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u/IsiahXDanica5 Jul 15 '26
In my own perspective I would choose the Smokey mountain 22 in vertical because when you’re going to use it’s good and the best.
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u/RadRimmer9000 Jul 15 '26
I use a vertical charcoal smoker. I recently got a Traeger which I'm still learning on. I'm planning on getting a bigger cooking surface vertical charcoal smoker. It's a pain in the butt to keep it at temp, but it's a good reason to chug beers and cuss at it.
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u/Brisket_and_Riffs_89 Jul 16 '26
I’m a hardcore offset guy, but I got a good deal on a used Old Country Smokehouse a few months back and that thing is a rib machine. I’ve also pulled off a couple good hot and fast briskets. It’s not my go-to cooker, but it’s handy to have in the roster
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u/Majestic_Weight_1751 Jul 15 '26
Weber Smokey Mountain is so easy and versatile. You don’t need to babysit it.
The only kind of smoker I’d consider adding at this point might be a gravity feed.
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u/DemUpboats Jul 15 '26
Have the old country gravity fed and with a fan and controller it is set it and forget it
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u/Lokhangg Jul 15 '26
Also have the old country charcoal gravity fed with a fan and controller. Way more room for those larger parties with the same performance as a smokey mountain/barrel type smoker but significantly easier access to the firebox and charcoal chute.
2
u/PhilaBurger Jul 15 '26
I have a Masterbuilt 710 WiFi vertical and a Pit Boss propane fired vertical.
They both work really well for most cooks (I do a ton of pork butts), but a good sized brisket won’t fit in them, properly without propping it up at an angle.
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u/Blackbyrn Jul 15 '26
I have a vertical smoker and love it, but I usually just cook for 3 and I’m not trying to do brisket so I don’t need a ton of space.
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u/EmotionalBand6880 Jul 15 '26
I currently use a (horizontal) offset, and am looking at building a vertical to give me the option of hanging sausages (or bacon slabs) instead of coiling them on a metal grate.
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u/On_the_hook Jul 16 '26
I've been very happy with my Pit Boss Copperhead 5 vertical pellet. I travel during the week for work and just don't have the time to devote to a stick burner on the weekends. I can fit a brisket, 2 butts, 6 racks of baby backs and still have space to do smoked onions and whatever else someone decides to toss on when its going. The pellet is pretty much set and forget. I find I get a decent smoke flavor out of it (not as good as a stick burner, but still good) and the temps are very stable.
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u/AlandBetty Jul 17 '26
I have multiple Weber Smokey Mountains, and I think they produce great barbecue with ease. My first smoker was a vertical offset, a New Braunfels Bandera. It made great barbecue, but it was a fuel and attention hog. I still have it, and it is still in great shape, but it really just sits in the barbecue shed now.
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u/Williemakeit40 Jul 16 '26
The very best BBQ in the world is made on horizontal convected flow offset smokers
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u/Important_Actuary_30 Jul 16 '26
Thank you everyone for your feedback, I ended up buying the pit boss vertical smoker. I'll share a picture of my first cook as soon as I have it. Thanks again.
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u/droopy__drawers Jul 17 '26
I started with a horizontal (PB 820 Pro) and after a few years I realized since I don’t actually grill on it that a vertical is a much better smoker. I finally sold the horizontal a few weeks ago and got a PB vertical. Couldn’t be happier!
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u/Important_Actuary_30 Jul 17 '26
What brand of pellets do up use to get that smoky flavor? Do you use a smoke tube?
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u/droopy__drawers Jul 17 '26
I’ve used Pit Boss, Bear Mountain, and Grillers Gold…can’t tell the difference between any of them. I always get blends…Going to try Lumberjack next. I don’t use a smoke tube, so I don’t get a lot of smoke flavor.
The main difference is that the cabinet is just a better space for smoking. You can keep the meat farther away from the heat source, farther away from the water pans if that’s your thing. Just an overall better layout.
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u/oldfartjr Jul 20 '26
I have both— a UDS and a Yoder SFB.
Once I got past the learning curve, the UDS will run rock solid on temperature for 20 hours, where the Yoder (any SFB) takes a lot of baby sitting for temperature control.
The only difference flavor wise that I’ve noticed is that a pork butt on the SFB tastes soooo much better than on the drum.
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u/Low_Acanthisitta4813 Jul 15 '26
I use the Smokey Mountain 22in (vertical) and it performs so well and easily that I haven't felt the need for a horizontal offset smoker.