Buying My First Smoker

[BaronVanDuck]

Afternoon All,

First of all this is a great site and i have gained some good information already, however...

I'm placing an order for my first Smoker this evening and would like to know if there is anything i need to add to my order as im buying a job lot to get me started... also is there anything on my list that i don't really need?

I've decided to go for the WSM 57cm because the lads are always round watching the Footy & UFC so more so the bigger the better i think.

I've also decided to add the following to my order...

Weber Charcoal BBQ Chimney Starter
Weber Original BBQ Digital Pocket Thermometer
x2 Weber Original BBQ Poultry Roaster Nesting
x2 Weber BBQ Rib Rack
x2 Weber BBQ Firelighters
Weber Long Lasting Premium Briquettes 10kg
x2 Weber BBQ Firespice 5lb Wood Chunks Hickory
x2 Weber BBQ Firespice 5lb Wood Chunks - Apple

Is the above order ok or do i need to add anymore items to the list?

This will be my first time using a Smoker so don't really know what to expect. I will mainly be cooking Ribs, Pork, Brisket & Chicken.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

All The Best...

Si

[keith157]

Okay, bear in mind this is my personal opinion.

Get a thermopen from eBay they are recons from ETI (brand new as far as I can tell)
Ditch the weber rib racks, they only do one thing. Have a look on Amazon there are racks that will hold ribs. turn them upside down they will hold joints or a turkey Do you really need 2?
Chicken roasters? You'll probably end up doing more beer-can-chicken.
As for wood, I'd go through Paul Gouldon on here http://bbqsmokingwood.co.uk/?page_id=2

Unless you are getting a bulk deal there is no reason to stick to all weber, but their chimney is the best IMO

Cheers

[YetiDave]

If you're getting a chimney then you don't need firelighters

[slatts]

Only on a personal note but I would recommend the maverick et732 its a great bit of kit and gives you peace of mind during the night that if your temps drop or get to high you'll be woken by the alarm plus its also got the internal meat probe.

[YetiDave]

A BIG +1 on the ET732! Personally I'd scrap the poultry nests, firefighters and weber thermometer. That'll give you enough for the ET732 - one of the best investments you can make IMHO

[RobinC]

Similar to other posters:

The 57cm Weber is huge - you can cook a lot of food on the 47cm model and it is more economical with fuel. I've got both models and to be honest if I had to go for one I would probably stick with the 47cm because of the fuel economy. You can get at a push 6 good size (6-8llb) pork shoulders on it. Obviously you know how many people you will be catering for and I do understand the desire to get the biggest one you can afford.

I would ditch the pocket therm and get yourself a thermapen - much better imo. Weber do a rib rack that can be turned over and used as a roast holder, though as with all things Weber you pay a price premium. I would just get one rack to begin with, think I've got 3 assorted racks but have only ever needed more than one on one occasion.

I'm not personally a fan of beer-can chicken but do think cooking a chicken upright can produce some tasty results. Having said that I pretty much do all my chicken on the grill these days as I've never been sold on the merits of doing it on a smoker. Again I would probably only get one poultry roaster then see how it goes.

What are you going to use to get hot food off the smoker without burning yourself?

More fuel! You can never have too many briquettes or bags of lumpwood. I now start getting nervous when my supplies dip below 50Kg

Re the maverick - still use mine but have found as I've got more experienced it gets used less and less. Didn't bother using it at all on my last two smoking sessions (pork butt + ribs). Won't deny its useful though

My garage is full of BBQ accessories (mainly Weber), every birthday & Christmas people tend to get me BBQ stuff (I'm not complaining) but most gets little use. I've I was to recommend my top items they would be (in no particular order)

- chimney starter
- thermapen
- good set of knives
- good set of heat proof gloves (I use glovens) plus I get through a lot of nitrile gloves
- good set of tongs
- dishes to transport food to and from the cooking area

EDIT: thought of one other essential that I wouldn't be without: good set of chopping boards

[PeanutZA]

Thank you RobinC.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[BaronVanDuck]

Thanks everyone for your comments, greatly appreciated and taken onboard,

Unfortunately the website i'm buying the Smoker and equipment from does not sell the Thermometers mentioned but i will definitely look into buying one of these in the future.

GLOVES... bloody good idea Robin you've probably just saved my hands, cheers

With regards to Charcoal, for a Smoker what type should i look at buying? Will normal briquettes do or are Australian Heat a better option, i'm really not sure.

Apologies if i sound a numpty

Again thanks for everyones help.

All The Best

Si

[YetiDave]

If you choose briquettes then don't go cheap - supermarket type stuff usually gives off a nasty chemical smell until it's full lit making it pretty useless for smoking. Get restaurant grade lumpwood where you can - Liverpool Wood Pellets will sell you 24kg for £30 including delivery (or 30kg of regular lumpwood for £32, I think) having said that though heatbeads have a good rep too!

[slatts]

plenty of fuel is a great shout

I always have just enough fuel for my cooks and once I had to go out and get some before putting the ribs on which wasn't great. I know when I go to get my next load I will be getting 2-3 bags atleast.

I use restaurant grade lumpwood but did just try a bag of Weber long lasting briquettes in the white bag, didn't like the smell when they first lit and they have left a yellow ash in the bottom of my smoker, doesn't mean there's actually anything wrong with them but I personally didn't like them.

Tin foil plenty of tin foil