horatio 515 Posted April 27, 2014 Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 So i just split the purchase of a butchered cow with my brother in law and my current propane grill just took a dump on me. i've been interested in smoking a brisket for a while now but i knew i couldnt do it in my propane grill. i plan to head to my bass pro to find out more, but my question is, can i smoke a brisket in a charcoal grill? homedepot has an interesting grill that has two 30 gallon drums placed vertically- one is a propane grill, one is a charcoal grill. it seems convienient that i can grill quickly on the propane side during the workweek and use the charcoal side on the weekend. however, at 275, i know im not getting quality. weber does offer a kettle with electronic ignition, but i dont know if i can smoke on it, actually being able to replace parts would be nice though. would love to get a big green egg but those are way out of my price range. so for all you grillmasters out there-any advice? thanks Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chevyman097 2,579 Posted April 27, 2014 Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 (edited) Cooking on smokers is tons of fun and takes time to learn the tricks. I love using mine. All smokers will cook different depending on size so you have to get used to it and how much wood will hold what temps for how long. I wouldn't really suggest electric or charcoal. Electric just seems to take the fun and skill out of it but others will argue that point. Charcoal just never worked for me. The cheap stuff burns up too fast and wood just seems cheaper and more convenient. Plus you can use different wood for different flavors. I wouldn't suggest going cheap either. They won't last and the metal is sure thin. The cheapest I would suggest for a smoker is the academy brand you can get for 4-500 bucks. Think its called back country or something like that. My dad has one and it is well built and has been good. He has had it 3-4 years and it has double that let in it I'm sure. But if you want one that will last a life time home made or custom is the way to go. Just do your home work on whatever you get. IMO its just not worth 3-400 bucks if its only going to last 2 seasons. You might as well buy once and be happy for years. Bah! Sorry for the typos tried to fix them. Hate psoting from the phone. Edited April 27, 2014 by Chevyman097 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YOT 3,743 Posted April 27, 2014 Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 You need a smoker to smoke and a grill to grill. I agree with what Chevy said and I'll add to that. If you get one that will do everything, it will do nothing best. You CAN do a cheap smoker. A 55 gallon drum on legs (or about three tiers of cement blocks) with a small fire box vented into the lower side of it with 3" stovepipe is perfect. You can build a rack or like we did, put rods through the barrel to hang meats or baskets. Once loaded, cover the barrel with a mat of damp, folded burlap. It's easy enough to control the draft with that. Just prop uo one edge of it or peel back a bit. You don't want the draft to allow the fire to burn, just smolder. Hickory and apple wood work great, but we prefer cob smoke. We usually smoke in cooler weather. That way you can run a smoke cycle every day until the desired flavor is achieved and it won't be bothered by bugs or spoilage from not cooling between runs. Of course if you want to eat it that night you have to stay on it and keep the temp "low and slow" for a few hours. We hit it hard this time of year, before Easter. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
liberty -r- death 1,445 Posted April 27, 2014 Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 I smoke brisket on Weber Kettle grill all the time. The grate with flip up sides is the one to get. Load coals and soaked wood on one side Brisket on the other. I do 8-12 hours on one. The key is learning the proper size of coals and opening and closing top and bottom vents to control the temp. Lots of tips now on the internet on Weber grills. I learned from Dad and Grandad the old school way of watch and learn boy. I would rather cut my left nut off that use a gas grill for anything. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
adjc 171 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 webers are the way to go. you can smoke, grill, cook direct and indirect very versatile cooking machine. i've cooked alot bbq over the yrs...backyard and competition to commercial sales. everything from custom horizontal w/vertical upright mobiles to southern pride rotisserie pits and down to the webers and most of the prize money was won with the weber kettles. once you learn them you won't need anything else.....take care of them and they will last many, many years. JMHO 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jerry52 893 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 Get a Bradley Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chevyman097 2,579 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 Some great tips and suggestions I didn't even think of off hand from everyone. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yakdung 2,926 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 If you are serious about smoking low and slow, don't screw around just purchase one of these. Remember, grilling is not BBQ. http://pitmaker.com/product/vin/?vin=23362368 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sunnybean 939 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 I love my Big Green Egg. You can smoke, grill, or bake at anywhere between 180-700+ degrees. The ceramic holds in heat and moisture. It's one of the best investments I've ever made. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yakdung 2,926 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 If you are going to go the flower pot route, I would give these two consideration: http://www.kamadojoe.com/grills/bigjoe http://primogrill.com/primo-grills/primo-grills-ovalxl/ Good luck, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YOT 3,743 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 If you are going to go the flower pot route, I would give these two consideration: http://www.kamadojoe.com/grills/bigjoe http://primogrill.com/primo-grills/primo-grills-ovalxl/ Good luck, Fancy AND expensive grills. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yakdung 2,926 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 if you really want to go in the other direction for a smoker, you could buy a Weber bullet smoker (I own the 22" with a BBQ Guru) or build a Ugly Drum Smoker. The trick is to be able to smoke at 225 for extended periods to cook Butts and Brisket with minimal hands on. My UDS will go 18+ hours unattended. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nailbomb 10,221 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 I got a propane grill that someone as trowing away because one of the burners didn't work. 3 years later every burner is still working fine. Even came with a set of vice grips on a broken knob! Win! That all said, I'm building myself a wood smoker. