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Comment by Dave Macarty on September 23, 2010 at 8:36am

Cindy,
I think I could probably get by with the 18" Bullet. I think they are quite a bit cheaper than the 22" model. Right now, there are only 3 of us at home and my oldest daughter is away at college. So, if I were to cook for an extended group, it would probably be around 10-12 at the most. So, the 18" Bullet should be fine.
I'll have to check out your blog.
Thanks,
Dave

Comment by Dave Macarty on September 19, 2010 at 11:13am

Cyndi,
I think I've found the perfect smoker in the Weber Smokey Mountain Bullet. I've been looking at the Virtual Bullet website and it's got ton's of great information on there and they cover the Minion technique which I'd read about before. Sounds like that would be the perfect way to smoke at an even temp over night with no fuss.
I'm going to be saving my pennies for one of these smokers! I'm thinking that I can probably get by with one of the smaller units (18"). I normally will cook for my family of 4 but occasionally, we'll have some other couples over for dinner. Would I be able to get by on a smaller Bullet if I was cooking for say 10 people? What would be the maximum number of people you could cook for on an 18" Bullet? Let me know.
Thanks for the advice and send me a link to your blog.
Dave

Comment by Z Z on September 15, 2010 at 7:12am

FUEL - I ALMOST FORGOT THIS.... I HAVE BEEN USING THE BGE OR COWBOY BRAND LUMP CHARCOAL IN THE EGG WITH GOOD RESULTS. NOTHING TO FANCY. I HAVE ADDED A FOIL PACK OF JACK DANIELS CHIPS AS I WAS GIVEN A SMALL BAG AS A GIFT. ON THE TRAEGER I HAVE USED THE MESQUITE PELLETS. THEY HAVE AN ALL PURPOSE BLEND OF PELLETS THATS GOOD, BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST WANT TO USE SOMETHING WITH MORE SMOKE FLAVOR.

Comment by Z Z on September 15, 2010 at 7:02am

DAVE - I HAVE HAD GREAT SUCCESS WITH SMOKING ON THE EGG. 7 HOUR COOKS WITH PLENTY OF FUEL LEFT OVER FOR ANOTHER SHORT COOK. THE BIGGEST ISSUE WAS LEARNING WHERE TO SET THE VENTS TO KEEP IT GOING AND CONSISTENT WHICH I HAVE PRETTY DIALED IN NOW. I HAVE A LARGE EGG SO I CAN POUT 12 TO 14 POUND SHOULDERS ON WITH NO PROBLEM (ALSO PLENTY OF ROOM FOR DOING TURKEYS) I BELIEVE IT IS WORTH THE MONEY OVERALL, BUT WOULD HAVE TO SAY GO WITH THE LARGE OR EXTRA LARGE TO GET THE MOST OUT OF IT.
CYNDI - I BEGAN SMOKING ON THE EGG AND IT IS VERSATILE. I HAVE BEEN USING THE TRAEGER MORE LATELY AS I JUST RECIEVED IT AND WANT TO SEE ITS CAPABILITIES. I HAVE FOUND THAT YOU CAN GO THRU QUITE A FEW PELLETS, BUT IS IS EASY TO RELOAD THE HOPPER WHILE YOU ARE COOKING. THE TRAEGERS TEMP DOES SEEM TO CREEP UP A BIT ON THE REAL HOT DAYS, BUT I SIMPLY OPEN THE HATCH A FEW MINUTES TO REGULATE THE HEAT ABOUT ONCE AN HOUR IF NECCESARY. ( I HAVE NEVER HAD IT CREEP UP SO FAR THAT IT WOULD RUIN A MEAL) I AM ALSO GOING TO LOOK UP THE BULLET AS I AM HAVING A GOOD TIME TRYING OUT DIFFERENT SETUPS AND MASTERING THE CRAFT. THANK YOU BOTH FOR THE DISCUSSION.

