I received this response to my one question interview query from Mr. Zydecopaws himself, Paul Haight.  Paul is very well known among BBQ bloggers and fans of BBQ alike, and runs the taste bud tempting No Excuses BBQ blog.  I dare you to visit his site and not feel hunger pangs.  As you’ll see from this response, Paul is an excellent writer.  He’s also a fantastic food photographer, so I do suggest you check out his work.

Here’s what Paul had to say about whether he’d do anything different with his first BBQ Smoker set up:

The one thing I would do differently if I had to buy my first barbecue smoker set up again would be to buy it much sooner than I did. For many years (decades, actually) I grilled and cooked indirectly on Weber kettles. Although they are great grills for that sort of thing, adapting them to smoking is a daunting task and one I attempted for years. My friends and family will tell you I was pretty good at it, but when it comes to real low-and-slow cooking you really need to have the right equipment for your needs. In my case, the addition of a Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) to the arsenal really transformed how I cook, and gave me a reliable, good quality, easy to use smoker that I still own and use to this day.

The best advice I could give to someone getting ready to purchase their first smoker is to think about how they intend to use it before they even start looking for a grill. Things to think about include the size of meals you intend to serve, how frequently you plan to use it, how much effort you want to put into the actual cooking process, portability, fuel sources, storage, how much you want to spend, and if it is going to be the only grill you will own. Once you figure all these things out, rank them in order of importance and then go looking for a cooker that satisfies your needs. Remember that you get what you pay for; in most cases you are better off paying a few dollars more for a grill that will last many years rather than finding the cheapest model you can. If you are handy with tools and don’t mind a little sweat equity, you can build your own smoker with plans and information readily available on the web at a much lower cost than most commercial devices on the market.

Paul Haight

If you haven’t connected with Paul on twitter, you can find No Excuses BBQ on Twitter, and can also connect with Paul on the No Excuses BBQ Facebok page.

UPDATE: See responses we received from those interviewed here.

I received the following response to my one question interview request from none other than William “Bubba” Latimer of Bub-Ba-Q.  Many of you saw them on the second season of TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters, and they are surely no stranger to the Florida Bar-B-Que competition circuit among others nationally.  In addition to cooking up outrageously awesome competition BBQ, Bub-Ba-Q operates two restaurants in Georgia (one in Jasper and one it Woodstock).  If you’re in their neck of the woods, be sure to look them up.  Your taste buds will thank you!

Here’s what William had to say about his first BBQ Smoker experience…

To answer your question about my first smoker set up, I honestly do not think I would have changed a thing. My first set up was a small Brinkmann bullet style smoker that cost about $40.

The reason I would not have changed it is because it made me work at what I was cooking. The thing did not hold temp well and was a bitch to operate, but I did start learning how heat, smoke and draft worked. I learned a lot from that smoker and am grateful for the lessons.

William “Bubba” Latimer

http://Bub-Ba-Q.com

Be sure to visit the Bub-Ba-Q website, and visit either … or both… of their restaurants.  You can also connect with them on the Bub-Ba-Q Facebook page and find Bub-Ba-Q on twitter.

UPDATE: See responses we received from those interviewed here.