Inexpensive stick burning smokers

[JeffRaines]

You guys are a great resource for all things. I thought about placing this in the “cooking in the wild” section however I’m not looking for a smoker to take with me camping, rather a home use deal.

In any case, I started smoking meats 4 or so years ago when Walmart was blowing out those camp chef pellet grills. It was an excellent introduction, but I wanted more control over the smoke flavor. A couple years ago I bought a WSM to give that a try. I’ve had great luck with it once I learned the ins and outs… but my smokes are still missing something… that something that you can only get from a stick burner. Those who have eaten at bbq places then smoked at home know that flavor. It’s close - but I want that flavor. That has lead me to looking into stick burners.

Thing is, I’ve never used one. I know there’s a learning curve to everything so I don’t expect it to be as painless as a pellet smoker, or even as “easy” as the WSM. Also, gotta balance it with my budget - I will be keeping the WSM around I think. I don’t want to spend thousands on a smoker that I may not like.

The Oklahoma Joe Highland(and reverse flow) seem to get somewhat decent reviews. They’re a heavier steel than the super cheap offsets(although not that magic 1/4”). I’ve seen where they need gaskets at a minimum, and the regular flow version would benefit from a “tuning plate” as well as moving the outlet down to grate level.

I did look into the old country pecos model as well - but those seem to only be sold at Academy(which we don’t have here in Washington). Someone on a forum mentioned being able to order direct - but shipping was quite pricy at $400 and this was circa 2017… and those still need mods like a tuning plate and gaskets.

I’ve also seen the Chargriller grand champ mentioned as well. Those come with gaskets I believe but still need a tuning plate to help with heat dispersion AFAIK.

I’m just wondering if anyone here has any direct experience with these more inexpensive models. Are they worth the money? Any other alternatives I should be checking out in this price range? Big thing is I will be using this with wood spits only(maybe lay down a bed of lump to get the fire going but only spits from then on, no minion method/chunks as that’s what I’m doing on the WSM).

I have read reviews, but to be honest I put little stock in some of them as it seems like some people may not exactly know what they’re buying.

Thanks for being a great resource, and thanks in advance for reading/your advice. It is much appreciated.

 

[Btaylor]

Can you weld or know a decent welder that would do a side job for you? Just a thought if you cant get a heavier grade metal one locally. I had the Old Country and it cooked just fine for home use.

 

[Marbles]

And I thought this thread was asking for advice on inexpensive cigarettes....

 

[11boo]

I’ll give some input.



This style is pretty reliable, should be around 250.00. Holds a lot, and takes a lot of babysitting. I’ve turned out some first class stuff on there.

Sadly, it sits unused, since I got a kamado.



this and a flat top blackstone are all I use anymore. Sams was blowing these vision brand kamados out for 275. Wish I had bought 2 at that price. That was a fall clearance thing. Of course the price on these is steep, but man they are versatile. I can cook at 600 or smoke at any temp, and there are options to add
remote control for temps.
It’ll hold 225 for 12 hours, but that is about it. If you need longer, you’ll have to pull the grill to stoke it . I never have.
I wanted a BGE, but I really don’t see how it could work better. The BGE is US made I think, mine is chicom.


When I shut the vents off, the fire dies quickly and some of the lump is saved for the next cook.
I burn various lump and have seasoned pecan chunks for smoke.

 

[mmac]

I agree with Boo, I have tried a lot of them and a neighbor got me into the Big Green Egg's, but any of the egg style are good. The pro's are the thick ceramic, so they last forever and don't rust, they do well even when cold out and use less charcoal. Con is the price. I usually set up the bigger meats the evening before and let them go all night. I have never had any issues.

 

[jmez]

What is your time worth? The cheaper the until the more your will need to babysit. I have a BGE, would not have been my choice but wife bought it for me. It works great once you figure out where to set dampers. It will sit on a temp and not vary more than 5 degrees until it runs out of wood/lump. Once it has stabilized you don't need to touch it. Try to find a cheap knockoff like above.

The cheap, thin walled smokers don't hold temp well and take constant monitoring.

Were I buying one I would get an Assasin Grill. Can be used as both a regular grill and smoker. They have a lot more capacity than the ceramic kettle grills.

 

[longrangeprecision762]

I built one out of AR500 plate years ago. The company that I worked for built blast furnaces so the steel was plentiful. If you kick around a weld shop or two guys will build you dam near anything for a couple cases of beer and $100.

 

[Azone]

Steel prices are HIGH right now.
I’ve had a few people in my area want me to make them a 100 gallon ish backyard size smoker or Santa Maria style pit but they back out when I tell them what materials alone will cost.
Beware of a welder willing to work for beer and a 100 dollar bill, probably won’t end up with what you want but I could be wrong.
Buy the most smoker you can afford. Heavier wall thickness will help out with even cooking temps and anything in the 1/4 inch thickness range will last a lifetime. It can be some major sticker shock but in my experience you generally get what you pay for with pits.

 

[JeffRaines]

Steel prices are HIGH right now.
I’ve had a few people in my area want me to make them a 100 gallon ish backyard size smoker or Santa Maria style pit but they back out when I tell them what materials alone will cost.
Beware of a welder willing to work for beer and a 100 dollar bill, probably won’t end up with what you want but I could be wrong.
Buy the most smoker you can afford. Heavier wall thickness will help out with even cooking temps and anything in the 1/4 inch thickness range will last a lifetime. It can be some major sticker shock but in my experience you generally get what you pay for with pits.

