re: Looking to Buy a Grill/Smoker

I have two. One is from Academy. It's a New Braunfel's Smoker.



Heavy duty iron, not the flimsy thin metal smokers most sell now. It was 700.00. Problem is, Academy doesn't carry it anymore. But I love it.

My other one, and the newest, is the Orion Smoker. Got it from Stine's. Let me tell you, this thing is bad arse.



The coals go on the outside. The inside is sealed...no smoke vents at all. It cooks from convection. There's a drip pan that goes in the very bottom to catch any drippings. Your wood chips go between the edge of the drip pan and the smoker sides. As you can see, it comes with three racks, a turkey holder and handle to lift it out and three rib hangers (which each hold two racks).

I haven't done ribs yet but I did a 10lb pork shoulder the other day. It took 5hrs but would've taken 4.5 had I not opened it twice (to put 20 chicken wings on the top two racks - then take them off 45 minutes later). The large shoulder bone pulled out by hand and the meat was pull-apart tender.

The other day I did a whole chicken on the bottom rack on a drunk chicken holder and put another half chicken on the top rack. An hour and 15 minutes later, I opened it and pulled them off. Had to use two hands on the half chicken because the thigh/leg wanted to separate from the breast/wing. Grabbed the whole chicken next. I pulled up on it and both legs and thighs stayed there...top half just pulled apart from the bottom. Super tender.

This thing works off of cooking time only. No thermometer anywhere. Put the meat in and drop the lid in place. Fill the outer ring with Match Lite coals and about 10 coals on top of the lid in the small stack. Start the timer when you light the coals. They give you a book with cooking times on several different cuts of meat. Just follow that and you won't be sorry.