Alrighty, I've decided my old homemade charcoal grill has had it and it's time for a new one. Does anyone have one they really like and/or would recommend? I'd like to be able to do all kinds of meat on it - hamburgers, brisket, etc. - i.e, I'd like to be able to smoke on it as well as direct heat grill.

Thanks in advance!

BTW, I'd like to keep it to $500 or less.

[This message has been edited by Ag12thman (edited 7/5/2014 3:04p).]

BGE. Hasty Bake is solid (but note great for briskets imo)

Broil king keg / BGE.

Not likely to get any responses unless you give your price range.

I'd like to keep it under $500. Thanks; yeah I should have stuck that in the OP.

BGE?

BGE=big green egg, really popular but outside your price point

That price point might be a little tough but an offset smoker with a lid on the firebox so you can do steaks, burgers, etc over coals will cook anything you want. Some of the cheaper brands like Oklahoma joes and new braunfels something or other are sold at Home Depot and lowes, though I'm not sure how long they hold up. Step up a little more and buccees has some decent ones. Also some heb's have some good looking ones. I've never really checked them out up close but they looked well made from just glancing at them while driving by.

Thanks. Yeah, I need to check out those that HEB carries.

What does the big green egg run?

Weber Smokey Mountain.

18.5" $299.
22.5" $399.

[This message has been edited by RealTalk (edited 7/5/2014 7:10p).]

14.5 wsm $199

Are those Weber grills pretty good quality?

Akorn by Chargriller. Available at some heb and Home Depot. $300-$350. Same idea as BGE except it's insulated metal. Had mine for a year, works great once you figure out how to set it.

2nd for Akorn. Works great for both applications.

WSM is great for smoking but I wouldn't use for much grilling. You can drop the grill down and get a away with some, but it is made for smoking.

That said, you could get the 14.5" or 18.5" and also get a Weber Kettle and have a smoker and a great charcoal grill at that price.

I had a hasty bake all through college. Really good all around, but not great for long bbq cooks. It'll work for ribs, tri tips, pork loins, etc. But not very good for brisket and pork butts

I would check out either the Weber Performer Platinum, Weber One Touch 22.5" or 26". Also, do some research on the snake method for ribs, butts and briskets which require low and slow. These are some of the most versatile grills on the market and with the snake method the best bang for your buck! I pulled off my first SLC ribs this weekend with a smoke time over 5 hours. Grab a good digital thermometer and kick back.

http://tvwbb.com
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/

my Akorn has been running steady at 255 for 6 hours now-

paid $250 in Feb of 13 with delivery

can't wait to get a kamodo joe or bge but the Akorn is worth every penny

Thanks. Who makes the Akorn? I'm assuming it's sort of like the Big Green Egg?

Chargriller makes the Akorn.

I own one was well and love it. Although it’s definitely not in the category with the ceramics and I wish it was a big bigger. Before I dumped the money into one of the ceramics I wanted to try a kamado style so I picked it up just because of the price. I’ve enjoyed it so much I don’t think I can justify buying a ceramic now.

I saved a tear as well with the Akorn over ceramic. A drunk buddy attempting to move it for some reason tipped it over and it’s still in one piece.

With your budget you could also get one of those electronic temperature regulators as well. Although I haven’t priced them in some time.

The basic Weber 22.5" Silver does a great job for grilling, and they run about $100 right now at the home repair stores and on Amazon.

You can spend some more money with accessories (Amazon has lots of stuff to chose from) to help smoke (Smokenator), or get a rotisserie, or a pizza cover or stone. The Weber has lots of versatility and does a good job for the price.

[This message has been edited by Ft Worth Ag (edited 7/13/2014 12:44p).]

Saw this the other day.

http://www.napoleongrills.com/grills/product-details/productid/23/ccd/en-ca/apollo-300-charcoal-grill-and-water-smoker

My Akorn has been outstanding in results. Fairly quick learning curve on how to set the vents, cooks for hours at a constant temp. Might be challenged if a huge brisket, but otherwise it handles plenty of carnivore delights!



[This message has been edited by GSS (edited 7/14/2014 1:19p).]

Weber 26.75 is large enough to smoke briskets, pork shoulders what ever. They are under $500 and the most versitle for the money.

Thanks for all the information. The Akorn seems to be getting a lot of praise so I'll have to do a little more research on those. Not sure what a Weber 26.75 is.

Akorn + Auber Instruments temp control = win

I bought the akorn while we were between houses thinking I would buy a high end ceramic once we had a house, and I could really build out my outdoor kitchen. then my akorn could be a tailgate/camping grill. now I'm probably just going to buy one or two more akorns and build a nice table around them. I'll still come out way ahead on $ and have more cooking area/versatility.

Who sells the Akorn? Amazon? Lowe's? Home Depot? Best place to buy one?

quote:

---

Not sure what a Weber 26.75 is.

---

The largest kettle grill that Weber makes. Below is a picture of the 26.75 and the 22.5 together. (EDIT: Weber does sell a very large kettle grill but it cost in excess of $1000, but its shape differs slightly to the 26.75 and 22.5.)



As for your Akorn question, Amazon sells them as do other on-line websites like Hayneedle.com. I believe that the various superstores and home stores like Walmart and Hope Depot sell this type of grill, but check nonetheless.

[This message has been edited by Ft Worth Ag (edited 7/16/2014 10:40a).]

Thanks. That larger-sized Weber in your picture is probably about what I am looking for. I guess Amazon or maybe home improvement store for this one, too?

I got my akorn at Lowes. they are $300 in store and you can get a 15% off coupon by filling out some form for recently moved peoples. so I paid $270 and it was already assembled.

any backwoods chubby g2 owners out here?
thinking about getting one as my first smoker to own...
any thoughts would be appreciated...

OK so, I just bought the backwoods g2 chubby for anyone that is interested.
I used it once. To be completely transparent, I have never smoked jack before.
That didnt seem to matter.
I did what I was told that I was suppose to....it held 250F for 6 hours without touching it. Meat was bad to the bone, literally.
In the morning, it still registered about 190F.
Still enjoying the ribs and butt.
Will try a brisket this weekend.

I triple second the Akorn... i've had mine for a little over a year... and its been great for grilling and smoking... Got mine at Lowe's and have been very pleased with that purchase

BGE

quote:

---

Are those Weber grills pretty good quality?

---

Weber quality is excellent!

i have a 22.5 WSM, and a Kettle Performer, and I'm very happy with them.

Weber kettles are awesome for any type of grilling. I've had one (22.5" model) for 15+ years and I don't think you can beat it for grilling for your average family meals (steaks, burgers, chicken, etc). Before I bought a smoker, I did smoke probably 20 racks of ribs with good results using indirect heat method (using on side for charcoal and wood chip container and other for meat). I never tried anything larger like a brisket or pork butt due to size and need for better temp control.

For grilling I'd highly recommend weber kettle, but for a combo you may want to consider one of the other recommended here. If you are east of I-35, Bucees sells a moderately priced offset combo that appears comparable to the Oklahoma Joes and similar.