Related articlesHow to buy a smoker. A checklist of things to look for before you make your selection. What fuel is right for you? The pros and cons of logs, wood pellets, charcoal, gas, and electric. Charcoal and wood smokers. Tip top flavors, some are super easy to use, and others are a pain. Egg, ceramic, and other kamado-style smokers. Heavily insulated, these are very efficient smokers. Not ideal for steaks. Pellet smokers. Thermostat control, and you're cooking with wood. Amazing tools, b ut not good for searing. Gas smokers. No messy charcoal, steady temps, good flavor, and cheap. Electric smokers. Set it and forget it simplicity. Alas, flavor is inferior. Stovetop smokers. Smoke indoors or on camping trips. Digital thermometer guide. You just cannot trust the dial thermometers on any grill or smoker. |
With a high quality modern barbecue smoker you no longer need to hover over your machine for hours, constantly monitoring the temp, fiddling with the dampers, shoveling coal, adding wood chips, and spritzing your meat with a mist of secret moisturizer. A good smoker means that you can win the battle against creosote, soot, and ash. With a good smoker you can get your food on the table on time and not fear that it is over- or under-cooked.
At AmazingRibs.com Max Good and I have created a huge Equipment Reviews section with a searchable database of hundreds of reviews and ratings of smokers and grills. Here is our list of our Top Ten Backyard Smokers Under $2,000. There are an unprecedented number of great cookers out there, and some categories, like ceramics and pellet smokers are growing rapidly. In making our selections we tried to cover a wide range of designs and prices and pick the best of breed. Although it was not a criteria for our selection process, interestingly most of the Top 10 are made in the USA.
2013 AmazingRibs.com Top 10 Backyard Smokers Under $2,000
Listed in order of manufacturer's suggested retail price. Click the links for detailed reviews as well as links to suppliers.
Smokenator $70. This simple piece of bent metal, overpriced at $70, is still an amazing value if you already own a basic 22.5" Weber Kettle, which is a heckuva a grill for only $89. Put the two together and it will perform as well as a standalone smoker for twice the price. Even if you don't have a Kettle, the combo gives you the best of both worlds, grilling and smoking. It corrals the charcoal all on one side better than the Weber branded charcoal basket, holds more charcoal, and the solid metal face makes an extremely efficient indirect heater. We know a competition team in Texas that wins money with theirs. Best of all, the flavor it produces is superb.
Char-Broil Vertical Gas Smoker. Yes, it is cheaply built and unless you take care of it, it will probably start falling apart in five years, but by then you can save up for a really good smoker. It is narrow so you have to cut rib slabs in half, but it can hold a lot of food. Once you get the hang of it, it can hold temps pretty steadily and it doesn't require nursing. But you absolutely must replace the temperature indicator (it is not a thermometer no matter what they call it) with a good digital thermometer. Foods cooked on a gasser taste wonderful, although they taste slightly different from charcoal or wood, and a lot better than food cooked on an electric smoker.
Big Poppa's Drum Smoker Kit $140. We know you lust after one of those macho looking sideways offset barrel smokers for under $200 at the big box store. Please don't do it. It is an unbelievable pain to operate, you'll spend hours trying to modify it, and by the end of the summer it will be in the garbage. If you need to look kewl, build an "Ugly Drum Smoker" with this cleverly designed kit. Food grade drums can easily be found for as little as $20, so for well under $200 you can have a fine smoker. This kit significantly reduces the cost, time required, and probability of error. And the results can cook competition worthy meat. Really.
Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker 18.5" $349. Good old Weber has been making this indestructible charcoal fired "bullet" for years and has made only minor tweaks, although there are minor tweaks yet to be made (for example the thermometer is not accurate). The body is the same enamelized steel as the Weber Kettle and mine is 15 years old and going strong. There is also a larger model, but we prefer this one because it is easier to keep the temp low, and that's crucial to great smoker, although a full slab of ribs barely fits. It can also be used as a grill, but you have to get on your knees to do it. Most parts on this smoker are made in the USA.
Primo Oval Junior $832. Ceramic smokers based on an ancient Japanese "kamado" design are all the rage, with the Big Green Egg the most popular of the breed. Ceramics are very efficient, holding heat and using very little charcoal. They can also be used as grills, but the cone shape of most of them doesn't make them ideal for two-zone cooking, a technique we consider vital for grilling. There are two exceptions, however, the two Primo models, which are oval shaped and can be easily set up with two zones for great grilling. There is even a larger model, the XL. We like them better than the Egg. Made in the USA.
