Barbecue Pit Selection
One of the biggest decisions you will make will be choosing your pit. There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a barbecue pit/smoker. Things to think about are if you want a charcoal pit or if you want a gas grill. A gas grill is definitely a faster way to cook and is easier.
Barbecue Gas Grills
Going with a barbecue gas grill is a good decision if you do not like dealing with having to start a fire and dealing with a lot of smoke. With a barbecue gas grill you get that great grilled taste without all of the hassle of having to start a fire and having to wait for the fire to die down in order to grill.
To me I do not think any part of barbecuing with hardwood is a hassle. I enjoy every step of barbecuing. I do not use barbecue gas grills much, but admit there are times I wish I had one. There are times when you get home from work and you want to grill something on the barbecue pit, but do not have the time to start the fire and do not want to wait for the temperature to get where you want it to be in order to barbecue or grill. The barbecue gas grill definitely beats the folding grills that plug into your outlet.
I have always barbequed with hardwood ever since I can remember. I have been to friends homes where they do have barbecue gas grills and they seem to be very convenient and seem to work just fine. I have used the different brands of barbecue gas grills from time to time and had no problems at all. The heat was really easy to control.
Barbecue gas grills are a lot like vehicles. There are cheap and efficient ones and then there are big expensive ones. You can get some gas grills right at $100 and then range all the way to thousands of dollars. It just depends what you want to spend.
Barbecue Pits/Barbecue Smokers
When choosing a barbecue pit and/or smoker you need to know how you will be cooking. Will you be grilling or will you be barbecuing. What's the difference? Barbecuing is cooking your meats for extended periods of time over hardwood on low temperatures. Grilling is cooking your meats in a short amount of time over medium to high heat settings. A barbecue pit in my opinion is just a grill to cook over direct heat. A barbecue smoker has a fire box, a single lid or more, and a smoker box. Smoking barbecue is done by cooking with indirect heat or direct heat and a low temperature setting.
Once you figure that out then you can move to the next step. That is how big you need you barbecue pit/ barbecue smoker to be. Pits and smokers can get very detailed and can get expensive fast. When looking for a barbecue pit and/or barbeque smoker always look at the metal. Most of the pits and smokers you fins in sport shops and grocery stores are made of low grade metals. When you get a low grade metal they usually do not insulate very well and do not last very long. Meaning a few years. If you live here in South Texas, these pits do not even last that long. Most low end barbecue pits and barbecue smokers do not last long in the corrosive salt water environment that we live in down here in South Texas.
When I look for a barbeque pit or barbeque smoker I look for a metal that is thick. I look for at least 1/4" thick or more. Always look at the welds as well to make sure they seal. If you know you are in the market for a good barbecue pit/ barbecue smoker shop around. Always look around first and compare. If you are going through a manufacture company do not be afraid to go and test the pit or smoker you are interested in. If the company wants to sell you there product, they will let you test it out. I'm not saying to go and barbecue or grill a piece of meat. I'm saying go start a good fire with some good smoke to see how well the barbecue pit or barbecue smoker will seal and insulate. If you are going to pay good money that you worked hard for, you might as well test it first.
Barbecue Smokers
There are a lot of choices when it comes to choosing your barbecue smoker. To make it easy, the most common back yard smoker will be easy to find. Most traditional backyard smokers are going to have a single lid with a firebox. If you want to spend a little more money you can add a smoker box to it. Most of these traditional backyard barbecue pits are very heavy. They usually sit on two wheels on the right side and two angle iron legs on the left side. These barbecue smokers are a great investment and can last a very long time if you maintain them.
There are inexpensive backyard smoker models available. They will do if that is all you can afford. They usually range in the $200 range. These smokers are usually made of a very thin metal material. Down here in South Texas those types of smoker pits do not last very long do to the corrosive salt water in the air. Those smokers tend to rust very easily when you leave them outside. In my opinion it is better to save the extra money and get the heavy duty metal barbecue smokers.
These traditional barbecue smokers are great to barbecue on. I have smoked all sorts of meats on these smokers. You can fit racks of ribs to several briskets. These smokers are also good just to grill on. I would definitely recommend investing in a traditional backyard smoker.
Trailer Barbecue Smokers
If you like to barbecue for large amounts of people and/or you want to compete in barbecue competitions, then you need a barbecue trailer smoker. The most common barbecue trailer pit is going to have a double lid, firebox, and a smoker box. There are also a lot of bells and whistles. Most of the racks will be single, but they do make double stack racks. The upright smoker box will usually have 4-5 racks with two smoke stacks. It is also common for the trailer to have a front shelf in front of your smoker to put your untensils on. Some trailers also have extra storage areas. These barbecue trailer pits usually start out at $3500 new. I have seen some nice ones used for as low as $1500, which is a steal if it is in good condition.
Manufactured Trailer Pits Too Expensive?
If $3500 is too expensive, don't be embarrassed! I went the other route myself. If you have a friend that is a welder, you my want to ask him/her to help you out. The sad thing is a lot of the oil field jobs have dried out to a certain extent which left a lot of welders jobless. This could be a chance for you to be able to help each other out. Most of these welders are very experienced and have been welding for a long time. Most of them have also probably built a barbecue pit or two in their lifetime.
My buddy was a welder and made a trailer pit. It was the common model which had a smoke box, double lid with single racks, and a smoker box with 5 racks, and two smoke stacks. After about a year or two his dad sold it to me for $500. There was nothing wrong with it! Of course I got a discount for being a friend, but if he did not sell it to me, he said he was going to ask about $1200. Which was still a great deal.
Even if you do not know a welder and have seen one driving around with his rig on his truck, don't be afraid to ask them. More than likely they will not turn you down. You will be surprised how detailed some welders are. Even if you do not want a trailer barbecue pit that is fine. I have seen some welders make some nice back yard pits for $400. That is cheap if you compare some of the lower grade barbeque pits that the grocery stores and sporting goods store sell. Most of them charge at least $300 for a barbecue pit with a smoker box and a single lid. These barbeque pits usually have a thin lower grade metal. That is just a rip off.
These stores also sell higher end barbeque pits. Some have what I just mentioned above. Others have a fire box, single lid, and sometimes a small smoker box. I have seen these start out at around $900. They are good quality barbeque pits, but that is kind of high considering the alternative of hiring a welder. Whatever method you choose, just make sure you think it through. Also make sure it suits your barbecuing needs.
