Best BBQ Smoker Under $400

Hands down the best bbq smoker available in the under $400 price point is the Weber Smokey Mountain aka WSM. It's bullet shape is proven, reliable, and affordable.

I've had mine since 2001 and it's still going strong. It's compact, lightweight and functional. Charcoal goes in the bottom, a water pan in the middle and two cooking grates in the top half of the cooker.

Some may argue with me that a kettle grill isn't really a smoker. They would be right - it's a grill with versatility to be used as a smoker too.

Weber Kettle Grill

Using good fire control techniques, banking the coals on the sides (or purchasing an accessory from Weber that makes that part even easier) will enable you smoke ribs on the grill without an expensive smoker. Get a rib rack and you can smoke 5 or 6 racks at once.

Cold Weather Smoking

Today I am smoking two 10 lb pork shoulder picnics for the Superbowl celebration tonight.  I haven't had a major cook in a few weeks, so I've been looking forward to it for the past several days. Their is a certain challenge to cooking 20 lbs of meat within an established timeframe and to a certain standard. I want juicy, flavorful pork that is not too dry and not too greasy. I want it cooked to 199-200 degrees internal temperature so that it pulls apart easily - just the right consistency for pulled pork sliders I have in mind for Superbowl snacking.

There's only one problem....it's 12 degrees outside right now and we've had a few days of snow that's beginning to accumulate into several inches at this point.

I use an upright charcoal smoker with a charcoal maze, water pan, adjustable air intake, adjustable exhaust, and 1 inch of insulation throughout the cooker walls. The water pan rests on a removable metal grate about 4 inches above the charcoal. The water pan is completely adjustable. I can remove it completely, move it forward or backward, or place it directly above the center of the maze. This adjustability gives me more control over the fire management and temperature of the cooker and ultimately; how fast I cook the meat.

I have experience with cold weather smoking, so I thought I would share some tips that I've learned.

Cold Weather Smoking Tips

1. Prepare everything the night before - load the cooker with charcoal, get your supplies ready, move your cooker into an easily accessible pre-staging area so it's easy to get to when you're ready to start cooking. I store my cooker in the garage, so last night before going to bed I pulled it out from it's storage area and positioned it directly in front of the garage door. This morning all I had to do was roll it outside, light the fire, and it was off to the races.

2. Use an insulated charcoal smoker - In temperatures below freezing, a stickburner (i.e. offset smoker using firewood with the cooking chamber located to one side of the cooking grates) isn't going to work

3. Get the fire hot first - In warm weather it's not crucial, but in cold weather it's a mistake to put the meat on the cooker before the cooker temperature reaches at least 200 degrees. Put the meat on too early and you will probably extend the cooking time by a couple of hours. Opening and closing the door and pittling around adjusting the fire will keep the cooker temperature lower than desired longer than desired.

4. Add water to the charcoal pan slowly - To help your cooker build temperature quickly, don't start with a lot of water in the water pan. You can always add more later. I like to start with about 1/2 a gallon in my 3 gallon water pan and then add more as needed.

5. Keep an eye on the temperature gauge - In cold weather the cooker temperature will fall very quickly if conditions are not just right.

6. Keep additional supplies of charcoal close-by - In cold weather it's going to require more fuel to maintain a given temperature, so don't  be afraid to add more charcoal during a cooking session if it's needed.

Smoking a Turkey on the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM)

I usually deep fry our Thanksgiving turkey, but a few years ago I decided to learn some new tricks. The goal was to smoke the bird low and slow at 250 degrees or less and prevent it from drying out to compete with the moist and tender deep fried birds we've been eating for the past several years.

I started out at Publix and purchased a Fresh Not Frozen turkey.

Next stop...Ace Hardware for some Cherry Smoking Chips.

The turkey was injected the night before smoking with Shake's Honey Brine and refrigerated.

I started by making a "smoking pouch" for the chips and placed them on the charcoal resulting in instantaneous smoke. Tip: Soaking them in water overnight will help them burn a little slower and the smoke will last longer.

