Real Barbecue: The Classic Barbecue Guide to the Best Joints Across the USA --- with Recipes, Porklore, and More!

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One of the absolute best resources out there for learning about good Smoked BBQ is a book called “Real Barbecue” written by Greg Johnson and Vance Staten.  Oh – and if you are interested in building the “Big Baby” smoker – one of the very best DIY BBQ Smokers out there – they show you how to do that, too!

The Big Baby Smoker

Their take is to basically construct a solid, working BBQ smoker by using materials that are inexpensive and easy to find.

The thing you always want to ensure with any BBQ smoker is that the meat you’ve spent good money for stays out of the way of direct heat and flame, yet stays in the path of the hot air and smoke used to cook it.

Collecting the two 55-gallon drums is fairly easy. What you want to look for are in making your DIY BBQ Smoker kit are those wood-stove kits made to change over these kinds of metal drums into inexpensive stoves for heating storage sheds and the like. These kits come with what you’ll need to get started. All you need to do then is to throw in some dampers and two of those little smokestacks for each end to let the smoke out of the top part of the drum.

Constructing the Big Baby Smoker

Here are the things you’ll need to build the Big Baby smoker.

1. Steel Drums – around $20 or so each.

2. Stove Kits – you’ll need 2 of them – from hardware or wood stove stores. Should be less than $50

3. Two 22′ x 15′ grill surfaces, which you can get for about $25 from a BBQ supply shop

4. Throw in the paint, hinges, smokestacks, fire bricks, bolts and brackets – and you’ll spend a total of about $150 – much less than what you’d spend on a pro-built rig.

Once you’ve collected these materials, you’re on your way.  Check out the rest of the “How To” guide on this smoker  – found on page 260 of the Real Barbecue book by Vince Staten and Greg Johnson.

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Building your own Backyard Smoker is a great way to tap into your primordial roots! Thing is, there’s always a question about the size fire box you need to achieve the perfect amount of smoke for your needs.

Let’s hear your thoughts?   Say you are building a backyard smoker that is  8 feet long with a with a 30″ diameter .

What say you oh great smokerati?

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If the gas grill just won’t work anymore, you can always use the shell as a smoker unit exterior by putting in unit comparable to Sam’s Smoker Pro.

Sams Smoker Pro Overall Rating:   Retail Price: Varies based on product options Amazon Price: View Sale Price

As always, any other suggestions to this challenge are welcome – so chime in!

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Today, you can get barbecue meat smokers in a whole host of varied shapes, sizes, and power options. For most folks, it’s just too hard to decide. The purpose of this post is to provide some guidance as to what types of BBQ smokers are out there, what features they provide, and how you can go about finding them.

Some Key Factors in Choosing Your BBQ Smoker

Choosing Your Fuel Source: Charcoal, Gas Or Electric

A good number of folks who consider themselves hard core “smoker heads” will tell you there’s only one fuel source to use when smoking meat… the one they like.

Thing is, sometimes charcoal just isn’t practical, due to its time constraints – so gas is the option. For purists – who like the use real lump charcoal and real wood – then they’re going to be willing to take the time needed to stoke, tend, and maintain the proper heat and smoke levels. Gas offers much less in the way of clean up and temperature is a bit easier to maintain. If you want to just “set it and forget it,” then look for an electric smoker as your choice.

Determining the Proper Size: For Your Budget and Your Family

The size of your smoker will depend on how you plan to use it. Are you cooking for family meals and barbecues, or are you looking for something you can use to feed the crowd at your Church social? Maybe you’re looking for the starter rig for your first BBQ cook-off competition? In all cases, your size needs will differ.

Capacity and cooking surface size are the two biggest things to look at. For those family get togethers, you should go about 300 – 500 sq in. If you have bigger needs, you may want to go up to around 700 sq in.

Location, Location, Location – Where Will Your Smoker Be Used?

