Inexpensive stick burning smokers

[fatlander]

Kamado style is the way to go.

Between a flattop like a black stone and my egg, there’s literally nothing I cannot cook.

The egg is so versatile. From 18 hours at 225 for a big brisket to 700 degrees to sear a steak or make a pizza and everything in between. They’re pricey, but if you’re diligent about buying a used one, there’s great deals to be had. I got one that was fully loaded with a bunch of goodies for well under half price that was gently used.

I cook with seasoned hardwood in mine a lot.


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[JeffRaines]

Kamado style is the way to go.

Between a flattop like a black stone and my egg, there’s literally nothing I cannot cook.

The egg is so versatile. From 18 hours at 225 for a big brisket to 700 degrees to sear a steak or make a pizza and everything in between. They’re pricey, but if you’re diligent about buying a used one, there’s great deals to be had. I got one that was fully loaded with a bunch of goodies for well under half price that was gently used.

I cook with seasoned hardwood in mine a lot.


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I've seen a couple guys mention Kamados so far - its my understanding(and please correct me if I'm wrong anyone) that they're similar to a WSM... meaning the intention is to use charcoal for the heat and wood chunks for the smoke flavor vs an actual stick burner that uses wood for both heat and flavor.

Don't get me wrong - the meat I make on the WSM is great but its just missing that full profiled smoked flavor that I've only had at actual barbecue joints... the ones that use stick burners, coincidentally.

I've also had pork chops and steaks that were grilled over a hardwood fire that were absolutely phenomenal in flavor.

I even looked up this phenomenon before I set my sights on a stick burner... I thought maybe its just me playing up the barbecue in my head... turns out there's a real difference and its not just me imagining it.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=149644 Just one example

Trust me, I realize that these things are not "set it and forget it". If I have to add wood every 30-45 minutes then so be it. One of the reasons I'm keeping the WSM is for times when I want a set it and forget it option as I have it down pretty good. I just want a second option for when I'm making brisket or whenever I want that flavor and I don't mind having to tend fire... hell, I'm normally home all day during my smokes anyhow.

 

[fatlander]

I've seen a couple guys mention Kamados so far - its my understanding(and please correct me if I'm wrong anyone) that they're similar to a WSM... meaning the intention is to use charcoal for the heat and wood chunks for the smoke flavor vs an actual stick burner that uses wood for both heat and flavor.

Don't get me wrong - the meat I make on the WSM is great but its just missing that full profiled smoked flavor that I've only had at actual barbecue joints... the ones that use stick burners, coincidentally.

I've also had pork chops and steaks that were grilled over a hardwood fire that were absolutely phenomenal in flavor.

I even looked up this phenomenon before I set my sights on a stick burner... I thought maybe its just me playing up the barbecue in my head... turns out there's a real difference and its not just me imagining it.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=149644 Just one example

Trust me, I realize that these things are not "set it and forget it". If I have to add wood every 30-45 minutes then so be it. One of the reasons I'm keeping the WSM is for times when I want a set it and forget it option as I have it down pretty good. I just want a second option for when I'm making brisket or whenever I want that flavor and I don't mind having to tend fire... hell, I'm normally home all day during my smokes anyhow.

That’s like saying a Camry and a Ferrari are the same thing.

The reason barbecue joints use side burners is the fact that they can cook much more meat at one time than a Kamado style grill. Many a barbecue competition has been won on a Kamado grill, they’re just not as practical to move around as side smokers. You also need 4 or 5 of them for a competition where as you can use different parts of one big smoker.

This is the internet, and I’m just a guy that cooks stuff over fire in his yard, but there’s not much difference in my pork butts, ribs, briskets, etc than all of the award winning barbecue restaurants I’ve eaten at. If you follow the process, use good good lump, good wood (not wood shavings), and season your meat properly, you can make world class barbecue in your backyard.

You can also make a Tuscan style pizza or sear a steak like no one’s business. You can’t do that with a side burner.


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[Red Letters]

Inexpensive on a smoker will likely get you a foreign made, thin walled exterior metal (on a conventional smoker) The thin metal will rust out quick, but more importantly the thicker the steel the better it helps you regulate and hold the temperature constant, thats a big deal on all night cooks. We bought a reverse flow vault that cost about 3k and I don’t regret anything other than not buying it years ago to hone my craft and not buying a bigger size. The cooking area on ours is fine, but having more room for the coals would be better. As it is I have to refeed the fire in the middle of the night to cook briskets, not a big deal but not having mess with the fire at 3:00 am would be nice.
You might consider buying used, find someone moving or whatever and picking up a deal like that.

Edit I just read the post a couple about, you can get these where they are basically set and forget. Like I mentioned we have a vault it has exterior and interior steel with oven insulation in between, so it holds heat even in the winter. I have a Texas match (flame thrower basically) I heat the pit up before I start the fire, reducing the cook time and build the fire where it burns the charcoal and wood like it is a fuse, it starts at one end and burns to the other end. After I get it dialed in I hardly have to mess with it for hours at a time.