Backwoods Smoker Chubby $970. This little baby looks like a dorm fridge and it shares a lot in common with it. The walls are well insulated, the door latches tight, there's a clever reverse flow heat and smoke transit system, temp control is incredibly simple, and it can hold standard hotel pans. A water pan between the charcoal and the food keeps the cooking chamber moist. There are larger sizes that are popular among the professional competition teams. I have the next size up, the Party, and it is truly impressive. Made in the USA.
REC TEC Grills $995. We are in love with the new generation of pellet smokers. These clever designs burn wood pellets that look like pencils broken into 1/2" sections. The pellets are made from hardwood sawdust scrap from sawmills and furniture manufacturers. A digital thermostat system controls the better models by controlling the flow of pellets and air into the burner. They are truly set-it-forget-it easy and hold the temp rock solid. They cook by hot air and smoke circulating, so most pellet burners are not good at direct heat grilling. Pellet grills need electricity to run the controller so you'll not be hauling them to the beach, and the smoke flavor is delicate and elegant, but not as aggressive and deep as charcoal and wood. We know that a model by Traeger is by far the more popular and widely distributed, but we think this is a lot better chiefly because we like the controller better. And it is a lot better looking, especially with the metal bulls horns for handles.
MAK 1 Star General Pellet Grill $1,299. Another pellet grill like the REC TEC above, but the slightly higher price buys a number of bells and whistles, including our favorite digital controller. Built entirely in the USA, it is solid with a heavy duty powder coat. The hood is a roll top, meaning it does not need a lot of rear clearance like some of its competitors, and there is plenty of room inside. We recommend you buy the optional upper level racks. My only criticism is that it looks like a WWI tank. Made in the USA.
Fast Eddy's by Cookshack PG500 $1,595. The innovation here is that the cooking surface is divided into two sections, one is much like all the other pellet smokers, strictly indirect convection air cooking, but the other, smaller section exposes the meat to direct radiant heat so you can get a good dark sear when you want to high heat grill. And there is a 30-day money back guarantee! Made in the USA.
Horizon 20" RD Special $1,825. If you're Jonesing for the pro look, if you want to burn logs and/or charcoal, this is what you have to spend if you also want quality. As I explained above, the cheapo offsets in the hardware stores suck. But the Horizon is built to cook and to last. Made of 1/4" thick steel, when it heats up the mass retains heat and holds temp. You still have to practice to get control over the vents to control heat and it's a good idea to sit nearby to watch it, but that's why lounge chairs and beer were invented. If you get one, make sure it has the convection plate. It helps distribute the heat more evenly. And the capacious cooking chamber can be loaded with charcoal if the entire Little League is coming over and you need to grill up 43 burgers at once. Made in the USA.All text and photos are Copyright (c) 2013 By Meathead, and all rights are reserved. For more of Meathead's writing, photos, recipes, and barbecue tips & technique, please visit his website AmazingRibs.com and subscribe to his email newsletter, Smoke Signals.
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The daffodils are in bloom and at the hardware stores, grills and smokers are sprouting in every aisle, guarding the entrance, shiny and sexy, calling your name. This summer let's amp up our outdoor cooking. It starts with a good grill.
Pork chops from the loin will begin using more sexy names previously seen only on beef. Chops from the rib section of the loin, previously called "pork loin chops" or "rib chops", will be called "ribeyes", same as beef steaks from the same location (that's a pork ribeye at right). Pork chops from further back will be called "strip chops" same as "strip steaks". Chops from further back will be called "T-bone chops", and at the end of the chain, "porterhouse chops". All four of these cuts were often called simply "pork chops", and, although they are different, the taste and texture differences are minor. That's one step forward for equality between species, one step forward for culinary accuracy, and two steps backward at the cash register.
How this is easier is hard to understand. Few except the most ravenous carnivores can explain the difference between a "porterhouse steak" and a "T-bone steak". Final answer: The T-bone and porterhouse are similar looking steaks with two muscles separated by a T-shaped bone (at right). One side of the T has a large section of loin and the other has a small section of tenderloin, which is a different, more tender muscle. The difference between the porterhouse and T-bone is the size of tenderloin. Because the tenderloin tapers like a baseball bat and the T-bone is further to the front of the animal, the tenderloin portion is smaller than on the porterhouse, a minimum of 1/2" wide at the T. The tenderloin on the porterhouse must be a minimum of 1 1/4" wide, but they can be up to 3" wide. Because pork chops are smaller than beef steaks, who knows how this will translate.
Under the new system, "pork butt", which is a cut from the hog's shoulder, not the rear end as one might think, will now be called the "Boston roast". Well that certainly gets rid of one of the goofiest anomalies in meat labeldom, but just how is "Boston roast" more helpful? "Shoulder" would have been a lot more descriptive. Instead they went from confusing to meaningless. Don't expect to see the hundreds of barbecue competitions and thousands of barbecue restaurants calling their pulled pork meat "Boston roast" anytime soon. 
