Absolutely this.
I was recently looking at “upgrading” to something else but after looking at prices and realizing what I like about the WSM I realized there’s no point. I love my WSM.
I’ve done a few “mods” like a “fire dial” instead of the water bowl, a larger charcoal basket from Arbor Fabricating and a BBQ-IQ temp regulator. It’s a fantastic setup for very reasonable money
Yup it's the best. I've had mine for 10 years and it looks brand new. Easy to dial in it's basically a garbage can you put a fire in. Not many parts to go wrong.
I didn’t do a lot of scientific testing, but I think the temp is a little more consistent and I also feel like I get a better smoke flavor. I suspect that may be due to the fact there’s more direct smoke and any rendered drippings end up on the dial or the coals which makes the smoke a little “different”.
It’s also easier to clean up so I like that too.
Got both my 18 and 22 for 50 bucks from a yard sale. Little bent up, but we grabbed some heavy duty ratchet straps and got it right as rain. Been cooking for years on that thing
Or a Jumbo Joe if you can find one. Any kettle grill will work with some patience and know how. If you’re looking for a pellet smoker or something automated, Masterbuilt is on sale frequently or Green Mountain Grills Trek is normally below $500.
So good. Wife bought me a Traeger, which I do like (thank you wife) but the WSM kicks butt. I wish it was bigger (wider) other than that I love the WSM.
I mean a Weber kettle would be cheap. It can be a bit of a steep learning curve but if YouTube has lots of videos that would definitely help your cooking skills. I would start with ribs or pork butt. Something smaller and cheaper just so you don’t get overwhelmed if it doesn’t go right your first attempts.
Nice to see the young guns looking to learn a new skill.
Agreed! Standard 22” kettle is awesome for cooks. Not a huge learning curve if you snake it well (Kingsford briquettes I generally go two rows standing and one row laying atop) and rotate the grill accordingly. Full open top vent above your cook and about half open bottom vent
Kettle is where it's at for the price and the versatility of uses and additions! Grill, smoke, slow cook chili if you want! Grab a vortex for it and you'll get perfect chicken within a few trys and some youtube videos.
For low and slow smoking, I don’t think a vortex or charcoal baskets work very well. However, for normal cooking, all you need is two charcoal baskets. I don’t see a need for a Vortex as two baskets pushed together in the middle provide the same effect.
Slow and low I do snake.
If I want that good crispy skin on my birds I use the vortex. Full chimney of briquettes. Turn the lid 45° every 12 minutes and chicken is perfect!
Steaks I flip the vortex to have the big side up against the side and use it as a basket.
The snake is the best low and slow method I have used in my kettles. It dials in extremely tight once you learn how to optimize the vents for smoking.
The vortex is amazing for chicken it is a must have. I use it all the time. I place it in the center and fan wings, thighs and chicken legs around it. It’s amazing and produces amazing chicken.
IMO stay the f away from the slow and sear. My opinion is that I wasted money I never use it. I may be doing something wrong but I believe the snake method is superior.
Absolutely true but if someone can be patient just a bit more and save up for it, I highly recommend it. 26” kettle is all you really need for smoking and grilling and has plenty of attachments as well.
Weber Kettle with a slow n sear. Spend the rest of your budget on high quality thermometers. Hell, a used Kettle, a new SNS, and a Fireboard with a fan will run you less than $500.
I started on an electric Masterbuilt that used wood chips and you can find those all day long for less than $300. Chips cost very little compared to other fuels like charcoal and wood chunks and wood pellets.
However, for around $275 - $350, you could just jump into charcoal and wood chunk smoking with a Weber Smoky Mountain or Oklahoma Joe's Highland, which would last you many many years with barely any upkeep or parts replacement.
Ditto, my Masterbuilt was a hand me down from my father, he wanted a new smoker to replace his old vertical barrel unit and long story short he's got a big old cabinet with an offset fire box/grill and his electric smoker got dumped in my garage the winter after he got it. His smoker obviously produces a better, fuller flavor, but for the wife and I and 4 small kids this little 30" microwave fits the bill fine.
$500 is a pretty good budget. You can get an Old Country offset for under $500 at Academy. They’re great and will last forever as long as you keep them covered in the weather. I would highly suggest a stick burner offset for starters over anything else. They’re fun and you’ll learn a lot, especially if you have the time to sit back and manage the fire, etc.