 

[JoeDirt]

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.

I've seen a couple guys mention Kamados so far - its my understanding(and please correct me if I'm wrong anyone) that they're similar to a WSM... meaning the intention is to use charcoal for the heat and wood chunks for the smoke flavor vs an actual stick burner that uses wood for both heat and flavor.

Don't get me wrong - the meat I make on the WSM is great but its just missing that full profiled smoked flavor that I've only had at actual barbecue joints... the ones that use stick burners, coincidentally.

I've also had pork chops and steaks that were grilled over a hardwood fire that were absolutely phenomenal in flavor.

I even looked up this phenomenon before I set my sights on a stick burner... I thought maybe its just me playing up the barbecue in my head... turns out there's a real difference and its not just me imagining it.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=149644 Just one example

Trust me, I realize that these things are not "set it and forget it". If I have to add wood every 30-45 minutes then so be it. One of the reasons I'm keeping the WSM is for times when I want a set it and forget it option as I have it down pretty good. I just want a second option for when I'm making brisket or whenever I want that flavor and I don't mind having to tend fire... hell, I'm normally home all day during my smokes anyhow.

I think any of the Oklahoma Joes are going to be the best bang for your buck. They're just heavy duty enough. You really dont even need the baffle plates I just load mine up with a bunch of meat for the holidays so its nice not to rotate anything. I dont use it enough to justify anything more expensive.

The issue with the WSM style bbqs are you only have primary combustion where a stick burner offset style has primary and secondary combustion. There really is no substitution for a stick burners flavor. Ive cooked with them all and still use my pellet grill the most. You were not imagining that full profile flavor, I have a firepit I cook on a lot. I have yet to beat the steaks and roast ive pulled off of that thing. I also just cold smoked a ton of fish, cheese, ribyeyes, and elk pastrami in my smokehosue today. Last i counted I had 9 or 10 bbqs ...lol

 

[SWOHTR]

To even out heat distribution, I always used a long aluminum pan filled with water.

 

[JeffRaines]

That’s like saying a Camry and a Ferrari are the same thing.

The reason barbecue joints use side burners is the fact that they can cook much more meat at one time than a Kamado style grill. Many a barbecue competition has been won on a Kamado grill, they’re just not as practical to move around as side smokers. You also need 4 or 5 of them for a competition where as you can use different parts of one big smoker.

This is the internet, and I’m just a guy that cooks stuff over fire in his yard, but there’s not much difference in my pork butts, ribs, briskets, etc than all of the award winning barbecue restaurants I’ve eaten at. If you follow the process, use good good lump, good wood (not wood shavings), and season your meat properly, you can make world class barbecue in your backyard.

You can also make a Tuscan style pizza or sear a steak like no one’s business. You can’t do that with a side burner.


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I realize there are construction differences between the WSM and Kamado style grills. My point was that they cook in a similar fashion(charcoal for heat, wood for smoke) vs straight wood... or a better term would be they use the same fuel.

I'm the same as you - just a guy on the internet trying to figure out how to make the taste in my mind a reality in my backyard. My apologies if I came off as holier than thou or an elitist or something - not the case here at all! I'm a nobody who knows little

I think any of the Oklahoma Joes are going to be the best bang for your buck. They're just heavy duty enough. You really dont even need the baffle plates I just load mine up with a bunch of meat for the holidays so its nice not to rotate anything. I dont use it enough to justify anything more expensive.

The issue with the WSM style bbqs are you only have primary combustion where a stick burner offset style has primary and secondary combustion. There really is no substitution for a stick burners flavor. Ive cooked with them all and still use my pellet grill the most. You were not imagining that full profile flavor, I have a firepit I cook on a lot. I have yet to beat the steaks and roast ive pulled off of that thing. I also just cold smoked a ton of fish, cheese, ribyeyes, and elk pastrami in my smokehosue today. Last i counted I had 9 or 10 bbqs ...lol

Thats another issue I have with buying something higher end. I smoke infrequently at best(maybe once a month, twice during the down times of the year) so this isn't something that's gonna see day after day after day of cooking for crowds or anything. I would like it to last as long as possible(which is why I'm not really considering the really low end grills)... and maybe once/if I wear this one out, a nicer high end Yoder, Horizon or other grill could be the future.

For my WSM, I started out and got good at keeping the temp stable and smoke mellow without any external help. Not long ago I bought a Thermoworks Smoke X4 and the billows system which makes this thing almost completely hands off. Its great for a set-it-and-forget-it system... only a little harder to use than a pellet grill and much better flavor... but still not that flavor. I'll take a look at the OKJ next time I'm in town. Its probably gonna be between that and that Chargriller I previously mentioned.

 

[Grumman]

I have a WSM, a Kamado, and a Lang stick burner. The food from the WSM is very good and some charcoal puts a great flavor profile in it. However when I have time, there is nothing like feeding a fire in the stick burner every hour with beer in hand. I do give it the edge on flavor between the three. I can see why you want a stick burner. Good luck finding one. My old man has an Oklahoma Joe and it’s a pretty good unit.


