Time to get serious about a new smoker.

[LA Ute]

Thanks, ER. Great info.

[ERCougar]

Thanks, ER. Great info.

No problem. I'm bored waiting for some lab results before I go home, so I'll keep rambling. You're never going to meet the ease of a Traeger with a BGE. There's a learning curve, but like I've said several times, that's part of the fun for me. And the pizza is really really good. But if you want great food at minimal effort, you should get a Traeger.

[CJF]

I sear steaks, cook pizza at 650 degrees and smoke as low as 180 degrees with my pellet cooker. I want an egg at some point, but only as an enhancement to my BBQ equipment and not a replacement.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I use a cheap charcoal grill to supplement my Traeger. I use charcoal to grill steaks, veggies, certain types of chicken (teriyaki for example). A nice combo.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

You can get a charcoal grill for less than $50 that will work perfectly for 2-3 summers or longer. No reason to ever use a gas grill.

I use a cheap charcoal grill to supplement my Traeger. I use charcoal to grill steaks, veggies, certain types of chicken (teriyaki for example). A nice combo.

basically our leader and I think exactly alike. Sorry for those of you that don't have a special bond with him like I do.

[smokymountainrain]

I can see benefits to the traeger over the egg/akorn, but I don't see any benefit to the wsm over a kamado, especially now that Costco has the cheap ceramic vision.

What about grill space? IIRC, the XL BGE has about the same amount of grill space as the 18 inch WSM. And weight. Aren't the kamado's (especially the BGE) quite a bit heavier than a WSM?

[TripletDaddy]

This is what I'm wondering about right now. Is there a temperature controller "eggcessory?" Does it allow you to "set it and forget it" in some manner?

Please don't use the term "eggcessory" in this thread again, thanks.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Please don't use the term "eggcessory" in this thread again, thanks.

Good job! This kind of elitism works great here, now try to be more welcoming in the Costco thread. You're doing great!

[TripletDaddy]

Good job! This kind of elitism works great here, now try to be more welcoming in the Costco thread. You're doing great!

I said please

[ERCougar]

What about grill space? IIRC, the XL BGE has about the same amount of grill space as the 18 inch WSM. And weight. Aren't the kamado's (especially the BGE) quite a bit heavier than a WSM?

Yup. Both true.

Hmm...maybe I'll go pick up a wsm. Would be fun to take camping, or to have a second smoker around. And I'd still be into it less than a Traeger.

And you're STILL not smoking! Cmon, pull the trigger. It's time.

[smokymountainrain]

Yup. Both true.

Hmm...maybe I'll go pick up a wsm. Would be fun to take camping, or to have a second smoker around. And I'd still be into it less than a Traeger.

And you're STILL not smoking! Cmon, pull the trigger. It's time.

I know, it's pathetic.

[cowboy]

I'm amazed at how high-tech you people are with your smokers. My first smoker was an old gas grill. I pulled out the burner, put apple wood on top of charcoal on one side, then replaced the grates and put the meat on the top grate away from the heat. It worked great. Then my mom bought me a cabella's smoker for Christmas, which I used for a year or so before I got my smoke trailer. I've never just set it and walked away, but never really saw the need. Meat only needs to be smoked for a few hours, then if you want to leave and do something else while it finishes cooking you can throw it in the oven on 200. Maybe if I ever used a high-tech smoker I'd have to have one, but for now I'm blissfully ignorant.

[YOhio]

I'm amazed at how high-tech you people are with your smokers. My first smoker was an old gas grill. I pulled out the burner, put apple wood on top of charcoal on one side, then replaced the grates and put the meat on the top grate away from the heat. It worked great. Then my mom bought me a cabella's smoker for Christmas, which I used for a year or so before I got my smoke trailer. I've never just set it and walked away, but never really saw the need. Meat only needs to be smoked for a few hours, then if you want to leave and do something else while it finishes cooking you can throw it in the oven on 200. Maybe if I ever used a high-tech smoker I'd have have one, but for now I'm blissfully ignorant.

Sizzle's manhood just shrunk.

[LA Ute]

Please don't use the term "eggcessory" in this thread again, thanks.

Apparently it is a term known only to the wise.

http://www.biggreenegg.com/eggcessories/

[Green Monstah]

I'm amazed at how high-tech you people are with your smokers. My first smoker was an old gas grill. I pulled out the burner, put apple wood on top of charcoal on one side, then replaced the grates and put the meat on the top grate away from the heat. It worked great. Then my mom bought me a cabella's smoker for Christmas, which I used for a year or so before I got my smoke trailer. I've never just set it and walked away, but never really saw the need. Meat only needs to be smoked for a few hours, then if you want to leave and do something else while it finishes cooking you can throw it in the oven on 200. Maybe if I ever used a high-tech smoker I'd have to have one, but for now I'm blissfully ignorant.

I used this for smoking for four years before purchasing a smoker. It did a credible job for ribs and pork loins; however, I tried a few briskets, and the temperature variation never allowed for good results. But, it doubled as a charcoal grill, and it was a great stepping stone.