Another tip: If you have access to cherry wood "chunks", you'll achieve more smoke flavor. I had to settle for the cherry wood "chips" this time.
After reading a few of the posts at The BBQ Bretheren, I decided to drape some bacon on the bird for a little insurance, but I was hopeful to avoid a turkey that tastes like bacon. Tip: If I do this again, I'll start the cooking process without the bacon, which will help achieve golden brown skin on the bird. Bacon is effective, but could be added after the turkey has been cooking for a couple of hours.


I started the water pan with a 1/2 gallon of apple juice mixed with a 1/2 gallon of water. I stuffed the turkey cavity with five or six apple halves and smoked the bird on my WSM at temperatures hovering consistently between 240 - 250 degrees. I pulled the turkey off the smoker when the temperature in the breast reached 170 degrees. I've read a lot of "guides" recommending cooking the birds to 180 degrees as measured in the inner thigh as well.

After looking back through my pictures tonight, I noticed that I failed to take a picture of the finished product.

My smoked first smoked turkey was a semi-success. I achieved tender and moist white meat, but the bbq turkey was not quite as satisfying for me as the deep fried turkeys I'm more accustomed to.

Will I do it again? Definitely yes. I love a bbq challenge.

Union Woodshop - Clarkston, Michigan

Traditional signage is rare on mainstreet in the 2000's

We took a short drive to Clarkston, Michigan yesterday to eat at Union Woodshop, at 18 South Main Street. This bbq restaurant was recently featured on Diner's, Drive-in's and Dives on Food Network in an episode featuring Kid Rock, a Michigan native.

We arrived at 1 p.m. hoping to avoid a large lunch crowd, but due to the popularity of Guy Fieri and Kid Rock a lot of people must have had the same idea. We ended up waiting 40 minutes for a seat and met some nice people while waiting (standing room only) including a friendly couple who drove up from Toledo, OH. They made a day trip to the Detroit area for a motorcycle show in Novi (she is employed by Harley-Davidson), to eat some bbq, and then drive to Michigan Brewing Company in Webberville, which happens to be the brewer of Kid Rock's Badass Beer.  If you want to try the beer, here's a list of distributors:  AmericanBadassBeer

I'll admit right up front that I missed the original episode on Food Network, but I hope to check it out soon in re-runs. I'll keep looking for a clip of the show to add here, but until I locate one I've added some pictures of the restaurant and menu items below.

When I check out a barbecue restaurant for the first time, I almost always order beef brisket if it's on the menu. It's been my experience that the quickest way to judge the overall ability of the pitmaster is whether he or she can cook brisket well.  Linda usually gets pulled pork because she's a Tennessean and she loves traditional pork bbq.  Union Woodshop Menu

Linda had the Shop Burrito (black beans & spinach in a flour tortilla topped cheese, stuffed with a choice of pulled pork, smoked chicken, or smoked shrimp) and I had the Beef Brisket with sides of collard greens and barbecue baked beans. 

Union Woodshop beef brisket, baked beans, and collard greens

Union Woodshop Shop Burrito

Drinks are served on these unique beverage coasters

And if you're like me and are cautiously suspicious about bbq restaurants who profess to be the real deal, but who don't actually cook the bbq over wood flame the way it's meant to be cooked, here's a picture of the Southern Pride pit behind the restaurant.


Southern Pride smoker behind the restaurant

Even if you are not into barbecue, Clarkston's mainstreet is worth a look.  It's on the National Register of Historic Places. The area is known for several fine examples of Queen Anne-style homes and the mainstreet is very pedestrian friendly.

Orion BBQ Cooker

I had a close up look at the Orion cookers a few years ago. They looked interesting, but weren't really my cup of tea so to speak. My opinion might be changing.