Surprisingly there is no "filet mignon" on the new list. This highly desirable cut is to be called "tenderloin filet", not to be confused with "strip filet" or "top sirloin filet" or "ribeye filet" which are entirely different muscles. Clear on that? Among other popular names not on the list is "chateaubriand" (shown here), the pricey center cut from the tenderloin. Were "mignon" and "chateaubriand" too Frenchy for the focus groups? But "kabobs", a Middle Eastern name, can now be used on cubes of both beef and pork.
The history of meat labeling is long and winding. For centuries, animals were slaughtered and broken down by the town butcher and by restaurants close to where they were grown, and there was no label consistency from one butcher to the next. In 1865, immediately after the Civil War, the Union Stockyards in Chicago became a central distribution point for shipping live animals. In 1880 Gustavus Swift, a large meat processor, introduced a rail car that was well insulated, cooled by ice, and designed so that the shifting weight of hanging sides and quarters would not derail the car. The cold meat could stay fresh for days and be distributed to remote locations, like Miami, where they would be broken down by local butchers and restaurants. But the cuts and labels were still inconsistent.
The world of hams is confusing, and that's an understatement, but it is worth getting a handle on things because a little knowledge will make your ham dinners much much better.
Grilling has been around since the first time a forest fire trapped a wild hog and a band of homo erectus hunters noticed a wonderful scent wafting from the rubble.
In 1948 George Hasty introduced the Hasty Bake, a grill on wheels that burned charcoal. Something similar is still built by the Oklahoma company today.
The body and lid of the modern Weber Kettle is pressed from solid sheets of steel so there are no welds to rust, and coated with a durable powder coated baked on porcelain enamel that lasts for decades. The lower intake vents double as an ash collection system and the three legs with two wheels make rolling it around a snap. It is lightweight, there are few parts, and simplicity reigns. There are now four sizes, the Smokey Joe with a 14.5" diameter grill surface, the 18.5" kettle, the 22.5" kettle, the 26.75" kettle, and the Weber Ranch Kettle which is 37.5" diameter. They also have upscale versions in colors with a side cutting board, an ash collection pot, and even a propane ignition system. The most popular is the plain old three leg 22.5", by far. In black.
Alas, most cooks never quite figure out the thermodynamics of grilling and they tend to cover the whole bottom with hot coals. This can raise the air temp at the cooking surface to well over 500F, a recipe for incineration if the cook wanders off for long. But if cooks learn to bank the coals to one side and cook mostly with smoky convection air on the indirect side first and then sear over the direct radiant heat side at the end of the cook, they could up their game significantly. Click here for an article on how to best set up a Weber Kettle for grilling and smoking, click here for a better understanding of the thermodynamics of grilling, and click here to learn about searing at the end of a cook.
Short ribs. This is my favorite cut of meat for hamburger, tastewise. It packs good steak flavor, and, even though it is a tough cut of meat, if ground and cooked properly, it can produce excellent burgers. My favorite burgers are 100% shorties. But this is a more expensive cut than chuck (below) unless you can catch it on sale.
Chuck. This is the cut most of the top burger joints use. Chuck steaks come from the shoulder. You can get either boneless or bone in, it doesn't matter. But get chuck steaks not chuck roast. Chuck roast has too much sinew, and if you try to grind it yourself the leathery sinew will just clog the grinder. Look for steaks that have, to your eyeball, 20 to 30% fat. That's an 8 ounce chuck eye steak below at $3.99 a pound. Chuckeye is cut from the part of the shoulder just in front of the ribeye (they are pretty tasty grilled at a much lower price than ribeye, but that's another article).
Brisket. Brisket has a big hearty flavor. There are two parts of the brisket (described in detail in my article on Texas Brisket). The "point" cut of brisket has about the right fat to lean ratio for burgers, and a lot more fat on top of it. You'll need to trim the fat cap off to get to the right ratio. The "flat" cut of brisket is a slab of lean meat with a 1/4" or so thick fat cap on top. Because the fat and lean are easy to separate, you can measure and blend the ratio you want fairly accurately.
There is a raging controversy over the wisdom of mixing ingredients into the patty. On one side, there's FoodNetwork's Bobby Flay, author of the cookbook Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries & Shakes, and owner of nine restaurants, among them three locations of Bobby's Burger Palace. He's a minimalist. His patties are nothing but chuck, and he sprinkles salt and pepper on the exterior just before cooking. He once told me "I don't put anything in my burgers like onion, eggs, breadcrumbs, anything. That's meatloaf." And that's harsh!