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[TX_Diver]

Just keep in mind that with a cheap stickburner you're going to have a hard time getting "that" flavor you want.

Temp fluctuations, periods of poor fire putting out dirty smoke, etc. are all going to make it harder and may even mask the wood flavor.

It's not just the fuel that gives you the flavor but the ability to maintain a clean fire and steady temp for hours on end too. Producing better food than a WSM on a cheap stick burner is a challenge!! Not to say it can't be done, but just remember there's more too it than just using wood for fuel.

Just getting a decent and consistent wood source can be a challenge depending on where you live. When I lived in West TX all that was easy to get was mesquite. When I moved to the gulf coast I finally had easy access to good oak and it made a major difference.

Ultimately I still liked the kettle better though...

 

[backcountry_hunter]

If you feel like swinging the cost of the old country pecos get that, followed by the char griller and then OKJ. There’s. Reason Franklin and others put the exhaust down at grate level vs way up in the corner like the okj or Yoder Wichita. The other two have nice big exhaust also which is going to give you good flow. You don’t want to choke the fire ever, just regulate temp by fuel amount so air flow at grate level + complete combustion on your fire will equal good results

 

[TX_Diver]

What brand of briquettes do you use and have you tried others?

Do you use any wood chunks in the WSM?

Meant to ask in other post

 

[JeffRaines]

What brand of briquettes do you use and have you tried others?

Do you use any wood chunks in the WSM?

Meant to ask in other post

I’ve been using lump as briquettes seemed to put off that nasty smelling smoke. Usually the stuff in the red bag, but recently been using some higher end stuff which has improved flavor somewhat but it still isn’t there. I do use wood as well. Usually do the minion method, bury the chunks around the outside, make a “pit” in the middle with a chunk or two, throw a chimney on top and let the smoke clear up.

Edit: also it seems like I live in a smoking dead zone. Nobody around here, save for the big box stores, carries any kind of stick burners. I tried going through every grill and stove shop thinking I might run across a horizon dealer or something, and nothing. “We carry grills! Featuring Trager, Pit Boss, Camp Chef and BGE” is pretty much the selection. Nothing against any of those - just not what I’m looking for obviously. Hell I even looked 5 hours out!

 

[TX_Diver]

I’ve been using lump as briquettes seemed to put off that nasty smelling smoke. Usually the stuff in the red bag, but recently been using some higher end stuff which has improved flavor somewhat but it still isn’t there. I do use wood as well. Usually do the minion method, bury the chunks around the outside, make a “pit” in the middle with a chunk or two, throw a chimney on top and let the smoke clear up.

Edit: also it seems like I live in a smoking dead zone. Nobody around here, save for the big box stores, carries any kind of stick burners. I tried going through every grill and stove shop thinking I might run across a horizon dealer or something, and nothing. “We carry grills! Featuring Trager, Pit Boss, Camp Chef and BGE” is pretty much the selection. Nothing against any of those - just not what I’m looking for obviously. Hell I even looked 5 hours out!

10-4.

Lump is hard for temp control in my opinion.

Once the briquettes get hot the smoke clears up so I just don't put meat on until they're lit.

Before you invest in a smoker it may be worth going a little further down the WSM road or even going with a pit barrel cooker or a kettle w/ a slow n sear. Get some kingsford, weber, royal oak, and B&B and see if any change the flavor for you. Using wood chunks on top (golf ball sized-ish) instead of chips/dust helps too but it sounds like you're already doing that.

I haven't used B&B but a bunch of guys speak highly of them. Late may is a good time to get briquettes on sale.

An offset is a fun cooker and has the cool factor, but they're an investment so just some other options to consider in the meantime before you decide.

Where do you live btw? The benefit of TX was that just about every grocery and hardware store sold some half decent quality smokers. I got mine from an equipment rental place in the middle of nowhere that had all kinds of cool stuff made with 1/4" steel for relatively cheap.

 

[awasome]

The cheapest I would go for a stick burner would be something like the Old Country Over Under or the Old Country Pecos. If you get anything under $500 you will dump even more money modding the stickburner and it still won't hold temperature consistently.

I personally would look for stickburners between $1,500-$3,000. At this range the steel is plenty thick enough to last a lifetime, the firebox won't rust out, and it can maintain temperatures even temperatures throughout the cook chamber.

I personally don't have the time or wood supply to run a stickburner anymore so I sold mine and use drum smokers. They are super fuel efficient, relatively easy to use and produce an greatflavor (much more different than a stickburner) with the direct fire cooking.

It is good that you are using the BBQ Brethren as a guide. I love that forum, I used to post my cooks there all the time. Now I don't have as much time to cook, so i don't post much there. If Bludog is still around, ask him (tell him that Aawa referred you) and he can give you good recommendations on budget stick burners.