I was checking out Old Dave's bbq blog and things on the Po Farm are getting interesting. Check out Old Dave's review of the 70 minute spare ribs cooked on the Orion cooker. Nope...that's not a mis-print. He really did cook some pretty good looking spare ribs in 70 minutes. I'm sure the Blues Hog and honey helped things along pretty well, but Dave posted some very nice looking pictures.

I've already got 3 smokers...why not four? The more the merrier right?

Superior Smokers

I recently discovered a new bbq smoker manufacturer - Superior Smokers. I don't own one and haven't seen one up close, but based on research conducted via their website here's a run down of the basics:

• insulated
• vertical design
• gravity feed charcoal chute
• grease pan collector
• heat deflector
• D-ring tie downs

I believe Munchees Smokehouse uses one and is currently performing pretty well in FBA competitions.

BBQ Smoker

I think red is the perfect color for a bbq smoker. Black is nice too, but it I am continually amazed at how much attention my red cooker receives at bbq contests.

I was eating at a local bbq restaurant and saw one of these setting out on the patio next to the Old Hickory that cooks everything for the guests. When the owner walked by our table a few minutes later I inquired about the McCullough smoker. He said it's too much trouble for everyday use.

Mine is perfect for bbq contests, but if I had a restaurant I guess I'd have to pony up $20,000 or so for an Old Hickory.

Charcoal Maze

If you're having difficulty maintaining consistent and even burn times in your upright cooker, a simple charcoal maze will probably solve your problems.

The charcoal maze pictured is made from plain old sheet metal and the grate between the charcoal and the ash pan is constructed from expanded metal.

There is about a 2 inch gap between the grate and the ash pan.

This cooker also has 1 inch of insulation throughout the walls and doors, which makes it very efficient. In warm weather I can cook for 20+ hours on one load of charcoal.

Barbecue Food Safety

Nothing can ruin a fantastic day of barbecuing faster than someone getting sick after eating food you prepared. Whether you are grilling in the back yard, catering for a group of friends and family, or preparing bbq food in a restaurant for hundreds of customers each day, you need to follow safe food preparation techniques.

Keeping it cold

When shopping for food, purchase meat and poultry just before you leave the store. Food in the grocery store is stored at temperatures of below 40 degrees and needs to maintained below 40 degrees whenever possible. Food should be referigerated after the drive home as soon as possible. Allowing the temperature of the food to rise above 40 degrees for any length of time increases the possibility of bacteria growth.

Vacuum seal bulk purchases

I often purchase food in bulk to save money. Meat that is not going to be consumed within a couple of days should be frozen. I like to vacuum seal large quantities into smaller packages. For example, if we buy a package of 16 pork chops, I split the chops into packets of 4, vacuum seal them, mark the package with the date, and then place it in the freezer until we are ready to prepare them.

Avoid cross-contamination

As meat begins to thaw, juices can sometimes escape the packaging and cross-contamination can occur. Vacuum sealing is another way to help prevent cross-contamination between meat and poultry when storing or transporting food. When handling chicken, thoroughly wash your hands and any knives and utensils with hot, soapy water before using the utensils to cut other meat.

Marinate Properly

Always marinade meat and poultry in the refrigerator. Contrary to some advice I've read recently on a very popular bbq forum, never, never, allow meat to marinade at room temperature. Meat should be marinated in the refrigerator. When removing marinated food from the refrigerator, place it directly on the smoker or grill for cooking.

Cooking temps

Pre-heat your cooker to ensure that you attain a 140 degree internal meat temperature within 4 hours. Do not allow meat to remain in the danger zone (i.e. greater than 40 degrees and less than 140 degrees) for more than 4 hours.

For more food safety tips and information, there's a nice article on the USDA website that should help.

NFL Gameday Cookbook

The Bigger the Better, Right?

I pondered the answer to this question while watching a neighbor cooking on a small kettle bbq grill this weekend. The grill was a very generic "BBQ Pro" and measured no more than 18 inches in diameter. Did the size of the kettle grill make the bbq automatically inferior to 'que cooked on bigger grills? To borrow a phrase from my 14-year old niece -- NOT.