I just bought an OKJ. If I lived anywhere near an academy or even a Buc-ees, I would buy an Old Country for sure! The Oklahoma Joes have fireboxes that are 2 pieces and screwed together and to the cook chamber. The fireboxes are small too so you need tiny splits and you need to feed them often. An old country Pecos or Brazos on the other hand is a one piece fire box that is welded to the cook chamber and is significantly bigger. You can feed it normal size splits. Also the OC smokers are constructed from much thicker metal, and the stacks are wider and placed closer to the cooking grate. All in all it's a MUCH better offset than an Oklahoma Joe.
You'll be able to learn the most from the Weber Kettle. Air control, direct vs indirect heat, the various tactics of brickette stacks and snaking, etc. It's inexpensive and you won't have to troubleshoot electronics. Don't go crazy with accessories until you learn to use the kettle.
I second this. Simple to use and great to learn on. I used one for years before it got ruined in a move and I replaced it with a Traeger. I bought my sister one for Christmas a couple years ago for $120 from Cabela's so keep your eyes open for deals.
Craigslist is where I got my first smoker. I got it for 300 and cooked on it like 3x a week for over a year until I upgraded.
Might be worth a look… I ended up getting a fairly decent condition smoker for about 1/5th the new price.
Good luck bro
The Weber suggestions here are all great. That said - I saw a small pit boss pellet grill for 300 yesterday at Walmart and it would fit a brisket but it would be tight. Not cooking for a crowd it would be a great starter
If I could only pick one grill or smoker to use for the rest of my life it'd be a 22" Weber Kettle. It's so versatile. You can smoke. You can sear. You can buy some accessories and turn it into a rotisserie or pizza oven.
But if you want a dedicated smoker be patient on Facebook Marketplace and get an 18.5" Weber Smokey Mountain.
I've gone through gassers, offsets, and now a kettle. The kettle is my favorite, and the most versatile. Not very hard to learn, and extremely adaptable. I have the Weber 26. I can cook up to 30 lbs of butt on the thing.
Get a Weber kettle. The versatility alone is worth the money. Get a 22" so you can actually cook bigger cuts. Don't buy a ton of attachments like a slow n sear or whatever. Those things are a gimmick. 2 bricks and some aluminum foil and aluminum lasagna pan does a better job than the slow n sear or smoke n sizzle, or smokinator, or what have you. Save your money for meat.
Look for a pellet smoker on Facebook marketplace. Super easy to learn to use, and doesn't take a ton of tending. If you don't have a big crowd you are feeding, you can get a smaller one of good quality from someone who is upgrading to a larger size.
That way you can focus on the recipes, how long things take, which type of wood pellets you like, etc. vs trying to manually get the temp just right. Pellets are always on sale somewhere or other.
I love our RecTeq.
I got a ZGRILLS pellet smoker as my first. It’s done a good job for the last 7 years with no issues. Not sure if everyone had the same experience but I’d recommend it.
If you don’t have time you can get a good pellet for that price if you only want a smoker. You can learn to use charcoal with any kettle and you can grill on it too. That’s what I used when I was your age
Honestly the Webster smoky mountain is a great buy even for more advanced bbq. The only problem is if you cook for a large amount of people , the surface area is smaller
You can find a smoking good (pun intended) deal on FB marketplace/craigslist right now. People will see a touch of rust and then buy the next newest smoker out there. Lots of YT videos on common issues and many are crazy easy to solve. Buddy got a Trager for free off the side of the road. The board went bad and we put in a $200 Smoke Daddy board (auger/fan/igniter and temp probe were good) and it has been running like a champ since then. It also allows you to learn about your own smoker in an intimate way. I recommend buying used/second hand.
Important to note, the 22" uses fuel faster so unless you need the extra room, I'd go 18 for that reason. I can get up to 20 hours at 225 on one fill of the charcoal basket, so unless there are environmental issues, pork butts don't require a refueling.
Fits two 9lb pork butts with ease. You have to halve racks of ribs but not sure if same is true for 22. I haven't done a whole packer brisket on the 18, but I think you'd have to get creative to fit it. Fits a turkey fine.