How you’re going to use your smoker plays into what type you’ll use, but where you’re using it matters just as much. For most of us, our grills and smokers are relegated to the back yard, the porch, or on our deck. If this is how you’ll use it, you can go bigger and stationary. But, if you’re short on space or want a more portable solution, you could opt for one of the many bullet style smokers on the market.

Obviously, if you’re going to competitions or larger cookout parties, you’ll need to be rollin’ on wheels, and there are many options for you in this category, too.

Paying to Play: How Much Should You Pay for Your Smoker?

If you plan to use your BBQ smoker on rare occasions, and you’re cramped for space, you can opt for a less expensive option. However, the key to good smoked barbecue is to cook it “low and slow.” For this reason, if you are going to smoke meat frequently, you should go with a good quality product. Look for things like warranties, read reviews, and check out customer service, too. All of these things should help you make a choice that will keep you smoking barbecue for years on end.

Great. So, Where Do I Get My BBQ Smoker?

For instant hands-on shopping, you may want to check out your local home store or department store. However, there’s a good chance that these stores will only cary a limited selection of BBQ smokers. If you want to maximize your selection of choices, then you need to look online as well.

Deciding what online store to buy from can be confusing. I tend to look for the following while sizing up an online BBQ smoker sales site:

• Is their site easy to navigate, does it provide good choices, and does it have product reviews?
• Do they offer easy to reach customer service to both help me make my selection and provide service after I buy?
• What are the prices like?
• How do they handle sales tax?
• What are the shipping charges? Note: Make sure the shipping charges aren’t inflated – as this is becoming a common practice.

Online Stores We Like

Two of the best places to start your online BBQ smoker search are Amazon.com and GrillsDirect.com.

Amazon.com: Amazon provides access to Weber, Brinkman, Charbroil, and some others. While the selection of smokers isn’t the widest, they really do provide a great number of accessories. If you like Amazon already, this is a great place to start your search.

Shopper’s Choice: If you’re looking for wide selection, Shoppers Choice is the store for you. They provide a handy comparison capability so you can match up grills you find there head to head.

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Starting off smoking your first tri-tip roast isn’t as scary as it sounds.

What you need to know is that this cut of meat  is a rather tender cut that used to come as part of the sirloin until recently.

Check your local butcher or or grocery meat section for a tri-tip around 2.5 to 3 pounds although you may be fortunate enough to find something a little larger. Look for a decent amount of marbling within the meat and a nice fat cap.

Barbecue Tri-Tip – A West Coast Regional Favorite

Barbecue tri-tip is most common on the west coast and is almost unknown in other parts of the country. Ask your butcher for it if you do not see it in the display case.  If they don’t have it in, they might be able to order if for you.  It is also called “triangle roast” or “bottom sirloin tip” – so ask for those if you get “blank stares” from your tri-tip request.

The really good thing about barbecue tri-tip is that it is so full of flavor.  You just need to boost it a bit by adding some salt, pepper and garlic powder to turn out a great piece of meat. Be careful not to over season the meat.  Remember, good smoked BBQ meat tastes like meat first and foremost – not seasoning!

Don’t trim the tri-tip down too much.  In fact, I advise that you leave the fat intact since it will render completely during the smoke and leave the tri-tip bursting with flavor.

Prepping Your BBQ Smoker

Fire up your smoker with lump charcoal and use the traditional red oak to smoke the tri-tip or white oak is fine if red oak is not available. If these types of wood aren’t available, you should be OK with using hickory, mesquite and other common smoking woods.  I’ve even had luck using apple and local citrus wood  – so don’t be afraid of experimenting.

Oak Wood Chunks - 10 Lb

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Place the meat in the smoker fat side up for the entire smoke and be sure to use a drip pan if you are using the indirect method of smoking on a gas or charcoal grill to eliminate flare ups and grease fires.

Fire up your smoker to about 225 to 250 degrees and smoke the tri-tip for around 2 to 3 hours or until it reaches the desired doneness.

The tri-tip recipe can be served with sauce however, like I said before, allow the natural flavors to dominate and your diners will rave.

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