Are we talking the smoker or the wife here?

I'm confused, you're supposed to slowly increase the number of smokers you have over time.

Are you referring to the wife or the smoker?

I'm just confused as to why you seem to have no say in the matter?

And she gave it away already? Who's the other lucky guy getting a free smoker?

Sand and high-temp paint. I'd say Cerakote it personally but doing that whole thing would be more than a new smoker.

Sounds like your wife is giving you the go ahead to buy a new one, which makes you very fortunate . Maybe you should do that, have a friend hold into this one for a few months, then bring it back and say "you'll never believe what I just found for free along the road!" Boom, two smokers.

Exactly. I think the smoker will be excited about cooking for a new wife.

Cause they don’t think it’s possible for an old smoker to look like a new one. In their mind, the moneys been made, smokers ran its course, OP uses it enough to upgrade/replace. I’d take this as an absolute win 🏆

If you can afford a smoker, you can afford a hooker.

For a high quality pellet smoker look at Recteq. I've got an offset smoker, a Recteq, and a Weber. On the Recteq you set your temp and forget it, your phone keeps you posted.

Camp Chef Woodwind Pro is amazing.

Id ask him what his dream smoker would be.

I love my Recteq as well! Built like a tank.

Yoder

Depends on how committed you are.

The "good" smokers will be more than $1k. Anything below that is not going to be a great smoker.

The "best" smokers will be $2k+

If you're lucky you could find a decent used one relatively cheap.

Hint: anything they sell at big box stores is not a "good" smoker. They're cheap materials and cheaply made.

Your best bet is to set a budget of what you're willing to spend and how much babysitting you're willing to put into the cook.

Offset smokers- Some decent ones in the $800s but they really don't get good until around 1200-1500. They tend to require more baby sitting. Steeper learning curve for them.

Pellet Grills are extremely easy to use. Won't produce the smokehouse flavor, but if it's a hobby you really love, there will always be a place for them for you to use.

I got started on Masterbuilt electrics. My dad used the propane. Very low maintenance, very easy to use, don't require much babysitting. Very low cost. A default recommendation to anyone for me who is considering them. Got pretty good producing decent BBQ on them.

Weber Smokey Mountain is a fairly easy to use, lower cost option. Weber Kettle is another one, also doubles as a grill. Both are still quite popular.

There are Drum Smokers- I know they can be had for a lower cost, but I have never used them.

A good place to look is CL or FB marketplace. Tons of smokers show up on there.

But if you're buying new. I would probably expect to invest somewhere between $300-800 depending on what you get. Get a decent meat thermometer. I would also suggest getting a wireless/blue tooth ones are worth it when learning IMHO. Figure out what you like before you get something nice.

Some tips-

1. What looks like a small jump in size on paper usually manifests in a big jump in actual size.

2. Figure out your storage situation before buying something. I'd love to get a offset, but I have no space in my garage for it. I also live in an area where a crackhead might wheel it off for scrap if it isn't stored away.

Check out workhorse pits

If you have an academy near you the old country pesos would probably work well for you

Ok, so I'm going to say the terrible thing. For a beginner, you want easy. More precision temps and less effort. Set and forget. That sounds like an electric pellet grill to me. Yes, it has a slightly different flavour than actually cooking on burning wood, but not badly or too much, just different. For that reason I'd like to suggest a Pitboss 3 or 4 vertical grill as a beginner option. You can just turn it on and watch it do what you tell it to do. The biggest plus of a vertical that no other smoker will give you is that it has a huge window to watch what's going on. Standing there with beer watching the meat and smoke is better than standing there with a beer watching the smoke alone.

First it was Actitube filters  for my joints but then I got a dry herb vape and man it’s the best thing ever.

I went to a smoking lounge in Vegas and they offered a little glass mouth tip with joints. It was elite!

They unfortunately don’t sell them where i live and Amazon only offers packs of like 1,000 which… i don’t want to admit my habit to THAT extent 😅

definitely glass daisy screens or smojo screens.

yes it's totally possible to smoke with no screen, but debris and ash can easily get pulled through accidentally.

and they are universal so they work with almost every type of bowl or pipe.

people act like the nug plug is a genius move, it's not it literally blocks the airflow.

also I'm a dry pipe guy now, but I did love my recycler bongs and recycler rigs, way more effective than regular bongs.

A ball vape and a 12" beaker bong?

When i used to smoke, raw pre shaped ready to use filter tips. Then I discovered vaping. So dry herb vaporizers been a game changer for me .

Weber kettle or Weber Smokey Mountain.

I got an Akorn kamado for my first smoker. Still very happy with it 4ish years later. One day I’ll upgrade to a fancy ceramic kamado but for $300-400 it’s easy to learn with some YouTube and can crank out some delicious meat.

Offsets are a serious labor of love so that's entering hard mode, but is my personal favorite regardless and what I started on. If you can snag something like an Oklahoma Joe it's a decent starter. If you go too cheap it will be near impossible to maintain temps which is a chore on it's own while learning.

Pure easy mode would be a pellet grill, but you don't get near the flavor of an offset in my opinion. However, it's borderline set it and forget it. My father has a Traeger and my brother has a Pit Boss and I can't really tell much of a difference in taste. No idea on how one holds up vs the other though.

People love Weber stuff, but I don't have any experience with them. Might be a good middle ground?

*I'll also add that I used an upright propane smoker with wood chips and that is hands down the worst thing I've ever used in my life.

If you want to learn to manage the fire, then get a Weber Smokey Mountain. A kettle is more versatile but can be more difficult to maintain temps and has lower capacity.

If you just want to focus on recipes, then go for something automated like a pellet smoker.

The Pit Barrel Cooker is awesome for beginners. It regulates temperature really well so there’s practically no fiddling with fuel to maintain temperatures. Been using it for a few years and have made all sorts of great BBQ with it.

Also it’s only 55lb so it’s very portable, I have taken it on several vacations.

At that price point you can probably get a Weber. My dad has the Smokey Mountain and loves it. Should be available at Lowe's/Home Depot.

I super love the one I got from ZGrills. Def in the price range and a great starter. Easy to use wood pellets, and I've done many a fine tri tip and pork shoulder on it. Even done some veggie smoking, too

Isn't that just a wood fire oven, then?

What a way to mark 30. Padron black is a beast. Well deserved.

Happy 30th fella

HBD!! ENJOY! ✌️

Happy Birthday!

How does it compare to a Padron 1964 maduro

When I'm washing my hair at the end of the day....

You have never smelled my farts.

The ribs coming off the smoker is better

I love running an errand and then driving back and getting close to my house and then you pick up a gentle whiff. And as you get closer, stronger. And then I park, and it's just roasted meat. My goodness...

*when there is meat cooking in the smoker.