On the other side is James McNair. Nobody has tasted more burgers than McNair, Honorary Chairman and Head Judge of Sutter Home Winery's Build a Better Burger Contest, founded in 1990, and by far the biggest and most important burger competition in the world, with $50,000 prize going to the best beef burger, and $10,000 to the best "alternative" burger (pork, salmon, turkey, etc.). McNair is also the author of two books on burgers that are still available, Build A Better Burger: Celebrating Sutter Home's Annual Search for America's Best Burgers, and his most recent, co-authored by Jeffrey Starr, Burger Parties: Recipes from Sutter Home Winery's Build a Better Burger Contest. He told me "To incorporate flavor into every bite, thoroughly mix seasonings into the ground ingredients. Contrary to popular culinary myth, salting ground meat a few minutes before cooking will not draw out the moisture and create a dry burger. For our tastes, one teaspoon of kosher or coarse sea salt to every pound of meat is a perfect ratio, but if you're adding other salty components, reduce the amount of salt you use."
1) Crackly skin. Beer Can Chicken exposes the exterior to even convection heat so it can crisp the skin on all sides. Do it right and you'll always have crunchy, crackly, tasty skin. If you bake a chicken horizontally in a standard roasting pan, the bottom doesn't brown and often gets soggy. Even if you raise it up on a rack, the air does not circulate under the bird properly unless the rack is well above the pan, as it is on a grill.
By far the meat temp is the single most important factor in getting juicy, flavorful, safe chicken. The cooking method is less important. You want to remove the bird when the breasts are 165°F in the center (or against the ribs if you have a can in there). The dark meat should be about 170°F. Dark meat can withstand higher temps and you'll hardly notice it, but overcook the breasts and you have cardboard. With all the money you can save on beer, buy yourself a good digital thermometer. Cutting the meat to look for clear juices is not reliable and the fact is that salmonella is widespread in poultry nowadays.
From Cleveland, this cook fell back into the his comfort zone by removing the baby back ribs from the loin, which he repeatedly called the tenderloin in error The tenderloin is an entirely different muscle from a different part of the hog.
As any Northerner who has spent time in the South knows, these folks are still fighting the Civil War, and the other pitmasters and judges mercilously rode him by calling him "Yankee Doodle", "Gourmet Guru," and "Cheffy Chef". Well, he did wear a white shirt to a barbecue competition, he did have a state of the art Lang 64 pit, and he did have four digital thermometers probing his cooker, so he was asking for it. I'm a big believer in digital thermometers. Dial thermometers are just not reliable. Click here to read my reviews of many of the best.
Trigg's secret ingredient is to slather everything in sight in Parkay Squeeze from a blue squeeze bottle, which he blithely refers to as "butter" several times. Heck, this stuff isn't even labeled margarine. For the record, butter is made from fresh cream and maybe a little water and salt. Parkay Squeeze is made from liquid soybean oil, water, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, vegetable monoglycerides, soy lecithin, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, artificial flavor, phosphoric acid, beta carotene, and vitamin A palmitate.
When it came to the turkey, Trigg knew what he was doing. He was wise to butterfly it and lay it open, a method called spatchcocking. This is a fine way to make sure the thick breast meat, best cooked to about 165F, and the thinner thighs and drums, best cooked to about 175F, are cooked properly and evenly. It also makes sure the skin gets evenly crisp and browned, and opening it up makes it easier to flavor the cavity. At right you can see a butterflied turkey I cooked recently. Click here to see my recipe and technique for whole or butterflied bird.
Charcoal makes a tiny bit more smoke than gas, although, when lit properly, good charcoal produces little smoke and it is not likely to get into food that is cooked quickly such as burgers, hot dogs, or even steaks.
There is one other flavor difference of note. If you use self-igniting charcoal or charcoal fluid to start a charcoal fire, there can be an unpleasant petrochemical smell during ignition and it can get into the food. Yuk. For this reason you should use a charcoal chimney or an electric charcoal starter. I prefer the chimney because it is faster and easier and needs no outlet. My fave is the Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter.
Charcoal purists are vehement and border on snobbery. They who would never ever never own a gas grill. They claim it is the flavor, but for me, a lot of it is the thrill of playing with fire and the ritual.
Gas grills outsell charcoal grills and it is easy to understand why. They offer convenience and control. Those two words alone could cinch the argument.
Which to buy? I have one of each. Almost all my birds, fish, veggies, pizzas, and breads go on my LP gas grill, almost all my red meats go on my charcoal grill. If you're starting out, and you want no fuss no muss, go gas. If you can afford it, get an infrared burner and a side burner.