I have a buddy who runs a welding business on the side who would probably weld it up for free(not that I’d let him) but steel prices are a major issue right now.

I just don’t want to end up with a pit I’m replacing in a year or two. If the Ok Joe or Chargriller Grand Champ will last for awhile I’m cool with dumping the cash. Bonus points if they last long enough to get me to come off Horizon/Lang money(or rather, get the wife’s blessing for such a purchase ).

 

[FLATHEAD]

Thinking about building one out of re purposed wood.

 

[doc holiday13]

I’ll give some input.

View attachment 401065

This style is pretty reliable, should be around 250.00. Holds a lot, and takes a lot of babysitting. I’ve turned out some first class stuff on there.

Sadly, it sits unused, since I got a kamado.

View attachment 401066

this and a flat top blackstone are all I use anymore. Sams was blowing these vision brand kamados out for 275. Wish I had bought 2 at that price. That was a fall clearance thing. Of course the price on these is steep, but man they are versatile. I can cook at 600 or smoke at any temp, and there are options to add
remote control for temps.
It’ll hold 225 for 12 hours, but that is about it. If you need longer, you’ll have to pull the grill to stoke it . I never have.
I wanted a BGE, but I really don’t see how it could work better. The BGE is US made I think, mine is chicom.

View attachment 401069View attachment 401070
When I shut the vents off, the fire dies quickly and some of the lump is saved for the next cook.
I burn various lump and have seasoned pecan chunks for smoke.

these are all good choices. the cheapo offset you have was my go to for over a decade. bought one used for $20 and it came with a bag of lump charcoal. bottom of it rusted out.. I'll probably build my next offset. currently running a recteq pellet grill

 

[go_deep]

Doesn't have to be thick steel. Old refrigerator will work, large wood box with sheet metal inside, cinder block.

 

[TX_Diver]

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I had a lyfe time (maybe life tyme, I don't remember the spelling) when I lived in TX. I eventually sold it and now just have a variety of weber kettles and a slow n sear.

I'd focus on 1/4" steel and 20" in diameter. Mine was 16" and i couldn't fit 3 racks of ribs on it. Kinda sucked. it also had a vertical chamber on it too that I thought would be cool but I never used.

One day I'll have one again but I had that grill and just a 22" kettle at the time and 99% of the time I found myself lighting the kettle and just cutting up a few wood chunks to throw on the charcoal, even for longer cooks like a pork butt.

I now have a pellet grill and it's great when you want to hit the easy button, but the kettle cooks better food IMO than the camp chef and better than most of the bbq joints around. It does not have the "cool factor" that an offset does.

My next pickup will probably be a pit barrel cooker and one day I could see making another offset but it will be at least 20" in diameter!

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Made one out of a steel drum some years back. cut in half top to bottom, three hinges, steel grating, one for meat one for wood/coals. two handles, adjustable vent on top half. I drilled a few holes in bottom half for air flow, not sure that was necessary. also had side smoke box.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

If you're handy with a welder and don't mind doing some minor surgery on your WSM, you could rig up an external stick-burning smoke box similar to the "mailbox mod" some folks do on an electric cabinet smoker. I repurposed the wood stove I built for my wall tent to turn my Masterbuilt electric smoker into a pseudo stick burner. I ran 3" dryer vent pipe from the stove/smoke box to the chip loader port on the Masterbuilt and mounted a variable speed duct fan on the smoke box door to help control temperature.

 

[Azone]

I have a buddy who runs a welding business on the side who would probably weld it up for free(not that I’d let him) but steel prices are a major issue right now.

I just don’t want to end up with a pit I’m replacing in a year or two. If the Ok Joe or Chargriller Grand Champ will last for awhile I’m cool with dumping the cash. Bonus points if they last long enough to get me to come off Horizon/Lang money(or rather, get the wife’s blessing for such a purchase ).

If you have a friend that runs a welding business I’d just design what you wanted and be done with it. Buy once, cry once.
Search around for some old propane tanks for your cook chamber and firebox and that will greatly reduce the cost of materials for the build.

 

[tdhanses]

I really like my Pit Barrel when I stick smoke otherwise I use the pellet stove.

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[JoeDirt]

I have an Oklahoma Joes Highland regular offset.

Dont get caught up in those stupid mods, not one of them last and the smokes suppose to leak out.

Only mods ive done is extend the stack mainly to keep the smoke out of your face. The other mod is tuning plate for a little better heat distribution.

 

[mckbcat2000]

You might do some reading on www.bbqbrethren.com. Also a classified section over there as well.

 

[JeffRaines]

I have an Oklahoma Joes Highland regular offset.

Dont get caught up in those stupid mods, not one of them last and the smokes suppose to leak out.

Only mods ive done is extend the stack mainly to keep the smoke out of your face. The other mod is tuning plate for a little better heat distribution.

The only other mod I had in mind for it would be the gaskets, but it seems people mention frequently that they come off.

Another thing that’s intriguing me a bit is the char griller grand champ. It’s not a reverse flow, but it seems to have a basket for the firebox, two slide out grates and gasket doors from the factory. Also a slightly heavier gauge steel.

Right now the regular highland is on sale for like 350 or so, and the grand champ is somewhere in the 500 realm. I wish I had a place nearby that had both on the floor so I could compare them.