Comment by Dave Macarty on September 14, 2010 at 9:39pm

Cindy,

I think the Smokey Mountain Bullet is exactly what I'm wanting. I want no fuss, great smoked ribs, brisket, etc and I think this will be the best option for my needs. It is officially on my toy list!
The smoker that I have is just too much work and fuss trying to keep that low, slow temperature. The gaps are leaky and the steel is not the thickest. Whatever the reason, I don't like having to literally check temps, adjust dampers, add wood, etc over a 8 or 9 hour period for like a brisket which is probably my favorite meat to smoke. Baby back ribs are a very close second!
On your Bullet do you have a couple of digital thermometers going to check the internal temp and also the meat your cooking? I've read a lot of criticism of built in thermometers as not being accurate. Do you find that to be the case with your equipment?
I do have the inserts that you mention for the Weber Kettle Grill but wouldn't consider serious smoking on it as it is too small of an area between the two inserts. You couldn't put much in between the two and would have to frequently replenish the fuel. So, the Bullet again, wins there.
Sounds like you really don't do much smoking on your BGE. Is that correct? I really like the BGE concept but don't like the cost and weight issues. Why do you like yours? What do you primarily use it for? Do you ever smoke food on it or just in the Bullet?
What wood do you like to use for smoking say brisket, ribs? I've heard pecan is nice but all I have is mostly hickory and oak. But, I can buy bags of other woods like at Academy Sports. I do also really like the Jack Daniels chips and primarily use them for steaks done on my Weber Kettle grill. But, honestly, I don't use it too often because it takes so long to get the coals going and ready.
Looking forward to your comments,
Dave
PS I wrap my ribs in foil on my big smoker to seal in moisture and keep them from getting too smoky. This wrap is probably not necessary in a Bullet is it?

Comment by Dave Macarty on September 14, 2010 at 7:55pm

Cyndi,

Great stuff! Thanks for all the comparisons! I'm really impressed with the BGE and have read about the Weber Smokey Mountain Bullet. Right now, I'm pretty much a rookie when it comes to smoking but am learning fast and enjoying the food I've done. Last weekend, I did 3 racks of baby back ribs which were awesome! I also did a pork tenderloin which was decent as well.

But, I have a smoker that I hate! It was a gift from my aunt so I shouldn't complain too much! She bought me an OK Joe's smoker/grill which has an offset firebox. The gaps in the lid and firebox door leak smoke, heat like crazy. So, when I'm smoking anything I have to constantly go in and out about every 15 minutes to adjust the dampers, add wood, check the temperature. It is a lot of work and I don't enjoy it. So, lately, I've been looking into other options that would be a lot less labor intensive but produce an excellent end result.
So far, it seems like the BGE would be my overall pic for a "dream" grill/smoker. But, they are currently way out of my price range. So, I think a Weber Smokey Mountain Bullet would be an excellent second choice for smoking. That is what I'm primarily needing, an excellent, low fuss smoker. Would this fit the bill? Could I set it up to say, smoke a brisket or two overnight without getting up several times to check on things? That would be peachy!
I currently own a Weber Kettle charcoal grill, a Brinkmann 4 burner gas grill and my OK Joe's smoker/grill.
I use lump charcoal with my Weber Kettle grill when I use it. I also use lump to get my OK Joe's going for my smoking jobs. One I get it started, I switch to wood. By the way, lump charcoal is realatively cheap here. I picked up a 40 pound bag at Sam's last weekend for just under 15 bucks!
Looking forward to your comments on the Weber Smokey Mountain Bullet. Which size do you have?
Thanks,
Dave
PS I have a lady who works for me that has a Traeger and it cost her like $700 and I have no interest in that type of grill now.

Comment by Dave Macarty on September 13, 2010 at 4:59pm

Hey ZZ,
Great post! I’m hoping you can give me some advice. I own an offset firebox smoker (OK Joe's). It's horribly inefficient and a major pain in the rear to operate! I literally have to go check the dampers, add fuel or check the temperature about every 15 minutes or so. This gets really old when I’m smoking a brisket which can take about 8 or 9 hours. So, I’m looking at a better alternative which I won’t have to stand over all day long!

I’ve not read great things about any of the straight electric smokers (like Masterbuilt). I have a friend who lives in Texas that has a Big Green Egg (BGE) and he absolutely loves it! I have a lady that works for me that has a Traeger but she doesn’t use it as a smoker. She does really like her Traeger for grilling though.

I think the BGE would be a great smoker but they are so very expensive. Also, they don’t have much of a cooking area unless you get the extra large model and again, very, very expensive. But, my buddy who has a BGE says he can basically put a brisket on over night and not worry about it. Is this true? I would like your input. He also told me that the BGE doesn't use very much fuel (lump charcoal).

I think a Traeger would be similar in that you could set a temp and forget about it. Am I correct in this? I wonder about the cost of fuel for a Traeger. Does it cost an arm and a leg to smoke things? Isn't the Traeger electric with pellets as the fuel? Are the pellets the only fuel or is there some kind of heating element too?
I feel that either of these would make a nice addition to my collection of grilling equipment.

I would appreciate your comments about the BGE and the Trager.

Sincerely,
Dave Macarty