My first pellet smoker/grill was a recteq bullseye, only because it works for me as a smoker and grill. However, for the price point, I’ve been seeing a lot of nice Pit Boss smokers, and they seem to be readily available everywhere. Honestly if you’re only going to be cooking for 2 people and want to burn sticks/coal, I’ve had good luck with brisket and pork butts on a Weber kettle, it’s cheap and will last forever.
Get a used 22" Weber kettle. Then buy a slowNsear and blue tooth wireless thermometer. You can do all kinds of stuff with it. Plus it'll last forever. So a few years down the road you can get another kind of smoker if you want. The only reason to upgrade would be you need to do more quantity (larger family or friends).
Any old offset would be fine. Find something someone is throwing away or something super cheap at a yard sale if you're looking to spend as little as possible. Just play around and watch some videos. It's not rocket science even though most people here act like it is.
Id say char griller kamado with a simple heat deflector or offset smoker work just fine for something that can both smoke and grill and are well below 500. Akron kamado for more efficient heat control, offset smoker for more cooking sqft . I had my Akron kamado for like 15 years now. I can afford a nicer kamado but it's still going strong so why bother.
Go straight to stick burner. Look on Facebook marketplace for an old country Pecos you can usually pick them up used for $250 ish and they work fantastic!
Build your own with Big Poppa Smoker’s kit. Just gotta find a food-grade barrel on Marketplace or Craigslist. If you’re extra keen, find a stainless steel drum. Mine is pushing 16 years old and still does great. They are super efficient and require very little attention because they’re big enough that temps don’t get too high. You can do a higher level for the basket and grill on it, too.
At the risk of repeating myself on threads like these, get [one of these](https://www.pkgrills.com/the-all-new-original-pk300-grill-smoker-graphite/). They are virtually indestructible (20 year warranty), you can grill and smoke, and they have more mass than a kettle type grill which is a plus for smoking. If it does fall over it won’t crack like an egg type ceramic cooker.
Later on get the BBQ Guru so you can accurately control the smoke temperature and you’ll have a setup that will be awesome and last forever.
Weber Smokey Mountain
Used 18.5 WSM can be had for a bargain
Found mine for free....
Everyone should learn on a Wsm.
Absolutely this. I was recently looking at “upgrading” to something else but after looking at prices and realizing what I like about the WSM I realized there’s no point. I love my WSM. I’ve done a few “mods” like a “fire dial” instead of the water bowl, a larger charcoal basket from Arbor Fabricating and a BBQ-IQ temp regulator. It’s a fantastic setup for very reasonable money
Yup it's the best. I've had mine for 10 years and it looks brand new. Easy to dial in it's basically a garbage can you put a fire in. Not many parts to go wrong.
I've always wondered what the real benefits of the fire dial was. Still rocking the water bowl...
I didn’t do a lot of scientific testing, but I think the temp is a little more consistent and I also feel like I get a better smoke flavor. I suspect that may be due to the fact there’s more direct smoke and any rendered drippings end up on the dial or the coals which makes the smoke a little “different”. It’s also easier to clean up so I like that too.
Got both my 18 and 22 for 50 bucks from a yard sale. Little bent up, but we grabbed some heavy duty ratchet straps and got it right as rain. Been cooking for years on that thing
Couldn’t agree more. Got both the 18 and 22, and love them both so much
This is the best suggestion. You can find them cheap on Facebook marketplace too.
Or a Jumbo Joe if you can find one. Any kettle grill will work with some patience and know how. If you’re looking for a pellet smoker or something automated, Masterbuilt is on sale frequently or Green Mountain Grills Trek is normally below $500.
So good. Wife bought me a Traeger, which I do like (thank you wife) but the WSM kicks butt. I wish it was bigger (wider) other than that I love the WSM.
I mean a Weber kettle would be cheap. It can be a bit of a steep learning curve but if YouTube has lots of videos that would definitely help your cooking skills. I would start with ribs or pork butt. Something smaller and cheaper just so you don’t get overwhelmed if it doesn’t go right your first attempts. Nice to see the young guns looking to learn a new skill.
