Kit -- apologies in advance!

[Jontongs]

Hi All,
I promise I have tried searching the fora and did look in the FAQs, but could someone point me in the direction of the thread that must, surely, have already been created regarding which barbecue to buy for slow and low? I'm keen to get into it but can't see myself spending £700 on a Big Green Egg, and am interested in alternative ideas.

Jon

[keith157]

Unfortunately it's not that simple there are almost as many variables as asking whic car to drive!! For instance, how many do you intend to cook for? Is it for home or competition? Do you have an existing grill or will it have to serve both functions? How much can you afford?

If you search the forum for the various makes, models and styles you will see posts from users giving the pros & cons of them.

Sorry but there is no catch-all post that whittled it down to one that suits everyone.

[Tiny]

Morning chum,
You indeed ask an eternal question, but I think there are a range of answers which keep coming up I shall attempt to offer these below, some fellow posters may not agree but this is my version of the truth......

On a budget?
Build an UDS most reckon you can do it for £70 or so with minimal DIY skills and you will have a toy that will do lo and slo at least as well as its pricier proprietary brands. Downside is the U, ugly, not popular with significantothers or suited perhaps to leafy Twickenham.

The no compromise compromise
A Weber Kettle. I never wanted one until someone posted an end of season bargain here and I love mine. You can do lo and slow on it and you can grill in normal BBQ fashion. Yes volumes are limited in that you cant do 10 racks of ribs but you can do an pork butt or a brisket and you will love your kettle forever.

No, I want a purpose built smoker
Then it is the Pro Q excel or the Weber smoky mountain for you old lad, most debate and conclude there isn't much to choose between them and then pay the extra for the WSM. In terms of size the 47cm should be plenty for most but with the majority of our demographic being chaps we buy the larger one.

Justifying the unjustifiable.....
Buy an big green egg, some owners of these will be offended but all the talk in the world of stable temps and ultimate lo and slow plus grill options are the talk of men that would attempt to justify the purchase of an range rover for city driving or the custom made ping clubs when you have an handicap of 20+ In short you will never need an BGE but you want one and if spondooleys allow you will buy one.

The tech geek option
Green mountain grill, pellet burning wifi controlled electric beast. Foul purists cry whilst pointing at the lead, nonsense the geeks reply arguing that the electricity is only used to start the ignition of the pellets and the fans are no different to the pit controllers used on charcoal Qs. These claim to be able to do it all, I hope it is true as I am buying one next week.

I want the simplicity of gas
Err, ok, err buy an gas bbq then......usual rules apply Weber expensive but good, I have been happy with my outbacks other brands are available

I have not offered opines on offsets, personally think they are pants but some say if you spend plenty they can be good, I have also steered clear of USA imports of all sorts again due to price and have also left the more commercial BBqs out of scope.

So there it is the BBQ world according to tiny, if you are charcoal keen and have about £500 to spend then it would be WSM and a kettle.....personally as I say I am headed to the GMG range after trying most.

But it is like fried chicken or sex, there is nothing bad on this list
Good luck soldier,
Tiny

[JEC]

Most folks start with a weber kettle and they see what the passion is. For typical British bbq most will want sausages and burgers so it will always be used even if you end up going down the dedicated smoker route. Personally I went down the weber and WSM route then upgraded to an Egg, not regretted it and will probably buy a Maxi this year to complement my XL. Does it make better Q than the weber, maybe/maybe not, but I do know I love using it and it brings a smile to my face every time I pull the cover off. To some extents it's like the brand of car you buy, they all do the same basic task but they all offer different experiences.

Whatever you do don't get to caught up in what to buy, buy something and just have fun using it, you can't go wrong with a weber kettle and a few afternoons practicing different techniques. Ultimately you'll spend more in fuel and meat than you'll ever spend on a grill (well in most cases anyway)

[YetiDave]

UDS all the way

[JoeSalop]

"But it is like fried chicken or sex, there is nothing bad on this list
Good luck soldier,
Tiny"

That is genius!!

[Jontongs]

Hi all,
Thanks for your contributions! Much appreciated. I think a wifi-controlled electric pellet smoker is probably a bit elaborate for now, but let's see where his new hobby takes me! I think I'll most likely experiment with slow and low on the Weber Kettle. But...

eBay boasts a 'Foxhunter Black', which claims to be a low-cost smoker (£35), and there is a 'Supergrills' barbecue that appears to be Weber Kettle-like BBQ at a fraction of the price. Any views on either/both?

Finally, for slow and low: lumpwood charcoal, or wood, or a combo? And if wood, which wood? (Consider all woodchuck jokes made). Thanks in advance for all your thoughts.

[PDC7]

For me, this is easy - Weber Kettle, I got 57cm One Touch for £130 I have cooked loads of burgers, sausages, raw chicken on and off the bone, I've low and slow ribs over 6 hours, I've baked banana tarte tatin deserts, ive cooked in rain, sun, winter and summer and its never failed to impress.

For me if you buy cheap you will buy twice, the weber will do everything you need for now and allow you to try other styles of cooking.

The £35 bullet smoker you posted looks ok in photo's but in the e bay description it stated "coated metal" so it is probably thin steel with high temp paint and from other peoples experience on here I would advise you to avoid it. I Googled super grills BBQ the first result I got was a BBQ that cost more than my weber and in the description it stated "just like weber"....

[YetiDave]

I don't see any bottom vents on the Foxhunter either - avoid at all costs IMHO. Even for £35 it'll be more trouble than it's worth! I use lumpwood charcoal and wood chunks for cooking. At the mo I've got a large supply of silver birch, cherry and mesquite There're a ton of different varieties you can use. The birch was from my parents' back garden and seasoned for 6 months, the cherry was from a tree surgeon, so you don't need to search out BBQ specific places to find a wood supply (it's much cheaper to go elsewhere I've found)

[Tiny]

Old Chap,
super cheap eBay purchases are the road to madness, you could buy one, in the same way that you could hammer an birds eye chilli into the end of your gentlemans sausage, you could, but I strongly counsel against it.

Bite the bullet buy an kettle that will last you 10 years plus.

The end of my garden is a testament to the folly of cheap bbqs that turn out not to be value......
Cheers
Tiny