I am getting married in April and have asked the future bride for a smoker/grill with an offset firebox as a wedding present. She thinks it is a great idea, but has asked me to do the research and pick out one I like.

I am familiar with the custom made pits and smokers and would love to have one, but they are a little out of our price range at the moment.

I have also looked at the New Braunfels brand carried at Academy and they seem to be nice and much more reasonable.

I was wondering if you guys could either confirm that the New Braunfels line are nice and would be a smart purchase or give me some recommendations on other brands I should look at.

I do enjoy cooking and grew up with my pops using our trailer pit on just about every type of meat he could get his hands on. I expect to use the grill/smoker around 3-4 times a months so it will be getting use.

All thoughts and comments are appreicated.

My Oklahoma Joe is quite a bit heavier than the NB smokers, and seems to hold it's heat really well. I think I gave $399 at Academy, back around 2k3.

"2k3"???

Who does that?!?!?

Ags,

I love my New Braunfels. I think I paid ~$150 at Academy in "2k3."

I have a low end New Branfels smoker and while it will get the job done, it isn't the greatest...

depending on your budget, I would bump it up a notch...if the budget is tight, the low end NB smoker will work ok for a couple of years

quote:

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Who does that?!?!?

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Well, me, for one.

The OKIE Joes look ok. But you might want to stop by a local welder's shop, like the local good ol'boys place. Tell him what you are looking for and why. You never know, he may have the metal in the yard and will be willing to make you a deal.

If you do much cooking it will be worth it.

If you do not do much cooking (every 2 months), then the OK Joes should be fine. I have always thought the NB's were a little lite.

But if you plan on moving around the next few years, the lighter NB's might not be a bad thing.

I had to tip the *******s that moved me from TX to WV an extra 20 JUST for the smoker.

That thing must weigh 300 lbs, and my house is about 50' above my drive.

I have two that are on wheels, we moved over 500 miles. It was fun going back to get them.

Check the papers or ag related publications (livestock weekly) for any local farmers/ranchers selling off auctions. It is amazing what you can pick up at these sell out auctions really cheap. I have come across several nice smoker setups and if interested, you can get the materials to make your own. It is a longshot; however, if you get lucky it will pay off.

Good advice from Hump on the auctions, etc.

However, with the current price of steel, I would shudder to think what the material to build one would cost relative to a couple of years ago.

I bought 2- 8' lengths of 26" oilfield casing for a total of $25 at an auction once.

You never know.

Someone gave me an old boat trailer and I built my first smoker fairly inexpensively. I had more in welding rods and expanded metal than anything else.

I bought 2- 8' lengths of 26" oilfield casing for a total of $25 at an auction once.

You never know.

Someone gave me an old boat trailer and I built my first smoker fairly inexpensively. I had more in welding rods and expanded metal than anything else.

Lyfetime or Uvalde Smokers. The others just imitated them.

I've gone thru two Oklahoma Joe's & I'm pretty sure they sold out...Brinkman is/was in their old facilities. I think they sold out to Smokemaster's and they are now out of business. Tejas builds a really good smoker.

We have one by Tejas and I like it very much. If I had the money I'd go Pitts and Spitts in a heartbeat however.

I had a NB smoker for 6 years and just upgraded to a custom made smoker. The NB works fine but it is thin and that makes it tough to hold the heat. The temp fluctuates easily so it is more work and not a consistant temp which can lead to tougher meat. But it works fine for your first smoker. In about 4-6 years you will have worn it out and will be able to afford some thing bigger and heavier.

I will second what B-1 83 says.

here is my lyfe tyme

I got a New Braunfels in 2k1 and I have never liked it. Just this year I was able to build an outdoor island and replace it. I am ecstatic to quit using the old one.

A buddy has had a NB for about 5 years. It works ok but the temp distrubution is fairly uneven. I was also going to suggest talking to a welder or someone at a fabricator shop to see about getting one built. My cousin built one for my dad that works great. When built about 5 years ago it was about $100 total materials, what that translates to now I have no idea.

Ags03 - if you're in BCS, you're very lucky.

The Farm Patch on S. College sells smokers by a company called Longhorn Smokers out of Uvalde.

One of the absolute best pits I have ever seen.

They're similar to Lyfe Tyme, however use coil and not wood for handles. The wood on the handles will eventually rot.

Do yourself a favor and don't buy a mass-prodeuced pit at Academy.

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Forgot about them. They do have great pits! A tad pricey but nice!

Another vote for Lyfe Tyme.