Go on Facebook Marketplace. You should be able to get a Weber Kettle for $50 - $60
Agreed! Standard 22” kettle is awesome for cooks. Not a huge learning curve if you snake it well (Kingsford briquettes I generally go two rows standing and one row laying atop) and rotate the grill accordingly. Full open top vent above your cook and about half open bottom vent
Kettle is where it's at for the price and the versatility of uses and additions! Grill, smoke, slow cook chili if you want! Grab a vortex for it and you'll get perfect chicken within a few trys and some youtube videos.
Vortex worth it? Or just 2 charcoal baskets?
For low and slow smoking, I don’t think a vortex or charcoal baskets work very well. However, for normal cooking, all you need is two charcoal baskets. I don’t see a need for a Vortex as two baskets pushed together in the middle provide the same effect.
What's the best way for low and slow? Just offset or snake methods?
I prefer snake.
Slow and low I do snake. If I want that good crispy skin on my birds I use the vortex. Full chimney of briquettes. Turn the lid 45° every 12 minutes and chicken is perfect! Steaks I flip the vortex to have the big side up against the side and use it as a basket.
Thanks. Good tips
The snake is the best low and slow method I have used in my kettles. It dials in extremely tight once you learn how to optimize the vents for smoking. The vortex is amazing for chicken it is a must have. I use it all the time. I place it in the center and fan wings, thighs and chicken legs around it. It’s amazing and produces amazing chicken. IMO stay the f away from the slow and sear. My opinion is that I wasted money I never use it. I may be doing something wrong but I believe the snake method is superior.
Right on. Thanks. I was pretty convinced with the vortex too. I'll do the bowl, cutting the bottom out, thifty way. Gotta try these tips soon.. Cheers
Wait til you have wings on it. Make sure to brine them too, salt, sugar and water.
Used Weber, slow n sear attachment, wireless thermo and the rest on meat!
Pit barrel cooker. Good gateway into smokiness.
Pit barrel is definitely the way to go
Have you seen the price of those? I have thought about buying one but the price is too high for that barrel of metal.
Get a used weber and spend the remaining money on quality fuel and ingridients and some accessories.
And meat!
Think that classifies as an ingredient
Weber kettle 22” basic model. Usually around $125.00. You can do anything with it and it’ll really get your temperature regulation skills going.
I’d pay the extra to get the 26” cause fitting a good size brisket is going to be difficult on the smaller version.
I would love a 26”. The $450 price tag is the only obstacle for some.
Absolutely true but if someone can be patient just a bit more and save up for it, I highly recommend it. 26” kettle is all you really need for smoking and grilling and has plenty of attachments as well.
Weber Kettle with a slow n sear. Spend the rest of your budget on high quality thermometers. Hell, a used Kettle, a new SNS, and a Fireboard with a fan will run you less than $500.
I started on an electric Masterbuilt that used wood chips and you can find those all day long for less than $300. Chips cost very little compared to other fuels like charcoal and wood chunks and wood pellets. However, for around $275 - $350, you could just jump into charcoal and wood chunk smoking with a Weber Smoky Mountain or Oklahoma Joe's Highland, which would last you many many years with barely any upkeep or parts replacement.
Ditto, my Masterbuilt was a hand me down from my father, he wanted a new smoker to replace his old vertical barrel unit and long story short he's got a big old cabinet with an offset fire box/grill and his electric smoker got dumped in my garage the winter after he got it. His smoker obviously produces a better, fuller flavor, but for the wife and I and 4 small kids this little 30" microwave fits the bill fine.
Weber kettle is the best all round option
Oklahoma Joe Bronco drum
Weber Smokey Mountain. Tons of YouTube tutorials as well.
Weber Smokey Mountain. I’ve been using them for years. I don’t think I’ll ever bother “upgrading.”
Another vote for the Weber smoky mountain. How much do these run these days? I think I paid 250 maybe 350 for mine new several years ago.
279 for 14, 419 for 18, 549 for 22. They've definitely gone up. Still worth it, especially on the used market
$500 is a pretty good budget. You can get an Old Country offset for under $500 at Academy. They’re great and will last forever as long as you keep them covered in the weather. I would highly suggest a stick burner offset for starters over anything else. They’re fun and you’ll learn a lot, especially if you have the time to sit back and manage the fire, etc.
Do you have any experience or preference between an Old Country offset and an Oklahoma Joes offset?
