ProQ Frontier

[Greig]

Hi All,
I have been a keen barbecuer for almost 30 years and in the past couple of years have experimented with smoking various meats on my Weber one touch 57cm. The results have been excellent and consequently I am considering the purchase of my first smoker. I have been looking at the ProQ Frontier and in my very uneducated and humble opinion it seems to offer great value for money compared to the Weber Smoky Mountain. Would any of you more experienced folk out there like to comment on what you would consider a good piece of kit as a first smoker. It's probably worth stating that I don't require a smoker with a huge cooking capacity as I tend to limit myself to a Boston butt and the odd chicken. Any tips, info or helpful hints gratefully received.

[BRUN]

is the WSM within your budget ?

when I last looked at the Frontier they were out of stock everywhere, have they now got stock in ?

[ConorD]

I looked at both and chose the WSM - have never regretted it and have been smoking happily for a while now (pretty much every week)

[Pooky]

Both the ProQs and the WSMs have there advantages and you'll find fans of both here - With the WSM you get a superior build quality, better fuel economy and Weber's 10 year guarantee - With the ProQ you get the versatility of having stackers, which means you can adjust the size of the cooker depending on how much you're cooking, makes it easier to get to the different cooking levels and you also get superb service from Ian at Macs BBQ, the man behind them.

The Frontier is a great cooker and you're right, offers great value for money, but you won't go far wrong with whichever you go for.

[slatts]

Hi

I started with a Pro Q Frontier, I started around this time last year and my Frontier is still going strong.
Its perfect for what I do, pork shoulders, ribs, brisket and chicken.
I find fuel is good, heat beads last well on it and the temp is easy to control.
It is handy having the 2 doors.

I looked at the WSM but couldn't afford at the time and the Frontier was the best option for me.

As said above either way is a good choice.

[bunter]

I have a ProQ Frontier and as a starter smoker it was far more wallet friendly for myself than the WSM at the time. The actual smoker is nicely built and quite sturdy, the only downside being the temp gauge which on mine is about 25f out at all times. The smoker comes apart nicely for cleaning etc and also the option of buying additional sections to increase cooking capacity is a nice touch.

Cooking on the ProQ is very easy, even for a complete beginner, I did have some issues getting up to temp at first but that a lack knowledge on my part. I have been using heat beads since day one and they seem to hold temp very well and have lasted 10+ hours on a full basket for me. Having done quite a few cooks on my Frontier and getting great results cooking everything from Potatoes up to Brisket I see no reason to "upgrade" to a WSM.

Overall I guess it depends on budget and how much you intend to use the smoker. I thoroughly recommend the Frontier as a great value place to start though.

Bunter.

[stevenscustomguitars]

What did you get in the end?

I too am trying to decide between the tried and tested WSM or a frontier, or excel with its' better build.

[YetiDave]

UDS - all that money you'll save on coal can go towards meat! I've managed 28-ish hours of cooking on 12kg of sainsburys basics lumpwood. 'Nuff said