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IndyArms 10,186 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 This is my 100 dollar kingsford smoker. BIG and works perfect. a great STARTER SMOKER... and inexpensive to boot!!!! It works perfectly, If I do MY PART... Thats a 13 pound brisket. took almost 14 hours of constant monitoring, and temperature control... came out ABSOLUTELY TENDER AND PERFECT!!! you can spend more on something with a better NAME, or more whistles and bells... but this one works for me... I also have an OLD sunbeam gas grill when I want to GRILL Food... the smoker is for SMOKING... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YOT 3,743 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 It's pretty hard to smoke cheese in a cooking smoker. Jusayn. I love smoked cheese.... oh, and whiskey. Smoked whiskey.... Again, a smoker is for smoking. A grill is for grilling. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yakdung 2,926 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YOT 3,743 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 See, my smoker is like that except 10X larger and without the forced air. Same idea. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yakdung 2,926 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 Jumbo size: 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
storm6490 2,768 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 Get a nice US made grill for yourself and make a smoker! Smokers are simple, it's like building a stove for your hunting camp! Just make sure you burn the hell out of your barrel before you use it as most are coated with poly or other forms of plastic in the drum. If you can find a food grade stainless, you are in like flint! Brisket is an art. One trick my uncle in Austin Texas showed me was to let the meat get to room temp, freeze it, let it thaw.. This breaks down the cells of the meats. You then slow smoke it and can vaccum seal it for later use or eat it right then and there. They make hundreds at a time just outside Austin on a custom made smoker that is basically a huge stainless tank from a natural gas supplier. The pre made portions that were sealed can be heated up in boiling water and served. Tastes like it just came out of the smoker. He never told me the blend of woods he uses... Maybe before he dies... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yakdung 2,926 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 http://youtu.be/zJKdvOlmkh8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YOT 3,743 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 Jumbo size: Twice that size, but you're on a roll. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saltydecimator 482 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 amazing ribs .com is my go to place for bbq tips n tricks.... hasnt steered me wrong yet... and ya, go with weber, or perhaps build your own Ugly drum smoker outta a 55 gal drum (food grade of course) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yakdung 2,926 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yakdung 2,926 Posted April 28, 2014 Report Share Posted April 28, 2014 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poolingmyignorance 2,191 Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 Before I had a house and lived I'm an apt, I leaned to smoke on a small Weber using indirect grilling. You can place two rows of charcoal across the edges of the pit, and use water saturated wood chips wrapped in foil to smoke your brisket. This requires quite a bit of swapping the packs of foil and tinkering to keep your temp right but it does work. I would smoke out this method for four hours then just wrap the brisket in foil and place it in the oven at 200 over night. The brisket is technically done at 180 degrees but you want to hold that temp for. At least four more hours to get it good and tender. Don't worry you won't dry it out unless you made the mistake of trimming the fat. All that said I eventually built a 24"x24"x48 pit with 24"x24x24 fire box with dual vents and dampers. And yes it IS better. Though the old way wasn't bad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
horatio 515 Posted April 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 man, one busy day at work and i cant believe what ive missed here. thanks for all the info everybody. indy, your brisket post is what got me in this mess yakdung- that UDS you have looks interesting. i like a good build and might try a barrel. and sunnybean from avatars to smokers to sbs's as always you have some of the coolest stuff. id love to hear more and i'll do more research this weekend but right now im thinking of a modest priced propane weber and a DIY smoker 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yakdung 2,926 Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 (edited) man, one busy day at work and i cant believe what ive missed here. thanks for all the info everybody. indy, your brisket post is what got me in this mess yakdung- that UDS you have looks interesting. i like a good build and might try a barrel. and sunnybean from avatars to smokers to sbs's as always you have some of the coolest stuff. id love to hear more and i'll do more research this weekend but right now im thinking of a modest priced propane weber and a DIY smoker Remember, Pork Butts and Brisket are tough low grade pieces of meat. The trick is to cook them low and slow with minimal baby sitting the fire box. At the low end of the spectrum, there aren't that many options. I progressed from building my UDS (ugly drum smoker) to a Weber 22" bullet. A lot of folks confuse the term BBQ with grilling. There is even a famous guy on PBS that has a show that does exactly that. The gentleman in the video below was the inspiration for me to build my Ugly Drum Smoker. Before and if you decide to built one, I can share my experiences with you. Good luck, https://www.google.com/search?q=ugly+drum+smokers&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=RQhfU_vpH8PO2wW-hYCQDg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&biw=1609&bih=832 Edited April 29, 2014 by yakdung 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jpanzer 1,265 Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 I actually sell the damn things at my part time job. Buy a hybrid. Propane on one side, smoker on the other. If there is an Academy Sports near you they cost $299. With that combo you can cook/smoke anything you want..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
paulnj088 10 Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 a smoker is for smoking. a grill is for grilling, a smoker should remain A SMOKER . 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jerry52 893 Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 (edited) Our Bradley digital smoker is the best investment We have ever made. It smokes cheese and any thing else. It is simple for a person who does not have a lot of time and every thing turns out great. It does not have a lot of smoke as it cooks with electric heat and flavors the food with a wood puck that is burnt at the bottom of the smoker.The puck only burn for 20 min.and then are replaced by another one which eliminates that ash taste. You can make your smoke taste heavy or light but the meat is always right. Their web site has a forum as helpful as this forum is. give it a look. They have videos at their website and youtube. Edited April 29, 2014 by jerry52 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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