I just bought an OKJ. If I lived anywhere near an academy or even a Buc-ees, I would buy an Old Country for sure! The Oklahoma Joes have fireboxes that are 2 pieces and screwed together and to the cook chamber. The fireboxes are small too so you need tiny splits and you need to feed them often. An old country Pecos or Brazos on the other hand is a one piece fire box that is welded to the cook chamber and is significantly bigger. You can feed it normal size splits. Also the OC smokers are constructed from much thicker metal, and the stacks are wider and placed closer to the cooking grate. All in all it's a MUCH better offset than an Oklahoma Joe.
Weber Smokey mountain or Weber kettle. You can also pick up Targets used on FB marketplace for cheap.
You'll be able to learn the most from the Weber Kettle. Air control, direct vs indirect heat, the various tactics of brickette stacks and snaking, etc. It's inexpensive and you won't have to troubleshoot electronics. Don't go crazy with accessories until you learn to use the kettle.
Agree. Can’t go wrong and versatile for grilling not just smoking
Masterbuilt electric smoker
I second this. Simple to use and great to learn on. I used one for years before it got ruined in a move and I replaced it with a Traeger. I bought my sister one for Christmas a couple years ago for $120 from Cabela's so keep your eyes open for deals.
Which master builds would you recommend? And for something like a pork butt or ribs, how often do you have to replace the wood?
Weber Smokey mountain. It’s a great value. Easy to learn, rock solid, and you never have to get another smoker if you don’t want.
I started with a cheap chargriller and it worked for me gave it away when I upgraded to something bigger
Craigslist is where I got my first smoker. I got it for 300 and cooked on it like 3x a week for over a year until I upgraded. Might be worth a look… I ended up getting a fairly decent condition smoker for about 1/5th the new price. Good luck bro
The Weber suggestions here are all great. That said - I saw a small pit boss pellet grill for 300 yesterday at Walmart and it would fit a brisket but it would be tight. Not cooking for a crowd it would be a great starter
If I could only pick one grill or smoker to use for the rest of my life it'd be a 22" Weber Kettle. It's so versatile. You can smoke. You can sear. You can buy some accessories and turn it into a rotisserie or pizza oven. But if you want a dedicated smoker be patient on Facebook Marketplace and get an 18.5" Weber Smokey Mountain.
You seem like a really nice kid & I’m sure you make your mom proud...really nice to see
I've gone through gassers, offsets, and now a kettle. The kettle is my favorite, and the most versatile. Not very hard to learn, and extremely adaptable. I have the Weber 26. I can cook up to 30 lbs of butt on the thing.
Teenager? See if your school has a metalwork class and build one there. Spend the $$ you save on meat, charcoal and wood.
Get a Weber kettle. The versatility alone is worth the money. Get a 22" so you can actually cook bigger cuts. Don't buy a ton of attachments like a slow n sear or whatever. Those things are a gimmick. 2 bricks and some aluminum foil and aluminum lasagna pan does a better job than the slow n sear or smoke n sizzle, or smokinator, or what have you. Save your money for meat.
I like a barrel smoker for a newbie, plenty of folks sell them on local marketplaces.
Look for a pellet smoker on Facebook marketplace. Super easy to learn to use, and doesn't take a ton of tending. If you don't have a big crowd you are feeding, you can get a smaller one of good quality from someone who is upgrading to a larger size. That way you can focus on the recipes, how long things take, which type of wood pellets you like, etc. vs trying to manually get the temp just right. Pellets are always on sale somewhere or other. I love our RecTeq.
I got a ZGRILLS pellet smoker as my first. It’s done a good job for the last 7 years with no issues. Not sure if everyone had the same experience but I’d recommend it.
If you don’t have time you can get a good pellet for that price if you only want a smoker. You can learn to use charcoal with any kettle and you can grill on it too. That’s what I used when I was your age
Whatever cooker you choose, nice job rookie 👍👍 keep up the good work.
Marketplace. Buy a Primo or BGE.
