude must be swimming in the money...17 weeks lead time and I'm 100th in line, which means there's over a 1/4 million in revenue in front of me for one model. He's doing well for himself! Hope it turns out like I'm expecting
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DP

Sorry to hijack, but For an aspiring back yard, weekend BBQ'er newbie, what would be better for briskest and butts...a nicer offset smoker or big green egg?