I got into bbq'ing (real bbq not grilling that many confuse with it) a year or more ago....
thought I wanted a small egg..then weber smokey mountain....finally someone talked me into going bigger for home cooker saying that once I start I will quickly find I want to cook more meat and stuff...for more than just me and immediate family.
i told him he was crazy....but found a great deal on a Meadow Creek PR42 (Roaster-Smoke). Drip pan/heat deflector for true indirect cooking...stainless steel grate...slide out wood/charcoal drawer so I dont lose heat while adding more....two upper and two lower vent controls, on air filled wheels for easy moving around yard...heavy steel for holding heat better....for less than $800. I did it and thought I would regret it.
Over a year later it is the best decision I ever made....I do a whole hog every year for family but usually had to borrow one from a buddy that owns bbq place in town....and then do a few other cooks for other family or friends at house...ribs, shoulders, hams, wings, venison tenderloin, quail, cornish hens, etc.
With my wifes brothers family, my brothers family and our own children and their families it can be 20-22 people if all together. I can throw 6-8 racks of pork ribs .....or 4-5 racks and 24 whole wings...or two or three roasts/hams and feed everyone with plenty left over to send home in doggy bags and leave some for me through week.
I am now contemplating buying the second tier rack to give me more room.....imagine that...haha...almost like saying you NEVER think you would need more than one bow when you first started...and you would NEVER pay more than $300 for a traditional bow. 95% of us have already broke both of those rules in the first 5-10 years. multiple times...haha
The story here is if you think you might do one rack of ribs or a ham a couple times a year.....then triple that amount and frequency as it is addictive and buy to that size.
I would have got the SQ36 from Meadow Creek which is a smaller offset firebox smoker for backyard that is also still very affordable...but I wanted to do a whole hog at least once a year...and usually do a 50-75# size...so went with Pig Roaster variant instead.
If single or married with no kids...and you dont eat a lot of meat already...and dont have family or friends that enjoy bbq or smoked meats...then the WSM is a great item. If you got friends and family that are always asking for venison or want to come over when grilling...then you can bet they will want to come over more for some good smoked meat.
Good luck.... I have lots of info and links I can give you to read and make an informed decision if interested...and a couple places that sell different models that will last you a long time and perform at a much higher level than what you will find in Home Depot or Lowes. They typically use very thin metal, poor seals, and thin fireboxes and wont usually last very long.
Good luck...here are two sites I relied on heavily for my decisions. I found a cooker that wsa used by competition guy year before at big discount...as he wanted newer and larger.
http://www.amazingribs.com/index.html http://www.smokymtbarbecue.com/ BTW, my favorites now after over a year of practicing...
is 3 racks of ribs, a venison tenderloin and 24 wings....wings and ribs with dry rub....tenderloin soaked in sesame oil and garlic overnight. Just have to plan so ribs go on first...then put on wings and finally tenderloin so they all come off around same time...let them rest wrapped in foil inside and PIG OUT with family and friends and cold beer.
Topic: Webber Smokey Mountain Smoker? (Read 2858 times)