When we started competing in BBQ competitions using our small Backwoods Party and Weber Smokey Mountain, we dreamed of purchasing a bigger cooker and custom built trailer. We talked constantly of what we could do with a little extra money. Then we bought the big red cooker. We bought it before we even had a way to carry it to competitions. How smart was that? But it was big and we were going large.

Then we purchased a bbq trailer to haul our equipment to contests. Somehow the planned flat bed single-axle 10 foot trailer constructed of expanded metal became an enclosed tandem axle 16 foot trailer with an RV door, catering window, insulation, lights, electric, and a three compartment sink. We were living in Michigan and at that time Michigan had only 2 bbq contests, but we reached our goal of going big and we continued thinking big. Once we had the trailer, we needed a bigger truck to tow it with, and it was inevitable that we now needed an even bigger cooker.

Here it is two years later and gas prices have doubled. We often talk about how well we actually cooked when we were traveling like modern day hillbillies in the short-bed Ford F-150. We’d like to start competing again, since we’ve moved back to Florida, but we need to find a more economical way to travel. The big trailer has now been sold, so the big red cooker won’t be traveling with us to future competitions.

Recently we realized that the WSM is the best cooker we’ve ever owned for the money. For the money invested, we have won more prize money with cheap equipment than with the larger ones.

Bigger isn’t always better after all.

Caldera Tall Boy Smoker

BBQTV has several nice bbq videos posted on You Tube. There's a nice video of Rib Ranger preparing chicken and a some from the Jack Daniels cook-off among others. There's even one for the Caldera Tall Boy from the BBQ Guru folks.

Geer Pits: A work of barbecue smoker art

The Pellet Envy Blog is reporting that Jamie Geer, the world's foremost bbq pit builder is going to start building barbecue smokers again. I've seen the Geer pits used by Smokin' Triggers and Lotta Bull up close and the attention to detail is awesome. There are very few pits available in the marketplace today that can match the quality of these smokers. There's also a very long waiting list to purchase one of these pits -- in case you're wondering. And, I think there's a waiting list just to get on the waiting list.

Here's a link to some more pictures of pits Jamie Geer has put together.

Competition BBQ Secrets

What Your Cooker Says About You

I make my living working for a car company, so a news item published on Forbes.com today caught my eye. It was an article titled "What Your Car Says to the Opposite Sex". That gave me an idea for writing a blog post about what our bbq cookers say about us.

When I moved to Tennessee 16 years ago, my first exposure to low and slow cooked bbq was at an all night pig roast near Fairview. They burned wood down to the coals all day and then cooked the pig all night and served it for a family reunion. The "cooker" consisted of several concrete blocks holding a wire frame that held old mattresses on antique bed frames. The cooker was born from necessity....it was what they had available at the time.

A few years later, I purchased a Weber Smokey Mountain, WSM for short, at a local hardware store for $179. I added a larger water pan to increase the capacity to two gallons for extended cooking times and started cooking my own bbq pork and brisket in the back yard.

The WSM holds temperature very well, you can use charcoal instead of wood coals, and the end result is very consistent. The cooker was relatively cheap, easy to use, and I still use it today. I could have purchased a bigger, fancier, and more expensive cooker, but I'm a "back to basics" kind of guy. The WSM is all that you really need to prepare better bbq in your backyard than you'll ever eat in a restaurant.

I don't own a pellet cooker or an offset smoker, so I won't comment on what those cookers say about their owners. But, if you own either type of cooker, I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Backwoods Smoker

I spent some time visiting the Backwoods Smoker website today.

The Backwoods Smoker "Party" was my first real smoker. I paid $700 for it five-years ago. They've added some newer models in the last few years including the Jr. Pro, Piglet, Chubby and Fat Boy. The Party has been reformulated to include the previously optional upgraded stainless steel door and upgraded charcoal grate as standard options.

The web site has been redesigned too and now includes an owners gallery.