I love my BBQ! I have two BBQs that need charcoal at the moment. The one that I use the most is the Weber Original Kettle. I do steaks on it (anything direct) and long smokes (chicken, roasts, brisket, etc).
I made some ribs last week-end and cooked them for 12 hours. I usually do them in 6 but decided to go the extra 6 to see how they would fall off the bone (at 6hrs they stay on the bone, 12hrs, the bone stays there when you touch the meat)
I had to reload the Weber twice using the snake method to cook the ribs. While it's fairly easy to pick-up the grill, reload and put it back, I can't stop thinking that it could be easier if I have to recharge the BBQ less or have an easier way to access the fire.
So... From there, I started looking at my options to see what I could use to do my indirect (long run) cooks.
I know that I could put a few fire bricks in the Weber and it would possibly hold the heat better. However, here are my options if I buy something else. I am not interested in an electric smoker. I rather have something that works anywhere, anytime. Charcoal is the right choice as I like the taste. Propane is good but I prefer charcoal.
So, what I found was:
I also saw something called the big poppa smoker that is essentially a barrel with a removable lid. Those did not have good comments on them.
I know that option 1 or two would require a lot of modifications to seal all the joints and potential leaks, plus add a few thermometers, seals around the doors and new paint job as the original seems to be too thin or weak.
Option 3 would need a few add-ons as well as I read somewhere that Napoleon leaks badly. Again, not so much of a problem.
Last option, the most expensive seems to be great as the Komodo has ceramic already which would help for longer cooks. The only issue that I saw is that someone reported a cracked lid which seems to be where you have to replace it. I do not know how it happened so can't say if they crack often or if the user broke it while doing something that involved too much beer. There seem to be a fair share of replacement lids for sale on ebay...
First, I have no idea what works best, vertical or horizontal smoker. It must be a personal preference. I believe that the vertical would cook better but the horizontal looks better when it comes to add a few chunks of wood.
I also know that I'm trying to compare cheap models to the high end models.
I would like to know if someone has any experience with any or all (even better) of those models and what they think. How it was? Would you recommend what you have? How well did the pit grew old? If possible, I would like to keep it for a few years (which I doubt that the Canadian tire model will be more than 2).
I made some ribs last week-end and cooked them for 12 hours. I usually do them in 6 but decided to go the extra 6 to see how they would fall off the bone (at 6hrs they stay on the bone, 12hrs, the bone stays there when you touch the meat)
I had to reload the Weber twice using the snake method to cook the ribs. While it's fairly easy to pick-up the grill, reload and put it back, I can't stop thinking that it could be easier if I have to recharge the BBQ less or have an easier way to access the fire.
So... From there, I started looking at my options to see what I could use to do my indirect (long run) cooks.
I know that I could put a few fire bricks in the Weber and it would possibly hold the heat better. However, here are my options if I buy something else. I am not interested in an electric smoker. I rather have something that works anywhere, anytime. Charcoal is the right choice as I like the taste. Propane is good but I prefer charcoal.
So, what I found was:
- The cheap looking horizontal smoker that Canadian tire has for $179
- Lowes has the Oklahoma Joe smoker for $349 (I think).
- Napoleon apollo or Weber mountain around $300-$400 depending on which - Vertical
- Costco has the Kamado vertical smoker for $899
I also saw something called the big poppa smoker that is essentially a barrel with a removable lid. Those did not have good comments on them.
I know that option 1 or two would require a lot of modifications to seal all the joints and potential leaks, plus add a few thermometers, seals around the doors and new paint job as the original seems to be too thin or weak.
Option 3 would need a few add-ons as well as I read somewhere that Napoleon leaks badly. Again, not so much of a problem.
Last option, the most expensive seems to be great as the Komodo has ceramic already which would help for longer cooks. The only issue that I saw is that someone reported a cracked lid which seems to be where you have to replace it. I do not know how it happened so can't say if they crack often or if the user broke it while doing something that involved too much beer. There seem to be a fair share of replacement lids for sale on ebay...
First, I have no idea what works best, vertical or horizontal smoker. It must be a personal preference. I believe that the vertical would cook better but the horizontal looks better when it comes to add a few chunks of wood.
I also know that I'm trying to compare cheap models to the high end models.
I would like to know if someone has any experience with any or all (even better) of those models and what they think. How it was? Would you recommend what you have? How well did the pit grew old? If possible, I would like to keep it for a few years (which I doubt that the Canadian tire model will be more than 2).
Last edited: