Dave Turner wrote:
> Bill wrote:
>> In article <PcJvi.33127$2v1.25210
>> @newssvr14.news.prodigy.net>, says...
>> <snip>
>>
>>> Seriously, those smokers are interesting, but unfortunately my BW
>>> would never allow me to have anything that looked vaguely industrial.
>>> After all, the neighbors would talk (or be jealous).
>>> Dave
>>>
>>
>> Now is when Walmart, Home Depot, Target, and other stores start
>> putting the barbecue stuff on sale to make room for the fall/winter
>> stuff. A cheap starter smoker can be had for under a hundred dollars.
>> Not to dissuade you from a WSM; I've got one and it works very well,
>> but you might want to get your feet wet for less money to start with.
>>
>> Or look out for a WSM on sale.
>>
>> http://www.shopping.com/xPC-Weber-Sm...untain-Cooker-
>> Smoker-2820
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/2ep24n
>>
>> An example of other smokers:
>>
>> http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=4885
>> &fromPageCatId=119049&catNavId=4089
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/2ec9t4
>>
>>
>> Bill
> Which is what I'm doing now. I only paid $38 for this Char-Broil at Home
> Depot. My ribs have been on now for almost 1 1/2 hours now with sand,
> and is holding steady at 250 F. I'm using half kingsford and half
> Lazzaris lump, with Hickory chunks in tin foil, and I lit it up with the
> Minion method. This isn't my first cook with this little unit, I did a
> chuck roast last weekend. The family ate it all, but my BW thought it
> had a little too much smoke. I guess I have to agree, since I smoked it
> the entire cook. Live and learn. But I have to say it turned out moist
> and very tender, having cooked the 4# critter 6 hours at 200-225F. I
> pulled it at 175 internal, and it was wonderful (IMHO), although the
> smoke was very strong. Now, where did I put that beer...
>
> Onward...
>
> Dave

Well, dinners over and I can report that the BW and the UGS were very
pleased. I had to cut the rack in half, because it was too big to fit in
the smoker in one piece, and that made the cook only half successful.
The thicker end was placed at the top, and the thinner end was put on
the second shelf, and unfortunately the one on the top shelf turned out
a little tough on the outside. Flavor was great, but just a little
tough. OTH, the piece on the second shelf was, shall we say, marvelous.
Tender, juicy, flavorful & the UGS was in wonderment about the ability
to eat the bones.

I can also say (following the original subject matter) that Water is a
thing of the past for me. I had no trouble maintaining the temp I
wanted, and cleanup is a matter of changing the tin foil.

The drawback of this little smoker is not being able to see the food on
the second shelf. I think a new larger one is in the near future,
particularly since I looked at the links that Bill sent. I'm going to
watch the ads, and most likely move up within a few weeks.

Thanks to all for the advice and encouragement, and to Dave Bugg my best
wishes for a speedy recovery for his mom.

Dave