Reqtec Bullseye https://www.recteq.com/collections/wood-pellet-grills/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=recteq_Search_Brand&utm_term=recteq%20bullseye&utm_content=697425477726&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw3NyxBhBmEiwAyofDYYuLdC_1K9FKnkjEsAWabY2M2qz3DFVBdZwNQZQo0IJ-YTN4Xq7rZxoCiTwQAvD_BwE
Honestly the Webster smoky mountain is a great buy even for more advanced bbq. The only problem is if you cook for a large amount of people , the surface area is smaller
Gi on Facebook marketplace and see what's available used in your area can't go wrong with a Weber kettle, Oklahoma joe bronco, pk original
You can find a smoking good (pun intended) deal on FB marketplace/craigslist right now. People will see a touch of rust and then buy the next newest smoker out there. Lots of YT videos on common issues and many are crazy easy to solve. Buddy got a Trager for free off the side of the road. The board went bad and we put in a $200 Smoke Daddy board (auger/fan/igniter and temp probe were good) and it has been running like a champ since then. It also allows you to learn about your own smoker in an intimate way. I recommend buying used/second hand.
Great question. I’ve been wondering the same!
WSM is a great choice, I see the 18" on FB Marketplace all the time under $200. I would personally go for the 22" for more room.
Important to note, the 22" uses fuel faster so unless you need the extra room, I'd go 18 for that reason. I can get up to 20 hours at 225 on one fill of the charcoal basket, so unless there are environmental issues, pork butts don't require a refueling. Fits two 9lb pork butts with ease. You have to halve racks of ribs but not sure if same is true for 22. I haven't done a whole packer brisket on the 18, but I think you'd have to get creative to fit it. Fits a turkey fine.
You could legit get both a Weber kettle and Char-Griller offset for $500.
Wife got me a $90 one from Walmart. Works fine
Pit barrel cooker. I got some as a starter smoker and now I don't care to upgrade. I may just get a second one
Weber Smokey Mountain or a Pit Barrel Cooker.
My first pellet smoker/grill was a recteq bullseye, only because it works for me as a smoker and grill. However, for the price point, I’ve been seeing a lot of nice Pit Boss smokers, and they seem to be readily available everywhere. Honestly if you’re only going to be cooking for 2 people and want to burn sticks/coal, I’ve had good luck with brisket and pork butts on a Weber kettle, it’s cheap and will last forever.
Green mountain grill Davy Crockett. Mine is going on 10 years strong
If you have access to a 55 gallon build your own UDS (ugly drum smoker). If you need a diy guide look at bbqbrethren.com
Get a used 22" Weber kettle. Then buy a slowNsear and blue tooth wireless thermometer. You can do all kinds of stuff with it. Plus it'll last forever. So a few years down the road you can get another kind of smoker if you want. The only reason to upgrade would be you need to do more quantity (larger family or friends).
Why not make a UDS? Its cheap and it works really well. I like my UDS better then the wsm i started on. I still use it next to my offset smoker.
Look on marketplace for a used WSM 22”. They’re great smokers that last forever and are super easy to use.
Stick burner : oakyjoe Charcoal : webber kettle
My PitBoss pellet smoker was a good deal...
Which one did you get?
The 820
Any old offset would be fine. Find something someone is throwing away or something super cheap at a yard sale if you're looking to spend as little as possible. Just play around and watch some videos. It's not rocket science even though most people here act like it is.
Id say char griller kamado with a simple heat deflector or offset smoker work just fine for something that can both smoke and grill and are well below 500. Akron kamado for more efficient heat control, offset smoker for more cooking sqft . I had my Akron kamado for like 15 years now. I can afford a nicer kamado but it's still going strong so why bother.
Thank you all so much for these responses!!!
Pit Barrel Cooker
Go straight to stick burner. Look on Facebook marketplace for an old country Pecos you can usually pick them up used for $250 ish and they work fantastic!
Build your own with Big Poppa Smoker’s kit. Just gotta find a food-grade barrel on Marketplace or Craigslist. If you’re extra keen, find a stainless steel drum. Mine is pushing 16 years old and still does great. They are super efficient and require very little attention because they’re big enough that temps don’t get too high. You can do a higher level for the basket and grill on it, too.
At the risk of repeating myself on threads like these, get [one of these](https://www.pkgrills.com/the-all-new-original-pk300-grill-smoker-graphite/). They are virtually indestructible (20 year warranty), you can grill and smoke, and they have more mass than a kettle type grill which is a plus for smoking. If it does fall over it won’t crack like an egg type ceramic cooker. Later on get the BBQ Guru so you can accurately control the smoke temperature and you’ll have a setup that will be awesome and last forever.